Columns

Nearly hundred days of relentless struggle by the people in the form of an “aragalaya” forced President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to step down from the office of the Executive Presidency on July 14.

Unfortunately for the country, despite the widespread and increasing loss of confidence in President Gotabaya Rajapaksa across the island, the absence of provisions in the Constitution to test the President’s popularity and if necessary remove him, forced the long suffering people to literally take the matter into their own hands and force him out of office.

As a result President Gotabaya Rajapaksa was forced to flee the country under cover of darkness presumably fearing for his life. His resignation letter was sent to the Speaker from foreign shores. Under a Westminster style Parliamentary system of Government confidence in the Head of Government would have been tested and resolved in Parliament resulting in an orderly transition of power, if the Parliament so decided.

In this instance President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s exit was, to use current parlance, a disorderly exit (default) adding to the chaos that was a hallmark of his tenure. While the country heaved a sigh of relief that the President had finally stepped down, the road ahead is plagued with uncertainty as the country grapples with the transition to a new Government.

While there is near unanimity that the national economic crisis can only be addressed by a consensual multi-party interim Government implementing an agreed programme of work, the events of the past week do not inspire confidence that this goal can be achieved.

Media reports reveal that political parties are more focused on the individual contenders who are vying to take over the reins of Government rather than building consensus over an immediate plan to ease the suffering of the people. This is a continuation of the country’s preoccupation with individuals rather than policies which has contributed to the governance issues the country has faced in the recent past.

Even if the political parties agree on a consensual programme and consensual candidates, to keep the consensus intact right through the life of the interim government will be as big a challenge as ensuring the supply of essentials to the people.

If infighting takes place during the tenure of the interim government the people will be doomed to continue to face economic difficulties.

While the integrity, capability and commitment of leaders are vital to the well being of the country, only if such leadership qualities are tied to an agreed programme of work can the country reach its goals. More so now when the nation is faced with an unprecedented economic crisis.

The first step is therefore to come to a consensus among political parties on a common programme of work. According to media reports several of the Opposition Parties have arrived at an agreement among themselves on the next steps through a political committee with Dr. Rajitha Senaratne as convenor and an economic committee with Dr. Harsha de Silva as the convenor.

The Opposition should now work towards getting the buy in from other political parties in Parliament and finalise the consensual Agreement. Once that consensus is reached, the people best suited to implement this consensus should be identified to take charge of the Government.

The past week has seen several candidates declaring their intention to stand for the office of President. This is a ‘business as usual’ approach. An election for President and Prime Minister will divide and polarise the country greatly when the need is for a united and shared effort to resolve the crisis.

The best option for the country is to select a President and Prime Minister by consensus rather than a vote. In the absence of such a consensus the country will struggle to get out of the current economic crisis.

As there are no immediate signs of such consensus being reached it may be best, in the larger interests of the country, to postpone the election of a President on July 20 by at least a week to search for such consensus. As the Constitutional provisions provide for a maximum of one month from the resignation of the President to elect his successor such a step will have Constitutional sanction.

The absence of a facilitator/mediator to help the political parties to arrive at a consensus has also hampered the search for a consensus. In the event the election in Parliament is postponed a team drawn from civil society to help the political parties in their search for consensus would be immensely useful in this national endeavour. (javidyusuf@gmail.com)