-By LeN Political Correspondent
(Lanka-e-News -24.June.2025, 4.40 AM) In a political culture long dominated by cronyism, career politicians, and dealmakers, the National People's Power (NPP) government has once again sent a powerful message: this is a new era. In an unexpected but widely praised move, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has appointed Dr Harshana Suriyapperuma, a seasoned technocrat and former Deputy Finance Minister, as the new Secretary to the Ministry of Finance.
The appointment comes as a striking example of the government’s determination to build a capable administrative machinery — one that many in the traditional political class would never have dared to imagine. While critics continue to doubt the NPP’s ability to steer a complex and crisis-ridden state, even skeptics are acknowledging the symbolism and substance behind the new appointment.
What raised eyebrows across Colombo’s political circles was not only the selection itself, but the manner and timing of it. Suriyapperuma’s resignation from Parliament had not been expected, and his subsequent appointment — formalised this morning at the Presidential Secretariat by Presidential Secretary Dr Nandika Sanath Kumanayake — marks a rare transition from legislator to bureaucrat, and from politics to policy implementation.
Suriyapperuma is no stranger to public finance. As a former Director of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) of Sri Lanka, he played a leading role in regulating the country’s capital markets. Notably, during his tenure, Sri Lanka's global ranking for investor protection — according to the World Bank’s “Ease of Doing Business” index — rose from 74th to 28th place, thanks largely to his focus on safeguarding small and medium-scale investors.
His academic pedigree is equally formidable. Suriyapperuma holds an MBA from the Postgraduate Institute of Management at the University of Sri Jayewardenepura and a doctorate from Malaysia’s Management and Science University. He is also a certified member of both the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) and the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) in the United Kingdom.
In addition to his technical credentials, he served on the Anti–Money Laundering Task Force, representing the capital markets. He was instrumental in drafting current financial sector policies, including frameworks to enable small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to access capital markets. His private sector experience is no less impressive, having served in senior executive roles in some of Sri Lanka’s top-tier firms.
The announcement has triggered cautious optimism within Sri Lanka’s business and policy circles. For a country struggling with debt, inflation, and an uncertain investment climate, a steady hand at the Ministry of Finance could prove invaluable.
Observers note that this move reflects a broader trend under the NPP administration: empowering professionals with subject-matter expertise over political appointees. Suriyapperuma’s career trajectory — from regulator to lawmaker to civil servant — could become the template for a new generation of public administrators.
Still, questions remain. Will a technocrat, however qualified, have the political support to push through reforms in a system riddled with legacy interests and bureaucratic inertia? Can the NPP maintain its reformist momentum amid growing pressure from entrenched elites and international lenders?
For now, the appointment of Dr Harshana Suriyapperuma as Finance Secretary stands as a bold, even revolutionary, act of administrative modernisation — one that sends a clear signal: under the NPP, “business as usual” is no longer the default.
-By LeN Political Correspondent
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by (2025-06-23 23:07:31)
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