Shortsighted electoral politics driving country toward instability

Around election time, our country unfailingly witnesses the shortsighted characteristics of our party political leaders. At then Ceylon’s first general election in 1948, the Tamil tea and rubber plantation workers of Indian origin, elected representatives of the ‘Marxist’ parties defeating candidates of the premier’s party.  

A shrewd politician that he was, our first prime minister recognised the dangers posed to his voter base by a united body of organised workers. To counter that threat, he brought in the ‘Ceylon Citizenship Act of 1948’, which disenfranchised the plantation community.

The premier achieved his goal of strengthening his voter base. However, the shortsighted act led to the creation of the first major steps in dividing the country on ethnic lines. 

Opportunistic politicians fanning the flames of racial hatred ultimately led to the near three-decade ethnic war, which tore the country apart.Today it appears we are watching politicians push a desperate populace toward a repeat performance of the doomed Aragalaya, which rocked the country two years ago. National Peoples’ Power (NPP) leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake in an interview with the ‘Sunday Times’ claimed his outfit was behind the worker unrest of the past weeks. 

He charged the ongoing economic hardships faced by employees justified the action and   added a variety of trade unions, affiliated to the NPP as well as others, were involved in the actions.

Among the many demands put forward is that basic wages be raised to Rs. 50,000 per month. At today’s cost of living, the demand is reasonable. However, the fact of the matter is the country’s economy cannot take the strain of enhanced wages, and printing money to meet the shortfall is not an option.

Creating such illusions amongst an already desperate working class can only result in the creation of chaos. If the idea is to grab power via the creation of anarchy, such a situation, could result in another bloodbath, like that which overtook the country during the 1987 – 1989 JVP uprising. 

Printing of money to fulfil election promises and/or the outbreak of chaos would take us back to the era of queues, empty shop shelves and shortages of food and medicine as happened in the first and second quarter 2022 during the Aragalya when our credit-worthiness dropped.

Critiquing the problems faced by ordinary citizens, Dissanayake charged underworld and licensed rowdies were ruling in the land. He added, it was one of the reasons the country could not move forward and promised to eradicate the menace. As examples, he pointed out how under late President Jayewardene, convicted rapist and notorious criminal Gonawala Sunil was pardoned, and awarded a position of Justice of the Peace. 

Soththi Upali was appointed to the UNP’s Working Committee during the time of former President Ranasinghe Premadasa. 

Beddagane Sanjeewa was appointed the head of the security detail of former President Chandrika Kumaratunga. 
Mahinda Rajapaksa gave protection to Hambantota Wambotta. Julampitiye Amare was once seen giving protection to Namal Rajapaksa on stage he said. He assured an NPP government would create an environment for everyone to live peacefully without any fear.

What the NPP leader failed to mention however, was that during the 1987 – 1989 JVP uprising, his party too used the services of hoodlums, army deserters and underworld characters to eliminate their political foes.

Statistics compiled by the Tamil Centre for Human Rights (TCHR), during the period 1987 – 1992, reveal the JVP killed hundreds of people in the South to terrorise the citizenry into participating in anti-government strikes etc. TCHR data also reveals the JVP killed 3,200 suspected informants, 1,735 government supporters, 487 government servants, 52 educationists (including 50 school principals, a Vice Chancellor and a university professor). 

The party also eliminated rival trade union leaders like Communist party affiliated General Secretary of the Jathika Gurusangamaya. The same year they killed L.W. Panditha, the Communist Party affiliated trade unionist in Colombo. Seventy politicians -one among whom was Vijay Kumaratunga a leading presidential candidate was killed.

Since the end of the JVP violence and state counter insurgency measures, the Southern working class movement was reduced to the status of a herd of sheep saying baa to whichever leader orders them.

Let’s stop pointing fingers at one another, let us correct mistakes of the past and move forward bringing healing to this battered nation.