Colombo: Anura Kumara Dissanayake was sworn in as Sri Lanka’s ninth president Monday morning in a simple ceremony, with crowds gathering outside the secretariat to catch a glimpse of their new leader.
In his speech, Dissanayake allayed fears about whether his left-leaning party Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) could steer Sri Lanka as it recovers from its worst economic crisis.
He said not only would they be ready to engage with all global players regardless of ideology, but would also plan on creating a business-friendly environment open to private investment.
“I am not a magician,” said Dissanayake at his oath-taking ceremony. “I’m a normal citizen born in this country. There are things I can do and things I cannot, things I know and things I don’t know. But my first task is to lead this country, absorbing capabilities, gathering knowledge and making better decisions.”
The JVP’s origins as a Marxist organisation has raised concerns whether a return to hard left leanings would help Sri Lanka on its path to economic recovery. The crisis, followed by the IMF bailout, has raised taxes and the price of utilities, leading to an extremely high cost of living. While shortages in fuel and other commodities have reduced, prices haven’t — which is also why Dissanayake branded the IMF deal negotiated by his predecessor Ranil Wickremesinghe as “anti-people”.
Dissanayake, owing to his ideological leanings, is also seen as “pro-China” — a reputation that implies he’s wary of India and Indian interests in Sri Lanka.
But soon after being elected, Dissanayake said Sri Lanka didn’t have any geopolitical concerns, unlike India and China, and he was committed to whatever was in Sri Lanka’s best interests.
“We need international help — so whatever geopolitical fractures exist around the globe, we will not be afraid to engage all in the best interest of Sri Lanka. We will work with the world,” Dissanayake said at his oath-taking ceremony.
India also beat China when it came to welcoming the new president. The first diplomatic visit that Dissanayake received was from Indian High Commissioner Santosh Jha, around 9 pm Sunday evening — barely ninety minutes after he was declared president-elect by the Election Commission.
Sharing photos of his visit, the Indian envoy said India and Sri Lanka were “civilisational twins” committed to further deepen ties for the prosperity of the people of the two countries.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the new leader late Sunday, and wrote on X: “Sri Lanka holds a special place in India’s Neighbourhood First Policy and Vision SAGAR. I look forward to working closely with you to further strengthen our multifaceted cooperation for the benefit of our people and the entire region.”
Keen to remove China tag?
The JVP is known for viewing India with suspicion, given ideological ties with China and its opposition to the Indo-Sri Lankan Peace Accord of 1987 and India’s presence on the island.
In a signal that all this was changing, Dissanayake had visited India in February this year, and met both External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval. Doval returned the courtesy during his recent visit to Colombo.
In India, Dissnayake and his delegation visited the UIDAI in Delhi and Amul’s facilities in Gujarat — which he wanted to replicate in Sri Lanka. After returning to Colombo, he told reporters about the role India played in helping alleviate the country’s 2022 economic crisis.
“We are heavily reliant on medicines imported from India, and during the last economic crisis, survival was impossible without the food aid provided by India. Even though we may possess independent capabilities, strong international relations, particularly with India, are indispensable in navigating the current crisis,” he told Sri Lankan media on returning from the trip, adding that Sri Lanka had to leverage this friendship to overcome the crisis.
He also talked about how Sri Lanka could learn from India in sectors like information and technology, underlining his own focus on digital transformation, as he looks to India for inspiration.
It’s not just Dissanayake who’s broken from tradition and taken a more pragmatic stance towards India. The National People’s Power (NPP), the 28-party ruling coalition of which JVP is a part, has also indicated it wanted to work closely with India.
Their manifesto was especially welcoming of private investment, even suggesting a softening of their own leftist position in the interest of developing Sri Lanka’s economy. Dissanayake established the NPP in 2019.
Sources in the Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka said Dissanayake was very open to Indian private investment, though he has been critical of the Adani wind power project in the north.
They said his rant, calling the project “corrupt” and against the country’s interests, was probably part of electoral rhetoric during campaigning.
Dissanayake, however, has also criticised Chinese investment in Sri Lanka, particularly the Hambantota Port.
(Edited by Tikli Basu)
Also read: Sri Lankan Oppn leader Premadasa calls Wickremesinghe govt corrupt, campaigns on correcting policies