Starting from the scratch

The Sri Lankan Parliament, for the first time, elected the nation’s president through secret ballot — in order to fill in the position left vacant by popularly elected Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s resignation. Election of the new president Ranil Wickremesinghe, though within the constitutional ambit, appears strange in many aspects. Ranil Wickremesinghe’s United National Party had failed to win even a single seat in the 2020 parliamentary elections, and he had to be nominated to remain in the Sri Lankan Parliament. After being the country’s Prime Minister for a brief period this year, he now holds the most powerful post of president which, unlike in India, is loaded with overreaching executive powers. The fact that the Sri Lankan parliament has placed its trust in a ‘nominated member’ amid an unprecedented national crisis may invoke some curiosity. In the first place, Wickremesinghe’s election as president came on the back of support from Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) party. Of the total 225 parliamentarians, two were absent and votes of four were declared invalid. Of the remaining votes, Wickremesinghe won 134 — leaving the runner-up far behind at 84. This is a clear indication that his victory was secured by the unfractured votes of SLPP parliamentarians. However, it may be wrong to reduce Wickremesinghe’s description as a leader under the protégé of SLPP chief whips. Having first made it to parliament in 1977, Wickremesinghe’s legacy lies in the way he handled the economy during the 1990s. Apart from being a cunning politician and a close aide of Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Wickremesinghe is also a leader who has a knack for capitalistic interventions. In broad terms, the challenge before him will be twofold — to come out of the shadow of the Rajapaksa clan and use his deft to pull out the country from its worst economic turmoil since independence. Both the challenges are onerous but, beyond them, there is an opportunity for Wickremesinghe to regain his lost credibility. As things stand today, Sri Lanka is inching closer to a sort of political stability which will evince greater interest in the international community to stand by the side of the island nation. The popular unrest, however, has not completely subsided yet. If Wickremesinghe is not to serve as a puppet of the Rajapaksa clan, he should, in immediate terms, undertake two initiatives. In the first place, he should make sincere efforts to take protestors into confidence — through persuasion and not brute force — while also taking political opponents on board. One can hope that the call of unity which Wickremesinghe made after taking oath is not hollow — because only by being together the country can pass through the storm it is caught into. Secondly, the process of facilitating an IMF bailout package should be initiated without delay. During the time lag before the IMF bailout package fructifies, Sri Lanka can seek assistance from countries willing to collaborate. It is fortunate to have a friendly neighbour like India which has thus far taken sincere actions, more than any other nation, to help the crisis-ridden country.

The political stability in Sri Lanka will help it bargain for cooperation from other nations as well. To garner both domestic and international support, Ranil Wickremesinghe must dilute the heavily concentrated executive powers of the president — something which he had himself advocated in the past. It is only through the politics of service, and not power, that he can win over people’s trust and taste success. From the view of resolving the economic crisis,

Sri Lanka at present has a capable and experienced head of the nation and is on a road to political stability. It also has willing-to-help international partners. What it doesn’t have is the resources, a suitable politico-economic ambience, and people’s trust in the ruling dispensation. It will be very interesting to see if Wickremesinghe manages to bridge the gap between have and have-nots. The storm has subsided but there are remains of the ravages. It is now time for reconstruction, from ground zero.