It ain’t over …

Tuesday 25th October, 2022

The SLPP is reportedly conducting a post-mortem on the passage of the 22nd Amendment (22A) sans the committee-stage changes it sought to make. Not many thought that the ayes would have it, 174 to 1, and the Bill would be passed so easily, given Basil Rajapaksa’s all-out effort to prevent his opponents from securing a two-thirds majority for the Bill containing provision for disqualifying dual citizens like him from becoming MPs.

One however should not make the mistake of thinking that it’s curtains for the Basil faction, which has shown remarkable resilience. But the path is now clear for President Ranil Wickremesinghe, Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, the Opposition, and the dissident SLPP MPs to exercise their legislative powers collectively to make pro-people laws and adopt progressive measures for the benefit of the people while regaining public confidence, the most effective antidote to anti-politics, which is eating into the vitals of all key state institutions including Parliament.

Friday’s legislative blow could not have come at a worse time for the SLPP’s ongoing revival bid, which has reportedly hit a bad patch. The SLPP MPs who made an abortive attempt to torpedo 22A are leading the party’s reorganisation campaign under former President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s leadership with the blessings of Basil, who is their National Organiser and chief strategist. Prominent among them are Johnston Fernando, Mahindananda Aluthgamage, Rohitha Abeygunawardena, Sagara Kariyawasam and Prasanna Ranatunga.

Interestingly, those who are trying to revitalise the SLPP have failed to carry the party’s parliamentary group along with them in respect of a constitutional amendment! Many SLPP MPs who came forward to ensure the election of President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who polled 134 votes in Parliament in July, backed 22A despite their party leaders’ attempt to scuttle it; worse, they include some members of the Rajapaksa family itself—Chamal, Namal and Shasheendra.

Those who have undertaken to revive the SLPP, whose popularity has reached its nadir, are said to be trying to ‘rise with Mahinda’, as they did in the aftermath of the 2015 regime change. Little do they seem to have realised that theirs is a Sisyphean task. Mahinda used to be a political matador; he fought back with might and main, following his humiliating defeat in the 2015 presidential race, and succeeded in turning the tables on his opponents within the first few weeks of the formation of the Yahapalana government. He would have steered the UPFA to victory at the 2015 general election and become the Prime Minister if President Maithripala Sirisena had not queered the pitch for him and engineered the defeat of the SLFP-led coalition. But he is no longer capable of accomplishing such tasks. He has blotted his copybook very badly by surrounding himself with political dregs notorious for corruption and violence, and let down the people who gave him another chance, reposed trust in him again and enabled him to secure the premiership in 2020 despite the abysmal performance of his government from 2010 to 2015.

Meanwhile, the Opposition, and the SLPP dissidents having helped pass 22A albeit for political reasons, President Wickremesinghe should be able to have necessary laws made to rectify constitutional flaws and other such deficiencies of the legal system to ensure the country’s democratic wellbeing and restore public trust in Parliament. There is no reason why he cannot hold the much-delayed Local Government elections and allow the people to canalise their resentment democratically without taking to the streets and wreaking havoc. It will be plain political harakiri for the government to try to oust intrepid officials such as the Chairpersons of the Election Commission and the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka––Nimal Punchihwea and Rohini Marasinghe, respectively.