Gnana Akka’s cousins

Thursday 16th June, 2022

Gnana Akka, a self-proclaimed clairvoyant, who was very popular among powerful politicians, high-ranking swordsmen, and business tycoons because of her ‘prophesies’, became a target of anti-government protesters. But she is not alone in the business of making predictions. There are many others including politicians who prophesy almost on a daily basis.

Nothing is so freely given as gloomy prophesies and ominous warnings, in this country. Earlier, we had doomsayers only in the Opposition, but today they are found in the government ranks as well. Hardly a day passes without either Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe or Minister of Power and Energy Kanchana Wijesekera or Agriculture Minister Mahinda Amaraweera warning the public that the worst is yet to come. They, however, do not seem to do anything to avert the worst-case scenario. They have apparently adopted a fatalistic attitude.

Who needs Gnana Akka or any of her cousins in the garb of politicians, as it were, to predict much worse times ahead? A country burdened with a bunch of failed political leaders, both in the government and the Opposition, is doomed, and there is no way it could achieve progress. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has failed, on his own admission; he has said he does not want to leave office in midterm as a failed President. There is no guarantee that he will succeed during the remainder of his current term. Incumbent Prime Minister Wickremesinghe manifestly failed during the yahapalana government so much so that he even lost his parliamentary seat at the last general election. Now, the unfortunate people are left with no alternative but to hope and pray that the President and the PM will succeed! They are obviously hoping against hope if the pathetic performance of the government is any indication. Most ministers are confirmed failures, and the only thing they have put their hearts and souls into seems to be enjoying life because they are aware that as for their re-election, they have the same chance as a cat in hell.

Opposition politicians also predict doom and gloom, full-time, having spurned an opportunity to form a multi-party interim government and help the country lift itself out of the current crisis. Dr. Harsha de Silva is leading the pack of doomsters. He makes quite a few predictions almost daily, as an economist, the latest being that the IMF bailout package will not be ready until the end of this year. Everybody knows that. The tedious process of finalising loans is not the only reason why IMF assistance is not forthcoming. The IMF is not in a hurry; it supports the interests of the US and its allies, and allows the countries that the West is hostile towards to stew in their own juice for a while and fire-sale their strategic assets before receiving whatever assistance. Sri Lanka is not in the good books of the Western bloc.

Dr. de Silva has also made quite a stir by revealing what is said to have transpired in a private conversation between him and former President of the Maldives and current Speaker, Mohamed Nasheed. He said at a recent political event that Nasheed had confided to him that no country was willing to help Sri Lanka, and MBS (Mohammed bin Salman) of Saudi Arabia had rejected a request made by Nasheed, on behalf of the Rajapaksa-Wickremesinghe government, to provide Colombo with oil; MBS had said something to the effect that the Sri Lankan leaders even did not have a plan. Dr. de Silva lamented that Sri Lanka had been left without anyone to speak to leaders like MBS directly. (Nasheed has very diplomatically denied Dr de Silva’s claim, which, we believe, was not made up.)

Sri Lanka, however, is not without leaders capable of enlisting the support of other countries if one goes by the claims of some of its political leaders. On 04 March, Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa declared that he had held discussions with three countries in the Middle East and they had agreed to provide Sri Lanka with oil at concessionary prices for two years under an SJB government. If so, one can argue that the SJB would have been able to deliver Sri Lankans from suffering if Premadasa had accepted the premiership when it was offered by President Rajapaksa a few weeks ago, and formed a government. He softened his stand subsequently and agreed to accept the President’s offer, but it was too late.

What the hapless Sri Lankans in the depths of despair need at this hour are not ominous warnings or gloomy prognostications but a course of action to hoist the country out of the crisis and grant them some relief. The least that politicians, especially Gnana Akka’s cousins, could do is to stop bellowing rhetoric and fighting, and instil some hope in the public while taking action to break the back of the crisis, and provide relief.