The country witnessed an amusing spectacle last week where government members of the august assembly seemed delirious on the arrival of a humiliated former prime minister while the current Opposition sat in studied silence. But the enthusiasm of the government benches quickly evaporated once the seasoned politician, now the sole representative of his party, began to speak. Holding forth amidst pindrop silence in the usually raucous chamber, the longest-serving member of the current Parliament did not disappoint, hitting all around the wicket on how the Government had failed the people and the nation in its fight against the pandemic.
If looks are anything to go by, it appears that Ranil Wickremesinghe has imbibed the pain his supporters inflicted on him at the last election and is now ready to turn a new leaf in what must necessarily be his political swansong. But if he were to be holistic in that particular approach, and indeed he must, he should first atone for the multitude of political misdemeanours credited to his account that have cost him and his party dearly. Wickremesinghe now has no other option but to come out firing on all cylinders in the hope of winning back lost trust even among the most die-hard of United National Party (UNP) supporters. Judging by his inaugural performance in the latest edition of Parliament, he seems to have learnt his lesson and is aware of what needs to be done.
Wickremesinghe's biggest failing has been the perceived underhand dealings with his political nemesis. Having allowed a tumour to grow into a cancer, he now has to perform a full hysterectomy to come clean of the allegations. His willingness to do so will invariably be linked to his political lifespan. Already, allegations are rife about the delayed entry to Parliament; having timed it to avoid contentious issues such as the 20th Amendment, Port City Bill, debate on the Presidential Committee of Inquiry (PCoI) Report on Easter Sunday attacks, debate on the PCoI report on Political Victimisation, etc.
He has the burden of proving his detractors wrong in order to win back confidence. And to do that, he does not have team support, being the only member representing his party in Parliament. It could well be a daunting task considering that his former colleagues, who now make up the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), will be waiting for half a chance to go for the kill. The fact that his party has been reduced to one solitary seat, that too thanks to the proportional representation system, should prick his conscience every time he walks into that chamber; the last time, as prime minister.
It is not too late to climb down from the high horse Wickremesinghe is accustomed to and mend ways with his old brigade, who have so far managed to inflict considerable damage in the ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna’s (SLPP) body armour. That is what an opposition is supposed to do and that is what the young brigade has done. If Wickremesinghe is to stay relevant in that context, he has no option but to lend his shoulder to the wheel.
Wickremesinghe himself unwittingly complimented the SJB by admitting that no government has become as unpopular as the current one in such a short time. He, of all people, should know. Even though the Government itself is largely responsible for the mess it is in, having shot itself in the foot at every turn, the pint-sized Opposition in terms of seats, has contributed in no small measure to that predicament.
For the UNP to offer itself as an effective alternative to both the current Government as well as the SJB at a future election, it must reinvent itself. Whether such an endeavour is feasible with Wickremesinghe continuing to be at the helm is a matter for time to decide. But at the very least, Wickremesinghe must give due respect to the message conveyed to him at the last poll or face the prospect of being dished more of the same in the future, which would be a shame considering the vacuum for alternate national leadership. If Wickremesinghe is serious about reclaiming lost support, he needs to act fast to reorganise a party that is in shambles. How he chooses to do so is up to him, with the party, or what’s left of it, placing their trust in him. But time is of the essence and it would indeed be a tall order to steal a march over its offshoot which already has a decent head start.
As far as the Government is concerned, it is in quicksand and the more it tries to get out of it, the more it seems to sink. Its latest move to pardon a death row convict has succeeded in stirring a hornet’s nest, both locally and internationally. With crisis after crisis knocking on its door, the last thing it needed was another storm, and that is exactly what it created with the “special” pardon. Already in the doghouse for alleged human rights violations and arbitrary action not to the liking of the international community, China excluded, it now finds itself with a new headache to deal with. Already, the “pardon” has earned the ire of the country’s legal fraternity, almost all Opposition parties, the victim’s family, and more notably the US, through its Ambassador based in Colombo, and the United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights, with which the Government is already in a running battle, meaning a further blow to the prospects of renewing the European Union’s (EU) Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+) facility.
