5th Column

My dear Uncle Ranil,

I write to you this week even though you must be very busy today, putting the final touches to the Budget which you will be presenting to Parliament tomorrow. You would be tired too, having to do so soon after returning from the Land of the Pyramids.

You must be happy to succeed your uncle JR who was our first Finance Minister, 75 years after he assumed that role. It took you 45 years after entering politics to finally get the job that gets your signature on our currency notes – though those notes are hardly worth anything now!

You are also taking on the job, Uncle Ranil, at a time when we are facing our greatest economic crisis since the British left us to manage our own affairs. The people know you have a difficult job on your hands. So, I don’t think anyone expects you to wave a magic wand and usher in prosperity tomorrow.

Still, I want to let you know of some sentiments on the street because, once you get to the top job, you are surrounded by officials, lackeys and yes-men who tell you only what they want you to hear, which is not necessarily the truth. That happened to Gota maama.

You don’t need me to inform you that prices are sky-high and still on the rise. There may be no protests at Galle Face or on the streets because you have clamped down on them with a vengeance, but also because fuel, gas and electricity are mostly available but that doesn’t mean people are happy.

Most are making some sacrifice, cutting down on one expense or another just to make ends meet. For some, it maybe foregoing something they would have had if times were better. For others, it maybe skipping a meal.

The people know we are now at the mercy of the financial gods of the IMF and the nations to whom we are heavily in debt. They are bracing themselves for more taxes, staff being laid off and State institutions being sold. The public will accept all this, if they know everyone is equally affected.

They expect to see their ministers and MPs also making sacrifices and sharing some of those hardships. Sadly, we haven’t seen that. In fact, what we have seen from most of our politicians is just the opposite.

They are still going about in convoys of vehicles when fuel is being rationed for everyone else. We haven’t seen any reduction in tamashas. Not a single minister has said he will give up some of his cars or staff. They all seem to carry on as if nothing is wrong. That has made people quite resentful.

There is also a lot of anger about those responsible for this mess not being dealt with. We know the current crisis was not created by you, Uncle Ranil, but there is a feeling that those who did, haven’t faced any consequences at all and are still going about enjoying a life of luxury and privilege.

You must surely realise that the Greens lost three years ago because they didn’t keep their promise to tackle bribery and corruption and put those responsible behind bars. If that happens again under your watch, very few people will forgive you, especially when they are going through such difficult times.

We understand that you need to work with the ‘pohottuwa’ for now but the people do expect you to dissolve Parliament as soon as you are able to and work with who they elect next. Expanding the current Cabinet to 30 just because Basil maama wants to do so will not make you very popular.

We know your Cabinet is not the best. This week the Sports Minister apologised to a country about an incident which is still before the courts there – which amounts to admitting guilt. Meanwhile, our Cricket Board is funding the defence of the cricketer concerned as he was on ‘official duty’!

Since the matter is under investigation and before courts, all we can say is that everyone should be presumed innocent until they are proven guilty, but at the same time there should be a free and fair process. An apology confuses everyone. So, with ministers like this, you will have a tough task ahead.

Though the headlines continue about the alleged off-field performances of our cricketers, the World Cup ends today. Tomorrow, on Budget day, the cricket fever would have ended. People will want to know what you propose and we hope you can strike a balance between desperation and discipline.

Yours truly,

Punchi Putha

PS: Now that you are in charge, there are many people wanting to share the spoils of power, but we hope you haven’t enlisted the services of a former ‘Best Finance Minister in Asia’ in preparing the budget. To unknowingly trust someone is a misfortune, but to do so twice would be carelessness!