A note on Mangala Samaraweera

Managala Samaraweera,  remembered as a true friend and an example

Despite a long and illustrious career as a politician, there were things about the political culture that Mangala consistently opposed and strove to change in his own capacities 

His thinking was influenced by his rich childhood and experience surely, but his skills and mastery in design honed during his time at London’s St. Martin School of Art shaped his perspective on matters emphatically

It has been three years since the unexpected passing of my friend Mangala. As I pen this today, our country is on the brink of a particularly decisive election – the first since a democratically elected president was ousted by mass protest in an historic first for Sri Lanka. Much has changed in the socio-political landscape of the country since, and I dearly miss my friend and partner in politics Mangala Samaraweera today, as does Sri Lanka.

In the years working together, our friendship was cemented by a shared vision for this country that we both love and serve (d). Mangala was steadfast in his principles, and stood for them most sincerely and consistently, even though sometimes we did not agree on all issues. At the heart of his philosophy was equality, his humanity transcended caste, race, and ethnicity. It was this pluralistic and inclusive philosophy in his daily life that shaped his vision for a Sri Lanka that preserves the dignity of all citizens in equal measure. 

Despite a long and illustrious career as a politician, there were things about the political culture that Mangala consistently opposed and strived to change in his own capacities. I recall an instance during our time at the Ministry of Finance where Mangala and I were invited to award certificates for young students at a public event. The student upon receiving the accolades, would proceed to bow and worship the presenter – which at the time was Mangala. 

Mangala promptly said to the student, ‘never bow down to people you don’t know’. Explaining his point further, he addressed the ceremony at the end, advising the students to never bow down to anyone unless you know them to be virtuous personally, thus standing firmly against the popular culture of prostrating in front of politicians and the like. This conversation was not unusual for Mangala, over the years I had observed how he encouraged youth to be discerning and critical in their thinking. 

Mangala’s advice to be discerning was certainly not limited to his speeches. In the time I have known him, Mangala has always been discerning in nature. His thinking was influenced by his rich childhood and experience surely, but his skills and mastery in design honed during his time at London’s St. Martin School of Art shaped his perspective on matters emphatically as well. 

While many since have emerged as forerunners of beautification, it was Mangala’s vision of a beautiful Sri Lanka that first led to the cleaning of the entire Beire Lake. Today while the city lights flicker around the Beire, it was Mangala’s creative and discerning eye that first envision the protentional and pertinence of a clean Beire.

It would be remiss of me if I do not speak of my time with Mangala as my partner in politics and legislature. During my tenure as the State Minister of Finance from 2017-2019, I had the absolute pleasure of working with Mangala Samaraweera in his capacity as the Cabinet Minister of Finance. While many reforms were made during the time, and fiscal consolidation was accomplished, the most infamous moment of our time there would forever be the photo of Mangala and I, together with a few Ministry Officials holding the Fuel Price Formula up for the media to see. 

While one of the less visually pleasing images of me, it remains one of the most famous. At the time the decision was met with a mix of anger and hilarity. Despite the backlash, Mangala stood by the sound economic decisions made by the administration and put the well being of the country ahead of securing the popular vote. 

A tough decision, but a necessary one for the country’s well being and one that a political leader like Mangala had the courage to do. A decision laughed at the time, rescinded by successive government and reinstated in a bid to re-stabilise the economy, many memes later.

Stabilising an economy during a four-year term is no easy feat – yet during the time period Mangala and I were in office between 2017-19 we were able to record the first primary surplus the country has seen since 1955 in 2017 and 2018 while maintaining sizable foreign reserves. Sri Lanka had only previously recorded a primary surplus in 1954 and 1955 (coincidentally the government that brought that stability were voted out of office in the year after as well).  

While borrowings were made, and much has been said about the same, 80% of the borrowings made during our tenure was for debt reservicing considering the time also marks the largest foreign debt repayment Sri Lanka has undertaken to date. The effects of our effort to stabilise Sri Lankan economy for the long-term were. Seen in the flat inflation and interest rates prevalent during the time. 

As the campaign takes me around to every stratum of our society during this critically challenging time in our country’s history, as we prepare for a pivotal Presidential Election, I am reminded fondly of my friend Mangala, whose leadership, political vision, pragmatism and philosophy of life is dearly missed today. In Mangala I lost a friend, and Sri Lanka lost a courageous leader.