Cheap power was touted as the prime attraction of Sri Lanka´s brave adventure to liberalise its economy 20 years ago when the country became the first South Asian to go free market. Electricity at bargain prices was supposed to draw investors to the island´s first free trade zone near Colombo International Airport at Katunayake. The massive Mahaweli hydroelectric schemes were just coming on line and it was possible to offer foreign businesses inexpensive energy. Politicians even talked airily of selling electricity to South India.
All that seemed like a fantasy in May as the nation sweltered under massive power cuts that lasted days on end (See Himal, April 1996). The power shortage was caused by profligate use of electricity during the Economic imperatives are forcing the government rightward against the will of many of those who helped it to be elected to office Cricket World Cup, a long spell of dry weather, and a delayed (or failed) southwest monsoon aggravated by a strike by employees of the state-owned Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB).
Former President JR. Jayewardene and more so his successor, the late Ranasinghe Premadasa, had visions of transforming Sri Lanka into a Singapore. A series of big dams were built, and as electricity became abundant it led to an urban development strategy full of air-conditioned highrise buildings with which Colombo is now too well served. Many of these concrete monstrosities have no windows to open. Affluent Colombans have discovered that their city is uninhabitable without electricity.
Many services long taken for granted suddenly disappeared as CEB strikers even crippled the water supply in Greater Colombo and elsewhere by taking away vital components of stand-by generators servicing the pumping system. Predictably, there were angry fulminations, with the government alleging sabotage and the state media, quoting governmental sources, pointing accusing fingers at the United National Party (UNP) opposition.