Challenge for new govt: President

By Austin Fernando

The background to mayhem

The GotaGoGama protest has been on for 32 days to oust President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and the Rajapaksa Clan, from domestic politics, and achieve national progress. It was a civilized civilian event. Exactly on the 30th day of the protest, a meeting was held at Temple Trees in support of the Prime Minister, canvassing his continuation in office. The numbers cursing and demanding the departure from offices of both, are in the region of millions, compared to about 3,000 persons who attended the Temple Tress meeting, and went berserk thereafter.

Participants at the Temple Tress event were described as the SLPP members of Local Authorities and dissolved Provincial Councils and ruling party parliamentarians. Nevertheless, they were a motley crowd, including ruffians hired for Rs. 5.000 and booze, etc. There were a few or, no participants, from the North and East. The SLPP participants were not answerable to anyone, but the GotaGoGamians, on the other hand, were organized and answerable to their inclusive Group. It has been alleged that some prisoners were brought to the Galle Face Green for the attack, but the Prison’s Department has denied this allegation.

Instigation and the clash

A slow murmur—’Time to drop in at Galle Face’—was heard at the end of the Temple Trees meeting: Thereafter, they poured onto the Galle Road and attacked MynaGoGama. The Police did precious little to rein in the mobs, maybe because they came from the Temple Trees.

The Police should have anticipated an attack on GotaGoGama, and given protection to the non-violent protestors against a mob of ruffians and street fighters who were drunk, armed with clubs, etc.

The Police were present but their high-octane performance, which is seen when they protect government politicians, was absent. At the Galle Face Hotel roundabout, the water cannons were not used to disperse the crowd, originating from Temple Trees. The Police inaction was in sharp contrast to the aggressive manner in which they controlled crowds, near the Parliament, last week.

The Police should have used teargas to disperse the SLPP mob; instead, they tear-gassed GotGoGamians, who were exercising their constitutional-guaranteed right to protest, and fighting hard to safeguard their huts. Thugs were allowed to attack the GotaGoGamians. They had a field day, in one instance three males shamelessly attacked a young girl on the road.

After General Shavendra Silva sent his men, the situation was brought, somewhat, under control. It was announced by General Shavendra Silva that it was the Police that called the Army in. The Police should have done so much earlier. The presence of the lawyers helped bring the situation under control. If the Army was present at the Galle Face Green earlier the GotaGoGamians would have suffered less damage.

Destructive response from the public

Most GotaGoGama participants hail from the villages, though they may be currently living in Colombo. Wide publicity that the media gave to the events in GotaGoGama must have made the public respond to the wild behaviour immediately. Unfortunately, it happened in the worst form of arson. Houses were torched, including the President’s ancestral property at Medamulana and even the DA Rajapaksa Memorial Museum.

We have seen on television many buildings being torched without any resistance; family members, even security officers, were absent. This. I consider a bit suspicious.

This status was a nasty response by the public who had undergone extreme difficulties, created by shortages, price hikes, income reduction, personal difficulties, etc., all creations of the Gotabaya and Mahinda Rajapaksa Government administration. Anyway, this also reflected the government’s unpopularity.

I remember parliamentarian Johnston Fernando stating, a few weeks back, in Kurunegala, that the government had 6.9 million people behind them and that justified the President and Prime Minister continuing to be in their posts. The way people reacted to the deplorable manner the protesters were dealt with proved that not only the government, but even the key personalities, and their assets, are vulnerable. Some members of the Prime Minister’s family fled the country and even the Prime Minster had to be taken to Trincomalee.

Negativity of destruction

On the 9th of May, the Governor of the Central Bank, along with the Minister of Finance, Ali Sabry, started negotiations with the International Monetary Fund. The Police higher-ups, who knew only to appease the political bosses, should have considered the impact of their behaviour, and the consequences on the economy, and prevailed on the ruffians, because the IMF is concerned about the stability of the country and the government. Minister Ali Sabry must be doing his best to convince the IMF negotiators how stable the government, without a Prime Minister and a Cabinet, is; and, all incidents of arson were due to fireworks lit to celebrate the Prime Minister’s departure! Additionally, an Asian Development Bank team also is in town. I do not think that the orders from the political masters were to push the country down the precipice unless the bosses wished to ensure the succeeding government and the President both fell deep into an economic abyss. Jealousy, selfishness, and political enmity have no limits.

