The Man has revealed a side to his character that Diogenes Fernando would never have suspected. What he said, misquoting the old rubric, was: Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of the country.

He followed that bombshell with Philippians 4:8 from the King James Bible: ‘Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.’

In other words, it would appear he has had a dramatic Damascene conversion on Sri Lanka’s road to ruin. But a note of caution: as with much else about The Man, appearances can be deceptive, and usually are.

He was speaking at the monthly executive committee meeting of the CatAstrophe asset relocation fund, regaling fellow committee members Diogenes and the banker buddy with his vision for Sri Lanka’s future.

This was after previously revealing that he was going to run for public office, starting with the provincial council, where he intends to quickly be made a minister, which would then springboard him into parliament as an independent MP.

To give him his due, he is not entirely delusional and possesses a modicum of self-awareness. So he appreciates, more or less, that his reputation as a ruthless gangster businessman might count against him in certain quarters.

But on the other hand, he said, it might count in his favour, since people are now coming round to the idea that having competent ruthless gangster businessmen running the country instead of incompetent ruthless gangster politicians would actually be the lesser of two evils.

Moreover, if—with the help of astute marketing and PR—he can reposition himself as a redeemed sinner (everyone loves a penitent) who has seen the light and is seeking absolution through devotion to the common good…

For a start, he said, the people must realise that things will very likely never get back to where they were, even if we wanted them to, which we don’t, and this requires a wholesale change of attitude.

Firstly, if they want the country to be run like SriLanka plc, citizen shareholders must first appoint an able, competent board of directors, who will then appoint an able, competent management team and executive committee.

Secondly, they must understand that a strong balance sheet and S&P credit rating have nothing to do with democracy. Lee Kuan Yew did not create Singapore’s economic miracle by listening to the voice of the people.

Thirdly, self-serving Buddhist monks and Catholic priests must be confined to their gilded temples and churches and kept out of politics. Religion and hardnosed capitalism do not mix.

But above all, the people must accept that radical—and to some, unthinkable— solutions are the only way forward. Our politicians, he said, have proved that they are not capable of managing the nation’s affairs. It’s time to call in the professionals.

Cometh the hour, cometh The Man?