Anusha David spotlights the hottest styles and statements in and around Sri Lanka – from political leaders to celebrity CEOs, masters of the game to fashion icons and stars of the silver screen and stage. Here are society’s leaders talking about the determination, vision, smarts, competence and professionalism. Today, she speaks to Champika Ranawaka.
Ranawaka Arachchige Patali Champika Ranawaka, Minister of Power & Energy, born 4 August 1965 is a man with a mission. That of making not just Sri Lanka, but the world a better place for generations to come via the generation of sustainable energy and the preservation of a Green environment. An Electrical Engineer by profession, he held the Ministries of Environment and Natural Resources, Power and Energy and Technology, Research and Atomic Energy in the government of Mahinda Rajapaksa.
Champika Ranawaka entered the University of Moratuwa, to study engineering, in 1984. As a university student he was involved in political activities. He formed "Janatha Mithro" (People’s friends) group, which is generally regarded as Sri Lanka's first green party, and helped Chandrika Kumaratunga to power in 1994. He was appointed to the cabinet as the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources in 2007. In 2010, he was given the post of Minister of Power and Energy and finally the Ministry of Technology, Research and Atomic Energy.
Over the past two decades, Champika Ranawaka has emerged as one of the most dedicated and active politicians with an uncompromising mandate to eradicate corruption and preserve the environment.
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During your university days, you were a member of the JVP. What were your reasons for joining the movement and why did you leave?
I was actually not a member of the JVP during my university days. During my student days I actively participated in the JVP’s student movement but after my A Levels, I realised that the JVP’s philosophy, basically the Marxist philosophy, would not work so I explored various other philosophies including Buddhism and there I realised that this Marxist, secular philosophy would not work and we have to explore our own traditions and our own indigenous thoughts and the Buddhist philosophy which is a non-essentialist philosophy and based on that we have to build a new political movement; that is what we realised. So during my university days, after the Anuradhapura massacre in 1985, we tirelessly worked towards that. We formed this Jathika Chinthana movement; myself, Rathana Thero, Gevindu Kumaratunge and we actually went against the JVP philosophy, but as far as the country’s sovereignty and the fight against separatism and Indian occupation, where these factors were concerned, we were actually with the SLFP, JVP political front that was headed by Madula Sobitha Thero. This is the actual story.
You formed the first green party in Sri Lanka – “Janatha Mithro”. Tell us how your interest in “green politics” began.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, basically Gorbachev’s new reformation, we realised that Capitalism as well as Communism would not solve the problems of the global community and we got this Club of Rome statement in 1968. This was actually a critical juncture as far as the environmental movement was concerned where they published this famous book The Limits to Growth, in which they identified two basic phenomena, one being the scarcity of resources, the other being pollution. These two phenomena definitely stopped the development drive that has been there for the last 150 years, subsequent to the Industrial Revolution in 1860. That clearly challenged the existing development paradigm. We were very concerned about this state of affairs. The second report came out in 1985, which was called Our Common Future. That clearly vindicated the predictions made by the Club of Rome people. Therefore, a few intellectuals and young activists formed this green, apolitical pressure group, which tried to propagate this ‘green’ idea in Sri Lanka. We need a sustainable development paradigm, which is in harmony with the environment and we should have a new technological base for discovering new energy sources, primarily ‘green energy’ which could power society and also to preserve equality in society as well as promote E.F. Schumacher’s philosophy that Small is Beautiful.
These philosophies were amalgamated into a book, which I wrote, titled Sanvardanaye Thunveni Yamaya, which translates into End of the Modern Existing Development Paradigm. That really was the beginning in 1990; there was a lot of enthusiasm generated. There was also a lot of criticism levelled against us. However, after 25 years, our philosophy and our thinking has now become global. Everyone here in Sri Lanka has recognised the fact that we were clearly right and that our predictions were accurate.
You are probably the only politician who is concerned about environmental rights, sustainability, renewable energy and climate change. Do you see these issues receiving more attention in the future?
Definitely, these are the two issues, especially the scarcity of resources. As far as fossil fuel is concerned, it is actually an exhaustible resource. Now as far as the global economy is concerned, 80% of economic activities are based on fossil fuels, but unfortunately beyond 2040, we will not be able to use gas, oil or coal because it is very scarce and exhaustible, so we have to find new ways to fuel our economy. That’s one aspect of the problem.