The irony is that the Government has been desperately attempting to salvage the GSP+ concession by announcing its readiness to amend the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act as well as releasing political detainees which resulted in former Criminal Investigation Director (CID) Director Shani Abeysekara being granted bail. To add insult to injury, the Court of Appeal, in its bail order for Abeysekara, found no justification for his continued incarceration, something the authorities will struggle to explain to the UN human rights body that has been on the case for the past 10 months or so.
One cannot help but wonder whether the Government is so intellectually challenged that it cannot find a single individual within its bloated ranks that has the capacity to advise the Executive on the consequences of his actions. The current agriculture crisis that is likely to lead to a food shortage is a case in point. If the status quo is allowed to continue, there is only one direction that things can go from here, and that’s downhill, a consequence that neither this country nor the 6.9 million that voted for the Government, deserve.
It is indeed a sad state of affairs for a country that boasts of its sovereignty that marginalised people have to depend on overseas intervention, be it for relief from politically motivated incarceration or even a helping hand in the aftermath of a disaster that left thousands of fisherfolk destitute. In the absence of local support, the EU stepped in last week to provide financial assistance to the individuals affected by the X-Press Pearl disaster, with the Government yet to make any headway in its compensation claims.
Be that as it may, no government in recent memory has offered so much political capital to an Opposition in such a short period since assuming office. It is up to the main Opposition party as well as those clamouring to make a comeback to use that capital to come up with an alternate programme rather than squander it by playing to the gallery. If they are serious about capturing the imagination of the people, there could be no better time than now to do so.
Despite a 10-month head start, the SJB will find itself a worthy competitor in the reincarnation of the former Prime Minister in his new role as an ordinary MP, a role he last played 43 years ago on his entry into Parliament. With the SJB breathing down his neck, Wickremesinghe knows he has just one last chance to come good or fall by the wayside. They say competition is good for the people. Let’s wait and see. Turning a page
26 Jun 2021
Turning a page
26 Jun 2021
The country witnessed an amusing spectacle last week where government members of the august assembly seemed delirious on the arrival of a humiliated former prime minister while the current Opposition sat in studied silence. But the enthusiasm of the government benches quickly evaporated once the seasoned politician, now the sole representative of his party, began to speak. Holding forth amidst pindrop silence in the usually raucous chamber, the longest-serving member of the current Parliament did not disappoint, hitting all around the wicket on how the Government had failed the people and the nation in its fight against the pandemic.
If looks are anything to go by, it appears that Ranil Wickremesinghe has imbibed the pain his supporters inflicted on him at the last election and is now ready to turn a new leaf in what must necessarily be his political swansong. But if he were to be holistic in that particular approach, and indeed he must, he should first atone for the multitude of political misdemeanours credited to his account that have cost him and his party dearly. Wickremesinghe now has no other option but to come out firing on all cylinders in the hope of winning back lost trust even among the most die-hard of United National Party (UNP) supporters. Judging by his inaugural performance in the latest edition of Parliament, he seems to have learnt his lesson and is aware of what needs to be done.
Wickremesinghe's biggest failing has been the perceived underhand dealings with his political nemesis. Having allowed a tumour to grow into a cancer, he now has to perform a full hysterectomy to come clean of the allegations. His willingness to do so will invariably be linked to his political lifespan. Already, allegations are rife about the delayed entry to Parliament; having timed it to avoid contentious issues such as the 20th Amendment, Port City Bill, debate on the Presidential Committee of Inquiry (PCoI) Report on Easter Sunday attacks, debate on the PCoI report on Political Victimisation, etc.
He has the burden of proving his detractors wrong in order to win back confidence. And to do that, he does not have team support, being the only member representing his party in Parliament. It could well be a daunting task considering that his former colleagues, who now make up the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), will be waiting for half a chance to go for the kill. The fact that his party has been reduced to one solitary seat, that too thanks to the proportional representation system, should prick his conscience every time he walks into that chamber; the last time, as prime minister.
It is not too late to climb down from the high horse Wickremesinghe is accustomed to and mend ways with his old brigade, who have so far managed to inflict considerable damage in the ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna’s (SLPP) body armour. That is what an opposition is supposed to do and that is what the young brigade has done. If Wickremesinghe is to stay relevant in that context, he has no option but to lend his shoulder to the wheel.
