Drama in the SJB

By Kassapa 

How does someone in the opposition issue a statement saying he is not planning to join the government, but still provoke the ire of one’s party leader? Harsha de Silva, parliamentarian of the Samagi Jana Balavegaya (SJB) showed us how to achieve that last week, adding more spice to the already volatile politics of the SJB.

The roots of this lies in the fact that De Silva was marginalised in the SJB. An economist by profession, he often projects himself as an expert on the subject. Like most in the SJB, he began his political career in the United National Party (UNP). In the ill-fated ‘yahapalanaya’ government he was Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, State Minister of National Policies and Economic Affairs and Minister of Economic Reforms and Public Distribution, whatever that meant, towards the tail-end of that regime.

At the 2024 general election, it was no secret that there was a campaign within the SJB to undermine De Silva and his ‘partner in crime’, the ‘other’ economist Eran Wickramaratne. Despite that, he emerged second only to Sajith Premadasa in the preferences count and made it easily to Parliament. Wickramaratne didn’t.

De Silva is now the Chairman of the Committee on Public Finance (COPF). He does a good job of it, although he does seem to treat officials who appear before him with an air of arrogance at times. He has put his knowledge of economics to good use to criticise government policies and it is well-known that those in government, including President Anura Kumara Dissanayake respect his opinions. This is because De Silva is usually objective in his criticism and never descends to the level of launching personal attacks. However, he can be seen responding emotionally at times when such attacks are directed at him, not a positive attribute for a politician.

The rumour mill began working overtime when Eran Wickramaratne was appointed to head Sri Lanka Cricket. This is likely to signal the end of his political career. He has already been asked to sever his ties to the SJB by party secretary Ranjith Madduma Bandara who wouldn’t make that request without the blessings of Sajith Premadasa. While Wickramaratne’s appointment was welcomed by almost everyone, ruling party politicians took the moral high ground saying the government wouldn’t hesitate to appoint competent persons to positions of responsibility, even if they are from an opposition political party.  

When the US$2.5 million Treasury scam unfolded soon after, it was the perfect recipe for mischief makers. De Silva is Wickramaratne’s close friend in the SJB. The Treasury was being mismanaged. President Dissanayake, already burdened with the onerous task of running the country, could devote more time to that if he relieved himself of the Finance portfolio which he also held. There was none in his party, the National Peoples’ Power (NPP), who matched the job description. Harsha De Silva would be the ‘perfect catch’, or so the story went.

As this narrative gathered momentum, De Silva was forced to respond, lest he be accused of fostering it. He did, in a social media post where he said that “This government is a failure. It is clear that this government lacks a far-sighted economic vision. This country cannot be built with narrow ideas that are not open to the world. This will become even clearer in the future. I will not join this government. I have never had such discussions. These campaigns show that a certain group is trying to create issues within the Samagi Jana Balavegaya”.

That is as clear and categorical as he can get, one would have thought. If De Silva believed he was putting a lid on speculation about his joining the government, he was also opening another, different can of worms. That is because of a couple of other sentences in his social media post.

“It appears that some people want to send me to the centre-right camp. That will never happen. My politics will definitely move forward to a point where I can one day provide leadership to that camp”, De Silva said and concluded, “I also emphasise that I am ready to take on any serious challenge for the country at the right time. The country needs a new era.”.

If that was a dig at Premadasa’ s lukewarm leadership of the SJB, the Leader of the Opposition rose to the bait. He was obviously livid. He lashed out at a public gathering for farmers saying, “I am not one to wear ‘tie coat’ and have discussions with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) at night”. At the time, De Silva was on a visit to the United States and was holding talks with IMF officials. The barb was as thinly-veiled as it can be.

De Silva’s statement about providing ‘leadership’ and ‘being ready to take on any serious challenge’ are as intriguing as they are cryptic. There have been many times, when Premadasa has blundered, where many have questioned De Silva as to why he wasn’t challenging the former for leadership of the SJB. Maybe it was the gentleman in him. Or, perhaps it was the fear of the consequences of challenging and losing. Just like Ranil Wickremesinghe and the UNP, Premadasa may not be the best man to lead the party, but he has packed its decision-making bodies with those loyal to him, so ousting him will be very difficult.

De Silva’s political future in the SJB remains uncertain. Given these recent developments, he is unlikely to be appointed Finance Minister, even in the implausible event of the SJB forming a government in 2029. Premadasa will want to hold the purse strings himself or, if he has to delegate it, will do so to an absolute loyalist which De Silva is not. These are of course, dreams of a distant day.

Harsha De Silva’s next political move will be watched with great interest. He says he has plans to ‘provide leadership’. To whom, we must wait and see. Surely, time will tell.