Features

Lessons from Lockdown – The Need for Able leadership and Effective Systems

Published

5 years ago

2021/06/20

by Anila Dias Bandaranaike, Ph.D.

Recent concerns expressed in diverse fora and media indicate that Sri Lanka is facing serious economic woes. This article examines the fundamentals of why this is so.

PREMISE

How do we achieve economic development? To do this we need answers to the WHY, WHAT, WHO and HOW.

The WHY is understanding the objective of economic development. The WHAT is the course of action taken to achieve the WHY. The WHO is the leadership to do the WHAT. The HOW is the means through which the WHO can implement the WHAT.

Many people often discuss the WHY and the WHAT. I believe the WHY is to protect and use our scarce resources to improve daily lives today and for future generations. For that, we need to improve goods, services, employment and leisure activities. The WHAT are the priorities and targets, with relevant policies and plans, to achieve this ultimate objective. Given this WHY and WHAT, this article will focus on the less discussed WHO and HOW in Sri Lanka.

WHO?

WHO requires able leadership supported by competent teams of professionals to address the WHY and the WHAT, then implement, monitor, evaluate and take further action on the same. Thus, economic development cannot be separated from leadership capacity.

Able leaders make tough choices. They also convince citizens to face hardships to gain future benefits. They choose professional advisors with acumen and integrity. They welcome constructive criticism. They study their briefs. They take informed decisions. They strengthen implementation systems. They implement and evaluate. They act on evaluation outcomes.

With this in mind, let’s evaluate the leadership Sri Lanka has today with some examples.

Ignorance and Irresponsibility:

Since 2015, under two different governments, I experienced meetings of parliamentary oversight committees. Most members were absent. Others present were completely ignorant of the subject. Knowledgeable members were outnumbered. The meetings made a mockery of the relevant Act.

Poor Judgement on Advisors

: We have many excellent public officers. But I have experienced senior public officials preying on the ignorance of their political leaders. They retained beneficial positions at tremendous cost to the country. Yet, our leaders choose loyalty in senior officials above integrity and competence.

Lack of Priorities and Plans:

When this government came to power, they soon passed the 20^th Amendment. This gave them all necessary powers to act. However, we see no priorities identified nor any plan to meet our economic challenges. For example:

 Tax: counter-productive tax policies they introduced (e.g. removal of PAYE and WHT), which citizens did not even ask for, were never reversed. Government revenues crashed.

 Health: A military man leads the Covid programme, not experienced Public Health officials. We face rising cases and deaths and ad hoc vaccinations with no vaccination plan.

 Crisis Management: Despite local expertise in mitigating maritime disasters, a burning ship is spewing toxic chemicals in our seas.

 Trade: Random business ideas, however bizarre, from an inner circle having the ear of the leadership, are immediately acted upon. Palm oil and chemical fertilizer imports were banned, causing havoc.

 Environment: Against any environmental sensitivity, ad hoc approvals are given to build high rises and hotels in resort areas – Sigiriya, South Coast, Nuwara Eliya . A massive pharmaceutical project for Hambantota which, our own environmental authorities state, has potential to destroy our land environment, on par or worse than the burning ship.

 Communication: Official communiques today, are revised tomorrow; we notice delays, omissions and inconsistencies in official statistics.

 Self Interest: This leadership clearly knows to achieve their personal ends and that of their inner circle. Soon after they came to power, several court cases were dismissed or withdrawn. Convictions and charges were dropped or placed under review. Our debt is skyrocketing and revenues have crashed, but they prioritised expensive new SUVs. Budget 2021 was a farce, but private businesses lauded it, either through fear of retribution or expectation of favours. Thus, while adept at achieving their selfish personal ends, they have no capacity to address national priorities.

 Lack of a Focussed Opposition: Clearly, there is nobody in the wings either. Food and vaccination distributions are in a mess and people have neither food nor jabs; our marine and coastal environment is being destroyed; but the opposition is prioritising a no confidence vote against the minister who announced the fuel price hike! What about the opposition’s confidence in ministers in charge of Health, Food Distribution, Disaster Management and Ports?

