Ranil
Wickremesinghe: A Political Enigma of Sri Lanka
Ranil
Wickremesinghe is a prominent Sri Lankan politician who has had a long and
multifaceted career. He has served multiple times as Prime Minister and most
recently as the President of Sri Lanka.
Qualifications
and Experience
A lawyer by
profession, Wickremesinghe entered the University of Ceylon's Faculty of Law
and became an advocate in 1972. His political career began at a young age,
entering Parliament in 1977. Since then, he has held numerous ministerial
portfolios, including Minister of Youth Affairs and Employment, Education, and
Industries, Science and Technology. He has also been the leader of the United
National Party (UNP) since 1994.
He has
served as Prime Minister on six separate occasions and was the ninth President
of Sri Lanka from 2022 to 2024. He was appointed President by Parliament in
July 2022 following the resignation of the previous president, Gotabaya
Rajapaksa, and lost his bid for a full term in the 2024 presidential election.
Good and Bad
Aspects of His Career
Positive:
He is often
credited with helping to stabilize Sri Lanka's economy during the country's
worst financial crisis in 2022.
He secured a
$2.9 billion bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and implemented
tough austerity measures to raise state revenues, such as doubling taxes and
removing energy subsidies.
His
supporters say he was the person who "stepped up and accepted the
challenge to save this country when the economy collapsed."
He is seen
as having expertise and being well-connected internationally, which was a
factor in his selection as president during the economic crisis.
As Minister
of Education in the 1980s, he initiated educational reforms focused on
improving English, technology, and computer skills.
Negative:
He has faced
significant criticism from human rights groups for his administration's
crackdown on protests and his promotion of repressive laws.
His comments
on the fate of forcibly disappeared Tamil individuals, where he suggested they
were "most probably dead" and told families to "forget the
past," have drawn outrage.
He has been
accused of defending military figures and has stated his opposition to
international accountability mechanisms for alleged war crimes.
He was
involved in a constitutional crisis in 2018 when he was illegally dismissed as
Prime Minister by the then-President.
He has been
criticized for being seen as an ally of the Rajapaksa family, with many
believing he was chosen by legislators close to them to protect the family from
potential prosecution.
His economic
policies, while stabilizing some indicators, have been criticized for shifting
the burden of recovery onto low-income people by eliminating subsidies and
increasing taxes.
Public
Perception and Current Situation
Ranil
Wickremesinghe's public perception is complex. He is a well-known political
figure but has not always been popular. The latest available polling data shows
that while he was less unpopular than his predecessor, his favorability ratings
were still negative.
His
political standing took a significant hit in the 2024 presidential election,
where he finished in third place.
As of the
current time, Ranil Wickremesinghe's current situation is a major development.
He has been arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) over
allegations of misusing public funds for a private trip to London in 2023 when
he was President. He had maintained that no state funds were used for his
wife's travel, but the CID alleges that he used government money for his travel
and that his bodyguards were also paid by the state. This marks the first time
a former Sri Lankan president has been arrested. An ally from his party has
proclaimed his innocence, suggesting the case is politically motivated. The
arrest comes as the new government, led by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake,
has launched a crackdown on corruption.
#RanilWickremesinghe
#SriLankaPolitics
#PoliticalEnigma
#EconomicCrisis
#SriLanka
#UNP
#PoliticalLegacy
#FormerPresident
#Colombo
#SouthAsia
#PoliticalAnalysis
#ControversialLeader
#SriLankanHistory
#Aragalaya
#CrisisManagement
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment