By Kishali Pinto Jayawardene
How does an All Party Conference (APC) comprising precisely of the same men whose actions have precipitated Sri Lanka into financial, social and regulatory collapse, help the country, one may ask?
Arrogant and incompetent decision-making
The APC’s first sitting this week prompted howls of rude laughter from the citizenry, no less. Grist for cruel social media mills and no more, the exercise illustrated heedless showmanship, the same games being played by the same conmen while the country burns – literally. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s apology to former Premier Ranil Wickremesinghe for remarks made by Governor of the Central Bank, Nivard Cabraal attributing the financial crisis to policies of the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe regime (2015-2019) should have been followed by another Presidential apology.
This apology by President Rajapaksa should have been made to the Sri Lankan nation, for appointing Governor Cabraal to head the country’s apex banking regulator in the first instance. And for packing the Monetary Board with the Government’s favourites and yesmen, with the consequence that key institutions were reduced to pathetic puppets of politicians.
These so-called ‘decision-makers’ are collectively responsible in the court of public opinion for the current crisis. Our tragedy has long been, not only arrogant and incompetent political leaders but also legal and financial professionals who follow the political caravan with no trace of integrity.