In short, Sri Lanka’s increasingly ignorant and incompetent leadership is incapable of meeting economic development challenges to improve the lives of our people. Instead they create further challenges. They are out of their depth and drowning, with no one at the helm.

HOW?

The HOW is establishing and using effective systems to administer the country, deliver goods and services to the people, monitor outcomes and take action to further improve them. But citizens’ needs are very low priority for our elected representatives.

Over 50% of our labour force are informal sector workers. In today’s circumstances, they are facing untold challenges. For example, Our 22 year-old neighbourhood weekly gardener and his grandfather are the breadwinners for a household of seven. In unstructured curfew, they cannot earn to feed the household and, in monsoon rains, their leaking roof needed repairs. Last week, he walked miles on small by-roads to collect some money and whatever provisions we gave him. My local vegetable vendor, a respectable small businessman, is now destitute.

During this will-they-won’t-they-lift-it-curfew, they were permitted Monday each week to purchase vegetables wholesale and deliver to clients. One Monday, unbeknownst to them, all wholesale markets remained closed. They were told to purchase on Tuesday (4am). They did so and brought produce to the pola to package for delivery. The police arrived suddenly and shut the pola stalls down, saying a random order had come from above. These vendors had to take all their purchases home. Random decisions shove these daily workers from pillar to post. There is no system in place to protect them from whims. Who can they turn to? Their Grama Niladhari (GN) or their elected representative?

Elected Representation:

The system of elected representation no longer serves the needs of the people. As a member of Independent Delimitation Commission (DC) from 2015 to 2020, I also served on the 2017 Delimitation Committee for Provincial Councils Elections that was mandated to delimit electorates for first-past-the post elected representatives accountable to a specific constituency. I was proud to work with such a committed, competent team and sign my name to our report. Our Report looked to ensure representation of all the people in smaller constituencies. We have not heard a single material criticism of the Report. But it was defeated in Parliament by ALL parties. Someone remarked that the Report must have been so unbiased that, seeing no advantage to themselves, all political parties voted against it! Those are our elected representatives.

Administration and Service Delivery:

These systems need rationalisation. We each know our own Grama Niladhari Division (GND). GNDs and other state officials have varying responsibilities in urban and rural GNDs. They handle the administrative, security, health and education needs of their populations, as well as environmental issues such as flooding, poaching, water pollution, illegal logging and deforestation. There are 14,000 GNDs in Sri Lanka. So, on average, 5km²and 1,500 people (about 300-400 families) are assigned to one GND. But in practice, there are single GNDs with up to 28,000 people and 500 km²land area, an impossible responsibility for a single public officer.

So, the Delimitation Commission worked on a detailed methodology and implementation plan to rationalise and improve the system, based on population numbers, geographical size and terrain. If implemented, it would provide better service delivery in all GNDs. In fact, if that system was in place, and all other service delivery systems, such as health, education, police and disaster management, were linked to it, the above daily wage earners would have been in their GND radar and received emergency welfare. The DC sent this methodology and plan to relevant authorities at the highest levels in two successive governments. I do not think any one of them even read it.

State Sector:

The public sector currently boasts 1,200 major institutions in over 30,000 smaller units employing about 1.2 million (15%) of our work force. Currently we have 30 Cabinet Ministers and 40 State Ministers. There is so much overlap of responsibility. The left hand does not know what the right hand does. Leadership has to be bold and cull duplication at ministry and institution level.

How can leadership meet economic challenges without understanding the importance of the HOW, and prioritising these electoral and service delivery systems?

We first need to clean the Augean stables. We need efficient, effective systems led by experienced, competent professionals to implement, monitor and evaluate policy-led reforms.

My idealistic wish list is that ALL senior official positions are based on meritocracy and delegated responsibility. With the required checks and balances, professionalism and accountability will return to the entire public sector.

ACTION

Unless the Executive and all parties in Parliament show more able leadership and commit to work together to improve their fallen image and do right by their citizens, nothing will change. ALL parliamentarians, if they value accountability to their people, need to be more responsible and must take Parliamentary consultative and oversight committees more seriously.

If the government and opposition are willing to listen to constructive criticism, there are many capable professionals in each area to lead and rebuild institutions and systems necessary for Sri Lanka’s economic development. It is not too late. Else, there is no way forward, only continued bungling, as we see now, till Sri Lanka finally implodes.

