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Popularity of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has collapsed, says SLOTS

Published

4 years ago

2022/04/27

‘Gota Go Home’ protest held yesterday in Colombo (26) pic by Jude Denzil Pathiraja

The popularity of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has collapsed, especially among women, the poor, urban and Sinhala adults, IHP Sri Lanka Opinion Tracker Survey (SLOTS) revealed.

SLOTS is run by the Institute for Health Policy (IHP) and the lead investigator is Dr. Ravi Rannan-Eliya.

“At the Institute for Health Policy (IHP), we have been tracking favourability of several institutions and political personalities since last year. The past two months has seen substantial declines in favourability of all politicians. This has affected politicians in both government, such as the President or Prime Minister, and opposition politicians, and in opposition, such as Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, JVP leader Anura Dissanayake and UNP leader Ranil Wickremasinghe. Also hit is the favourability of politicians who were previously popular, such as former minister, Dr. Sudarshini Fernandopulle, who has consistently remained the most popular politician we track,” he said.

However, the study has shown that the public displeasure is specific to politicians. Favourability of state institutions or other organisations, such as the Ministry of Health, the GMOA, or the armed forces, has remained positive and largely unaffected. These low levels of favourability of politicians may matter, since the willingness of the public to acquiesce in painful, but necessary, actions may depend on how they feel about the political leaders calling on them to sacrifice.

The survey report says that until early 2022, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s net favourability rating remained positive, although gradually slipping from the high +50 levels during the August–September 2021 lockdown to the low tens by January 2022.

“This can be contrasted with Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, whose net favourability was often negative throughout this period, largely because of high levels of unpopularity amongst better-off Sri Lankans. The President also maintained a higher favourability rating than Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, other ministers, and other opposition party leaders, although lower than a few ministers, notably Dr. Fernandopulle,” the report said.

Excerpts of the report: “That changed in the last two months: the President’s favourability ratings have cratered. His net favourability fell from +20 during February to below -80 during the first three weeks of April, meaning that for every member of the public who has a favourable opinion about him, there are now nine others who say they have an unfavourable opinion. This decline in favourability has been faster and more substantial than most other politicians. Consequently, during March-April, the President’s favourability rating (-40) fell below those of both Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa (-33) and Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa (-26).

“Analysis of our data indicates that the most significant declines in the President’s favourability have been amongst women, the poor, urban and Sinhala adults. In the case of women, this has lost him the edge in favourability that he has long enjoyed over Sajith Premadasa. Women view both unfavourably now, but the President more than the Opposition Leader. The only segment of the population where the President has managed to retain his former favourability was the Southern Province, but elsewhere his favourability fell. Interestingly, his colleague, Dr Fernandopulle, former state health minister, not only managed to retain more of her favourability, but our data also indicates a significant gain in favourability amongst government employees. In contrast, Sajith Premadasa’s more modest decline in favourability was more dispersed, although he also suffered a further loss in favourability amongst women, albeit less than the President.

The current economic crisis that the country is now in will require adjustments that are difficult and painful in the short-term. Taxes need to go up and prices will increase for most things. Living standards will fall for most Sri Lankans in the short-term, whether we take action or not to improve our long-term prospects. How the burden of these painful adjustments will be distributed between poor and rich, how these sacrifices are communicated and justified to the public, how social cohesion is maintained, and social unrest is prevented will require effective and determined national leadership to make the correct choices, and to communicate clearly to the public. That is the need of the hour, but the evidence of widespread disillusionment with all politicians makes the challenge even greater. It points to the need for fresh thinking by the political establishment on how to make the correct choices on economic policy, and how to provide the leadership needed to sustain the painful measures that are undoubtedly needed over the coming months and years.”

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58,454 International aircraft movements in Sri Lanka in first 11months of 2025 – Ministry of Ports and Civil Aviation

Published

6 hours ago

2025/12/31

Priyan

According to figures released by the Ministry of Ports and Civil Aviation there have been 58,454 international aircraft movements in the first 11 months of 2025 in Sri Lanka. [An aircraft movement refers to the count of take offs and landings at an airport]

The figures also confirm that tourist arrivals via air stands at 2.1 million.

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Highest revenue in 93-year history of Inland Revenue Department collected in 2025

Published

8 hours ago

2025/12/31

Priyan

The Inland Revenue Department has succeeded in collecting Rs. 2,203 billion in revenue in 2025, the highest amount recorded in its 93-year history. This represents a surplus of Rs. 33 billion over the revenue target for the year and a 15 per cent increase compared with the revenue collected in the previous year, stated Commissioner-General of Inland Revenue Ms Rukdevi Fernando.

She made these remarks at a discussion held on Tuesday (30) morning at the Department’s auditorium under the patronage of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.

Marking the first occasion in the 93-year history of the Inland Revenue Department that a President has visited the Department, the President attended a meeting with the staff to review the progress achieved in 2025 and the new plans for 2026.

