Sunday Times 2
A power behind the throne, be it Sajith or Gota?
Being groomed: Party leader Mahinda Rajapaksa flashing the V sign at the crowd; asks his brother to follow suit. Pix by Indika Handuwala
Sajith glosses over the query with his grand posture: I am the master of my fate and captain of my soul and no one is my boss, while Gotabaya’s stand is that of being the New Messiah of the Sri Lankan nation as the unquestioned enforcer of national security and his miracle economic plan. But Ranil Wickremesinghe remains the boss of the UNP and will be so even after the presidential election till the present parliament is dissolved and could be prime minister also after that, depending on the parliamentary elections that are to follow. Gotabaya since being nominated as the presidential candidate of the Pohottuwa group has been the Little Lamb of Mary (brother Mahinda) — and everywhere that the Little Lamb goes, Mary certainly goes along.
At party meetings, public rallies and press conferences, ex-president Mahinda Rajapaksa presides and, more often than not, he is the Oracle giving answers directed at his brother which have resulted in Opposition asking: Who’s the boss? The implications of this relationship in the future could assume greater and serious dimensions because if Gotabaya is elected president, Mahinda will be prime minister — Mahinda having unilaterally declared that he will be the prime minister.
Following the 19th Amendment, there are issues on the powers exercised by the president and the prime minister, as seen in the Yahapalanaya tussle between President Sirisena and Prime Minister Wickremasinghe but Mahinda Rajapaksa laughs it all off, claiming that there will be no such problems between him and his dear brother Gota. While the two brothers have hit it off like Jaadiyata Moodiya (as the Sinhala saying goes) when Mahinda was president and Gota his defence secretary, can basic constitutional provisions be nonchalantly dismissed giving precedence to good relations between siblings which are subject to domestic and other mundane pressures? Perhaps the Chairman and the constitutional authority of the Pohottuwa, Prof. G.L. Peiris, we suggest, lectures on the ‘Irrelevance of the Doctrine of Separation of Powers vis-à-vis Brotherly Love. Down the ages, brotherly love has not been a perpetual binding force as seen in the history of this country. The legendary Dutu Gemunu went for the jugular of his brother Saddhatissa and on one occasion the latter took refuge under a bed to save himself and had to be saved by a monk. There is the well-known story about brothers Kasyapa and Moggallana of Sigiriya and many other instances of brothers going for one another in the quest for power and even a nephew Pandukabaya, killing all his uncles for the Lankan throne. Brotherly bonds are no substitute for constitutional separation of powers that prevent elected representatives running amok and destroying civil liberties of the people.
Sri Lanka has witnessed family rule imposed by the Rajapaksa brothers riding roughshod over constitutional provisions, including separation of powers, with Parliament becoming subservient to an executive president and two powerful brothers. It resulted in the lawfully appointed chief justice being removed from office. The public reaction to such flagrant abuses of basic constitutional laws by family rule ultimately resulted in the downfall of the Rajapaksa regime. It is obvious that in any democracy, constitutional law cannot be superseded by family rule.
Sajith Premadasa has not named his cabinet in case of victory and has assured the public that his family members could not be in it. He has a sister and no brothers. There is no obligation on the part of Gotabaya to name his cabinet right now but can he give an assurance that his brothers will not be holding all the high ranking cabinet portfolios under him? Gotabaya Rajapaksa, ex-officio, should be the Minister of Defence. But who will be the Finance Minister, Foreign Minister or the Minister of Economic Affairs and Planning and other key ministries? Hardworking Dr. Bandula Gunawardena, a teacher of commerce, now with a doctorate from the Confucius Institute of Foreign Languages in Beijing, appears to be grooming himself for the portfolio of finance but will such ministerial plums go to ‘Non Rajapaksas’ like him? Vasudeva Nanayakkara, the fire eating and fire breathing Trotskyite is a party leader with the same parliamentary seniority as Mahinda Rajapaksa. Dinesh Gunawardena too is the party leader of the MEP with a degree from the University of Oregon but will they get portfolios that they desire and matter to them? Wimal Weerawansa, another party leader, though not of much significance deserves a special portfolio, Ministry for International Conspiracies, having ‘exposed’ so many ‘international conspiracies which seasoned investigators have been unable to unravel. Sources say ex-military cronies gathered round Gotabaya are also likely to pick up plums of office if not a cabinet portfolio or two.
It will be a tough choice for Premadasa because he had few or no friends when he was literally in the political wilderness of Yala for long years and though now has enough and more friends jostling to be close to him, particularly when TV cameras are in focus. He has some talented young professionals who stuck their necks out for him in the nomination battle. Premadasa (Jnr) swears that he will work like Premadasa (Snr) worked, 24 x 7 hours but that has not been the way of governance of successful leaders. Winston Churchill while leading Britain and Western allies in World War 11 had time for painting and bricklaying at home while also giving sterling speeches in parliament. All work and no play will not only make Sajith a dull boy but leave him no time to envision the future, so essential for governance of a country.
With just nine days to go for D- Day, the following parody of the well-known poem by Robert Frost have been sent through us to ‘whoever the winner be’ by an observer of the current scene.
The future’s bleak
Neck deep in debt
And I have promises to keep
Miles and miles to go
Miles and miles to go
I know not where….