The author is a former Assistant Governor and Director of Statistics of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka. She served on the Delimitation Commission of Sri Lanka from 2015 to 2020.

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Features

Crucial test for religious and ethnic harmony in Bangladesh

Published

17 hours ago

2026/02/12

Sahan Weerasooriya

A political protest that led to governmental change in Bangladesh mid last year. (photograph: imago)

Will the Bangladesh parliamentary election bring into being a government that will ensure ethnic and religious harmony in the country? This is the poser on the lips of peace-loving sections in Bangladesh and a principal concern of those outside who mean the country well.

The apprehensions are mainly on the part of religious and ethnic minorities. The parliamentary poll of February 12th is expected to bring into existence a government headed by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and the Islamist oriented Jamaat-e-Islami party and this is where the rub is. If these parties win, will it be a case of Bangladesh sliding in the direction of a theocracy or a state where majoritarian chauvinism thrives?

Chief of the Jamaat, Shafiqur Rahman, who was interviewed by sections of the international media recently said that there is no need for minority groups in Bangladesh to have the above fears. He assured, essentially, that the state that will come into being will be equable and inclusive. May it be so, is likely to be the wish of those who cherish a tension-free Bangladesh.

The party that could have posed a challenge to the above parties, the Awami League Party of former Prime Minister Hasina Wased, is out of the running on account of a suspension that was imposed on it by the authorities and the mentioned majoritarian-oriented parties are expected to have it easy at the polls.

A positive that has emerged against the backdrop of the poll is that most ordinary people in Bangladesh, be they Muslim or Hindu, are for communal and religious harmony and it is hoped that this sentiment will strongly prevail, going ahead. Interestingly, most of them were of the view, when interviewed, that it was the politicians who sowed the seeds of discord in the country and this viewpoint is widely shared by publics all over the region in respect of the politicians of their countries.

Some sections of the Jamaat party were of the view that matters with regard to the orientation of governance are best left to the incoming parliament to decide on but such opinions will be cold comfort for minority groups. If the parliamentary majority comes to consist of hard line Islamists, for instance, there is nothing to prevent the country from going in for theocratic governance. Consequently, minority group fears over their safety and protection cannot be prevented from spreading.

Therefore, we come back to the question of just and fair governance and whether Bangladesh’s future rulers could ensure these essential conditions of democratic rule. The latter, it is hoped, will be sufficiently perceptive to ascertain that a Bangladesh rife with religious and ethnic tensions, and therefore unstable, would not be in the interests of Bangladesh and those of the region’s countries.

Unfortunately, politicians region-wide fall for the lure of ethnic, religious and linguistic chauvinism. This happens even in the case of politicians who claim to be democratic in orientation. This fate even befell Bangladesh’s Awami League Party, which claims to be democratic and socialist in general outlook.

We have it on the authority of Taslima Nasrin in her ground-breaking novel, ‘Lajja’, that the Awami Party was not of any substantial help to Bangladesh’s Hindus, for example, when violence was unleashed on them by sections of the majority community. In fact some elements in the Awami Party were found to be siding with the Hindus’ murderous persecutors. Such are the temptations of hard line majoritarianism.

In Sri Lanka’s past numerous have been the occasions when even self-professed Leftists and their parties have conveniently fallen in line with Southern nationalist groups with self-interest in mind. The present NPP government in Sri Lanka has been waxing lyrical about fostering national reconciliation and harmony but it is yet to prove its worthiness on this score in practice. The NPP government remains untested material.

As a first step towards national reconciliation it is hoped that Sri Lanka’s present rulers would learn the Tamil language and address the people of the North and East of the country in Tamil and not Sinhala, which most Tamil-speaking people do not understand. We earnestly await official language reforms which afford to Tamil the dignity it deserves.

An acid test awaits Bangladesh as well on the nation-building front. Not only must all forms of chauvinism be shunned by the incoming rulers but a secular, truly democratic Bangladesh awaits being licked into shape. All identity barriers among people need to be abolished and it is this process that is referred to as nation-building.

