Dedicated to Politics

Former Southern Province Governor Willie Gamage is a political veteran.

- Jennifer Paldano Goonewardane

From a student activist and insurgent, he transitioned into mainstream politics and actively engaged in grassroots politics and campaigns. He has served in multiple public service positions since 2005. He is a son of the South and knows its complexities and dynamics, and his return to the province was an opportunity to serve it well. But his tenure had multiple challenges, which he faced fearlessly. Speaking to Business Today, he describes his contribution to the province and shows how it has evolved. As a diehard political animal with a background in sociology, Gamage gives an insight into the province’s development trajectory.

Interestingly, he has some advice for young people – he urges them to be radical and use their energies for good causes. At the same time, he says they must cultivate the right mindset to succeed, fight their way out of their circumstances, and be strong enough to face challenges.

As the Southern Province Governor, how would you rate your performance?

I received my appointment as Southern Province Governor in November 2019. I was looking forward to a new start in 2020, but by then, the coronavirus was hanging like a specter, and by March 2020, Sri Lanka, like the rest of the world, went into a complete lockdown as the COVID-19 pandemic began to get out of hand. Hence, I define my four and a half years as Governor as a time spent fighting many challenges. I couldn’t implement any significant development projects in the first two years of my governorship owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. On the other hand, the pandemic was also an opportunity.  Sometimes, disasters are opportunities to serve. Hospitals were pivotal as the primary service providers during the pandemic, and the need of the hour was to ensure that they were well-equipped with infrastructure to serve the public. We renovated and equipped the province’s eight leading hospitals and several rural hospitals.