Asoka Basnayake
The defeat of incumbent Mahinda Rajapaksa in the Sri Lanka’s Presidential election held on January 8, 2015 (two years ahead of schedule) has enlisted mixed reaction from a cross-section of the community in New Zealand.
Elected twice to the post of President, Rajapaksa was the ‘People’s hero of the decade,’ as the 30-year-old civil war ended during his leadership.
Modest background
Born into a middleclass family in the Southern Province of Sri Lanka, Rajapaksa was a common man (not from Colombo 7 or Cinnamon Gardens, the Sri Lankan equivalent of Remuera in Auckland).
He was educated at Thurstan College, a Colombo public school, earned qualifications as a lawyer and later entered politics in the 1970s to become one of the youngest MPs.
He became Prime Minister during President Chandrika Bandaranaike’s era and although seemed an unlikely contender, won the Presidential election in 2011 (defeating his opponent General Sarath Fonseka), riding on the popularity of ending the civil war against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
General Fonseka was the Army Commander who led the war but fell out of favour with Rajapaksa, who stripped him of his civil rights and jailed him on corruption charges.
He brought the election forward by two years, not expecting to lose.
Turning fortune
But the people of Sri Lanka voted for Maithripala Sirisena, a former Minister in Rajapaksa’s Cabinet. He has pledged to wipe out corruption and nepotism that have been rampant during Rajapaksa’s regime.
According to Mala, an active community worker of Auckland’s Sri Lankan community, Rajapaksa’s defeat was the best thing that happened to Sri Lanka in the 21st century.
She cited several reasons for his defeat including misuse of public money and a high degree of nepotism (hundreds of relatives and henchmen were given high-level jobs including diplomatic postings).
Abusing power
She said that his brothers Gotabhaya and Basil (ministers) and son Namal (MP) were guilty of abusing power.
“Bodhubala Sena, a radical Buddhist group had allegedly harassed and killed many people including Muslims. Hundreds of people went missing, many women were raped and corruption was at its worst form with money paid to ministers, politicians and officials for large development projects and foreign investments,” Mala said.
Road races
A number of respondents who spoke to me mentioned about the infamous car races of the three sons of Rajapaksa. “Many main roads would be closed for several hours causing traffic bottlenecks and inconvenience to the public. These races were the subject of public debate and criticism,” they said.
I remember an acquaintance whose son got married in Colombo last year had to reschedule his wedding at the Colombo Hilton, as guests could not access the hotel for several hours due to the closure of the Galle Road to accommodate the car race of one of the Rajapaksa’s sons.
Disgusting behaviour
Several people, who spoke to me for this article, said that they were disgusted over the alleged behaviour of some politicians close to Rajapaksa.
Among such politicians were Mervyn Silva (the Court Jester), Johnston Fernando (Cooperatives and Internal Trade Minister), Wimal Weerawansa (Construction, Engineering Services, Housing and Common Amenities Minister), S B Dissanayake (Higher Education Minister), Sajin de Vass Gunawardena (MP and former Chief Executive of ‘Mithin Lanka,’ a government-sponsored budget airline) and others.
“Rajapaksa ignored the severe abuse of power and misappropriation of public money by these people and eventually paid the price,” they said.
Many others were august that he appointed several film actors with no political experience into his cabinet as ministers.
Lawful citizens
Shirani, a Sri Lankan resident in Australia for the last 20 years, said that last month’s Presidential election showed that there are still many Sri Lankans who stood by the law for the benefit of the people, so that they could live without fear or intimidation.
“The votes for Sirisena were in fact translation of public grievances and anger on Rajapaksa and his cronies. There is a lesson in this for all politicians and officials; one can take the law into their hands only for a limited time.”
Lost opportunity
Sunethra, a Sri Lankan currently in New Zealand on holiday, said that Rajapaksa had an excellent opportunity to change the constitution and create a corruption-free country.
“He failed but I feel sorry for the man because he is a genuinely friendly person. Rajapaksa should not have allowed his sons to turn the country into their playground and his brothers to be self-proclaimed kings,” she said.
Sunethra admired Rajapaksa but felt that allowing his son Namal to sit for the law college examinations in a special room was not appropriate.
