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A leader out of sight, a boss out of touch?

02 May 2022

  • The public’s view of an overly private and protected President  
BY Sumudu Chamara Most Sri Lankans wonder whether President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP)-led Government helmed by him would resign in the face of the ongoing protests demanding their resignations, and how long the protests will go on.  This is in a context where the President is not showing any willingness whatsoever to leave his position, and has not even acknowledged the opposition expressed by the people. In fact, other than instances where he addressed the nation, the people have not seen him as usual, even at national level events or public engagements such as the “Gama Samaga Pilisandarak” (dialogue with the village) conceptualised and organised by him. Recently, speaking of this situation, Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna-led National People’s Power Leader MP Anura Kumara Dissanayake opined that the President has been forced to “live in a bunker”, adding that since the President cannot rule the country from a bunker, he should resign. The President’s bravery According to those protesting at the “GotaGoGama”, the President not coming forward to discuss the protesters’ demands has tarnished the little reputation the President had left. Speaking with The Morning, several protesters also refused to accept Rajapaksa as the Leader of Sri Lanka, while also stressing that he has failed to fulfill the duty of dealing with the prevailing national crisis. According to L.K. Anuradha, a 27-year-old protester, the President not coming forward despite the President’s resignation being the protestors’ main demand, is worsening the prevailing political instability. He questioned the leadership qualities of the President who refuses to hold talks with his own voters. He added: “The President is hiding, and that is obvious. That is exactly the issue here. We thought that he had a backbone when he boasted about ending the war against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and came forward to be the savior of the nation after the Easter Sunday terror attacks in April 2019. “However, we now realise that he does not even have the bravery of a 10-year-old, and that he cannot be the savior of the nation. If he is the true leader and the hero he claimed to be, he should come forward and talk with us and also apologise to the nation and the voters who elected him. But he is nowhere to be seen. At the very least, we do not know what he thinks about our demand for his resignation.” Anuradha also questioned as to whether there is a point in the President hiding only to save his Presidential post, if the latter does not have the people’s support. “The President seems to think that he still has the support of the 6.9 million people that elected him into office. If he still has that kind of support, why is he hiding? I am one of the 6.9 million people that voted for him, and we do not need him.  “In fact, we despise him. Not only do we not need him, we want him sent to jail for the crimes he committed before becoming the President, which we overlooked because of the trust we placed in him, and for the crime of destroying the lives of over 20 million people of this country. We would like it if the President goes into hiding forever with his brothers and other relatives, after returning all the money they stole from us,” he said, adding that a public apology from the President, however, is necessary. True leadership Sandani, another protester, meanwhile, said that a true leader should be able to not only face his voters, but also respect his voters’ voice. “We needed a hero who can ensure the safety of the people after the Easter Sunday terror attacks. That is the sole reason that the people elected him. We trusted him because he, with his brother, did a lot to end the war against the LTTE. But today, he is not even willing to face us, and the people demanding his resignation is fair.  “The people have had enough of this Government under the leadership of the Rajapaksa family. We are not going to stop protests until they leave office, accept their crimes, and apologise for their incompetence and crimes. The President may be in hiding, although we do not know for sure.  “The question is, how long can he live in hiding? At some point, he has to face the people, and it is inevitable. Protests against the President are spreading at an unprecedented speed, and we are definitely going to protest at every place he can be at. The more the protests expand, the fewer the places that the President will have left to hide. Eventually, he will have to hide in the kitchen of Gnanakka (a reference to a soothsayer connected to Rajapaksa).” Another protester, who did not consent to publish her name, compared Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy against President Rajapaksa. “Leaders of other countries go into hiding during wars and other similar situations because they do not want to die. However, our leaders go into hiding because they do not want to lose power and go to jail for their crimes,” she said. “We saw how the Ukrainian President went to war with his people, for his people, despite being the head of that country. He could have easily escaped to another country. However, our leaders are not ready to make that kind of sacrifice and all they care about is being in power despite the public’s opinion even if it means that they are becoming the most hated people in the country.” Sri Lanka’s political culture Moreover, Janath Sandakelum, a 36-year-old protester at “GotaGoGama”, talked of Sri Lanka’s political culture, which he said has turned politicians into money hungry, selfish racketeers. “It has been almost a month since the commencement of the protests at Galle Face. However, the President acts like he is deaf, dumb, and blind, and almost non-existent. This is after screwing over the entire nation. I do not see a leader in him anymore.  “Most importantly, it does not matter whether he comes forward to talk with us or not. He is dead to us, and it does not matter whether he lives in Sri Lanka, the US, his house in Mirihana, or at his official residence. I do not think that we should worry about his forwardness, because the message he wants to give to his voters has already been given – no matter what happens, he is not ready to talk with the protesters.” He also opined that even if the President continued to remain in power for the rest of the tenure while hiding from the people, the latter will not be able to attend any public event or public institution, which he said is a victory. “People are becoming braver every day, and they do not feel threatened by white vans and the Police anymore. However, the President is certainly scared despite having had himself surrounded by the Armed Forces, the Police, goons, and uneducated politicians,” Sandakelum said. He added: “It is not only an issue with the President, and it is not only the President who refuses to face problems and the people. The entire political system is corrupt, which has made politicians evading the public until the next election a normal behaviour.  “Especially when it comes to court cases, how many politicians get admitted to hospitals and get sick as soon as they are to be sent to prison? Everyone knows that they are lying and are deceiving the public and the country. However, we do not do anything about such, and such practices have become normal with time. This system needs to be changed, and perhaps, we would be able to make that change with the resignation of the Rajapaksa family.” He said that accountability is the main quality most politicians have ignored, and when it comes to the President’s accountability, it is in an extremely bad situation. Political leaders hiding/evading people/media The world has seen many incidents of politicians going into hiding or refusing to face their people or the media, especially during times of crises such as riots or wars. In 2020, during protests and clashes triggered by George Floyd’s murder by the US Police, US President Donald Trump had to hide in a bunker at the White House, where he had spent nearly an hour. During the invasion of Iraq by US forces, the day Baghdad was invaded, late Iraqi President Saddam Hussein also went into hiding. He remained hidden until he was captured by the US forces. Adolf Hitler once went into hiding in a bunker built beneath Berlin. During the war with the allied troops, in 1945, he died by suicide in the bunker. Another historic incident is former Soviet Union politician Joseph Stalin going into hiding under the name “Koba” in 1941, after Hitler invaded the Soviet Union. According to The Guardian, there were times when famous politicians such as former UK Prime Ministers Theresa May and David Cameron, and British politicians Nigel Farage, Ken Livingstone, and Jeremy Hunt, hid from the media. Sri Lanka needs solutions to a myriad of issues that have now turned into almost uncontrollable crises. What Sri Lanka needs is immediate and concrete solutions, and the political leadership has a huge role to play in this process. Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapksa recently invited protestors to meet him and convey their concerns. However, the President’s resignation is the main demand of all the protestors, and therefore, it is important that the President come forth to address the situation.  As protestors also highlighted, without proper communication between the political leadership and the people demanding solutions and genuine action, how much the country can achieve is a question. 


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