- To the Government with love, and a word of caution
By Ali Sabry P.C (Former Foreign & Justice Minister)
I was raised in a fiercely leftist home. My father, an LSSP activist, worked closely with Chomondeley Goonawardena, and through him I grew up admiring icons like NM, Colvin, Lesley, Viviene and Bernard. They were honest, educated, and driven by a dream of a just, equal, and united Sri Lanka.
But over time, I learned something, honesty and idealism alone won’t build the society we aspire to. Ideological rigidity, especially in economics, can be a burden. Around the world, the countries that have succeeded haven’t clung to doctrine. They’ve embraced pragmatism, ruthless efficiency, and adaptability.
- Governance is about results, not performances, not purity.
And that’s where I come to you, not as a critic, but as someone who genuinely hopes this government will succeed. Because Sri Lanka cannot afford another failed experiment.
Let me be clear: the NPP has already achieved a few important milestones:
•You won power without appealing to racism
•You have promoted national unity
•You are generally perceived as honest
•You have internal party discipline and policy consistency
These are refreshing and admirable.
But the machinery is slowing. Governance is stalling. Why?
Because public officials are terrified to take decisions. The cases of Mayadunne and Gammanpila weren’t just about individuals, they sent a chilling message to the entire bureaucracy, “Make a decision and you might be next.”
That message is paralysing the system. No decisions. No movement. No growth.
Yes, fighting corruption is essential. But there is a right way to do it:
Build strong institutions. Fund them. Train them. Demand accountability. But stop turning every investigation into a political show.
Micromanaging prosecutions, giving daily media soundbites, or using investigations as propaganda will not only fail (as seen under Yahapalanaya) but also backfire. Politicized prosecutions don’t hold up in court, and more importantly, they discourage governance.
You were elected to deliver, not just investigate.
Sri Lanka is out of time. Our per capita GDP grew from $1,200 to $4,000 between 2005–2015. Since then? Stagnation. We’ve lost a decade. And if this momentum slips now, it may not come back.
Recent local government election results have made one thing clear, public patience is wearing thin. The next warning won’t be a warning. It will be a verdict.
- So what can be done?
Focus on the low-hanging fruits:
•Get files moving in ministries
•Ease SME regulations
•Digitize public services
•End petty corruption
•Deliver visible results in daily life
Governance is not only about justice and laws, it’s about delivery, jobs, income, investment, services, stability.
Yes, we were in government too. We made mistakes. But we also took difficult, unpopular decisions to restore macroeconomic stability. We paid a political price for it. That’s democracy.
But today, Sri Lanka needs your government to succeed, for everyone’s sake.
I learned by experience, governance is totally different ball game from politics, particularly opposition politics of criticism.
Hope you self reflect with humility the message from the electorate in the recently concluded local elections.
In the ultimate analysis, every thing depends on the delivery on the economic fronts and traditionally patience of our electorate will run out sooner than later.
Hence, it is now or never. Get your act together.
Vision without action is waste of time.
So lead with humility. Govern with urgency. And never forget, ideology is not a substitute for delivery.
With hope,
A fellow Sri Lankan who still believes in progressive positive change, not rhetoric.
