Sri Lanka: Mr President, Bloodbath or General Elections

Before the current situation leads to bloodshed, decisive action must be taken immediately, considering the legal provisions required for a parliamentary election.

Editorial

It is reported that Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa has decided to resign. But the last few days have taught us that none of this news can be trusted until it actually happens. We the people like to daydream, so then we can avoid the painful ground reality. Reality of distorted democracy is that no ruler and his profiteering inner circle will leave without great cost. The pro-Rajapakse protests currently underway are well organized, and the Prime Minister is well aware that the only way out is to drag his supporters into the streets and push them into violent conflict. 

However, many in the hierarchy are vying to be the next prime minister. The race to become prime minister has become a musical chair contest. Although the resignation of the Prime Minister (if it ever happens) may seem like a temporary solution, certainly it will not resolve the prevailing serious political crisis. Not only the present government but the entire country has to make a great sacrifice to overcome the crisis. 

Meanwhile, the Deputy Speaker, who was re-elected in a secret ballot held in Parliament a few days ago, has resigned from the post again. It is, no doubt, a joke of the month. Every successive government in Sri Lanka is a parasite with no responsibility or accountability for financial management and therefore has no feeling about what public money is being spent on such events. It is unfortunate that people who have long been known as gentlemanly politicians become opportunistic politicians of the third class. All of this, however, requires one basic thing to understand. It would be ridiculous if they think that they can regain power by subduing the existing confusing social tendencies. Not only the Rajapaksas but all the politicians in Parliament have been rejected by the majority and the people of the country are disgusted with them.

Trapped in such a complex political context, the President can no longer live under informal house arrest. Nor can he hand over all responsibilities to his best confidant, the Minister of Justice and Finance, Mohamed Uvais Mohamed Ali Sabry. According to our observations, what Minister Sabry is doing at the moment is proving that everyone else is unclean except him. But he is the architect of the infamous Twentieth Amendment, which has tarnished the image of the country's legal framework nationally and internationally. Instead of solving the structural quandaries that have plagued the country for a long time, he is a person who uses it deceitfully to his advantage. His political malfeasance shows that he has no real desire to do anything good for his leader, let alone for the common good of the people of the country as a whole. In fact, former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe likened Sabry to Frank Wills, the night watchman in the famous Watergate incident that led to the ousting of US President Richard M. Nixon, because of his keen understanding of this subtle politics. Time will tell the truth about the politics of not only Sabry but many others. 

The President is in dilemma. The options available to the president are minimal and the advice given by various types of "trustees", including family members, cannot be trusted to overcome the real challenge. It is too late for him to make decisions away from his family and fraudsters. Unfortunately, many parliamentarians do not accept his pragmatic proposals. In this context, the only remaining option is to call for general elections immediately. Before the current situation leads to bloodshed, decisive action must be taken immediately, considering the legal provisions required for a parliamentary election. Mr President, please!