On the foreign policy frontier, a task of foremost importance for Bangladesh is the need to build bridges of amity with India. If pragmatism is to rule the roost in foreign policy formulation, Bangladesh would place priority to the overcoming of this challenge. The repatriation to Bangladesh of ex-Prime Minister Hasina could emerge as a steep hurdle to bilateral accord but sagacious diplomacy must be used by Bangladesh to get over the problem.

A reply to N.A. de S. Amaratunga

A response has been penned by N.A. de S. Amaratunga (please see p5 of ‘The Island’ of February 6th) to a previous column by me on ‘ India shaping-up as a Swing State’, published in this newspaper on January 29th , but I remain firmly convinced that India remains a foremost democracy and a Swing State in the making.

If the countries of South Asia are to effectively manage ‘murderous terrorism’, particularly of the separatist kind, then they would do well to adopt to the best of their ability a system of government that provides for power decentralization from the centre to the provinces or periphery, as the case may be. This system has stood India in good stead and ought to prove effective in all other states that have fears of disintegration.

Moreover, power decentralization ensures that all communities within a country enjoy some self-governing rights within an overall unitary governance framework. Such power-sharing is a hallmark of democratic governance.

Features

Celebrating Valentine’s Day …

Published

17 hours ago

2026/02/12

Sahan Weerasooriya

Valentine’s Day is all about celebrating love, romance, and affection, and this is how some of our well-known personalities plan to celebrate Valentine’s Day – 14th February:

Merlina Fernando (Singer)

Yes, it’s a special day for lovers all over the world and it’s even more special to me because 14th February is the birthday of my husband Suresh, who’s the lead guitarist of my band Mission.

We have planned to celebrate Valentine’s Day and his Birthday together and it will be a wonderful night as always.

We will be having our fans and close friends, on that night, with their loved ones at Highso – City Max hotel Dubai, from 9.00 pm onwards.

Lorensz Francke (Elvis Tribute Artiste)

On Valentine’s Day I will be performing a live concert at a Wealthy Senior Home for Men and Women, and their families will be attending, as well.

I will be performing live with romantic, iconic love songs and my song list would include ‘Can’t Help falling in Love’, ‘Love Me Tender’, ‘Burning Love’, ‘Are You Lonesome Tonight’, ‘The Wonder of You’ and ‘’It’s Now or Never’ to name a few.

To make Valentine’s Day extra special I will give the Home folks red satin scarfs.

Emma Shanaya (Singer)

I plan on spending the day of love with my girls, especially my best friend. I don’t have a romantic Valentine this year but I am thrilled to spend it with the girl that loves me through and through. I’ll be in Colombo and look forward to go to a cute cafe and spend some quality time with my childhood best friend Zulha.

JAYASRI

Emma-and-Maneeka

This Valentine’s Day the band JAYASRI we will be really busy; in the morning we will be landing in Sri Lanka, after our Oman Tour; then in the afternoon we are invited as Chief Guests at our Maris Stella College Sports Meet, Negombo, and late night we will be with LineOne band live in Karandeniya Open Air Down South. Everywhere we will be sharing LOVE with the mass crowds.

Kay Jay (Singer)

I will stay at home and cook a lovely meal for lunch, watch some movies, together with Sanjaya, and, maybe we go out for dinner and have a lovely time. Come to think of it, every day is Valentine’s Day for me with Sanjaya Alles.

Maneka Liyanage (Beauty Tips)

On this special day, I celebrate love by spending meaningful time with the people I cherish. I prepare food with love and share meals together, because food made with love brings hearts closer. I enjoy my leisure time with them — talking, laughing, sharing stories, understanding each other, and creating beautiful memories. My wish for this Valentine’s Day is a world without fighting — a world where we love one another like our own beloved, where we do not hurt others, even through a single word or action. Let us choose kindness, patience, and understanding in everything we do.

Janaka Palapathwala (Singer)

Janaka

Valentine’s Day should not be the only day we speak about love.

From the moment we are born into this world, we seek love, first through the very drop of our mother’s milk, then through the boundless care of our Mother and Father, and the embrace of family.

Love is everywhere. All living beings, even plants, respond in affection when they are loved.

