Five Months In, NPP Faces Test In Local Polls

The new Sri Lankan government has been quick on the rhetoric and slow on the delivery of promised reforms. Without urgent action, another economic tumble can't be written off

- DILRUKSHI HANDUNNETTI

Today, Sri Lanka is electing members to 341 local bodies across the country, including 29 municipal councils, 36 urban councils and 276 pradeshiya sabhas. True to pattern, the electoral outcome is highly likely to be pro-incumbency, though with a dent in the ruling bloc's popularity.

The National People's Power (NPP) alliance has reasons to worry about a loss of support just five months after securing a history-making super-majority at the November parliamentary elections. While no government can retain that first flush of electoral approval, this one has cause for concern. The increasing public disenchantment is so palpable that President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, while addressing the NPP's May Day rally in Colombo, appealed to the people and trade unions for more time to deliver on electoral promises.

The government is also being challenged for its lack of statecraft and diplomacy, while the people continue to shoulder increased burdens following the economic collapse in mid-2022. The NPP's electoral sweep was fueled by public expectations that are rather difficult to meet. In the pursuit of power, the NPP, unfortunately, made promises it cannot help and had no intentions to keep.

Post 2022, the people do understand that keeping the island's economy afloat calls for a massive effort. But the NPP sometimes made light of the extent of the economic abyss, blaming successive governments of economic mismanagement and boasting of its own ability to raise funds through foreign direct investments and expat donations. But the people see no plan of action.