Wickremesinghe himself unwittingly complimented the SJB by admitting that no government has become as unpopular as the current one in such a short time. He, of all people, should know. Even though the Government itself is largely responsible for the mess it is in, having shot itself in the foot at every turn, the pint-sized Opposition in terms of seats, has contributed in no small measure to that predicament.
For the UNP to offer itself as an effective alternative to both the current Government as well as the SJB at a future election, it must reinvent itself. Whether such an endeavour is feasible with Wickremesinghe continuing to be at the helm is a matter for time to decide. But at the very least, Wickremesinghe must give due respect to the message conveyed to him at the last poll or face the prospect of being dished more of the same in the future, which would be a shame considering the vacuum for alternate national leadership. If Wickremesinghe is serious about reclaiming lost support, he needs to act fast to reorganise a party that is in shambles. How he chooses to do so is up to him, with the party, or what’s left of it, placing their trust in him. But time is of the essence and it would indeed be a tall order to steal a march over its offshoot which already has a decent head start.
As far as the Government is concerned, it is in quicksand and the more it tries to get out of it, the more it seems to sink. Its latest move to pardon a death row convict has succeeded in stirring a hornet’s nest, both locally and internationally. With crisis after crisis knocking on its door, the last thing it needed was another storm, and that is exactly what it created with the “special” pardon. Already in the doghouse for alleged human rights violations and arbitrary action not to the liking of the international community, China excluded, it now finds itself with a new headache to deal with. Already, the “pardon” has earned the ire of the country’s legal fraternity, almost all Opposition parties, the victim’s family, and more notably the US, through its Ambassador based in Colombo, and the United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights, with which the Government is already in a running battle, meaning a further blow to the prospects of renewing the European Union’s (EU) Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+) facility.
The irony is that the Government has been desperately attempting to salvage the GSP+ concession by announcing its readiness to amend the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act as well as releasing political detainees which resulted in former Criminal Investigation Director (CID) Director Shani Abeysekara being granted bail. To add insult to injury, the Court of Appeal, in its bail order for Abeysekara, found no justification for his continued incarceration, something the authorities will struggle to explain to the UN human rights body that has been on the case for the past 10 months or so.
One cannot help but wonder whether the Government is so intellectually challenged that it cannot find a single individual within its bloated ranks that has the capacity to advise the Executive on the consequences of his actions. The current agriculture crisis that is likely to lead to a food shortage is a case in point. If the status quo is allowed to continue, there is only one direction that things can go from here, and that’s downhill, a consequence that neither this country nor the 6.9 million that voted for the Government, deserve.
It is indeed a sad state of affairs for a country that boasts of its sovereignty that marginalised people have to depend on overseas intervention, be it for relief from politically motivated incarceration or even a helping hand in the aftermath of a disaster that left thousands of fisherfolk destitute. In the absence of local support, the EU stepped in last week to provide financial assistance to the individuals affected by the X-Press Pearl disaster, with the Government yet to make any headway in its compensation claims.
Be that as it may, no government in recent memory has offered so much political capital to an Opposition in such a short period since assuming office. It is up to the main Opposition party as well as those clamouring to make a comeback to use that capital to come up with an alternate programme rather than squander it by playing to the gallery. If they are serious about capturing the imagination of the people, there could be no better time than now to do so.
Despite a 10-month head start, the SJB will find itself a worthy competitor in the reincarnation of the former Prime Minister in his new role as an ordinary MP, a role he last played 43 years ago on his entry into Parliament. With the SJB breathing down his neck, Wickremesinghe knows he has just one last chance to come good or fall by the wayside. They say competition is good for the people. Let’s wait and see. Kapruka
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Discover Kapruka, the leading online shopping platform in Sri Lanka, where you can conveniently send Gifts and Flowers to your loved ones for any event. Explore a wide range of popular Shopping Categories on Kapruka, including Toys, Groceries, Electronics, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Automobile, Mother and Baby Products, Clothing, and Fashion. Additionally, Kapruka offers unique online services like Money Remittance, Astrology, Medicine Delivery, and access to over 700 Top Brands. Also If you’re interested in selling with Kapruka, Partner Central by Kapruka is the best solution to start with. Moreover, through Kapruka Global Shop, you can also enjoy the convenience of purchasing products from renowned platforms like Amazon and eBay and have them delivered to Sri Lanka.Send love straight to their heart this Valentine's with our thoughtful gifts!