The people are once again being asked to foot the bill for a crisis they did not create. This time, it comes in the form of restructuring and voluntary retirement schemes. But strip away the corporate jargon and the reality is, the Treasury is preparing to spend billions on compensation for thousands of employees following the breakup of the former Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB). And who funds the Treasury? The public.
At a time when ordinary citizens are struggling to survive under crushing taxes, soaring electricity tariffs, rising food prices and stagnant wages, the State has somehow found billions to clean up yet another mess born from decades of political mismanagement.
The Government insists this is part of an essential reform process. Energy Minister Anura Karunathilaka says the compensation payments are necessary because employees who did not wish to continue under the new structure were given the option of voluntary retirement. But there is nothing voluntary about the circumstances that led to this situation. Workers are leaving because the institution they once knew has been dismantled in the name of economic reform, with uncertainty hanging over jobs, pensions and the future of the power sector itself.
The deeper question is this. Why should taxpayers absorb the cost of restructuring a State institution that successive Governments systematically mismanaged for decades?
The CEB did not collapse in isolation. It was dragged into dysfunction through political appointments, corrupt procurement practices, delayed energy reforms, bloated inefficiencies and short-sighted policy decisions made by politicians from every major party that has held power. Governments treated the electricity sector as a political playground for years. Tariffs were manipulated for electoral gain. Renewable energy policy lurched from one direction to another. Loss making projects were approved. Accountability was non-existent.
Now the same public that endured hours of power cuts during the economic crisis is expected to finance the transition into six new companies while continuing to pay some of the highest electricity bills in the country’s history.
That is where public anger becomes justified.
The Government cannot speak endlessly about fiscal discipline and economic responsibility while casually transferring billions in restructuring costs out of the Treasury. Meanwhile, the citizens have been lectured about hard choices and economic realities. Yet, when State institutions fail, money suddenly appears.
The optics are terrible. The politics are worse.
This entire process also raises troubling concerns about transparency. The CEB Act of 1969 has been repealed. The old institution has ceased to exist. In its place stand six newly created entities. But the public still has very little clarity about what this restructuring will ultimately achieve.
Will electricity prices actually come down? Will efficiency improve? Will political interference finally end? Or is this merely the repackaging of the same dysfunction under different company names and new letterheads?
The people have every reason to be sceptical. They have heard promises of reform before. They were told privatisation would improve services. They were told restructuring would reduce waste. They were told independent commissions would eliminate political interference. Yet the same cycle keeps repeating itself. Institutions fail. The public pays. Politicians move on.
What makes this moment especially dangerous is the growing disconnect between economic policy and public trust. People are exhausted. They are tired of hearing that sacrifice is necessary while watching waste continue at the top. They are tired of bearing the burden for decisions they never made. And they are increasingly suspicious that reform often means ordinary citizens absorbing losses while the political class escapes responsibility.
If the Government genuinely wants public support for restructuring State enterprises, then it must begin with honesty. It must explain exactly how these new entities will operate, how corruption and inefficiency will be prevented, and how consumers will benefit in real terms. More importantly, it must demonstrate that those responsible for years of mismanagement are being held accountable.
The country cannot keep operating like this because we are already drowning in debt. Families are cutting meals, businesses are collapsing under utility costs and young people are leaving in record numbers searching for stability abroad. Against that backdrop, every rupee matters.
The public has paid enough for political incompetence. It should not be forced to pay for its rebranding too.