The other is pollution, which is far more dangerous than the scarcity of fuel. Because of the burning of these fossil fuels, carbon is being released into the atmosphere and this carbon is the cause of global warming which affects our economy and society–in fact, it affects everything. As far as all living beings are concerned there have been five great extinctions. Now the sixth extinction has begun and that is that the mere existence of human beings is being challenged and we are the cause of it.
In another 200 years’ time, humans will be extinct unless we introduce new development paradigms into this world. I am thoroughly convinced about the philosophy, the technological foundation, the data, the predictions and the mathematical models. This is why I’m committed to the cause. In time to come, I am trying to format a few things; for instance, in the Environment ministry, I prepared a plan called Green Lanka, which outlines how to adapt to climate change, how to optimally use our resources on a day-to-day basis. I have also been instrumental in formulating a new plan for Sri Lanka, namely for Research and Development. In this plan, we identified ten areas for investment and namely sustainable development.
As Minister of Energy, I have prepared a plan for future energy conservation. The first two steps are to achieve self-sufficiency in energy by exploring the possibility of using our own gas and oil and the third step is to have 100% renewable energy beyond 2030. I tried my best to implement these plans for Sri Lanka to go beyond these challenges and to achieve this sustainability target. So I’m not a mere philosopher, I’m not a mere speculator – I’m actually a hard worker. During my tenure as Minister of Environment, I demonstrated that we can change a lot and my initiatives in waste management are now very successful. My initiatives in the international arena, particularly on climate change, are very successful. We were at forefront those days. As Minister of Technology, I initiated the R&D programme, which is still very successful.
I believe we can change the energy sector. For example, the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) incurred heavy losses before 2010 but now it is a financially autonomous body, earning significant profits this year. The CEB is now independent and not reliant on the Treasury. As an institution, the CEB will not burden or surcharge its consumers. In fact, the CEB has achieved three main things. The first is 100% electrification for Sri Lanka; the second is 24/7 continuous power supply, and the third is financial viability. We transformed this situation; they called it “bahiravaya” but now the CEB is one of the leading state enterprises. In addition, we are transforming the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) as well. Within one year, we will convert the CPC into a financially robust institution. So you see – we’re doing things. The CEB and CPC are the biggest institutions in the country, worth over 1 trillion, and we transformed them into reliable, transparent and corruption-free institutions. So we’ve created an example here. We can move forward now. All in all, I’m very satisfied and I believe we can transform other sectors as well–including ports, aviation and transport–in order to drive this country from a middle-income society to a high-income one.
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What are your thoughts on wind power and geothermal power?
A. There is potential to develop geothermal power here. We have already explored nine sites but unfortunately the technology is not available in a financially viable manner. However, we are still looking into the feasibility of harnessing geothermal energy. As far as wind energy is concerned, we are blessed. However, the issue is that it is a variable form of energy. There are two factors here – one is that technology forbids us to harness more wind energy simply because you cannot dispatch it when and wherever you want. Variability is an issue. The second is that if we, for example, put up a 100MW wind plant, sometimes the energy output might be 100% and at other times, it might be 0%. So we can’t completely rely on wind energy. However, in the last decade, a few countries, particularly Germany and China, have developed smart generators as a technical solution to the problem of variability.
We are looking at acquiring this technology and introducing it to Sri Lanka as well. On the other hand, if you consider the financial aspect, wind power is expensive when compared to cheaper alternatives like coal. But costs have dropped in the last five years. So I hope we are blessed with wind energy and I also hope we can generate about 5000MW of energy in the future. At present, we are looking at developing wind power from Mannar (375MW), Puttalam and Jaffna. I think by 2020, with the development of new technology and by re-engineering our existing grid, we should be able to get more wind power. If we can connect with India then we can produce 4000MW almost immediately. At present, there are issues with this because of our political relationship with Tamil Nadu. But on our part, we are ready to go ahead with this plan.
What are your views on Tamil nationalism and the demand for a political solution in a post-war context?
