General elections and system change

Campaigning at the General Election has come to an end. So far, whether it be in the north, south, east or west of the country campaigning has been on a low key. Only the NPP-JVP combine has held any mega election rallies. 

After this year’s election, there will be no large-scale clearing up facing municipal and local government workers. The only large-scale rallies, were organised mainly by the president’s coalition of partners -the NPP/JVP combine. 

President, Dissanayake is calling on the electorate to use this year’s parliamentary election as a means to implement a what he refers to, as ‘system change’. All of us citizens of this land are not aiming so high. ‘We the people’ would like to see the old order of politicians who bankrupted this country, move as far away from parliament as is possible. 

A number of these so-called gentlemen, are not contesting. Our immediate past President, former past President Mahinda Rajapaksa, his siblings and progeny are all not on the list of candidates. However, it is said some of them including immediate past Premier Dinesh Gunawardena and Namal Rajapaksa are aiming to make a return via the National List. 

During the period of the run-up to the elections, we as a people, did witness one big change from the way election meetings used to be conducted in the past. None of the mainline political parties hired or used, hundreds of passenger vehicles to bring in thousands of their ‘followers’ to enhance the size of ‘crowds’ at gatherings.  

 As mentioned earlier, the people have no wish to see the faces of those who brought the country to ‘rack and ruin’ back in the seats of power. However, many of the ex- MPs, ex-ministers and even ex-presidents feel their presence in parliament is essential for ‘our’ well being! 

Immediate past President Wickremesinghe is among the loudest voices expressing this sentiment.  

Sadly, in our political history, political leaders have tended to try to cling to power rather than bow out gracefully. Our first Prime Minister D.S Senanayake died in office. President Premeadass was assassinated. Our first female Executive President disputed her term of office, and was ruled out by the Supreme Court. 

President Mahinda Rajapaksa tried to extend his term of office via tampering with the Constitution of the country itself. He was ditched by the electorate. His brother President Gotabaya had his term shortened via the ‘Aragalaya’.  

The only exceptions were late President J.R. Jayawardene and late President D.B Wijetunge who retired from politics.  

At the end of his two terms, Jayawardene bowed out of politics. Wijetunge who assumed the post of President in the aftermath of President Premadasa’s assassination, also withdrew from politics. 

Past President Wickremesinghe claimed he  got this country out of the economic morass it was in. But he was rejected by the masses at the last presidential polls. Without gracefully withdrawing, Wickremesinghe keeps inserting himself as political sands sift with non issues. 

While the electorate demands a rebuilding of the justice system which has been subject to political interference, an end to the culture of political violence and corruption, President Dissanayake has gone beyond and seeks system change. 

But system change cannot come from within, as it is part of the system.