Lead kindly light, amid the encircling gloom

President Ranil Wickremesinghe addressing the ceremonial opening of Parliament and making his first major policy statement to the nation—is in such a difficult if not impossible situation that he may have recalled one of his favourite songs as the country face crisis after crisis and crisis within crisis, catastrophe after catastrophe and catastrophe within catastrophe. 

Many independent political analysts believe that he may face the same fate as former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa who fled to Male in a predawn air force flight and now he is in Singapore not only shopping for luxury items but also wondering what to do and where to go.  As Gautama Buddha has said, life is transient and impermanent. Today we find Sri Lanka’s one-time most powerful man looking for a safe home.

After 45 years as an MP, Ranil Wickremesinghe is a man of steel, though often this is distorted by an image of instability and uncertainty. The song that inspires him is “lead kindly light” which was written by John Henry Newman, an English theologian, scholar and poet, first an Anglican priest and later a Catholic priest and Cardinal. He was an important and controversial figure in the religious history of England in the 19th century. The song goes like this: “Lead, kindly light, amid the encircling gloom, lead thou me on, the night is dark, and I am far from home, lead thou me on, keep thou my feet, I do not ask to see, the distant scene, one step enough for me; I was not ever thus, nor prayed that thou, shouldst lead me on, I loved to choose, and see my path but now, lead thou me on, I loved the garish day, and spite of fears, pride ruled my will, remember not past years; So long thy power hath blest me, sure it still, will lead me on, O’er moor and fen, o’er crag and torrent, till, the night is gone, and with the morn those angel faces smile, which I have loved long since and lost a while.”

Ranil Wickremesinghe was clearly groomed for the Presidency in 1977 when JR Jayewardene led the United National Party (UNP) to a  sweeping five-sixth majority in Parliament. The next year Mr. Jayewardene introduced a new constitution on Independence Day, February 4 and as Executive President, he hired and fired ministers and top officials and also implemented the globlalised market economic system. Essentially, it made the rich richer and the poor poorer with so-called socialist or communist countries like Russia and China also discarding it. 

Yesterday, new President Wickremesinghe said he decided to accept this critical challenge, on behalf of the people and the country, based on the premise that it was his duty to light even one lamp for the country rather than cursing the darkness. He also said he would abolish the globalised capitalist market economic system and instead introduce a socialist market economic system which he hoped would help tackle poverty alleviation to restore not only the human rights but also the human dignity of the poor and marginalised people.

Mr. Wickremesinghe said Parliament represented the various communities of Sri Lanka. Whether they are Sinhalese, Tamil, Muslim, Burgher or any other ethnic group, they had gathered here and the country consisted of communities belonging to different cultures, following different religions and speaking different languages. He pledged to defend the right of all of them to maintain cultural practices, follow their religious beliefs and use their language.

The new President requested all parties representing the people in Parliament to unite in the formation of an All-Party Government. He said he respectfully extended the hand of friendship to all of them. He confidently invited them to put aside the past and come together for the sake of the country. He said he had already initiated discussions with political parties in forming an All-Party Government. He said he wanted a government that comprised the views of all parties within a common policy framework, and implemented after decisions were made.

“I came to Parliament as a young member in 1977, and held various positions in the country. I did what I thought was right for the country in the midst of honour- dishonour, grace-disgrace. In the past two or three years, I have experienced that the country has become unstable. Looking back at all of that, I remember the poem ‘If’ written by Rudyard Kipling, one of the world famous literary scholars. This I memorised while studying at Royal College.” He quoted part of it.

“If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stood and build’em up with worn-out tools:
you’ll be a Man, my son!”