As we grow, we learn to love, and to be loved. One day, that love inspires us to build a new family of our own.

Love has no beginning and no end. It flows through every stage of life, timeless, endless, and eternal.

Natasha Rathnayake (Singer)

We don’t have any special plans for Valentine’s Day. When you’ve been in love with the same person for over 25 years, you realise that love isn’t a performance reserved for one calendar date. My husband and I have never been big on public displays, or grand gestures, on 14th February. Our love is expressed quietly and consistently, in ordinary, uncelebrated moments.

With time, you learn that love isn’t about proving anything to the world or buying into a commercialised idea of romance—flowers that wilt, sweets that spike blood sugar, and gifts that impress briefly but add little real value. In today’s society, marketing often pushes the idea that love is proven by how much money you spend, and that buying things is treated as a sign of commitment.

Real love doesn’t need reminders or price tags. It lives in showing up every day, choosing each other on unromantic days, and nurturing the relationship intentionally and without an audience.

This isn’t a judgment on those who enjoy celebrating Valentine’s Day. It’s simply a personal choice.

Melloney Dassanayake (Miss Universe Sri Lanka 2024)

I truly believe it’s beautiful to have a day specially dedicated to love. But, for me, Valentine’s Day goes far beyond romantic love alone. It celebrates every form of love we hold close to our hearts: the love for family, friends, and that one special person who makes life brighter. While 14th February gives us a moment to pause and celebrate, I always remind myself that love should never be limited to just one day. Every single day should feel like Valentine’s Day – constant reminder to the people we love that they are never alone, that they are valued, and that they matter.

I’m incredibly blessed because, for me, every day feels like Valentine’s Day. My special person makes sure of that through the smallest gestures, the quiet moments, and the simple reminders that love lives in the details. He shows me that it’s the little things that count, and that love doesn’t need grand stages to feel extraordinary. This Valentine’s Day, perfection would be something intimate and meaningful: a cozy picnic in our home garden, surrounded by nature, laughter, and warmth, followed by an abstract drawing session where we let our creativity flow freely. To me, that’s what love is – simple, soulful, expressive, and deeply personal. When love is real, every ordinary moment becomes magical.

Noshin De Silva (Actress)

Valentine’s Day is one of my favourite holidays! I love the décor, the hearts everywhere, the pinks and reds, heart-shaped chocolates, and roses all around. But honestly, I believe every day can be Valentine’s Day.

It doesn’t have to be just about romantic love. It’s a chance to celebrate love in all its forms with friends, family, or even by taking a little time for yourself.

Whether you’re spending the day with someone special or enjoying your own company, it’s a reminder to appreciate meaningful connections, show kindness, and lead with love every day.

And yes, I’m fully on theme this year with heart nail art and heart mehendi design!

Wishing everyone a very happy Valentine’s Day, but, remember, love yourself first, and don’t forget to treat yourself.

Sending my love to all of you.

Features

Banana and Aloe Vera

Published

17 hours ago

2026/02/12

Sahan Weerasooriya

To create a powerful, natural, and hydrating beauty mask that soothes inflammation, fights acne, and boosts skin radiance, mix a mashed banana with fresh aloe vera gel.

This nutrient-rich blend acts as an antioxidant-packed anti-ageing treatment that also doubles as a nourishing, shiny hair mask.

* Face Masks for Glowing Skin:

Mix 01 ripe banana with 01 tablespoon of fresh aloe vera gel and apply this mixture to the face. Massage for a few minutes, leave for 15-20 minutes, and then rinse off for a glowing complexion.

* Acne and Soothing Mask:

Mix 01 tablespoon of fresh aloe vera gel with 1/2 a mashed banana and 01 teaspoon of honey. Apply this mixture to clean skin to calm inflammation, reduce redness, and hydrate dry, sensitive skin. Leave for 15-20 minutes, and rinse with warm water.

* Hair Treatment for Shine:

Mix 01 fresh ripe banana with 03 tablespoons of fresh aloe vera gel and 01 teaspoon of honey. Apply from scalp to ends, massage for 10-15 minutes and then let it dry for maximum absorption. Rinse thoroughly with cool water for soft, shiny, and frizz-free hair.