A. We don’t have a problem with Tamil nationalism because every ethnic group can have their own nationalist ideas. It’s not wrong. But some elements within that group think they are a separate nation and demand a separate country. We can’t agree to that. Because of their political philosophy, the Tamil people have suffered with respect to their development, population percentage, education status and entrepreneurship. Everything has gone because of this political philosophy. So I think they must learn how to reconcile with other people and they should restrict their racist ideas. For example, in Colombo district, there are 259,000 Tamil people peacefully living amongst us. But the Sinhalese aren’t allowed to settle in Jaffna. Where is the justice? They have to realise that this country belongs to everyone. Everyone should be able to settle anywhere they want in order to open businesses, go to school and do other things. That is a basic right. You can’t deny this right by way of a separatist ideology. I think they should abandon this “Tamil Eelam” idea once and for all, and reconcile with the other communities. The Tamil society is 20 years backward because of this ideology. Most of the educated Tamils realise this and want to reconcile with the other part of the country, share their lives and their values. In this way, we can have a very good future as long as they can realise this reality.
What are your views on the BBS and the racist politics of the movement?
The Buddhists felt a bit insecure in the face of an aggressive evangelical movement and the fundamentalist sects within the Muslim community. (It’s all over the world and it’s not confined to Sri Lanka. Fortunately, there is no violent movement based on Muslim fundamentalism here in our country.) These fundamentalist factors caused a lot of concern amongst the Buddhists, and the BBS exploited this situation.
A few members of the UPFA tried to manipulate this issue to their own political advantage. As a result, our Buddhist society has been portrayed in the wrong way around the world. This is tragic because we are a non-violent and innocent people. Our Buddhist people and our Sinhalese kings never invaded any country. This is a compassionate philosophy. If you look at it now, there are Muslims living in all provinces. Our soldiers laid down their lives for Muslim rights as well. So what happened (with the BBS) is extremely unfortunate. Somehow, we must avoid that kind of extreme behaviour from happening again. But this is not confined to the BBS – other religions must act in a responsible manner as well.
You were one of the key figures in Mahinda Rajapaksa’s 2005 presidential campaign. 10 years later, you are one of the key figures opposing him. Do you believe supporting him for the last ten years was a mistake? What was the breaking point for you?
A. It wasn’t a mistake. Because of our support, we were able to eradicate terrorism and preserve the unitary state of this country and to impose the same law in every inch of this country. That credit must be given to Mahinda Rajapaksa and his government. We laid down the political infrastructure and spread the political awareness that was necessary to defeat terrorism. Both the UNP and SLFP were of the opinion that the LTTE could not be defeated. We believed terrorism could be defeated and drove this message forward to the people.
We also wanted to preserve the unitary state. The UNP and SLFP entered into an agreement with Liam Fox to convert or transform this country into a federal state. But now both parties have come to the same point: the unitary state. This was because of us and we are very proud of that. So we have no regrets. But unfortunately, after eradicating the LTTE, Mahinda Rajapaksa had a great opportunity to drive this country and transform it into a high-income country. But he and his family members tried to exploit every aspect of our society, he tried to “lumpenize” the whole society–which is a very dangerous thing – and he chose a very autocratic way in which to rule this country.
We advised him not to do this, we advised him how to democratise this country and we advised him to change this executive presidential system into a democratic presidential system. But he didn’t listen to us. So we finally made a decision. The need of the hour was to democratically defeat Mahinda Rajapaksa. Otherwise, there would be a bloodbath in this country, like in certain Arab countries. So without letting any blood spill, we managed to democratically eject Mahinda Rajapaksa. And now he’s trying to come back again. But he should not be allowed to come back again. He should be defeated at the next election.
What were Mahinda Rajapaksa’s biggest mistakes?
Mahinda Rajapaksa’s biggest mistake was to allow Basil Rajapaksa to run the development of this country. Basil’s way of handling things caused a lot of problems. For example, the corruption charges against him and his responsibility in ejecting Maithripala Sirisena out of the party at that time. Gotabhaya Rajapaksa is not a harmful person. I have great respect for him because some of his policies enabled us to win the war. But Gotabhaya Rajapaksa didn’t understand the peacetime context. That was the problem.
What were the successes and failures of the interim government?
