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The Mangala example

28 Aug 2021

Mangala Samaraweera’s colourful, eventful, and impactful life has been memorialised extensively this past week. Plenty has been said about the qualities of the man; high in praise, generous in description, and kind in recollection, but varying in eloquence. Not that he needed anyone to be generous in his death. If anything, what stood him further apart from his peers was how little he cared about what people thought of him; how refreshingly unconcerned he was about crafting a different persona for public consumption. Here was a man who was equally comfortable among western diplomats as he was with his polity in Matara, with making kings as he was with criticising those very men, with formulating national policy as he was with making TikTok videos. He didn’t just put himself out there, warts and all – he owned it. It is a damning indictment on our current stock of politicians, however, that Mangala is being hailed, above all, for being honest, sincere, and true to himself, and for standing up for what he believed was right. Those are pretty much the basic qualities of being a good human, so if the death of a politician leads to reverently high praise for basic goodness, that reflects the depth of the morass we find ourselves in. Like most humans, and all politicians, Mangala had his faults and he was vilified in no small measure by opponents while he lived. But in crafting this legacy, that perhaps would have taken him by surprise: He leaves many lessons for those in politics and public service now and in future. Over the years, he held many portfolios – Posts and Telecom, Media, Ports and Aviation, Urban Development, Foreign Affairs, and Finance – with varying tenures and levels of success. Of the many manoeuvres he made in each seat, the economy today continues to enjoy the enduring impact of his move to privatise Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT), setting in motion the changes that would further liberalise the sector and, importantly, create a level playing field among telecom operators. His strategy was to clearly separate the management of the state-owned enterprise from the policymaking body and the regulatory body, the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission. It is a model that should serve as one to follow for many ministries carrying state-owned assets that have turned unwieldy and inefficient due to weak management and policy weaknesses. He is also being hailed for the faith he placed in the counsel of experienced public servants and young professionals alike, surrounding himself with subject experts so that he was armed with the right advice to make the right decisions. A politician, especially at the most senior levels, is only as good as the team they have in place to offer truth, clarity, and perspective. That team, in turn, must include those unfettered by politics and blinded by loyalties. Few of today’s senior politicians can lay claim to the same. He wasn’t hung up on popularity if it meant pandering to those he had little respect for, especially in the latter years. He was unafraid to speak the harsh truths and did it knowing the extent of controversy he courted, at the cost of enraging the electorate. He minced no words in his public criticism even of untouchable religious personalities, including senior Buddhist monks and the Cardinal. We could do with a few more of those rare voices that resonate with our own opinions – where not everything is good or bad depending on our pro or anti stance. In remembering Mangala, we must also recognise that he was a typical Sri Lankan politician in the model of many that now govern us – hailing from a political family, attending the right school, open to switching allegiances, an operator behind the scenes. But he also made fearless choices to be vociferous in his disagreements, even with his own. He chose more often to be pragmatic over idealistic, progressive over conservative, and to carve his liberal political identity along the ideals of democracy. It made him few friends, but in his passing, there has been effusive admiration and appreciation from friend and foe alike for a life well lived. And that’s something more politicians should aspire to.

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Discover Kapruka, the leading online shopping platform in Sri Lanka, where you can conveniently send Gifts and Flowers to your loved ones for any event. Explore a wide range of popular Shopping Categories on Kapruka, including Toys, Groceries, Electronics, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Automobile, Mother and Baby Products, Clothing, and Fashion. Additionally, Kapruka offers unique online services like Money Remittance, Astrology, Medicine Delivery, and access to over 700 Top Brands. Also If you’re interested in selling with Kapruka, Partner Central by Kapruka is the best solution to start with. Moreover, through Kapruka Global Shop, you can also enjoy the convenience of purchasing products from renowned platforms like Amazon and eBay and have them delivered to Sri Lanka.Send love straight to their heart this Valentine's with our thoughtful gifts!


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