The government: Words and deeds should not diverge

Government ministers are being flayed on social media for actions that run counter to the positions they professed while in the opposition before last year's presidential and general elections.

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The left-leaning, JVP-led political force, the National People's Power (NPP), was once a harsh critic of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Yet, upon assuming office, the NPP decided forthwith to keep the IMF programme intact as initiated by the previous administration - a decision that carries merit under the circumstances.

Still, the NPP government faces fire for the current stark contrast with its earlier rhetoric. Even countries with communist rule, such as Vietnam and China, now follow economic models driven largely by market forces; only their governing structures retain communist hallmarks. The NPP, willingly or otherwise, is now pursuing an economic path which is not markedly different from that followed by successive governments since 1977.

On another front, the NPP leadership is in trouble over their recently published asset declarations under the Anti-Corruption Act. They long projected themselves as volunteers living a hand-to-mouth existence, portraying a movement with no wealth to flaunt. People, weary of glamorous politics, found that image appealing. But with details of their assets now in the public domain, a clear mismatch has emerged between rhetoric and reality.