NPP’s Biggest Problem Is Not the Economy — It Is Telling the Public What It Has Achieved
For much of Sri Lanka's recent political history, governments have been accused of over-promising and under-delivering. The National People's Power (NPP) administration faces a different criticism: delivering significant policy initiatives while failing to communicate them effectively to the public.
Even critics acknowledge that the economic environment today is considerably more stable than the period preceding the 2024 presidential election. Fiscal discipline has become a central theme of government policy. Anti-corruption legislation has been strengthened. Public financial management has received greater scrutiny. Debt restructuring efforts have progressed, and international financial institutions have repeatedly noted Sri Lanka's commitment to economic reforms.
The Government has also launched the ambitious Clean Sri Lanka programme, invested heavily in infrastructure development, initiated projects aimed at reducing traffic congestion, expanded education funding, and promoted industrial development. Recent announcements regarding rail modernisation and urban transport improvements demonstrate a long-term commitment to national development.
On the foreign policy front, Sri Lanka has maintained a careful balancing strategy among competing global powers. Many diplomats and observers have praised Colombo's ability to place Sri Lankan interests at the centre of its international engagements while avoiding unnecessary geopolitical confrontations.
Yet there remains a puzzling contradiction. If the Government believes its policies are succeeding, why is it allowing others to tell its story?
The Opposition dominates much of the daily political conversation. Every government error receives extensive publicity. Every administrative delay becomes headline news. Every controversy is amplified across social media platforms. Meanwhile, government achievements often appear as brief announcements, buried deep within official websites or limited to a short social media post.
State-owned media institutions such as Rupavahini, Lake House, and the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation were historically criticised for excessive government promotion. Today, however, the opposite concern is emerging. Critics argue that these institutions have become passive observers rather than active communicators of public policy.
Take, for example, the recently announced rail development initiatives. Large-scale infrastructure projects with the potential to transform urban mobility should be accompanied by public awareness campaigns, detailed explanations, visual presentations, community engagement programmes, and regular progress updates. Instead, many such announcements pass almost unnoticed.
Communication is not propaganda. Citizens have a right to know how public money is being spent, what projects are underway, what challenges exist, and what outcomes are expected. Effective communication strengthens democratic accountability.
Opinion surveys continue to suggest that the NPP retains significant public support. Yet political support cannot be maintained indefinitely through policy implementation alone. Governments must explain, educate, engage, and communicate.
The NPP administration may have discovered that governing and campaigning are two very different skills. During elections, the movement mastered social media, grassroots mobilisation, and public engagement. In government, that communication momentum appears to have slowed dramatically.
The lesson is simple. A government that fails to communicate its successes risks allowing its opponents to define its record. Whether fair or unfair, public perception is often shaped not by what governments do, but by what people hear about what governments do.
The NPP's challenge today may not be economic management, foreign policy, infrastructure development, or anti-corruption reform. It may simply be ensuring that the people of Sri Lanka know about them.
If achievements remain hidden while criticism dominates the public conversation, the Government may discover that successful policies alone are not enough. In modern politics, communication is not an optional extra. It is part of governance itself.