Futile gimmicks

Tuesday 10th October, 2023

President Ranil Wickremesinghe has reportedly taken exception to his likeness being used in cutouts, banners, posters, etc., and banned such representations of him. The erection of a cutout of Ozymandian proportions carrying his picture in Batticaloa is said to have irked him beyond measure. He had it removed immediately. That could be considered a wise move in that the use of such propaganda paraphernalia is counterproductive. Propagandists tend to go overboard in their efforts to please their masters. One may recall that a plethora of monstrous cutouts displaying the pictures of Mahinda Rajapaksa would shadow many intersections across the country when he was the President so much so that he looked like Big Brother watching the people to ensure that no one stepped out of line. But such gimmicks did not prevent him suffering a painful pratfall in the 2015 presidential race.

Good wine is said to need no bush, and a political leader therefore can do without cheap promotional stunts to boost his or her image if he or she is confident of winning the hearts and minds of voters by governing the country well. If President Wickremesinghe, or any other leader for that matter, lives up to the expectations of the public, he will need no propaganda gimmicks to win future elections.

It is being claimed in some quarters that President Wickremesinghe has failed to fulfil his promises to the public, and instead heaped unbearable economic burdens on them. This assertion may not be without some merit, but the question is whether it is fair to expect him to sort out a bankrupt economy in double-quick time, much less perform economic miracles. The country is facing its worst-ever economic crisis, the blame for which should be apportioned to all successive governments, albeit to varying degrees. The ailing economy has had to undergo a painful treatment regimen, whose positive effects will take some more time to kick in.

Ranil has been able to make a stunning comeback and overshadow other political leaders because he took time by the forelock last year, after the resignation of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa; he accepted President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s invitation and took over as Prime Minister while other political leaders did not take the political gamble, citing various reasons. If Ranil, too, had refused to accept the premiership, the country would have been rudderless when President Rajapaksa fled overseas and sent in his resignation. One shudders to think what would have happened if Ranil had not been there to order the military and the police to disperse the mobs that tried to march on Parliament, last year. But for his decisive action, the country would have been plunged into anarchy and bracketed with Libya, etc.

President Wickremesinghe may be able to shore up his image, provided he continues to perform well on the economic front. But it is doubtful whether he will be able to revitalise the UNP with the same political liabilities occupying its key positions. There are some promising ones, but they are a microscopic minority. It is thanks to those arrogant, incompetent and corrupt characters that the UNP was reduced to a single National List seat at the 2020 general election. The presidential contest is a political steeplechase, wherein the candidates jockeying for the cup must ride thoroughbreds, and not donkeys!

President Wickremesinghe may be able to obviate the need for propaganda cutouts to boost his image by reviving the economy, but he has his work cut out on the political front. The SLPP leaders are notorious for tripping anyone up if they consider him or her a political threat to them. Mahinda has resumed temple visits, and other SLPP seniors are striking discordant notes while trying to dupe the public into believing that they were not responsible for bankrupting the country. Interestingly, the Rajapaksas are even critical of the postponement of elections, which they and President Wickremesinghe will not be able to live down!

Curiously, President Wickremesinghe goes out of his way to kick up political rows and invite trouble while struggling to straighten up the economy, and run unnecessary political risks, as evident from the public outcry against the Online Safety Bill, etc. Old habits are said to die hard!