Mahinda will tinker the present constitution to make him the life long President.

By Nilantha Ilangamuwa

(May 03, New Delhi, Sri Lanka Guardian) Post independence Sri Lanka is preoccupied with political skullduggery than considering real progress of the country. Persons installed in power have time and again conned their way forward and the present President of Sri Lanka Mahinda Rajapakse is not an exemption to this historical duplicity.

It is expected that President Mahinda will change the constitution during his current term. Political pundits say it will be another arrogant exercise of a leader to produce an inwardly looking change to extend term of the present Executive Presidency, with the view to give Mahinda Rajapakse three successive terms in office. A wise thinking citizen of Sri Lanka can only assume this is an effort to groom the President’s son Namal Rajapaksha to become his successor. The process has started already with him being elected as a parliamentarian in the latest general election.

The unfair and dishonest practices of changing the constitution to their own fats and fantasies in order to trick people was heavily practiced by none other than the foxy J R Jayawardene, anticipating never ending honeymoon for his party. This has only produced political decay and bankruptcy for his own UNP and a political enemy like Mahinda Rajapakse to joyride on the excessive and unchecked power base given to the President in the constitution. The very same constitution that was brought into safeguard the JRJ’s United National Party has given all conditions to destroy itself.

The euphoria to extend the term of term of this government is not matched by any broader appeal of the nation’s leadership to set its targets to arrest the decaying politico-socio-economic culture in Sri Lanka. The current petty political maneuverings are no different to hate politics of yesteryears. The continuation of the present regime is the starkest choice of the emotive people of Sri Lanka. It is unfortunate that petty emotions and deep rooted historical animosities have played their due role to prop-up this government that is hell bent on further marginalizing the minorities in the country.

The previous governments were not so ruthless than the present one, which had shown total disregard for the minorities. By dangling the carrot in an impossible manner, they keep on kicking the minorities backs with their wide grinning face reflecting their innermost arrogance. There are plenty of bum suckers in the minority communities that they extent their hand of friendship for their own selfish petty gains. The benefit transfers happen in two ways. These pseudo minority leaders are good in providing some benefits in kind for the enjoyment of their masters to get their kickbacks. The naked arrogance of the rulers not to think nationally to deal with the deep rooted problems in Sri Lanka is expected to decay the country further. The present regime is seeking to continue its historical way path that the Sinhalese are enjoying for thousands of years.

The campaign during two recent polls reflects how Rajapaksha will rule Sri Lanka for the next few years. The appointment of new ministers recently excluding the hardcode SLFP members and taking a questionable team on his visit to Bhutan for the SAARC summit speaks of his intent of governance. Even more, there is suspicion that the constitutional change envisaged will be a tinkering work to the present constitution to arrogate more powers for the President.

If mature governance is not adopted by the Chithanaya President, it is expected Sri Lanka will experience the situation like Cambodia under Pol Pot. Mahinda’s best ally the brutal General Than Shwe of Burma, is there to help Mahinda to run a replica of Burmese state in the island nation.

The fundamental thought is that the exercise of extreme power by Mahinda will be a recipe for disaster as it will put the foundation for discontent and violence in the country. The modern history of Sri Lanka is a testimony for this. Most of the leaders start their journey jockey riding on peoples’ power, and they soon become a merciless junta. They become expert in manipulating the very same democracy that made them the leaders. Free and fair in a democracy becomes a burden as the ruler will only enjoy the free and fairness for his dictatorial conduct. This is what President Rajapaksha is exactly doing now and the real taste of this regime is starting to unfold. Typical of the starter is the appointment of a Goonda (Mervyn Silva) as the media minister to steamroll the media with his underworld connections.

The famous Russian novelist Aleksandr I. Solzhenitsyn once pointed out in his ‘The Gulag Archipelago’ about the situation in Russia. That situation mentioned is similar to the situation in Sri Lankan. "And how we burned in the camps later, thinking: What would things have been like if every Security operative, when he went out at night to make an arrest, had been uncertain whether he would return alive and had to say good-bye to his family? Or if, during periods of mass arrests, as for example in Leningrad, when they arrested a quarter of the entire city, people had not simply sat there in their lairs, paling with terror at every bang of the downstairs door and at every step on the staircase, but had understood they had nothing left to lose and had boldly set up in the downstairs hall an ambush of half a dozen people with axes, hammers, pokers, or whatever else was at hand?... The Organs would very quickly have suffered a shortage of officers and transport and, notwithstanding all of Stalin's thirst, the cursed machine would have ground to a halt! If...if...We didn't love freedom enough. And even more – we had no awareness of the real situation.... We purely and simply deserved everything that happened afterward." —( Aleksandr I. Solzhenitsyn in The Gulag Archipelago )

This comment aptly reflects what is exactly happening in Sri Lanka today. After the defeat of the Tamil Tigers, people were told all their problems have been solved and that the big lion will do miracles to further Sri Lanka into to prosperity. Democracy is experiencing testing times in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka has reached the edge and the route causes behind all the frustrations in the past is starting to show its ugly face again. Within the next few years the entire Sri Lankan society will fully understand the reasons for the uprising of the Tamils and Sinhalese youth. They belong to deprived low castes is not the problem. Unfortunately, Sri Lankan’s lacks understanding of real democracy and freedom. And even more – we have no awareness of the real situation as Aleksandr I. Solzhenitsyn says in his book on Russia.

In the present context of Sri Lanka, Rajapaksha can easily change things to his fats and fantasies in a personal manner. Manipulation of constitution change is also one of his egos centric points that will further his authoritarian power and his family.

Who knows extremism of Rajapaksha’s will not end only with three terms, and it may go beyond on the basis that “Once elected President he/she can be stay in power till end of his/her life.” This is not impossible in Sri Lanka under the present context. Mahinda will create circumstances for people rise against him and it will not like the French revolution or the bringing down the regime of Nicolae Ceauşescu.

( The writer can be reached at nilantha@srilankaguardian.org)