Why Sri Lanka’s Presidential Candidates should be above 60 years old

Shenali Waduge

Sri Lanka’s political arena since post-Independence has never been without excitement & drama. A common trait amongst the previous Executive Presidents barring the last was their age. It was with the entry of Chandrika Kumaratunga Bandaranaike as President that signaled a “new look” to the profile of President of Sri Lanka. If the country thought a genteel looking daughter of the yesteryear dynasty would usher in a breath of fresh air & youth – the country was sadly mistaken.

As the country’s first female Executive President she did in deed look different from JR, Premadasa and Wijetunga. The fact that she was a female made her instantly more attractive so much so that often her attire & body movements were given more attention than her policies. Her youth & vivacity together with the supreme power vested upon her as President of the nation was soon to lead the country towards doom. She soon began to consider herself almost the Almighty.

While her list of blunders, misdeeds and misadventures are too long to commit to paper, we need to empathize with her predicament. It is not surprising that anyone in their youth of governance would feel that the Duckworth-Lewis elimination was untimely and unjust. With two terms of Presidency now over and declared a “person non grata” to the political arena except to enter as perhaps just another Minister, her anger has to be understandable.

It is no fault of Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga that she came to run as Presidential candidate at a youthful age unlike the previous Presidents & it is also no fault of hers that she has to face the reality that she is now out of Executive Powers.

Knowing the mental agony that she must be going through having being forced to make a sudden exit as the President of Sri Lanka, it should only be fair that another Presidential candidate should not be made to undergo the same fate.

In the light of the predicament that befell the former President I would seriously like to suggest that consideration be given and necessary amendments be made to the constitution to see that all Presidential candidates in future must be over 60 years of age. An immediate thought of any President-elect is the belief that they will remain in power for the 2 terms provided in the constitution. With this reality legally facing us we can but assume that a candidate having won the election at 60 will remain until he is 72 years and thereafter let us hope he / she will “graciously” depart from governance.