Sri Lanka: President Dissanakaye appoints third woman PM of the island nation
Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: Sri Lanka’s new pro-China Marxist President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who said his country doesn’t want to be sandwiched between India and China, on Tuesday appointed a woman as the next Prime Minister, Harini Amarasuriya, ahead of the upcoming parliamentary elections.
She is the 16th PM of the island nation and the third woman to hold the office, the media reported.
Amarasuriya, who is from the National People’s Power (NPP) alliance led by President Dissanayake, has succeeded Dinesh Gunawardene who resigned after the defeat of incumbent Ranil Wickremesinghe in the presidential election on Sunday.
Ironically, Wickremesinghe, who painstakingly steered Sri Lanka’s sunk economy back from the brink after the April 2022 meltdown, stood third in the presidential polls while Opposition leader Sajith Premadasa was the runner-up.
Soon after taking the oath, Aamarasuriya was allotted the portfolios of Justice, Industries, Science and Technology, Health, and Investment.
Born on March 6, 1970, the NPP parliamentarian is the third woman to become the PM after Sirimavo Bandaranaike and Chandrika Kumartunga. She is also the island nation’s first female premier in nearly 25 years.
The new PM has been a university lecturer by profession and also an activist. Her academic qualifications include a BA (Honours) in Sociology, MA App. Anthropology and Development Studies, and PhD in Social Anthropology, from the University of Edinburgh, the media reported.
President Dissanayake seems aware of the stupendous tasks he has to face as economically poor Sri Lanka navigates in the treacherous waters of multipolar diplomacy. For now, therefore, in a media interview, he has emphasized that Colombo will avoid being drawn into geopolitical rivalries. Instead of aligning with any power bloc, the NPP government would foster balanced relationships with both China and India.
“We won’t be a competitor in that geopolitical fight, nor will we be aligned to any party. We don’t want to be sandwiched, especially between China and India. Both countries are valued friends and, under an NPP government, we expect them to become close partners. We also want to maintain relations with the EU, the Middle East and Africa,” Dissanayake said on the foreign policy.
This ‘neutral’ foreign policy approach, Dissanayake suggests, is critical for Sri Lanka to safeguard its sovereignty amid growing regional tensions. Sri Lanka will not be a player in the power struggles between global superpowers, focusing instead on building diplomatic partnerships that are mutually beneficial.
Popularly known as AKD, Dissanayake polled 1.27 million votes more than his nearest rival and main opposition leader Sajith Premadasa.
“China hopes that Sri Lanka will maintain its national stability and development, and is willing to play a constructive role in the smooth economic and social development,” a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Monday.
On the domestic front, Dissanayake’s immediate priority is rescuing the nation from its economic collapse.
“We are a bankrupt nation,” he said, highlighting Sri Lanka’s €34 billion (USD 45 billion) worth of external debt, rising poverty levels, and soaring prices for essential goods. Most of its foreign debt is from China.
Dissanayake also criticized both the ruling party and the main opposition for adhering to the same neoliberal economic model, which he claims has led to the country’s current economic plight.
The NPP’s goal, he said, is to implement reforms that will pull Sri Lanka out of its financial crisis and restore stability.
