Dilrook Kannangara

Rajapaksas are enjoying their last few months in the limelight and in power. They won’t be back in power for another decade or more. Mahinda, Gota, Basil and Chamal will not live to see the day when they will be in the saddle of power again (if it happens). At least as a parting shot, they must deliver on some key promises they made to people in 2019 and 2020. They have delivered none so far. The COVID-19 excuse is not valid. Otherwise, people will not remember them.

Senanayakes were out of power for 10 years from 1956 to 1965 but before leaving power they left their mark. Massive development works were completed, sacred cities of Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa were re-established and they also oversaw the smooth transition of power from British rulers to locals. Most countries failed to have a smooth transition of power. India was a horror story in this regard. People remembered them and their good deeds, and, gave them another stint in 1965.

Bandaranaikes had a longer lapse of power of 17 years from 1977 to 1994. But people remembered their good acts including empowering the common man, developing local industry beyond agriculture and firm rule over troublemakers. People rewarded them with power again after 17 years.

However, Rajapaksas are not going to be so lucky as people have nothing positive to remember about them. Winning the war does not belong to Rajapaksas as they battled it out publicly with the war winning army commander. Their conduct showed poorly on them from a leadership point of view. After winning the war, soldiers and officers were totally abandoned. They received no reward which they richly deserved. Even the military victory was diluted due to reconciliation programs. You can’t hunt with the hounds and run with the hare at the same time.

Besides winning the war, Rajapaksas have nothing to show to the people. They piled up debt and foreign control as a result. Their so-called development works created only debt and no economic output. There’s no Mahaweli project, garment project, tea project, Export Processing Zone, functioning ports or airports or anything else of economic worth to their credit. On top of that the Sri Lanka Supreme Court found them guilty of bankrupting the nation and creating lawlessness.

Rajapaksas are also remembered for taking nepotism to an unprecedented low. Their nepotism was the worst in the world. Not even North Korea stands a chance against Rajapaksa nepotism.

This is the legacy Rajapaksas are leaving behind. It is not a good one. But they have a few more months to create some good impression in the minds of Sri Lankans.

Firstly, they must remove Ranil as president. It can be done with the number of seats the SLPP has with the support of the Opposition. A beneficial president who considers people, poverty, true development as opposed to sham projects and election sweeteners, vision and local values should be appointed instead. Plans to sell national assets must be reversed through parliament itself. A people-friendly and development-oriented budget must replace the November 2023 budget.

IMF has lost patience with Sri Lanka as it failed to achieve the next milestone and the June 2014 tranche of loans will not be forthcoming. This marks the failure of Ranil as president. It will be clear on June 15 which is just 12 days away. That’s when Ranil should be dropped as he failed in his own plan!

(The current IMF program was developed by Ranil and his team and they have failed to achieve anything beyond some initial small successes.)

Driving people to starvation to reduce food prices is not a skill. It is foolish and economically destructive.

Driving people to deprivation to reduce electricity prices (because consumption has crashed) is not a win. It is a defeat. All truly developing nations have an increasing power consumption pattern.

Ranil’s insane economic policies” can cause chronic economic bankruptcy and chronic economic truncation. As Rajapaksas appointed him (despite people rejecting him) and elected him to the post of president through the parliament, it is the duty of Rajapaksas to remove this disaster before leaving power.

No election must be held under Ranil’s presidency. He is a poor caretaker president or prime minister as history proves. He must be replaced before elections are declared.