Do We Need More Time?

By Nilantha Ilangamuwa.                                                        

Taking time is a strategical political tool in any political ideology for any reason! Promises are meant to be broken is the lesson we have learnt from common politics. This lesson has been repeating itself throughout history of any society. Sri Lanka is no exception.

Sri Lanka is yet another self-destructed failed nation that stepped into a different mode of political cohabitation in 2015 in which the country managed to defeat former President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Since then two years have passed and the country’s new leadership is facing more challenges not from the screaming political opponents who are much interested in “body politics” rather than political intelligentsia based on disciplinary action but within the ruling alliance.

For instance, the President was planning for the cabinet reshuffle months earlier, but some elements within collation government had prevented him from taking the action, though he has the legitimacy power to do so. Unlike his predecessors, the President is not driven by self-destructive motivation to take the arbitrary action. In other words, not only with rhetoric but in action the President is allowing true principles such as pluralism to be exercised. It has positive and negative impact, but the President may have a deeper understanding.

However, different kind of political scenario is indeed evolving within collation government, and this is teaching that the present way of governing system will not be suitable for a long-term practice. The country has to find its own democratic and peaceful way to solve this very political problem of “compromising”.

However, one cannot and should not forget that the country is in a period of political transformation after encountering first decade-long civil war then the post-civil war “distorted democratic” governing method of “body politics”. It is a practical question as to how almost three decades long political-social and economic instability could be overturned within two years.

But that does not mean, the leadership should go backwards and taking “Rip Van Winkle action” despite solving urgent issues such as addressing abuse of state powers and resources by various parties including those who are now sheltering under the leadership.

Instead of urging ordinary people, it is, unfortunately rare to see anyone within the government tightening their belt over serious economic crisis the country is undergoing. This will not go on for long in favour of the leadership. The main challenge any leader has to encounter is appointing a person who does not only have skill but also is able to use the skill to benefit the ordinary people.

In this situation should the United Nations Human Rights Council give more time to implement the 2015 Resolution? Partially yes, but with restricted conditions, many argued. There should be the restricted timeframe, as the country is losing trust in the leadership and 2015 new dawn leading to an eclipse of the political abyss, reliable sources within the United Nations observed. As the High Commissioner clearly pointed out the government is losing trust and reliability, therefore it need to take necessary actions immediately.

Taking a couple of alleged criminals into custody and displaying media show is not addressing the core notion of the problem, but it will show the ugliness of the depredation of the situation/opportunity. Especially in the state apparatus more important factor is the person who ordered to commit the crimes not the person who executed the orders. Hunting the “suspicious” agents of the spy agency is nothing but scratching the symptoms which will lead nowhere but to further deepen putrid wounds.

Without a strong mechanism to monitor, analyse, evaluate and implement nothing will move forward! Politics in Sri Lanka is very smart in making promises to grab the country’s assets and not to serve the general public.

What Sri Lankan authority must realize today is justice urging is not for those “alien” berries in the soil but for our own people who died, killed and got buried! Aren’t we ashamed of having influenced by external parties to find justice for our own people? Time to take the necessary actions before slippage into the opportunity for grab by the “external parties” ridden with conflict of interest!