Who plays to the gallery?

• Proposal for free tabs for 200,000 A/L students

• Despite odds, unity government was able to maintain the economic stability

• People’s mandate made Ranil PM with a record 500,000 votes 

• President’s recent comment comes purely as a political stunt

No sooner than later there will be a Sri Lankan version to the book “Fire and Fury” which has sold millions of copies in USA. When you read and hear the comments made by the President Maithripala Sirisena during the last few days there is no doubt that someone who was instrumental in making him President may pen the paper against the philosophy of what the President stood for before being elected and until recently.  
To the surprise of all, the President went on rampage a few days ago blaming the UNP for mishandling the economy during the last two years and therefore he will begin to lead it from this year. This means that he will either take over the responsibilities of the Finance Minister or will create an institution above the Finance Ministry or veto his powers to the extent that he controls the subject economy.   
However by looking at the calibre of people he has in his camp, he may not be able to handle by himself but to get assistance from the UNP again.   
Why UNP again? Can the President rely on and trust people from the previous regime or the SLFPers who came on board with President Sirisena after he took over the party leadership from Mahinda Rajapaksa merely for their survival, who now enjoy the benefits of ministries at the expense of the UNP victory in August elections in 2015.   
Are the President’s comments ethical? However ethics are no longer an expensive commodity in the Lankan political market. It can be ignored too.  
How logical are those comments, should be the most appropriate question. It’s a fact that the President came in to office with the overwhelming support of the UNPers who rushed to the polling stations in numbers to overthrow the Rajapaksa regime. The mirror effect of that discourse was to ensure Ranil Wickremesinghe’s premiership. It was a pledge made by the President himself in the latter part of December 2014 after leaving the Rajapaksa regime.  
As promised Ranil Wickremesinghe was appointed as the Prime Minister together with the President at the swearing-in ceremony.   

"The crafting of the economy since January 2015 was a collective responsibility of both the SLFP and the UNP"

But it was not so in August 2017 it was the people’s mandate that made Ranil Wickremesinghe the Prime Minister with a record number of preference votes over 500,000.   
Then the supplementary budget for 100 days was passed. Subsequently, all the budget proposals thereafter were passed not by a simple majority but by a two thirds majority. Who led the SLFPers in the house to give a nod to the respective budgets? It was none other than the President. So why did not he see this earlier and rectify it? The answer is simple. There was no election forthcoming then. It means the President’s recent comment comes purely as a political stunt and as a relentless effort to hold together the dwindling masses from the SLFP.   
The crafting of the economy since January 2015 was a collective responsibility of both the SLFP and the UNP. Therefore credit of whatever the benefits passed to the masses should be shared equally by both parties that made a historic milestone in Sri Lankan polity by creating a national government by two parties that never matched ever since their inception.   
Despite shortcomings in the macro and micro economic management - the unexpected floods, landslides, droughts, dengue outbreaks, the collapse of the Meethotamulla garbage dump – the national unity government was able to maintain the economic stability in the country. Notwithstanding allocating money for education, health, housing, sanitation like never before in any era.   

"Vision 2025, the unity government’s economic plan, jointly presented by the President and Prime Minister to the public has included ideals of both the UNP and SLFP"

Listed here some of the cardinal socio-economic benefits received since 2015

• Increase in salaries of around 1.4 million public sector employees by Rs.10,000  
• Completion of Moragahakanda multi-purpose project  
• Commencing construction work of Colombo-Kandy expressway  
• Completion of Rajagiriya flyover   
• Regaining the GSP+ benefit from the European Union  
• Removal of the ban imposed on fisheries exports to EU since April 16, 2016  
• Recommencing the reclamation work of the port city after amending the initial agreement making it a financial city. US $ 1.4 billion will be the investment for reclaiming the island, an overall investment of USD 15 billion when completed  
• Providing a health insurance scheme worth around Rs. 500,000 including 200,000 hospitalization cover for all 4.5 million student population in the country. Initial allocation is Rs. 2,700 million  
• Providing free tabs for around 200,000 A/L students in the country. Rs,5,000 million allocated   
• Launching 13 years of compulsory education programme in schools. Rs. 3,500 million allocated   
• Commencing the project ‘nearest school is the best school’ project to provide physical infrastructure to schools. Rs. 64 billion was allocated for the project  
• Providing vouchers instead of uniforms to school children  
• Providing shoes for 4500 needy school children   
• Establishing mobile science labs for 3000 schools in the country costing of Rs. 450 million  
• Increasing Mahapola scholarship amount to Rs. 5,000 per month from Rs. 2,500  
• Reduction of prices of essential medicines. Around 400 branded medicine prices have been brought down substantially due to this effort  
• Reduction of medical tests and laboratory charges  
• Reduction of fuel and gas prices  
• Reduction of prices of essential commodities  

Moreover, the vision 2025, the unity government’s economic plan, jointly presented by the President and Prime Minister to the public has included ideals of both the UNP and SLFP.   
Be that as it may the cardinal feature of the present unity government was to reinforce and revitalize the deteriorated democratic institutions that were inherited by them from the previous regime. Introducing the constitutional council and establishing very important commissions, the election, human rights etc added social value.  
It gave breathing space for those who lived with fear. The era when village thugs openly controlled civil society ended. One may remember incidents that happened in Deraniyagala area, specially the killing of the Noori estate Superintendent by a famous thug “Athakota” who was given political patronage by the previous regime ended. What surprises us is that those who were responsible in creating such a vandalized society now beg for the vote again.   

"Are the President’s comments ethical? However ethics are no longer an expensive commodity in the local political market. It can be ignored too"

Despite all these, one cannot understand the comments made by a Head of State against your own coalition partner or your better-half.  
There are many quotations from the speeches made by the President overwhelmingly acknowledging the positive work by its partner but the public is the best source to judge the pros and cons stemming from the speeches.   
Lastly, one must remember if not for your partner UNP; where would have been the dream of “Yahapalanaya”?