The President expressed his appreciation to all officers and staff of the Inland Revenue Department for surpassing the revenue expected by the Government and urged everyone to continue working towards a common objective in order to realise the economic transformation required for the country.

Emphasising that no individual is entitled to the privilege of evading taxes, the President stated that the era in which a tax culture prevailed based on personal or political affiliations has come to an end. He further stressed that the law will be enforced without hesitation, irrespective of status, against those who attempt to evade taxes.

The President also pointed out that tax collection is neither repression nor coercion but a legitimate right of the State, adding that necessary changes will be made to laws, regulations, designations and staffing in order to secure this contribution.

He further emphasised that the Government’s objective is to ensure that the benefits of these economic achievements flow to the people of the country. The Government is focusing on improving essential public services to enhance the quality of life, undertaking a new transformation of the transport system and providing adequate allocations for the development of the education and health sectors.

The President also highlighted the need for a targeted programme to properly collect the taxes due to the Government by addressing issues such as improving tax literacy, simplifying the tax system and filling staff shortages.

Ms Rukdevi Fernando stated that the professional competence and dedication of the Department’s officers were the key factors behind this success.

She further noted that a revenue target of Rs. 2,401 billion has been set for 2026 and that the Department expects to achieve this through programmes aimed at enhancing tax compliance and broadening the tax base.

In addition, she said that the Department plans to expand third-party data sharing, strengthen investigations into domestic and overseas assets, take over the RAMIS system, reinforce risk-based auditing, introduce e-invoicing, adopt modern technology for tax administration and enhance tax ethics in 2026.

Minister of Labour and Deputy Minister of Finance and Planning Dr Anil Jayantha Fernando, Deputy Minister of Economic Development Nishantha Jayaweera, Secretary to the President Dr Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Commissioner-General of Inland Revenue Ms Rukdevi Fernando and senior officials and staff of the Department were present at the occasion.

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Sri Lanka Customs exceeds revenue targets to enters 2026 with a surplus of Rs. 300 billion – Director General

Published

17 hours ago

2025/12/31

Priyan

The year 2025 has been recorded as the highest revenue-earning year in the history of Sri Lanka Customs, stated Director General of Sri Lanka Customs, Mr. S.P. Arukgoda, noting that the Department had surpassed its expected revenue target of Rs. 2,115 billion, enabling it to enter 2026 with an additional surplus of approximately Rs. 300 billion.

The Director General made these remarks at a discussion held on Tuesday (30) morning at the Sri Lanka Customs Auditorium, chaired by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.

The President visited the Sri Lanka Customs Department this to review the performance achieved in 2025 and to scrutinize the new plans proposed for 2026. During the visit, the President engaged in extensive discussions with the Director General, Directors and senior officials of the Department.

Commending the vital role played by Sri Lanka Customs in generating much-needed state revenue and contributing to economic and social stability, the President expressed his appreciation to the entire Customs employees for their commitment and service.

Emphasizing that Sri Lanka Customs is one of the country’s key revenue-generating institutions, the President highlighted the importance of maintaining operations in an efficient, transparent and accountable manner. The President also called upon all officers to work collectively, with renewed plans and strategies, to lead the country towards economic success in 2026.

The President further stressed that the economic collapse in 2022 was largely due to the government’s inability at the time to generate sufficient rupee revenue and secure adequate foreign exchange. He pointed out that the government has successfully restored economic stability by achieving revenue targets, a capability that has also been vital in addressing recent disaster situations.

A comprehensive discussion was also held on the overall performance and progress of Sri Lanka Customs in 2025, as well as the new strategic plans for 2026, with several new ideas and proposals being presented.

Sri Lanka Customs currently operates under four main pillars, revenue collection, trade facilitation, social protection and institutional development. The President inquired into the progress achieved under each of these areas.

It was revealed that the Internal Affairs Unit, established to prevent corruption and promote an ethical institutional culture, is functioning effectively.

The President also sought updates on measures taken to address long-standing allegations related to congestion, delays and corruption in Customs operations, as well as on plans to modernize cargo inspection systems.

The discussion further covered Sri Lanka Customs’ digitalization programme planned for 2026, along with issues related to recruitment, promotions, training and salaries and allowances of the staff.

Highlighting the strategic importance of airports in preventing attempts to create instability within the country, the President underscored the necessity for Sri Lanka Customs to operate with a comprehensive awareness of its duty to uphold the stability of the State, while also being ready to face upcoming challenges.

The discussion was attended by Minister of Labour and Deputy Minister of Finance and Planning, Dr. Anil Jayanta Fernando, Deputy Minister of Economic Development, Nishantha Jayaweera, Secretary to the President, Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Deputy Secretary to the Treasury, A.N.Hapugala, Director General of Sri Lanka Customs, S.P.Arukgoda, members of the Board of Directors and senior officials of the Department.