WHY THE POLITICAL LANDSCAPE IS MUDDY
Saro Thiruppathy is perturbed by how political egos are overriding the needs of voters in the countdown to the 14 November general election
Politics in any country is never squeaky clean – particularly in the run-up to a crucial election. But Sri Lanka, a land like no other, is seeing evidence of the seven deadly sins being committed by many political parties with total indifference to the needs of their loyal supporters.
Pride, greed, wrath, envy, lust, gluttony and sloth are characteristics that too many politicians hold dear. And unfortunately for voters, their needs and wants are inconsequential in the insatiable greed that politicos have for power… even when they have failed time and again at the polls!
Political parties belong to the voters, not to the handful of politicians who occupy lofty posts at the will of their people.
The leadership in many of Sri Lanka’s mainline parties have seemingly decided to focus on their own greater good than that of the country, and placed their own desires ahead of those of the millions who faithfully vote for them.
Meanwhile, as the election countdown heated up in recent weeks, horse trading and crossovers were taking place with gusto. New alliances have been trying to gain traction while some existing political parties appear to be willing to kiss and make up with corruption free dissidents, and rebuild their tattered relationships.
Nearly 60 former parliamentary heavyweights decided against contesting in the 2024 general election. They include former presidents Mahinda Rajapaksa and Maithripala Sirisena, Namal and Chamal Rajapaksa, Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, Prof. G. L. Peiris, Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, Bandula Gunawardane, Prof. Tissa Vitharana and Vasudeva Nanayakkara among others – although some may have hopes of reentering parliament through the national list.
UNP-SJB FIASCO Even though members of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) and United National Party (UNP) have expressed dissatisfaction with their respective leaders for their dismal performance at the presidential election, introspection is evidently not a strong point with either of them.
Inflated egos coupled with indifference to the will of their voters appear to be the order of the day.
UNP voters were forced to make a choice after the two party heads fell out over leadership issues. And that split had severe ramifications on the loyalties and aspirations of UNP voters in particular. Ultimately, neither party benefitted from the rift and in the final count, the voters were left rudderless at the presidential poll.
In response to overtures from the UNP camp to put disagreements aside and become allies for the general election, Sajith Premadasa pulled out his ‘all or nothing’ card by setting conditions for an alliance.
He wanted Ruwan Wijewardene to be appointed leader of the UNP and cosign the UNP-SJB MOU.
He also didn’t want UNP members facing corruption allegations, and dissident members of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) who also have corruption charges levied against them, to be part of this ‘hallowed group.’ However, Premadasa was unfazed by the fact that there are allegations of corruption against certain members of his own party.
What’s more, he also wanted the UNP-SJB alliance to contest under his telephone symbol rather than the elephant symbol of the UNP. Unsurprisingly, talks between the two parties broke down.
Meanwhile, smaller alliances led by Anura Priyadarshana Yapa and former prime minister Dinesh Gunawardena will contest alongside the UNP. And the larger alliance will campaign under the symbol of the gas cylinder.
The Ceylon Workers’ Congress (CWC) and other parties supporting the UNP in the plantations may contest under the elephant symbol too.
SLPP POSITION The SLPP has virtuously maintained that it won’t readmit dissidents who are facing corruption allegations. This is despite the fact that many loyalists have had corruption allegations levelled against them long before they deserted the SLPP.
TAMIL ALLIANCE At a meeting attended by the leadership of several Tamil political parties including the former head of ITAK – along with leaders of PLOTE, EPRLF and TELO – India’s High Commissioner in Sri Lanka Santhosh Jha advised northern and eastern Tamil political parties to contest on the basis of a common goal, and desist from working separately.
A united front will certainly help the Tamils secure more seats in parliament and give them better leverage when negotiating their constitutional rights under the 13th Amendment.
THE END GAME The egotistical leadership and disunity evidenced in the main political parties, along with the momentum it gained at the presidential poll, could result in the National People’s Power (NPP) winning a majority of 113 seats at the general election – in fact, two-thirds is being touted in some quarters.
However, overwhelming power has never done any good for either the leadership or the people; it has proven detrimental to the national interest in the past: the adage ‘power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely’ is never truer than with a two-thirds majority in parliament.
If the southern political parties continue to fragment, and the northern and eastern politicians unite, a situation similar to that of 1977 could ensue where J. R. Jayewardene was the head of state and Appapillai Amirthalingam became the leader of the opposition.