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What caused the country to experience an economic crash of such a magnitude that forced the Government to declare bankruptcy for the first time in the 75 years of independence, has been analysed ad nauseum by economists and political analysts. The general consensus that has emerged is that the cause was bad governance and economic mismanagement.

Economists are agreed that amateurish decision making created the crisis in the post 2019 period which caused the people to pay such a big price.

This question was also deliberated in the Supreme Court before five judges who last year delivered a majority verdict in which they determined that ex-President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, along with former Finance Ministers Mahinda Rajapaksa and Basil Rajapaksa, bore responsibility for Sri Lanka’s severe economic crisis and had thereby violated the fundamental rights of the people by mismanaging the economy between 2019 and 2022. The apex court found that 13 respondents, which also included Central Bank Governors Ajith Nivard Cabraal, Prof. W.D. Lakshman, former Secretary to the Ministry of Finance S.R. Attygalle, former Secretary to the President P.B. Jayasundara and Members of the Monetary Board of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka had violated public trust and breached Article 12 (1) of the Constitution, in their administration of the economy, leading to the economic crisis in the country.

However, the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) and its leaders have chosen to ignore the findings of the Supreme Court and chose to blame everybody else except themselves for the calamity faced by the country. Some of them have blamed the Aragalaya for the crisis ignoring the fact that the people’s uprising was the direct result of the mis-governance that the country had gone through in the previous three years.

Some even chose to blame the Yahapalana Government for taking large loans again ignoring the fact that such steps had to be taken in order to repay the capital and interest of loans taken to fund unproductive vanity projects undertaken by the Government of 2005 to 2015.

The latest such attempt at passing the buck comes from S. M. Chandrasena, a senior member of the SLPP and a former Minister who blames the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE ) for the economic crisis.

He has told the media that if the destruction of property and lives caused by the JVP and the LTTE was evaluated, it would be clear that their actions must have led to the crisis situation the country was facing today.

He accused the JVP of trying to show the country that they were faultless by pointing fingers at others for the bankruptcy.

Such statements reflect a reluctance on the part of some politicians to take responsibility for their actions even when the evidence overwhelmingly points to them. It is obvious that only when politicians admit their mistakes that they can take remedial action and prevent repetition of past mistakes. Sadly this quality is conspicuous by its absence among politicians and does not augur well for the country.

Striking an entirely different note from the former SLPP Minister was another ardent supporter of the SLPP, the Chief Sanganayaka of the Western Province and Chief Incumbent of the Abhayarama temple , Most Ven. Muruththettuwe Ananda Thera. The Venerable Monk accused former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa of not having the management skills of even a small child thus leading to the economic collapse.

He made these remarks at the launch of the book titled Echo of People’s Struggle (Aragalaye Donkaraya) in the presence of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, who were present on this occasion.

Ven. Ananda Thera further said that the Maha Sangha, including him, worked hard to make Gotabaya Rajapaksa the President. However, the Rajapaksas’ respect was destroyed due to Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s administrative incompetence.

Meanwhile with the increasing media hype in the run up to elections, the public was also treated to a surfeit of conspiracy theories emanating from different quarters. Following the release of the book authored by former President Gotabaya Rajapakse alleging an international conspiracy to oust him from office, Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena too made allegations of international interference. Making a statement in Parliament the Speaker claimed that he had been asked by some foreign powers to take over the Executive Presidency while the country was in crisis owing to the Aragalaya protests.

Making a speech soon after the defeat of a no-faith motion against him, Abeywardena said that during the uprising many parties had pressured him to accept the post of Executive President. He said that there were both local and foreign forces. “I was asked to name a Prime Minister and a Cabinet of ministers and rule the country.

“However, I was determined to uphold democracy,” the Speaker said, adding that he was surprised to see some of those who asked him to become the President of the country had signed the no-faith motion against him.

“When I rejected that call, they resorted to intimidation. There were threats too. Among those who exerted pressure on me were leading Bhikkhus and leaders of other religions. The then President Gotabaya Rajapaksa called me and sought my opinion on transferring power to me. However, I knew that if I accepted that position without powers vested in me by the Constitution to do so, this country would end up in anarchy,” he said.

Both President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardene refrained from naming the individuals or forces that had conspired to interfere leaving the public guessing as to who these forces were.

Further adding to the confusion was the statement by former President Maithripala Sirisena who stated that he knew who was responsible for the Easter Sunday attacks. He also indicated that he was willing to testify to a Court with details if called upon to so.

As time goes on there may be more conspiracy theories being floated but it is unlikely that the public will receive any answers to their questions in the near future. Like many other unanswered question of the past they may remain just that- unanswered questions. (javidyusuf@gmail.com)