By Shiranee Dissanayake –

Shiranee Dissanayake

6^th of May 2022. The country is in the throes of an island-wide hartal. It is a time unprecedented in the country’s 74 years of independence, or more correctly ‘dependence’. I say this as the political system that prevailed since 4^th February 1948 when we gained independence from British rule, has been one where the people were led to believe that once they vote into power the candidates of their choice, they can sit back and let the politicians do the rest. People depended on the politicians to deliver whatever they voted for and sat back and let it happen. For the past 74 years people’s participation in the process of governance has been minimal. And regrettably many politicians, who came into power by the peoples’ vote preaching lofty ideals for the upliftment of society, have used their political power to feather their own nests for their own upliftment, rather than that of the people who voted them into power.

For 74 years the contribution of successive governments towards defeating poverty and ushering in prosperity for the people has left much to be desired. Wrong decisions and the mishandling of the economy coupled with bribery corruption, robbery of the country’s wealth and dividing the people on ethnic/religious lines for political advantage have taken its toll. The enormous loans taken for various development programmes which were started after the end of the war in 2009 has only plunged the country deeper into an economic morass. The list is endless. But the bottom line is that the middle class has been reduced to poverty, the poor to abject poverty, and the business community being unable to pay the salaries of their employees. The handling of the economy over the past 2 ½ years has resulted not only in economic collapse imposing untold hardship on the people, but also a government which has lost control reducing our beloved motherland to a failed state bordering on bankruptcy.

William Shakespeare once said “desperate times breed desperate measures” and that is what we see in Sri Lanka today. The educated youth of the country who has seen through the hypocrisy and incompetence of the politicians have decided that enough is enough. This situation has provoked the Sri Lankan youth supported by professionals and other sections of society, to band together in a concerted effort to remove the Rajapaksas from power and change this corrupt system of governance. The people centric action of this self-motivated group of activists has provoked protests by Sri Lankans living abroad as well. Its effect has surpassed all protest campaigns organized by political parties. That’s not all, it has caused a dramatic turnaround in the mindsets of people who were hitherto passive onlookers while the politicians of the day indulged in bribery corruption and blatant robbery of the country’s wealth.

Over the past month Sri Lankans of Sinhala Tamil, Muslim, Burgher, and Malay communities have joined hands in a phenomenal show of unity and solidarity. Irrespective of caste, creed, religious and cultural differences they have decided to work towards a common goal in the interest of the Sri Lankan community at large. This indeed is an astounding victory for a country that had to face a prolonged war based on ethnic differences. The trust and kinship that has developed among the various Sri Lankan communities were evident in the active participation of all religious groups in the commemoration of the April 23^rd Easter attack and the offering of alms to Buddhist clergy by Muslims on Ramazan day.

The 74-year-old political system which has culminated in the current devastation is an excellent case study which throws up several issues of governance that need to be considered in the future. There are lessons to be learnt from this exercise. The 2 ½ years of the Rajapaksa regime has brought to the fore several factors that would serve as lessons to future leaders.

1. The future leaders have had firsthand experience on how not to govern a country.

2. Hypocrisy and incompetence have no place in good governance.

3. Awareness about good governance unity and active participation of the people are vital for effective governance and long-term peace and prosperity.

4. Wrong people in positions of power can push a country to a point of no return.

5. Political power is no match against the power of a united people.

6. Unity and true brotherhood among communities is the foundation for peace.

7. Bribery, corruption, and robbery of national resources cannot be concealed forever.

8. People cannot be governed through deception or force.

9. Never underestimate the fearlessness and determination of the people.

10. When the intention is pure and sincere support comes voluntarily.

It is an accepted fact that whoever takes over from this regime will not be able to reverse the situation overnight. It will take clear thinking, informed decision making and sincere honest action to pull the country out of the mess it is in. On the part of the people, it should be kept in mind that there is no magic fix. Sacrifice and hardship will be part of everyday life until the country comes out of this economic crisis.

As for you Mr. President thank you for creating this awakening among the people about governance and how it should not be done – an invaluable lesson for all future leaders. It is now time for you and your family to move out of Sri Lankan politics to make way for a new more effective system of governance which has the welfare of the people at heart.