Geethanjana Kudaligamage

Anura Kumara Dissanayaka is Still Screaming from the ‘Kithul’ Tree Top About Democracy, While Robber Barons Looting the Country Through our Parliament.

When we take important political decisions, we always anticipate about the socio-political repercussions and overall end-results of such decisions we make. We foresee the impacts, short-term and long-term consequences of such decisions. This fundamental reality is valid for the most debated question of executive presidency as well. Bear in mind that this is not just another political decision, this is the most important constitutional decision you are going to make. We must carefully scrutinize the issue in our hand in every possible angle of it, before we hastily making any decision determining whether or not we need this powerful branch of our system of government is need to be abrogated.

First of all, we must see where this second wave of anti-presidential system slogan originated from. (I would say from 1978-2000 was the First wave) This new wave of demanding for abrogating the presidency originated in the post-war political culture with the anti Rajapaksha campaign that was led by same separatists and their supporters in Colombo, who campaigned for a separate state for last thirty years. This demand is mainly coming from a small group of people in Colombo, largely funded by western countries comprising separatists, the Eelamists, the foreign funded NGOs, so-called political pundits in Colombo, and so-called civil society. The majority of people do not demand this, because it has never been their burning political or economic issue. If anyone really want to find who the real culprits behind this campaign, then follow the money trail of it.

Let us go back to fundamentals to understand this. Every tool we have, or used in that matter by mankind has been invented by man to overcome his physical limitations. Each and every tool he invented had its designated purpose and function. For instance, a knife is there to cut, an axe is to chop wood, or a car is to travel from one point to another. Similarly, we have legal tools, administrative tools and governing tools. Executive presidency is another tool invented by man, for his community function, for its smooth administration, government, and also to ensure his security from all threats and perils, external or internal, to satisfy his community’s collective survival.

Now the question is, how if these above-mentioned tools being utilized to do things beyond its designated capacity and function? To say, a knife could have been used to kill a man. An axe could have been used to chop a head. Is it wiser to ban the use of all knifes just because someone had used it to kill another? The executive presidency also had been misused and abused before. If that is the case, then we must find out remedies for it, it may be by creating some constitutional checks and balances to limit such abuses or controlled by other remedies. But getting rid of the executive presidency entirely is a stupid solution similar to that of banning knives I would say. It is the shortcut to play into the hands of Sri Lanka’s enemies. This stupidity is exactly what our enemies desperately need us to entertain.

Of course, there are specific groups with vested interests and hidden agendas to get rid of the executive presidency to remove obstacles in pursuing their political goals. But abrogating Executive Presidency might not be the best remedy for our political ailments. Or, maybe not what is best for the country and its people. When we evaluate the executive branch in our constitution, we must evaluate it in a larger political context rather than limiting our scrutiny into the local political background of Sri Lanka. We should never forget that we are threatened not only from inside, but also from outside.

Let us be real, yes, J. R. Jayawardene abused the executive presidency. but who else abuse executive power in that scale? Did any president rob our central bank? I mean not any other bank, I am talking about the biggest bank, the damn central bank? Presidential office is located just about 200 yards away from the central bank. Could he break that bank? No, he couldn’t. But even without having executive powers, our prime minister has been accused of accommodating the central bank robbery. We thought LTTE had the record for biggest bank robberies in Sri Lankan history after ‘haara lakshe mankoole.’ But what is LTTE? They are just novices comparing to our robber barons in the parliament; our parliament has even bigger, sophisticated white-collar terrorists. Un like LTTE, our parliamentarians can rob banks with such magical powers without even touching a single weapon or firing a single shot. But at the same time, they can shoot down any investigation that is coming along to catch them. Isn’t that clever? Of course, one can argue that the glory of the central bank robbery also needs to be added into LTTE records after following where the money went and who pocketed the loot.

Isn’t that enough to be suspicious about our parliamentary democracy? The members of the parliament, the legislature, has been accused of being benefitting the robbery. Now together they are trying to cover it up. But now they are turning around and scream on the rooftop demanding abrogation of the presidency and entrust the executive powers on them. REALLY? Do you think this is a Mafia state to appoint you as our leaders? If Sri Lanka is a Mafias state, then we must select biggest criminals to run our country. At present, when entire legislature is trying to coverup the scam, only president is standing up against this coverup (However late that may be). So, under this condition, what really need to be abrogated, parliament or the presidency? Where is our sanity?

