By Skandha Gunasekara
Business tycoon and entrepreneur Rohan Pallewatte, while advocating for the executive presidency, seeks to revamp the economy and uplift the lives of the common man.
Below are excerpts of his interview with The Sunday Morning:
What made you decide to contest this presidential election?
I felt the country was not heading in the right direction and the issues were not framed and addressed properly and I felt guilty staying on the sidelines only talking about politics. Looking at the people around, it is through compassion I should say that I thought I should challenge the system.
How are you different from the other candidates?
In order to bring success to a country, the person should have experienced success himself. As an entrepreneur, I have managed in my own humble way to achieve success. Most of the people who get into politics have inherited politics from their parents and families but have not achieved success in their personal lives. That is one of the main differences.
I’m also coming into politics as a principled person and will never sacrifice my integrity. I will keep my word.
I was invited by all major parties to join their campaign and if I was after power it would be apt to join them, but it’s not the case. Someone has to stand his ground and say: “Principled politics, the kind we had in the 70s, must be brought back”.
What would be your main objectives as president?
My main objective would be to set the economy right. Personally, I believe that in order to get out of the economic deadlock the country is facing, we need about $ 10 billion as foreign direct investment (FDI) within a very short period of time.
I have been travelling the world and so far, in my private capacity, I have got pledges for about $ 4 billion in investments to Sri Lanka. I have done my homework. The prime focus would be to set the economy right.
You are a new face in Sri Lankan politics. How do you hope to battle it out against the likes of Sajith Premadasa and Gotabaya Rajapaksa?
Well, in Sri Lanka, the national psyche is such that after the 30-year war, people see military personnel as heroes but a person who provides employment or brings foreign revenue to the country is not seen as a hero. That is very unfortunate. In order to get yourself known to the people, you need a colossal amount of money.
When you come from the main parties, the media will give you air time but the time given to a newcomer is considerably less.
How do you hope to fund your campaign?
So far, I have been campaigning with my personal finances and of course, there will a few well wishers and friends who will be funding.
Would you be transparent about campaign finances despite other candidates not being so forthcoming?
I can be 100% transparent. The taxes have been paid for the money that I’m spending and all this information is available. I’m paying Rs. 1 million PAYE tax per month. All this is available. I will be very transparent and the people will understand how poor I am.
You are a successful businessman and as such, you must look at matters practically. So realistically, what are your chances of winning?
Realistically, it is a very remote chance because the polarisation between the two main camps has already started. When the polarisation begins, it’s very difficult for a third party to make a mark. But I thought around six months ago that it would be different and the people would polarise towards a new face. But then how do you market that new face? The colossal amount of money that was needed was not in our possession. So it’s a remote chance but that does not faze me.
You spoke of corruption and developing the economy but what about the national question and the issue of the executive presidency?
If you look at the world, in countries with high GDP, religion and race become very private matters and they don’t even discuss these things in public. But the poorer the country gets, these things play a huge role in society and the lives of the people. So the answer is to climb up the ladder and develop the economy and the ethnic and religious issues would take a backseat as the lives of the people become uplifted. With regard to the executive presidency, I’m for it.
What made you decide to contest this presidential election?
I felt the country was not heading in the right direction and the issues were not framed and addressed properly and I felt guilty staying on the sidelines only talking about politics. Looking at the people around, it is through compassion I should say that I thought I should challenge the system.
How are you different from the other candidates?
In order to bring success to a country, the person should have experienced success himself. As an entrepreneur, I have managed in my own humble way to achieve success. Most of the people who get into politics have inherited politics from their parents and families but have not achieved success in their personal lives. That is one of the main differences.
I’m also coming into politics as a principled person and will never sacrifice my integrity. I will keep my word.
I was invited by all major parties to join their campaign and if I was after power it would be apt to join them, but it’s not the case. Someone has to stand his ground and say: “Principled politics, the kind we had in the 70s, must be brought back”.
What would be your main objectives as president?
My main objective would be to set the economy right. Personally, I believe that in order to get out of the economic deadlock the country is facing, we need about $ 10 billion as foreign direct investment (FDI) within a very short period of time.
I have been travelling the world and so far, in my private capacity, I have got pledges for about $ 4 billion in investments to Sri Lanka. I have done my homework. The prime focus would be to set the economy right.
You are a new face in Sri Lankan politics. How do you hope to battle it out against the likes of Sajith Premadasa and Gotabaya Rajapaksa?
Well, in Sri Lanka, the national psyche is such that after the 30-year war, people see military personnel as heroes but a person who provides employment or brings foreign revenue to the country is not seen as a hero. That is very unfortunate. In order to get yourself known to the people, you need a colossal amount of money.
When you come from the main parties, the media will give you air time but the time given to a newcomer is considerably less.
How do you hope to fund your campaign?
So far, I have been campaigning with my personal finances and of course, there will a few well wishers and friends who will be funding.
Would you be transparent about campaign finances despite other candidates not being so forthcoming?
I can be 100% transparent. The taxes have been paid for the money that I’m spending and all this information is available. I’m paying Rs. 1 million PAYE tax per month. All this is available. I will be very transparent and the people will understand how poor I am.
You are a successful businessman and as such, you must look at matters practically. So realistically, what are your chances of winning?
Realistically, it is a very remote chance because the polarisation between the two main camps has already started. When the polarisation begins, it’s very difficult for a third party to make a mark. But I thought around six months ago that it would be different and the people would polarise towards a new face. But then how do you market that new face? The colossal amount of money that was needed was not in our possession. So it’s a remote chance but that does not faze me.
You spoke of corruption and developing the economy but what about the national question and the issue of the executive presidency?
If you look at the world, in countries with high GDP, religion and race become very private matters and they don’t even discuss these things in public. But the poorer the country gets, these things play a huge role in society and the lives of the people. So the answer is to climb up the ladder and develop the economy and the ethnic and religious issues would take a backseat as the lives of the people become uplifted. With regard to the executive presidency, I’m for it.