Election gimmicks; after India now it’s Sri Lanka’s turn

India often sends its official representatives here close to an election. India and Sri Lanka have moved forward in terms of maintaining bilateral ties after the much-debated and discussed Indo-Lanka Accord and the events that led to the signing of this pact

India finished with its parliamentary elections a few days ago and the Wickremesinghe regime can only be happy with the result. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s BJP Party couldn’t win its outright majority, but held on to administrative power in Parliament with the support of a few regional parties. This support for Modi and the status co regarding who ‘rules’ India remaining unchanged means Sri Lanka doesn’t have to start bilateral ties with its immediate neighbour all over again. 

It’s Sri Lanka’s turn to conduct elections. It will now be a presidential election as conveyed by the Election Commission and not a parliamentary election as predicted by others. The date for the election will be set between September 17 and October 16, this year. Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar was in the island yesterday (Thursday) to jointly unveil a virtual plaque to mark the formal commissioning of the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Sri Lanka. This facility will be commenced thanks to a US$ 6 million grant by India to Sri Lanka. 
India often sends its official representatives here close to an election. India and Sri Lanka have moved forward in terms of maintaining bilateral ties after the much-debated and discussed Indo-Lanka Accord and the events that led to the signing of this pact. From the perspective of encouraging a peaceful coexistence between these two nations and also the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the Indian Ocean, India would wish a flexible leader to be the First Citizen of Sri Lanka.  

India had the ‘luxury’ of using the Katchatheevu Island issue to spice up the election campaign of BJP ahead of the recent elections. But Buddhist Sri Lanka often uses more common sense over aggression when pursuing elections here in the island and handling India. Recently, Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Mohamed Ali Sabry assured that Colombo is committed to safeguarding India’s national security interests. This is a statement that can nudge China. 
Before Sri Lanka declared bankruptcy in the second quarter of 2022, China had its feet firmly placed in this island. This was thanks to all the development and infrastructure projects happening here and overseen by the Chinese Government. But after the call for bankruptcy by the Government of Sri Lanka, India has moved in strongly and captalised on the economic and political turmoil experienced by its neighbour. On paper, India can become more ambitious than any other nation pursuing bilateral ties with Sri Lanka. This is because India has its hands full in dealing with Sri Lanka and pursuing its interests here. For the record, India is heavily investing in projects in Sri Lanka that involve land, oil, gas, power grid connectivity and renewable energy projects. 
But India has often shown concern at the slow pace at which India- funded projects are crawling towards completion. This is why some months ago, Sagala Ratnayake, the Senior Advisor to the President and National Security and Chief of Presidential Staff, was in India to review the India funded projects taking place in Sri Lanka. Jaishankar is also expected to do his review of the Indian-funded projects happening here in Sri Lanka. The difference between the two reviews is that the India ‘one’ would be more pragmatic given that this is a country that doesn’t do anything adverse to derail its economy. But, where Sri Lanka is concerned, it is not so disciplined when it comes to putting loans and grants to good use. 
India has reiterated its support to Sri Lanka via Jaishankar and this comes at a time when the present Indian Government is stable under a Modi-led coalition. Sri Lanka has assured India that it’s a responsible neighbour. How much of what Sri Lanka promises in terms of maintaining ties with India can be realised only after the outcome of the next presidential elections?