A president intoxicated and paralysed with power.
It is not power that corrupts but fear. Fear of losing power corrupts those who wield it and fear of the scourge of power corrupts those who are subject to it.
Aung San Suu Kyi
On three consecutive days, local and international media witnessed the President’s aberrant behaviour in parliament, which has shocked even his supporters. The diatribe against the Opposition Leader, Members of the Opposition, Constitutional Council, and even the former president of the Bar Association, Saliya Pieris exemplified a man whose end is nearing faster than even he expected. What is shocking is that his behaviour has even irked some seniors in government, who fear that they will have to bear the brunt of a recluse who they appointed.
A minister who holds a position that generates international attention quipped ” being a novice in politics Gotabaya Rajapaksa never berated or insulted members of the opposition or the legislature He sat and soaked in the criticism levelled against him”.
The man who gained admiration even from his detractors was Sajith Premadsa, who took the fight to the president and exposed his false utterances and hypocrisy. Saliya Pieris followed suit by issuing a statement that rubbed salt to the wounds of a beleaguered president.
The president’s descent commenced after his budget speech. Once the contents became public knowledge, the errors, distortions, and doctoring of numbers were obvious even to an amateur. The international donor agencies and heads of foreign missions were speechles.
One senior diplomat from an EU country was immediately online with his superiors to apprise them of the situation and requested to shelve any planned monetary assistance to Sri Lanka until the IMF gave its verdict on the budget.
The head of the IMF in Colombo had his team scrutinise the numbers presented in the budget, and insiders state that many questions would be raised with the officials in the ministry of finance before they consider releasing the second tranche, which has already been delayed.
The World Bank and ADB are sceptical of disbursing funds to the present administration, which could result in even more fraud and corruption.
The results of surveys that give an insight to the public sentiment towards the president and government are no different from what it was during the reign of Gotabaya Rajapaksa. This has not bode well with creditors, donor agencies, and investors.
It is in this backdrop that Kanchana Wijesekara was instructed to get even a symbolic signing of the Sinopec refinery project. This will add to the already signed but non executed list of investment projects.
There is very little political currency for the President and his government, and if they are to salvage whatever is left, an immediate dissolution of Parliament has become more of a necessity to them than the opposition. The citizens will deliver their verdict when the time comes.
Citizens for Justice
