Sunday Times 2
Contrary to Mao’s thoughts, power grows from the top of the family tree
Sri Lanka has many opposition parties, two governments and very little governance, if we go by the political shenanigans now going on.
Some political theorists claim that little or no governance (i.e is governance without politicians or very few of them) is best, citing the brief and tranquil presidency of D. B. Wijetunga. But others, who were awaiting their new messiahs, called it Deaf and Blind governance.
Mahinda Rajapaksa: Dhang Penawa Neda?
Perhaps governance with little political involvement may be feasible, but is it possible with an executive that can’t pass down even vital messages involving national security to the relevant authorities?
The main Opposition has been and still is without the support of any significant segment of the minority parties, but is seeking the support of President Sirisena, against the president’s own government headed by Prime Minister Wickremesinghe. And the president is co-operating with the opposition even after his failed attempt to fire the prime minister and replace him with Mahinda Rajapaksa! The Opposition comprises the Rajapaksa family, one or two insignificant minority parties and a few Marxists.
The way in which this Sri Lankan political ‘mallung’ is being cooked, calls for a repetition of the above comments for readers to get a clear perspective of the chaotic state we are in.
Mahinda Rajapaksa, the leader of the this opposition and the Pohottuwa, can be held responsible for the political chaos both in his decade of presidency and while in the opposition to the Yahapalanaya though he is now attempting to adopt a statesmanlike posture by calling the UNP for talks to save the country. The ageing politician in his spotless national dress and spotless black moustache appears on his favourite TV channels and beams: ‘Dhang therenawa neda’, — now you understand — nuancing that without him, the UNP has destroyed Lanka.
Perhaps he believes in the Velupillai Prabakaran theory: the Sinhalese have very short memories.
Mahinda Rajapaksa is confident that his Pohottuwa party can win the presidential election. Its next presidential candidate will be from the Rajapaksa family with even veteran Trotskyite revolutionary, Vasudeva declaring that they will be supporting a candidate of Rajapaksa’s choice. As we commented last week, these revolutionaries no longer appear to believe in Mao Zedong’s dictum, ‘Power grows from the barrel of a gun’. They, together with the Rajapaksas, believe that Power grows from the top of the Rajapaksa Medamulana Family Tree. Rajapaksas, leading a party can win any election, is the belief, forgetting that their leader was thrown out in 2015 by the people.
Meanwhile, the UNP is procrastinating in naming a candidate. It wants to follow Pohottuwa in the naming process. This makes no sense because it is obvious that it can only be a Rajapaksa that could run for presidency and any Rajapaksa would smell as sweet or as bad.
It is common knowledge that there has been internal bickering for long years at the Sirikotha headquarters of the UNP. Ranil Wickremesinghe, who has been the leader of the UNP since 1994, has been accused of being ‘dictatorial’ but still retains the leadership. Some young Turks are still opposing him and want Sajith Premadasa as their leader. But Premadasa as the Deputy Leader of the UNP has not challenged Wickremesinghe for a showdown. Wickremesinghe is in the saddle but gives no indication of galloping in the presidential race.
If Wickremesinghe intends running in the presidential race, he has many hurdles and ditches to clear commencing from the Central Bank Bond Scam, broken election promises and the lacklustre performance of the Yahapalana coalition, which did not click after the first few months and is now attempting to implement idealist morals such as enforcing women to wear ‘decent dresses’ and men to stop drinking which have failed throughout history.
The tragedy of Sri Lanka is amplified when it is evident that the masses believe that the victory of their group over the rival group will result in Lanka becoming the ‘thrice-blessed land’ it is supposed to be.
But one group comprises rascals who violated basic human rights of the people abducting, killing and torturing innocents who were opposed to them — even after the so called ‘war’ was over — and looting state finances for purposes such as to build memorials for their ancestors in addition to running state airlines considering them private family property. The rascals were thrown out by the people and some of them are before courts on various charges. And is the solution to Lanka’s woes to throw the same rascals back into power?
The other group consists of remnants of a once illustrious party now squabbling and unable to decide on a leader, with only a few months left for a presidential election. They have to defend themselves on serious allegations about looting the Central Bank, and to bring back the Bank robbers involved. Their demoralised supporters are waiting for the explanations to allegations, new election pledges, and stirring rhetoric to sally forth; but the party is dithering. They should realise that it’s now or never. Lightning does not strike the same place twice or thrice, and common candidates do not fall from the skies regularly.
Are the hopefuls in both camps lining up for power deranged enough to aspire to run the country through the many crises they created? Or is it, ‘Damn the consequences, what we want is power’? Power we know is the key to many delightful things in life.
On the other hand, the thinking could be: Let history repeat itself. We inherited a bankrupt economy with a mounting debt crisis and faced mass destabilisation from the very beginning from which we could not recover. Let the historical cycle repeat itself with vengeance.