Shattered hopes and unfulfilled promises - EDITORIAL

When ex-president Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the country and then Premier Ranil Wickremesinghe was appointed interim President, it appeared to take the wind out of the sails of the ‘Aragalaists’. The phenomenon was best exemplified in the manner that the numbers of protesters at the ‘GotaGogama’ site at Galle Face Green rapidly shrank. The numbers decreased so rapidly, that in the end, only hard-core protesters belonging to particular political party and a radical student formation remained at the site.

It was clear that the public having evicted the former premier and president, felt they had achieved their main demands and expected the waste of resources on jumbo-sized cabinet and state ministers would be reined in. 
They were also confident that Mr. Wickremesinghe - now armed with full executive power - had a capacity not only to arrange an IMF bailout, but would act to bring to book the corrupt politicians, weed out corrupt political practices and start a process of solving current economic difficulties. 

President Wickremesinghe successfully negotiated a staff-level agreement with the IMF team. However, if he expected our disparate and opportunistic political system to join forces to drag the country out of its state of bankruptcy, he sadly misjudged political realities. He finds himself in parliament, today supported by only the very forces that the ordinary Sri Lankans struggled to throw out.

It is beginning to look as though the president has become captive to these very forces and the struggles of the people have come to naught. The forces of law and order in our country are busy today, apprehending those who protested the miles-long fuel queues and those who protested the shortage of all manner of essential goods. 
We are not for a moment, complaining against the encircling of those who engaged in acts of arson and violence which followed the attacks on two protest sites at ‘MynaGogama’ and ‘GotaGogama’. 
But we have not seen our law keepers hunt down with equal zeal, those who instigated the attacks on the protest sites and the attackers who attacked unarmed protesters at the two sites. 

To make matters worse, on Thursday the president appointed a staggering 37 new state ministers in addition to the 20 cabinet ministers, which includes the Prime Minister. The Union Council of Ministers in India headed by Premier Narendra Modi consists of 31 members including the Premier himself. 

President Wickremesinghe has successfully overseen the implementing of a system of rationed fuel distribution scheme which has somewhat eased transport problems. However the fuel costs have resulted in skyrocketing for both public and private transport sectors.

This in turn is adversely affecting the ability of poorer families to send their children to school, especially in view of the fact that both estate families and the urban poor have seen a drastic drop in real wages caused by inflation which is now running at over 60%. In addition, the cost of living has risen over 90% over the previous month.
The Bakers Association has announced that the price of a single loaf of bread would soon be sold at Rs. 300! Fish, and other meat items have gone beyond the reach of ordinary folk for over a month-and-a-half.

According to UNICEF, the economic crisis in the country is having the worst effect on children, with families skipping regular meals, as staple foods have become unaffordable. UNICEF adds Sri Lanka has the second highest rate of severe malnutrition in South Asia. But a particular cabinet minister accusing the UNICEF of falsifying reports, do not hold water with the mass of people, as they are living out the reality.

Charges of ongoing mega corruption involving high political authorities even now abide, despite the economic and social turmoil the people of country are going through. The minority communities -Tamils and Muslims - have not seen their problems even addressed. 
So what ails our President? 

The economic problems facing the majority of people are worsening by the day. Corruption continues. Politically we see the same old faces back in cabinet positions. In addition, a new jumbo set of state ministers have been appointed. The President himself earlier said the Rajapaksas would not be able to make a comeback. But among his jumbo set of state ministers, he himself has welcomed back a Rajapaksa! Is the President being held captive by the majority parliamentary group? 

The vast majority of MPs in that party stand to lose their parliamentary seats in the event of a snap election. These MPs are beholden to the President for the ministerial positions they continue to hold.
Come on Mr. President, it’s time to crack the whip. It’s time to get rid of the riff raff and uphold the trust the people had in you.