Revelations about the assets some government ministers and members of Parliament have amassed triggered a robust debate in the online realms where the Janatha Vimuthi Peramuna (JVP)-led National People’s Power (NPP) masses thrive. The asset declarations of some NPP members of the House, or that of their family members, reportedly list numerous properties and millions of rupees in savings, while some are said to have savings in foreign currency. This, during a period where those who the NPP claim to represent have depleted their savings, pawned their few valuables, and struggled to get by.

The image of the JVP/NPP member of Parliament, with their modest ways, and ethics of donating their salaries to the party, and living a most basic lifestyle is significantly challenged by these reports. This image of such assets and wealth contradicts the JVP’s long-established narrative of being a movement of the downtrodden and poor. Long has the JVP’s ideology indoctrinated many into hating those who had more than they did. Like nationalistic politics, the JVP also played the wealth, and income gap to their benefit, trying to pose themselves as the saviours of those who were in poverty. The rhetoric the JVP spewed over the decades, the investment opportunities and liberalisation efforts which they sabotaged, has also contributed to the downfall of Sri Lanka, alongside poor governance and elitist politics. The leftist insurgent movement which erupted in 1971 pushed anti-establishment rhetoric and polarised the masses, especially youth. Having sown the seed of hate and anarchy, the image of the JVP-core-led NPP is being shattered by the asset declarations. Today, they are being trolled by young Opposition MPs about gradually becoming a good fit for the ‘corrupt politician’ look, which local illustrators have long fashioned.

While it remains to be seen how the NPP will damage control this latest challenge to their ‘squeaky clean’ and ‘Humble leader of the common man’ image, this will not be the end of its woes, which is born out of their own campaign slogans, and generational indoctrination has established. Today, the NPP has pushed forward former President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s economic survival plan which was crafted with the aid of the IMF, the World Bank and other nations who stepped in to aid Sri Lanka in her hour of need. While in opposition the NPP and JVP fiercely resisted seeking IMF assistance, charging that ‘home grown solutions’ were the need of the hour. It seems that almost a year in governance has taught them the ‘realities’ of administration, and has mellowed their stance, and chipped away their ideological pillars which they so desperately stated would be the solution. With Sri Lanka largely sticking to the fiscal discipline guidelines which Sri Lanka negotiated with the IMF for the United States Dollars ($) 2.9 billion bailout, the masses below the poverty line remain stuck in a system where their belts have run out of notches to tighten. A quick walk down the city or village markets, you will find many who applaud the government anti-corruption push and call for ill-gotten wealth to be reclaimed. At the same time, many complain that the cost of living has not been reduced, and lament about the pressure the average family faces today. How long can the Government sustain their ‘anti-corruption’ drive and the theatrics of hauling former political top-guns into court, only to let them be bailed out on most instances, keep the hungry masses distracted?

The JVP core element of the NPP Government may begin to feel the ‘heat’ of public outrage sooner than they expect, if they do not become ‘transparent and accountable’ as their campaign slogans called for. The bitter pill the JVP is forced to swallow today, is of their own making. When you polarise populations and cause generations to have those who build wealth, industry and become entrepreneurs, a nation will struggle to take off. If they have any doubts, the JVP can ask the People’s Republic of China. It seems that increasingly, the JVP and the NPP are on the receiving end of their own rhetoric that has come back to bite them.