Features
Reluctance to hand over power
Cass has been a couch potato these last ten days with BBC and CNN unspooling the presidential election results in the US of America. A nail-biting cliff hanger – the counting of ballots. Finally, the oldest man to contest the American presidency received the highest number of votes ever, creating double history. As if that were not enough, he selected as running mate an Indian-Jamaican woman, knowing full well that if anything drastic were to happen to him, she would be Prez of the US of A. Further, if he decides not to run for a second term, his present age of 77 being against him, she may become the first woman President – BlackAsian. Ooh La La!
As expected with the man, Trump was his true self: nasty, obstreperous and stubborn. He jumped the gun the day after polls closed and counting had just began with the announcement to all and sundry that he had won and hence further vote counting must stop. And up until the time of writing, Wednesday 11 November, he is limpet-like declaring he remains in the White House and will bring cases of fraud to oust the Prez elect. He has not listened to the insignificant bleating of Melania to throw in the towel and concede victory to Biden, chorusing many others. He has not listened even to his beloved daughter and her husband Kushner, his personal assistant. We will watch the unfolding drama, as Biden starts working on his policy priority number 1: pandemic control and the Hump, sorry, Trump, goes off continuously to play golf. The TIME magazine used its name as part of its current cover title: TIME …To Go.
Messy handing overs in this Paradise
We have had our fair share of refusal of incumbents to vacate the highest post and resorting to abnormal manoeuvres. The worst of the stink was puppeteered by former accused killer of him and enacted solely by President Maitripala Sirisena on October 26, 2018. As usual he bungled badly and brought international scorn on this fair isle.
So Free Sri Lanka notched another aberrated uniqueness on the international map. The man who was accused of putting him six feet under if he lost, and he betrayed after breaking egg hoppers with, to sneak to enemy lines to be crowned Prez of Sri Lanka, got so buddy that he tried to push the legitimate PM off his chair and install Mahinda R. Rightly Ranil stuck to his seat, with loads loyal to him at Temple Trees. The Speaker, Karu J and judges of the Supreme Court righted wrongs and the country was back to ‘as before’ with the two Heads of the coalition government now with openly drawn daggers. Thrust to greatness in 2015, Sirisena is supposed to have said he would continue addressing Ranil as ‘Sir’ but soon enough was holding a menacing sword in his hand. He nearly dug his political grave in three years. And the great favour he did Mahinda R did not earn him even a Cabinet post this year, though he executed a 360 degree turn in loyalty – his kind.
What we, the proles and plebs of Free Sri Lanka will never forget is the atrociously despicable behaviour of UPFA MPs becoming criminal hooligans in the House by the Diyawanne at the unconstitutional move. Those looking to the welfare of farmers of the land now; industries; highways and holding the Whip; and the woman who attempted to do a sacrificial act of patriotically sailing to sea in a clay pot, behaved the worst. Cass heard that when the Navy and others were striving to push to deeper waters those sharks and dolphins who stranded themselves on our western shores, they – the creatures – mustered last gasps of strength and crawled back to deeper sea. They said, it is imagined, that sonic booms of warships of four nations playing ‘Let’s Pretend War at Sea’ games were a less evil than braving a VIP potted dame.
1950s
Trouble erupted soon after Independence when the PM fell off his horse and died. Governor Lord Soulbury, overlooking the two next most senior: John Kots and SWRDB, appointed Dudley Senanayake as Prime Minister on March 26, 1952. Kotelawala flew to his retreat in Kent to sulk but not before penning the scathing Premier Stakes. And SWRD walked in revenge across the old Parliament aisle and formed a new Party – the SLFP. As an aside Cass says sadly that both Parties seem to be annihilated by human hands. The Green Elephant is down on his knees, shorn of power, long life and solidity; and the Blue Party floundering, its wings clipped by Pohottuwa. From 2015 to 2019 the wrestling started early with Sirisena getting hoity toity and power hungry and Ranil becoming more stubborn and intolerable.
Dudley S was PM from 1952 to 53 after which he called a general election. He was greatly troubled and both physically and mentally affected by the hartal of 1953. Crafty Sir Oliver Goonetilake, Gov Gen, negotiated peace between the two men: Dudley and John. Being gentlemen of the old school, and yes, patriots too, they made up and Dudley promoted John Kotelawala as P M. They say Dudley S was too humane, weak in other words. Allowance has to be made for a health condition from birth – stomach complaint which flared up when stressed. Sirimavo Bandaranaike entered the political arena as the Weeping Widow and ended quite the only man in her Cabinet. But she became intolerant of criticism; nationalized Lake House and lost her earlier halo. Elections were due in 1974 but she clung on for more than two years. Crushed by JRJ’s landslide, she however clung on as leader of her Party and when daughter Chandrika became Prez was brought in as PM, a completely lame one. It was rumoured that visiting chief guest Prince Charles left the 4 February Independence parade grounds early as he preferred to be whisked to Jaffna rather than sit through proceedings near a silent PM with a stiff neck, a half disabled Defence Secy and a fainting IGP! D B Wijetunge had power thrust on him by the evil of the LTTE assassination of Prez Premadasa on May 1 1993. He was by far the most accommodating politician, and yes, gracious. The moment the UNP lost the November 1994 election, although Ranil W could have cobbled a coalition government under Prez Wijetunge, he opted to hand over power to CBK and moved out of President’s House, not summarily like W Dahanayake giving up premiership and travelling by train home to Galle with one little suitcase. Dubbed Dearly Beloved, the short lived Prez retired gracefully to his home in Pilimatalawa near Kandy.
The longest standee in the political wings, J R Jayawardene, was, notwithstanding his cunning, a statesman. He pushed Ceylon out of economic doldrums by opening up the country and recognised ability and nurtured it; not annihilating it as some others were wont to do. Thus the meteoric rise of young Gamini D and Lalith A. Most vilify JRJ for his pot/ lamp referendum on December 22 1982. Cass for one, who wholeheartedly voted for a continuation of the 1976 UNP government, was surprised at how friends of hers were so angry about the unconstitutionality of it. Cass believed JRJ wanted to proceed on his development plans with no interruption of a general election, which of course the UNP would have won but depleted of the majority of 1976. JRJ was another statesman to admire as regards his willing retirement in 1989.
The last reluctant man in power to leave it and the hot seat is Mahinda Rajapakss following his loss to Sirisena in 2015.
Remembered is his helicopter descent to his Medamulane home, (but not to obscurity as later events proved), and standing within a window frame to address a miniscule of plebs who were gathered to welcome him.
Turmoil, turmoil, trouble, bubble. We have certainly not seen the last of limpet Heads masquerading as statesmen. The main question is when will Trump go – permanently lumbering to his golf course and business tricks!