HARTAL, FRIGHT, DOOM AND DISMAY
As protests against the regime grow louder a massive ‘hartal’ is scheduled to take place today (May 6) all over the island.
The public’s dissent against the regime began in a profound way with a huge rally at Galle Face on April 9 demanding the president and the 225 members in the cabinet to step down. But the lawmakers of the present regime have stayed put and tried to deceive the public by appointing a makeshift cabinet.
The hartal will cripple most services today. Economists will be pretty quick to calculate the loss of man hours in rupees. But what people say is that it has reached a point where this stubborn regime needs to be nudged hard because it is showing thick skin.
Despite the protests lawmakers representing the government attend parliament sessions and waste time arguing about who didn’t do their part for the country during different regimes. The opposition led by Sajith Premadasa is condemned by the masses for delaying to move a no confidence motion against the regime. When the opposition forces within the parliament are not showing enough character and strength in toppling this much criticized regime forces representing the citizenry have organised protest after protest and now a massive hartal. Those voicing their anger have warned that if the hartal doesn’t remove the president and his cabinet they would continue the hartal from May 11 till a breakthrough is achieved.
For the record over 2000 trade unions, civil society organizations and teacher unions will join hands in the hartal today. Trains will be off service for a period of 24 hours and the Inter-provincial Bus Owners’ Association has given its members permission to join in the hartal.
Unlike in the past these protests have attracted the attention and support of members of the affluent society and also of academics. This is quite a contrast from the past because we remember that the hartal in 1953 was more of a struggle initiated by the labour class. Back then the hartal was held for one single day and the protesters were venting their anger against social welfare cuts. One of the key cuts came in the form of making the rice book obsolete. The regime in charge then was the United National Party; an entity merely functioning as just another political party and choking more than the less affluent masses in terms of surviving during a crisis.
The ‘Greens’ were always known for promoting business opportunities and enterprise over social welfare programmes. But during the Rajapaksa regimes between 2005 and 2010 and then again during the period from 2019 till now the Rajapaksa regimes have engaged in decision making where they have upped social welfare by cutting taxes and promoting development activities which have not provided any worthwhile return on investment. Most of these mega projects were carried out with the loans obtained from ambitious countries which are eager on strengthening their presence here on this island.
Right now the protesters are voicing their anger from a position of strength. Any little encounter they have with the law enforcement officers and there are plenty of lawyers presenting themselves to offer their services for free in a court of law. But despite all that backing these protesters get from lawyers they must be cautious not inconvenience the public.
This hartal today is likely to be followed by many more such campaigns given the indifferent attitude of the government towards protesters. There are so many patients in the country and institutes like hospitals can add to the woes of the less affluent if health workers stay away from work. It’s advisable to engage in ‘work to rule’ campaigns and not organize hartals because this economy has to operate and the very sick people must have a way of meeting the doctors and obtaining their medicines.
As much as the hartal planned for today and the many more similar ones which might take place in the future are sure to rub salt into the government’s wounds what measures protesters could take beyond that if this struggle doesn’t really jolt the regime are best described by words like fright, doom and dismay.