One success was the introduction of the 19th Amendment and to provide an economic package to the people of Sri Lanka. Most importantly, the entire society has been empowered. It was shown in the Central Bank issue as well. People were enlightened, people were empowered and that’s why we have a new culture in Sri Lanka. People are aware of the manner in which corruption takes place in the country and how the society is moving forward. In addition, the intervention of the middle-class has been very important in shaping and moving this country towards the future.
Do you think President Sirisena is an effective leader?
His duty is to balance these powers and to create a conducive, democratic modus operandi. In this aspect, I think he is successful. Because of Mahinda Rajapaksa’s so-called positive leadership and showmanship, people are a bit dissatisfied with President Sirisena because he doesn’t have any showmanship. The people have got used to his predecessor’s style of politics. Mahinda Rajapaksa is an alpha male. His ego drives him. But President Sirisena’s way of doing things is simple and down-to-earth. I think the people may realise that this is not a weakness but a great strength.
Should Ranil Wickremesinghe continue as Prime Minister?
I think the UNP should be changed, re-structured and re-branded. The existing negative perceptions about the party can then be addressed. I think Ranil Wickremesinghe can change himself and the party. By doing so, I think the Maithripala Sirisena-Ranil Wickremesinghe combination can deliver a lot of things to this country.
Could President Sirisena have done more to prevent Mahinda Rajapaksa from contesting the upcoming general election?
I think Mahinda Rajapaksa created a vulgar and lumpenised culture in Sri Lanka. This should not be allowed again. Allowing Mahinda Rajapaksa and his cronies to contest this election and to dominate the SLFP are grave mistakes.
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Tell us a bit more about the UNFGG and the key policies of the alliance.
Basically, the UNFGG’s main aim is to fulfill the unfulfilled promises of the 100-day programme, mainly to introduce the Right to Information Bill, the Audit Bill and the 20th Amendment to the Constitution. This is our political reformation package. We also want to strengthen the anti-corruption institution, which was institutionalised in the 19th Amendment, in order to form a new system that can punish people who are guilty of corruption and prevent technical corruption.
To elaborate, there are three kinds of corruption. The first is financial, the second is managerial and the third is technical. For example, on the issue of technical corruption, if we take the context of a tender, an individual can insert two or three conditions so that only one candidate fulfils them. We need to lay down a new, transparent system that provides a level-playing field for all people - entrepreneurs, developers, social workers, politicians and everyone else.
We also need to develop a new economic strategy based on knowledge and innovation. These are some of the things we will try to do after the upcoming election.
What are your views on the Colombo Port City project?
The project should be within the parameters of our legal and environmental standards. Unfortunately, they (CPC) have not done a proper Environmental Impact Assessment and they have not addressed the environmental consequences when filling the sea. In addition, the method by which they mined sand and rocks from our country has to be looked at. This may create a serious environmental problem. So they have to address these issues before they move forward with this project.
Name the books that shaped your politics and your life.
Small is Beautiful by E.F. Schumacher, The Bridge by Franz Kafka and The Limits to Growth, which was commissioned by the Club of Rome.
What are your predictions for the upcoming general election?
Mahinda Rajapaksa will be defeated again.
Who are your heroes?
My military heroes are Napoleon and Vo Nguyen Giap. My Sri Lankan hero is King Vijayabahu.
How do you spend your free time?
I’m a wildlife enthusiast. I paint. I listen to oriental music. And I spend a lot of time reading.
Do you have a message for the citizens of Sri Lanka?
Please elect educated, efficient and honest people to the Parliament of Sri Lanka.
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0 Comments
Anura says:
Jul 24, 2015 at 12:00 amChampaka is not a good politician. He is only an opportunist of calibre number one. He tries to give the impression to the public as he and Rathana thero are the ones who pushed MR for the war. What a joke. People of this country will teach him a lesson.
Abey says:
Jul 27, 2015 at 12:00 amI feel you should be a little less arrogant. Having said that, perhaps you do this deliberately to appeal to our electors who are corrupted by politicians. Also I am concerned that you are a racist! Anyway. I am considering voting for you. Good luck to you.
Abey says:
Jul 27, 2015 at 12:00 amAnura, read the recent history. Campaka