In this episode of From the Island, we sit down to have a conversation with Dr. Harsha de Silva: PhD economist, MP for the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, former Minister of Economic Reforms, and Chairman of the Committee on Public Finance (COPF). He is also the founder of Sri Lanka's 1990 Suwa Seriya emergency ambulance service.

We cover everything from how parliamentary oversight of public finances actually works, to the controversial $2.5 million missing from Sri Lanka's Treasury, the finance ministry's repeated no-shows at COPF meetings, Sri Lanka's 2022 economic collapse, taxation, debt sustainability, the startup ecosystem, venture funding, and whether there is any real hope for young Sri Lankans.

CHAPTERS:

0:00 — Introduction & Who is Dr. Harsha de Silva
2:31 — What is COPF? How Parliament Controls Public Finance
7:56 — How Gotabaya Dismantled Parliamentary Oversight & Triggered the Collapse
10:23 — The $2.5 Million Treasury Scandal: Hack or Negligence?
29:58 — The Casino Regulation Standoff & Finance Ministry No-Shows
32:09 — Why Sri Lanka Didn't Have Qualified People Managing $100B in Debt
30:57 — The NPP Government: Liars or Pragmatists?
35:34 — Sri Lanka's Debt: How Bad Is It Really?
1:05:29 — Who Really Carries the Tax Burden? The Middle Class Problem
50:57 — Free Market vs. Social Market Economy: Dr. Harsha's Philosophy
1:01:19 — Should the State Run Businesses? The Regulator vs. Player Problem
1:01:19 — The 1990 Suwa Seriya Story: Doctors, Strikes & a Call to Modi
1:07:16 — Building & Selling a Company: The Nielsen Story
1:12:28 — Sri Lanka's First Online Tea Auction & the Startup That Got Away
1:19:08 — Why Banks Still Won't Fund Your Startup in 2024
1:32:50 — The Future of SJB & Dr. Harsha's Role
1:35:23 — Should Young Sri Lankans Stay or Leave?