“It shamed the Law College. I was also against the appointment of ex-army men to diplomatic posts and roles in governance.”
Recalling Envoys
According to reports, Gotabhaya had appointed 31 former armed services personnel as diplomats and that these were being recalled to Colombo.
A Sri Lankan academic questioned me about the future of the envoys in Australia and New Zealand who are both political appointees.
Samanthi, a blogger friend and computer professional, said that Rajapaksa lost because he not only did not have a clue about ruling a country but also did not have any idea about the depths into which his relatives and children were going.
Angry generation
“His immense greed and the village beliefs that surface despite his education and experience would have also contributed to his defeat. I question Rajapaksa’s sanity in taking decisions based on the advice of astrologers. These decisions have affected the country. It was astrologers who advised him to hold the Presidential election two years ahead of schedule,” she said.
Samanthi, who was in Sri Lanka during the election, said that there was a penchant for change among the people.
“While illiterate voters in villages preferred Rajapaksa, the educated younger generation worked hard to defeat him. Perhaps the burden of unemployment, rising cost of living and the obscenely opulent lifestyle of his sons were too much to bear for our young men and women,” she said.
Widespread disgust
Waves of disillusionment will naturally become a tsunami when young people find that the same rulers of a country who permit their offspring to do whatever they fancy and order the armed forces to tear-gas and beat up others who demand their courses or degrees be recognised.
Popular dissent invariably occurs when people feel that their right to obtain correct information has been violated. Many in Sri Lanka were of the view that the state-controlled media was busy feeding a never-ending avalanche of exaggerated Pro-Rajapaksa propaganda. While the older generation may have subscribed to the ‘mental bribe’ of having won the war against LTTE, young people did not bite the carrot.
By the time Rajapaksa realised that intelligent and educated people were questioning why they were not free half a decade after winning the war, it was too late.
Admirer lost
Anoma, who is a political activist, was once a great admirer of Rajapaksa.
“I had immense appreciation for him since he won a war that had ravaged the country for 30 years. He held his head high and did not bow to western powers unlike his predecessors had done. Sri Lankans are now able to live in peace thanks to his leadership.
“But this did not mean he could abuse power and take his fellow citizens for a ride. It is deplorable to think how he and his group have pilfered money through construction of roads and building infrastructure. I cannot understand how a government could stoop so low, when its people are in need of basic needs of life.
Anoma deplored the misuse of power and corruption and Rajapaksa’s children using the country as if it is their own private backyard.
But she remained grateful to him for “saving the country from the world’s most ruthless terrorists, once considered invincible.”
While a majority of the people I spoke with were very happy over the exit of Rajapaksa and his clan, they were not entirely confident that his successor would be able to deliver on his promises.
Several had no faith either in former President Chandrika or in Opposition Leader Ranil Wickramasinghe who have failed in the past.
No landslide
As a Sri Lankan community leader pointed out, Rajapaksa gained 46% of the votes and Maithripala Sirisena did not get a landslide victory.
He said that Sri Lanka should strive to be a multi-ethnic and multi-religious country. At the same time, Sri Lanka should be careful and should not play into the hands of warmongers or be puppets of powerful and rich countries.
Most people wanted the new government to end corruption that had become widespread during the tenure of the last two governments and bring the guilty to justice.
Ambitious Plan
Sri Lankans and others around the world are watching Maithripala Sirisena and those around him with interest to see if they will fulfil their promises under the so-called deliver ‘100 Day Plan.’
He has already shown some promise by appointing a Council of Ministers that is half of what it was under Rajapaksa and by the appointment of professionals to major posts.
The government is also taking steps to recall 31 persons employed in diplomatic posts by the Rajapaksa government.
We the Diaspora wait with baited breath and hope.
The new regime would not want to forget that voters can be fooled and that even monarchs and ‘absolute rulers’ can be brought to their knees by the power of the people.
Asoka Basnayake is a freelance writer based in Auckland. Born in Sri Lanka, she has extensive experience in a number of countries on current affairs, politics, economics, community service and social welfare. She is an activist, a volunteer and a community broadcaster who serves on several boards of migrant-related organisations in New Zealand. A number of names in the above articles are nom de plumes at the request of the concerned.
