Dear Mr Pallewatta,
• Surround yourself with people who have achieved something in their life than surrounding with people who have inherited something,
• Do not Surround yourself with those who had been "Clock Watchers", "Paper pushers" and "YES men",
(Sadly, most public servants fall into one or all three categories above),
• Surround yourself with real academics who have proven past track records than not mere title holders,
• I am yet to see that you are blaming any of the past regimes for all our misery and it is a superb quality, so please maintain the same approach,
Once you are elected,
• Give all those who had been accused of misappropriation of state funds a general amnesty,
(You need not follow Mahathir Mohamad or Mikheil Saakashvili’s styles),
(Start with a clean slate so waste of more public funds spent in the form of Investigations & Commissions can be saved),
• However, ensure Treason, Murder, drug-related crimes, rape/sodomy and stealing and or destroying state properties and funds are crimes punishable with a Life sentence without parole,
• Set up a Big Tax Office immediately (help is available with many well-known International World bodies and well-known donor entities to set this thing up from the scratch) and once the wheels started moving the results will be visible
• Make it mandatory for all above the age of 21 to submit their income tax filing,
• Recruit good Investigative team (kind of Eliot Ness calibre guys/gals) and create enough revenue within to meet our recurrent expenditure,
• Borrow externally only for much-needed Megaprojects needed to develop and take the country to the next level than for "Legacy creating White elephant" projects and schemes (scams),
• Create opportunities than trying to create more jobs,
• Create an atmosphere for educated Sri Lankans who are currently serving other nations to come back and participate in the Nation Building Effort, even on an Ad-hoc basis,
Finally;
Do not associate with people with "Tribal mentality" in politics as they would become dead weight later in your political life,
(Have seen many pledging their support simply because they and you have attended the same school. And to me, this is no valid reason to pledge support),
Good Luck!
Sasanka De Silva
