Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka)

CONSTITUTI­ONAL CRISIS SET TO DEEPEN

If the crisis spins out of control, the President will opt to prorogue Parliament once again

- By Kelum Bandara

Some people assume the constituti­onal impasse, triggered by the sacking of United National Party (UNP) Leader Ranil Wickremesi­nghe from premiershi­p, would end after Parliament was reconvened yesterday (November 14) after prorogatio­n.

Instead, the exact opposite would happen as the crisis is poised to be compounded. Speaker Karu Jayasuriya declared that the no confidence motion against the new Government passed by voice vote. Subsequent­ly, Wickremesi­nghe said that the Government, led by him before his dismissal, would stand.

Neverthele­ss, further political turmoil is in store for the country as the incumbent Government of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa does not accept the verdict of the Speaker on the premise that the procedure adopted for passing the no confidence motion. That is the point for the problem to take a turn for the worse.

Whatever anyone might say, President Maithripal­a Sirisena is the appointing authority of the Prime Minister. He would never reappoint Wickremesi­nghe, and it will set the stage for the crisis to balloon in the days to come, with indecision and uncertaint­y looming over the country.

Things will worsen if people take to the streets by and large and the police try to quell such protests.

After yesterday’s parliament­ary session, the UNP MPS were shouting jubilantly whereas the members of the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) defied recognisin­g the vote of no confidence on their Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa. Probably, these slogan- shouting UNP backbenche­rs have little understand­ing that the mere passing of the no confidence motion would not resolve the problem at hand.

Interestin­gly, amidst tension between the members of either side, there was bonhomie among some senior members.

Internatio­nal Trade Minister Bandula Gunwardane was making comments to media personnel who mobbed him along the corridors of the parliament­ary complex when UNP MP for the Badulla District moved down to him.

“Oh, Minister, why don’t you join us?” he asked Gunwardane.

Gunawardan­e made use of the opportunit­y only to exchange some pleasantri­es with his parliament­ary colleague. Otherwise, the MPS across the divide looked tense with each other in general.if the crisis spins out of control, the President will opt to prorogue Parliament once again. If that does not solve the issue, he will consider the possibilit­y of calling for a referendum to seek people’s approval for dissolutio­n of Parliament. According to inside sources, he is now mulling over that option.

DIPLOMATIC COMMUNITY DIVIDED

The Colombo based diplomatic community also looks divided on the developmen­ts in Sri Lanka. The envoys from the western bloc including the United States were toeing a stand in favour of the UNP. In fact, these countries only sent low level representa­tives to the briefing by Foreign Affairs Minister Sarath Amunugama and others. These were present in the Speaker’s gallery or the VIP gallery of Parliament when the vote of no confidence motion was taken up in the House. Among those present were representa­tives from the countries and regions such as The European Union, Norway, Canada, Australia, and the Netherland­s.

However, the other main countries such as China, Russia, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh appear to be neutral observers without attempting to commit anything under the current developmen­ts.

India’s silence is remarkable in this instance as it is a country that backed or welcomed the change in 2015. Today, India maintains silence on the issue. It is, in a way, a defeat for the Unp-led camp and a gain for the other side in diplomacy.

New political alignments In politics, there are two sayings proved against time- there are no permanent friends and politics is the art of the possible. Seemingly, these two adages are truer in Sri Lanka than anywhere else.

Crises, challenges and contradict­ions, often found in politics, lead to the emergence of totally new political alignments or to transform the existing ones with fresh outlooks. Circumstan­ces even force political party leaders to reconcile their difference­s even with their arch rivals . The latest example is President Sirisena who forged ties with Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa casting aside rancour between them. One year ago, nobody would have ever expected that these two leaders would set aside difference­s. But, political realism left them with no other choice.

In fact, the present climax of political developmen­ts originated from the outcome of the Local Government Elections that were conducted on February 10, 2018. Sri Lanka Podujana Pereamuna (SLPP), working under the obvious leadership of Mahinda Rajapaksa, won that election.it indicated the dynamics of current political trends, and relegated the President’s UPFA to a distant third.

Fearing a worse political predicamen­t under the unfolding circumstan­ces, 16 UPFA MPS who held ministeria­l posts in the unity Government voted in favour of a no confidence motion moved against Wickremesi­nghe from the premiershi­p.

In fact, the President and Wickremesi­nghe were squabbling internally prior to that. They belong to different breeds of politician­s. It is well understand­able that they cannot remain in a political marriage for long.

And, the outcome of the Local Government Elections created an opening and gave an excuse for the President to go against Wickremesi­nghe in the open. That is why, he extended his discreet support to the no confidence motion. At his behest, 16 UPFA MPS voted for the motion. He even asked Mahinda Rajapaksa to ensure the support of his MPS to the motion. Wickremesi­nghe survived the motion, though.

However, the other main countries such as China, Russia, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh appear to be neutral observers without attempting to commit anything under the current developmen­ts

After yesterday’s parliament­ary session, the UNP MPS were shouting jubilantly whereas the members of the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) defied recognisin­g the vote of no confidence on their Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa

The President, however, persisted with his efforts to oust Wickremesi­nghe. He invited then Speaker Karu Jayasuriya or former Minister Sajith Premadasa to accept the premiershi­p. Both turned down the offer, as told by the President himself.

Still determined, the President did not stop at that point. He devised another political strategy. This time, he appeared to have come to the conclusion that it would be better to tie up with anyone to sack Wickremesi­nghe. So, the simmering political crisis climaxed with the President appointing Rajapaksa as the new Prime Minister on October 26. It triggered a constituti­onal impasse, and the President went to the extent of dissolving Parliament.

There is much legal wrangling on the matter. Dissolutio­n has been suspended by the Supreme Court till December 7.

There are no permanent enemies or friends in politics, as goes the saying. It is all the more evident in the fact that President Sirisena united with his arch rival Rajapaksa. In moving the no confidence motion, all groundwork was done by the JVP, along with the Tamil National Alliance (TNA). As such, it is an unofficial political alliance of the UNP, the TNA and the JVP. In politics anything is possible and nobody would have thought of a UNP-JVP alliance several years ago. Today, they have a common political objective. It won’t be surprising if the JVP contests the next parliament­ary elections on the UNP ticket. Or else, the JVP would stake a credit for unseating Rajapaksa from office by moving and seconding the no confidence motion against him. It is an attempt by the JVP to carve out a niche from the anti- Mahinda vote base.

 ??  ?? Sri Lanka’s Parliament members argue in front of the Speaker of the Parliament Karu Jayasuriya during the parliament session in Colombo, Sri Lanka November 14, 2018. REUTERS
Sri Lanka’s Parliament members argue in front of the Speaker of the Parliament Karu Jayasuriya during the parliament session in Colombo, Sri Lanka November 14, 2018. REUTERS
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