The unprecedented action of arresting and remanding former President Ranil Wickremesinghe has hit a raw nerve in Sri Lanka. It is the first time in Sri Lanka that a former executive President has been subjected to such legal action. Perhaps as Sri Lankans, we had grown to imagine that such an action would not be possible, that when it happened, we were stunned. The manner in which Wickremesinghe’s arrest and remand came about, the course of action which was taken to achieve it, the response from society to it, and the failure in effectively communicating how and why such action was taken, will need to be dissected carefully over time. While the move has taken many at home by surprise, many citizens of other countries had questioned when such action would be taken in their own countries. Nevertheless, what is transpiring now is uncharted territory for Sri Lankans, and as such we need to be diligent.

The public mandate given to the National People’s Party (NPP) Government is not one given to its core element, the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP). That was clear to observers during the lead up to the historic elections of last year and should be evident to those who ignore the differentiation by now. The people voted for a major change in the political culture, not for petty revenge to appease a fringe group that is hell-bent on inflicting the accumulated worth of their historic woes on a handful of political leaders of the past.  As such, the Government needs to show ‘clean hands’ and ‘clean intentions’ when they effect such unprecedented action.

Wickremesinghe’s arrest is not merely about one individual or one politician. It signifies the opening of a can of worms with consequences that extend beyond one person. Some have questioned why the NPP Government opted to try prosecuting a former Head of State for such a charge, when there is a range of long-standing and much more serious allegations stacked against one of the most senior political figures in the region. By trying to take Wickremesinghe to task on a change which argues the official duties and private life which are indistinguishable from the everyday realities of life, for a head of state, the Government has blurred the line between legitimate accountability and political vendetta. And the Government’s efforts, as sincere as they may have been, was overcast by a dark cloud by their close links to the ‘Social media activist cum media personality’ behaving like the court jester and using a cheap bravado to predict outcomes which are the realm of decision of the judiciary.

Add to that, the fact that over the last three months, multiple complaints against NPP ministers and officials about corruption and abuse of power, all of which have largely been swept under the rug. Further, while the Government has charged Wickremesinghe with the misuse of public funds for personal visits and occasions, this Government is not without allegations of personal engagement and travel on the public dime. The gross inaction on allegations levelled against NPP parliamentarians and their own officials, while pursuing an ‘anti-corruption drive’ against political opponents is eroding the Government’s mandate and reeks of ‘selective application of the law’. However, by remaining silent on allegations about themselves and in trying to prove allegations against others, the NPP Government is doing just that.

The Opposition, which has largely been in disorder and not performing their democratic duties of holding the Government accountable in the Legislature, has been given a jolt by this action. It remains to be seen what they will make out of it. While this action may not completely rejuvenate the Opposition, which is still led by the ‘same faces’ it was for decades, it may rally them at least to act as an Opposition, which is not a bad thing in a democracy. If the NPP wants to take a hammer of the political culture of Sri Lanka, they must not shun from holding their own accountable. The public did not give them a mandate to regime change, it was given for system change.