Public opinion formation

Since I was working with a team of seniors on this issue, between the GotaGoGama and the civil society (which was known even to the President of the BASL and Mahanayakas of Malwatte and Asgiriya), I was restricting my views, in public, on the calamity. After seeing what happened near the Parliament and on the 9th instant, such restraint became redundant. It is because this will be the treatment the government will give to my children and grandchildren, as well as other free citizens’ and their children who will demonstrate democratically and constitutionally, in search of their rights. My feelings could be the same as any others.

President’s predicament

The President’s failed contribution to saving the economic, social, and political crisis is well known and needs no elaboration. However, recapitulation of what the youth at GotaGoGama, in Colombo, and other protestors, elsewhere, orchestrate is sufficient to prove that the President’s decision-making process, the decisions, the application of decisions, etc., are unprofessional, faulty, failed. All expectations laid on him, in November 2019, have evaporated. One needs not repeat them when he and his Minister of Finance have admitted their mistakes.

When he acquired all powers by the 20th Amendment to act cozily, blaming the Prime Minister and Ministers alone is unfair because the President is the captain of the ship. He should have navigated the ship properly. To direct, he should possess knowledge and management capacities. When he lacked them, he should have sought technical knowledge and expertise from others.

The President, being a former military officer who is used to “Comply and complain,” seems to have been intolerant of anyone challenging his decisions. It is not the best way to govern as a politician, which he should have learned, but failed. However, the Constitution has created restrictions as regards the office of President becoming vacant.

Long wait, is it possible?

Can Sri Lanka afford to wait till the expiration of the President’s term, given the present crisis? It is impossible for him to rectify the mistakes such as tax cuts, delay in seeking IMF assistance and ban on agrochemicals. People are suffering due to his mistakes though he does not seem to be deterred, only saying that he had made mistakes.

Therefore, the demand for his resignation is quite justified. His clinging on is not considered a panacea for the ills of this government’s misdoings. The protestors believe his being so will accentuate the economic, social, and political problems created within the two and half years of his reign. It is the belief of the largest Opposition group Samagi Jana Balavegaya, the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna, and the Tamil National Alliance. All other so-called minority group representations are mostly included in the TNA and Samagi Jana Balavegaya. The latter represents about 25 percent of the total population of the county.

Even the Human Rights Council of Sri Lanka and foreign diplomats have been critical of the attack on GotaGoGama. This will affect Sri Lanka’s pleas for the Generalized Scheme of Preferences Plus. Questions are likely to be raised at the UNHRC about it.

Due to these, there should be a system change, and the common demand is for the President to resign, too. Even the much-hyped unity government has been jeopardised. Some say that the government has lost its majority, irrespective of the ayes received at the election of the Deputy Speaker last week. The rift within the Pohottuwa Party is quite evident from statements made by various spokespersons. The President seems isolated.

At the time of writing, there is no Prime Minister and a Cabinet. His Secretariat’s, or his capacity, to run the government alone, is questionable from his past performance. He will be exposed severely if he is to explain the security situation to the Parliament, without a Prime Minister and a Cabinet. Since he has arrogated to himself all functions of Ministries by not appointing a Cabinet, he must answer parliamentary queries. He will find the mistake if it happens since he cannot answer queries with a note written by someone.

This weak uncertainty may give various spurious, nasty ideas to other establishments. It is a dangerous status to live with. In a situation where peace has crashed, it is worse. Fortunately, such other establishments will consider the extremely problematic status of the country and may not nod their heads. Therefore, the most important interest of all establishments should be to maintain peace and harmony. The President must take serious and immediate action against any lawbreaker, irrespective of being siblings, political supporters, or business friends, and he will win the confidence of the public in general. It will be useful for him one day when he decides to leave.

Of course, from his point of view, he will face threats for slacked governance during his term of office as Secretary of the Ministry of Defence and for being a member of the Rajapaksa clan. Rightly or wrongly, there are allegations of corruption and violation of rights which will re-emerge when his immunity is withdrawn after he ceases to be the President. This may prevent him from voluntarily resigning. These are some of the de-motivators for him to resign while the previous points, I made, are pro-motivators. Mr. President, toss a coin and give the victory to the people, who elected you.