Life in freedom is not easy and democracy is not perfect. The collective might of President Sirisena and his Prime Minister Wickremesinghe has taken Sri Lanka down a very steep abyss from which the people of the country appear to have very little hope of coming out.
The time has come to take the gloves off and examine President Sirisena’s actions with the cold neutrality of a judge. Ever since President Sirisena pulled off an unexpected victory over Mahinda Rajapaksa, he has made claim that under his watch there will be no deals done with the Rajapaksas and he has been adamant that as long he is the leader of the country the Rajapaksas will not come anywhere close to the epi centre of power.
For all his flirting with the likes of Chamal the basic truth is that Sirisena brooks an intense if not inherent distrust and dislike of President Rajapaksa and to a lesser extent other members of the Rajapaksa clan.
The impact of President Sirisena acting with this as his principle driving force has been to deliver popular support not to the United National Party but instead to the SLPP where of course Mahinda Rajapaksa although not officially a member rules the roost.
It is clear to everyone bar none that for the Sri Lanka Freedom Party to make a political gain they will need to cast aside personal differences and immediately work for unity if indeed they collectively will not hand the plate to the waiting hands of Ranil Wickremesinghe and the UNP.
For all the assurances given by the President that the cabinet appointments will be based on a scientific methodology there was no wide spread belief that this would be the case. Indeed it has not been the case.
One struggles does not one, to understand the rational of lumping together the Ministry of Sports with the Ministry of Provincial Councils and Local government. Of course we understand the Presidential penchant for boosting and encouraging Faiszer Mustapha at any and every available juncture.
After all it was Mustapha who was the architect of the mess that is the local government polls but who delivered a much needed delay to the local government polls which allowed the President and the Prime Minister to put off the inevitable electoral defeat. Inevitable because after months and months of inaction the people have realized that this government too had taken them on one almighty big ride.
President Sirisena shamelessly appointed Wijedasa Rajapaksa to the cabinet. This same man was for all intents and purposes forced out of the cabinet some months ago. There are allegations of conflict of interest with regard to some maritime matters and yet this man who heads this country with a mandate all of his own has appointed a controversial figure to the Cabinet of Ministers.
There are a number of other jokers in the cabinet. We find ourselves in agreement with the late Anura Bandaranaike. When he described his colleagues as a ‘circus of clowns’. Sat there in front of President Sirisena within the hallowed halls of the old parliament were a number of controversial figures who were staring right back at President Sirisena. Each and every one of them were either already holding high office or were seated expectantly of being given high office. So many controversial figures were present that it beggars belief. Like Malik Samarawickrama, Lakshman Kiriella, Rauf Hakeem, and the Prime Minister too – let us make the point ‘among others’.
It would appear that President Sirisena is bankrupt of political savviness and is intent on continuing with his own brand which he believes to be a saleable product.
Nothing could be further from the truth. There is a genuine perception that Sirisena is not pro-active and is merely reactive. Unfortunately politics in Sri Lanka is akin to a marshy quicksand. President Sirisena over saw the appointment of Arjuna Mahendran. He cannot now pass the buck to the Prime Minister even if the whole of Sri Lanka and their dogs knows the appointment was engineered by the Prime Minister.
The fact is successful leadership requires strength of purpose apart from strength of character. President Sirisena has been all but subservient to not only Ranil Wickremesinghe but also to President Kumaratunga. The circumstances were peculiar we agree – but once in power there should not be any passing of the buck from the Presidential hand.
We may however be witnessing a transformation of the Presidential balance of power – the startling arrest of not only the Chief of Staff of the Presidents’ Office but also of the former Secretary to President Kumaratunga has showcased at least one matter in which President Sirisena can display his impartiality.
Thus far he has refrained from using his presidential prerogatives and has not called any of the ‘interfering’ shots. That spells good news for Sri Lanka even if it does come towards the end of a remarkably uneventful tenure of office for the President himself.
He will go down in history as the man who defeated the Rajapaksa machinery but the danger is will he go down as the man who taught Ranil Wickremesinghe that an elitist can be beaten by a man from the dusty paddy fields of Polonnaruwa.
