The Cabinet reshuffle of last Sunday keeps reverberating in the politics of the day due to its necessary association with the result of the recent Local Government Poll, which saw a major failure for the Unity Government. That the reshuffle was only half complete, being confined to the UNP Ministers, is also a considerable disadvantage in efforts to move ahead after the poor showing at the LG Poll; as it continued to show a lack of necessary unity in government, especially in the context of the strong criticism and attacks on the UNP and its leader, the Prime Minister, by SLFP members of the unity coalition.
President Sirisena moved away to some extent from the thinking and statements of key SLFP Cabinet Ministers, who made the strongest calls for the end of the coalition of unity and removal of the Prime Minister. This was in his call to study the poll defeat in its proper context, and correctly understand the causes of the massive voter rejection, and see how best these results could be applied to take the government ahead in its remaining period.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and the UNP do have continuing issues, although the party did come far ahead of the SLFP-UPFA in its second position in the poll, with reports of dissent within the party, rejection of the re-shuffle by some backbench members, and the call by some for a motion of no-confidence in the Prime Minister. It will be necessary for the party to address these issues with speed, with proper understanding of how its policies and practices contributed to the major setback of the unity coalition, and the huge success of the SLPP.
The SLFP act
A larger issue facing the unity coalition is the need for an effective study in terms of wider politics and voter rejection of the SLFP itself, in terms of the massive defeat it suffered. The fact that the larger voter base in the country is in the rural agricultural sector, and the subject of agriculture was in the hands of the party’s General Secretary is a cause for concern. This is especially so in the context of the failure to supply of fertilizer to cultivators. The defeat in the largely agricultural areas in Raja Rata and Wayamba – that combined Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa and Kurunegala – is of special significance. As pointed out by analysts, the SLFP’s key functionary – its General Secretary, is elected from Anuradhapura that saw a huge defeat, and Polonnaruwa being so closely linked to the party leader, the President, also raises concerns about policies affecting the agricultural community.
The SLFP also has several other ministries such as Transport and Disaster Management, with closer interaction with the public and wider rejection of policies by the voters as seen in these results. A proper analysis of these results in terms of ministerial and related administrative activity is of necessity, if the message of the post-poll reshuffle is to have any impact on the progress of the government.
The UNP task
A key aspect of public interest is in the portfolio of Law and Order being given to the Prime Minister, especially in the context of it being a ministry that has to deal the follow up on the Central Bank bond issue. Statements that this is only a temporary assignment is encouraging; with the understanding that the poll result and its own shake up has not taken the bond issue away from the public mind. The UNP also has to do a good rethink on major economic issues it has been having a control of in the past three years, and the wider interest that President Sirisena shows in guiding economic policies. The situation arising from the bond issue does give some strength to his position; making it necessary to have a better understanding between the UNP and the President, in the better formulation of economic and financial policies in the period ahead.
There recent developments have brought to light the major differences between the UNP and SLFP on political ideology. These differences have prevailed over decades, with the UNP’s economic strategies more associated with Free Trade and neo-liberal policies. The SLFP has been associated with pro-State controlled policies closer to the old Welfare State and an emphasis on ‘people control’. These are two conflicting paths, but the reality of a governing coalition requires a better understanding of the differences in the context of moving together, in keeping with the pledge to move ahead while fighting corruption. The policy statements of January and August 2015 had little emphasis on economic strategies. The necessity today is to work on the practical possibilities of a coalition of unity, and consider the best policies acceptable to the people, who are not largely associated with particular ideologies. The progress of government will depend on such understanding, and less of individual or party rivalries.
The Lasantha killing and more
Law and Order remains the area of importance in political developments, continuing with the considerable delays in bringing the corruption of the previous regime to book. With increasing reports that the new minister on Law and Order would be Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka (SF), there has been a statement by Gotabhaya Rajapaksa (GR) to probe SF’s alleged role in the assassination of Lasantha Wickrematunge. This call comes in the context of allegations about GR’s own alleged role in this assassination.
As a journalist who has been in the fight against violence directed at journalists and the media from its inception, this call by GR certainly needs comment. Let us first place on record that both GR and SF are innocent of this crime, and should be treated as such. What is of considerable interest in who is to be further investigated in this regard is that Lasantha Wickrematunge was assassinated in January 2009, and we are now in March 2018. There were seven years since the tragedy when the Unity Government resumed investigations. Whoever may be the guilty, what had the then government, in which GR was the Secretary, Ministry of Defence, and whose brother, President Rajapaksa had direct control over the Police and Justice too, done in bringing the assassin/s of Lasantha to book? The new probes are showing that he was not killed by a gun bullet, but a different weapon; there are reports of the initial information to the police on this brutal killing being hidden or even distorted. Senior police personnel who were associated with this investigation have now been produced in court.
Whoever is to be questioned in this continuing inquiry, what can anyone in the previous government, especially those who held key positions in Defence, Police and Justice, have to say about this huge, in fact criminal, delay in bringing the killer/s of Lasantha to court? It is necessary that the new Minister of Law and Order (whoever he is), will carry out a proper, but speedy probe and bring the suspect killer/s and related conspirators to justice. There can be no more cause for further delay, let the best investigators be given this task and the truth revealed.
Although there is no comment by GR or anyone else about it, this is also a call for a better and complete probe into the killing of Wasim Thajudeen, that rugby captain, whose death was reported as an accidental death in the days of the Rajapaksa Regime, and is now found to be a killing. Here too, the necessity for a speedy conclusion of a genuinely thorough probe is necessary, bringing to court whoever the suspects and accused could be; however high their connections with the previous regime may have been.
A further call for a good and thorough probe is into the ‘absence’ or disappearance of Prageeth Eknaligoda, another journalist; whose continued absence has raised many genuine concerns about the role of services personnel, whose task and duty was not the capture, hiding and final absence of any journalist. These are tasks the new Minister of Law and Order will have to give precedence to, very much in the context of the public feelings expressed in the recent poll, although the winners may prefer to be silent on such criminal matters.
Ampara and Thambuttegama
The government should also pay important attention to the situation in Ampara, where there has been a major threat to communal and religious harmony, showing signs of a resurgence of the situation that took place in the Beruwela -Alutgama areas some years ago. It is necessary for all measures to bring about peace and understanding to be used in this regard in the wider context of unity and conciliation among communities that make up the Sri Lankan nation.
There is also the necessity for action to prevent any further violent protests over the attempt to use the water of the Rajangana Wewa, meant for agriculture, for the production of bottled water for commercial profit. This is giving good ear to agricultural realities, more than support for commercial interests of more profit than service.
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