By Hema Senanayake –
Hema Senanayake
People may seek a reason to justify what they want to do, based on their desirability as opposed to using logic (or scientific reasoning) to find out the best thing to do. This nature of human behavior is known as motivated reasoning. Almost all Sri Lankan politicians just do this. They have a lot of biases and hence do not discover the optimal thing to do for the country.
At this moment political stability achieved via consensus is what the country needs. The longer the political confusion, uncertainty, and chaos, the deeper would be the adverse economic consequences. The prolonged political crisis would affect the balance of payments adversely. This means there will be no dollars to pay for imports. It might ruin the country economically.
It is timely that the Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka has issued a warning prior to the legislative election of next president, possibly happening on or around July 20th. He said that if there is no political stability the country would face a shutdown soon. This is a serious warning. He knows what he says because he has all the data to make a such an enlightened opinion.
The Acting President Ranil Wickremesinghe has already said that he got information that there are certain people who forced the members of parliament as to how they should vote. I think by this he didn’t mean the opinion expressed by the Governor of CBSL. From the view of the Governor of CBSL, like the views of Federation of University Teachers Association (FUTA), MPs can form a very basic criterion as to how they should vote in the election of next president.
This is a kind of elimination method you find in mathematics. First, choose the person who is most unlikely to create political stability as the next President of Sri Lanka. Defeat him first. Or, do not allow him to contest by not proposing his name if he is the only man from his party in the parliament so that other candidates may contest as they wish. According to my opinion, Ranil Wickremesinghe, if elected is the weakest president to bring political stability to the country.
That is why FUTA, issuing a communique requested him to declare to the nation that he would not be a candidate in the impending election. The focus of FUTA might be the political stability, nothing against Ranil Wickremesinghe personally.
The Governor of CBSL might have expressed the same opinion if he had the liberty to do it. Ask Cardinal, Rev. Malcolm Ranjith. Ask Venerable Buddhist monks or religious leaders of other faiths, they all have one name to be eliminated from the candidacy or in the election. It is Ranil Wickremesinghe. Talk to Chambers of Commerce, exporters associations, bankers and general public mostly apolitical, they all have one name to be eliminated to ensure the political stability.
I would suggest all MPs, get rid of motivated reasoning, just think of ensuring political stability via consensus to prevent shutting down the country. If elected, Ranil Wickremesinghe might create the next economic crisis which is much worse.
Dinuk / July 16, 2022
Hema: the Default was staged to enable US colonization of Sri Lanka as Cold War heats up in the Indian Ocean! Sri Lanka is the 2nd richest county in South Asia with the best Social and Human Development Indicators in the Region and was listed as an UPPER Middle income county by World Bank just 3 years ago. It was pumped and dumped! Bondscam Ranil who staged the biggest financial crime in Sri Lanka in 2015 at the Central Bank, destroyed the CBSL’s integrity and opened the doors for US-based Bond Traders like Black Rock to debt trap Lanka. RW must be arrested! He now wants to represent the people in IMF talks to Bailout the Sovereign Bond ISB Traders who funded his election campaign in 2015/16!
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Dinuk / July 16, 2022
The only reason RW who is universally disliked and despised is no Acting Prez. in this miracle of corrupt Politicians is because he is backed by the Uncle Sam which like a cancer has spread its tentacles throughout Sri lanka, Govt, opposition and Aragalaya!
After all. RW came to power in a regime change operation on May 15 when the country was under curfew and the military on the streets and now talking about safeguarding the Constitution!
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RBH59 / July 16, 2022
At this moment political stability achieved via consensus is what the country needs
Everybody is talking that Ranil has good experience see what he have done to country with his experience Give a chance to a new and see there ability What happens if dies so better now give a new nominator for successor to office for president to preserve trust for young people and in future generations and all life on the planet. WE HAVE SEEN CONTINUES DEAL DONE by Ranil IN THE NAME ERADICATE poverty as it is for most POLITICIAN truly believe that their wealth could someday escape them.”
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Ajith / July 16, 2022
It is true political stability is the urgent need to solve the economic crisis. It is also true the weakest person among other names in circulations. Unfortunately, the former President purposely created a mess by appointing unethicaly RW as PM. the SLPP under Mahinda Rajapaksa also want to take a revenge against people and wants to create further instability in this country. Even the opposition parties are only focus on their leadership rather than stability. I don’t know whether the Maga Sangha along with Other Religious leaders and Civil societies, Professionals, and other well wishers jointly propose a talented unbiased a Person as President and other working group to govern this country for temporary for 6 or 12 months with specific programmes towards solving the economic and political crisis and have a unbiased election for electing the government.
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davidthegood / July 16, 2022
HS, You write about motivated reasoning. Will 225 think of political stability via consensus instead of biting each other. Solve this problem by getting rid of Presidency (EP)
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Ajith / July 16, 2022
It looks like Ranil Wickremasinhe, Sajith Premadasa, Anurakumara and Dulls Alagaperuma are going to contest for the vaccant President post without people’s approval. None of these candidates have a plan how to improve the economy, how to bring people together, how to bring stability, how to reduce the corruption etc. etc. In otherwords, they are not prepared to work together for the country and people.
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Nathan / July 17, 2022
… scientific reasoning. What is scientific reasoning?
Does decision making in politics allow for testing and elimination?
(I need help here.)
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Nathan / July 17, 2022
If electing and later chasing away Gotabaya was a scientific decision, I’d say that that type of decision making is unaffordably costly!
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Naman / July 17, 2022
Aragalaya will be considered a FAILURE if anyone of the current contenders become the Executive President. As suggested, We need a person who is apolitical to be the President for a year to put things in order
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shankar / July 19, 2022
let ranil also contest.That is democracy.We can’t stop people from contesting in a democracy.The best way to choose the person who leads the interim government is to see if there was an election in the country as opposed to an election in parliament only,who would be the leader.Sajith of course.
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