The biggest joke of the town now is the JVP. JVP thinks that our country must be handed over to a bunch of thieves in the parliament abrogating Executive Presidency. Since they well aware of the fact that Anura Disanayaka cannot be the prime minister of Sri Lanka, (well, in fairness to Anura, let us say at least for now he can’t,) they knowingly have become belligerent to pave the way for Ranil, the biggest thief, to become executive prime minister. But with straight face, Anura Disanayake still tells us that he and his party is only fighting for democracy, but they are not fighting to make Ranil the head of the country. Really? If you are seriously concerned about democracy, then come out of the fox-den and be with the chickens. Knowing very well that you will never find democracy at the end, still you are running in the wrong direction. That’s okay. But please don’t try to fool us.

As the old Sinhala saying goes, the man who got caught red-handed on the kithul tree (Caryota urens) for stealing රා ‘raa’ still had something to say; and had said that he climbed up there to cut grass but not to drink ‘kithul raa’ රා (Kithul toddy.) කිතුලට හොරාට රා බොන්ඩ  නැග්ග මිනිහ කිව්වලු නැග්ගෙ තණකොළ කපන්ඩ කියල”  

Fair enough. Now we can understand the reason why Anura Kumara always speaks like රා බීල, intoxicated with toddy. Nowadays, Anura Kumara screams from ‘Kithul’-tree-top about democracy as if he has forgotten to climb down from it yet. However, the difference between ‘Raa’ drunken Anura Kumara screaming from the Kithul-Tree-top and the ‘Raa’ drunken Nattamy නාටාමි sitting on the pavement at ‘Dematagoda ‘Raa Kade’ is, that Natamy නාටාමි knows his basic logic but Anura Kumara does’t.

Dear JVP comrades, if you are so concerned about democracy, why didn’t you question about speaker’s anti-democratic decision of giving opposition leadership to Sambandan, when TNA had only 16 seats whereas joint opposition had over 80+ seats in the parliament?

Anura Kumara still has to answer us about his democratic logic behind his decision to accept the position of ‘chief opposition whip’ when his party had only 6 seats? Was that the way to safeguard democratic values in Sri Lanka for the people? Is that the mode of democracy you preach us? Where did you learn your Civics lessons from Hon. Mr. Anura Disanayake? Was that again from ‘Demetagoda Raa’ Kade’ දෙමටගොඩ රා කඩේ? If that is the case about the kind of democracy you prescribe for us to live in, then we also may have to get fully drunken with ‘Raa’ to live in it. සෑහෙන්ඩ රා බොන්ඩ ඕන වෙයි.

Executive Precedency has its pros and cons. Of course, yes; it still has. But we must try to evaluate these advantages and disadvantages within the context of current political threats that Sri Lanka is facing locally and internationally. Irrefutably, Currently Sri Lanka is facing an unparallel existential threat for its survival as a unitary state. This is a serious threat instigated from within and without.

Now, let me ask a question. What is the primary concern of the people of Sri Lanka today? Is it the tyranny of the executive presidency or the tyranny of corrupt political culture we have inside our parliament? Or is it the immoral and dishonest members of parliament and parliamentary system or the executive presidency that is not under the yoke of corrupt parliament? What is most dangerous and threatening?

People have many other concerns too. They question as to why is there a partiality of our parliamentary select committee catering for only NGO and so-called civil society whims and fancies and ideology? Why is there an unjustified ideological domination of internationally funded NGOs and the civil society upon our legislature and our entire parliamentary system? Why large part of our polity is working on behalf of NGOs and Civil Society while trying to implement imperial agendas upon us, and why are they trying to enforce their misplaced theories and explanations upon us that leading the nation into systematic sectarian division?

Isn’t this entire crisis a conflict between tyranny of this minority Colombian class’s political ideology vs. people of Sri Lanka issue? Is abrogating executive presidential system would be the panacea for all our ailments and would that be for the national interest of Sri Lanka today?

(To be continued)