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Politics of old wine, in new bottles

Politics of old wine, in new bottles

09 Aug 2024


The evolving political landscape in the lead up to the Presidential Election is an interesting one, with many Members of Parliament, and local government politicians scrambling to find shelter beneath the banners of either current President Ranil Wickremesinghe, Opposition leader Saijith Premadasa, or the new candidate from the Rajapaksa clan, MP Namal Rajapaksa. In contrast, up to date, it seems that the National People’s Power (NPP) has not drawn, or is not keen to draw politically homeless figures, to bolster their ranks.

While Wickremesinghe has embraced, every ‘frog’ that has taken the leap from the ‘Pohottuwa’, including many discredited and tainted characters in the lead up to the Presidential Election, some have questioned how long he will keep them all close, if a General Election follows. Many of those who readily abandoned the Rajapaksa-led SLPP, carry baggage of corruption allegations, while some are alleged to have committed crimes. The mad dash to gather ‘numbers’ as a show of force before the ballot, may not translate to electoral success due to the many political figures, who have lost credibility and have been rejected by the people. 

Meanwhile, a ceremony to unveil the ‘Samagi Jana Sandanaya’ (SJS), a broad political alliance led by the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), was held yesterday (8) with its Presidential candidate Sajith Premadasa. Held at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium in Colombo, with a noticeable gap in crowds to fill the facility, the new alliance has drawn many ‘old faces’ under its banner. According to the SJB, the new ‘Sandanaya’ is expected to form an alliance with several political parties that hold seats in Parliament to face the upcoming Presidential Election. The policies of the ‘Samagi Jana Sandanaya’ were announced by SJB leader Sajith Premadasa.

It must not be forgotten that with the onset of the economic crisis and the political turmoil which followed suit, the public frustration which morphed in to the ‘aragalaya’ protest campaign, had a common theme, where many segments of the population, especially the youth, who championed the ‘get all of the 225 out’ slogan, due to their distrust in those in the Legislature. The youth-led protests and ‘political awakening’ which followed, although largely not visible today, has a key message: ‘The public wanted a change in the faces that were involved in law making.’ However, the prevailing situation points to a desperate effort by those who have leached on in the halls of law making for decades, with little positive effect for Sri Lanka as an outcome, trying to hold on to the power they have enjoyed for decades, a little longer. The fact that neither of the main political movements, except the JVP-led NPP have made an effort to introduce ‘new faces’ to the political arena, is disappointing. While the JVP may have their own reasons to do so, for strategic rebranding and in an attempt to shed the image of the violent insurgent past, the NPP’s gain in popularity more so a protest vote against the established political order which many today reject, than an endorsement of the NPP’s policies, which remain clouded. In essence, the three main political forces that are mobilised today, are ‘old wine in new bottles’.  

With the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) and the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) suffering the same catastrophic fragmentation which the United National Party (UNP) suffered during the end of 2019/early 2020. The future of Sri Lanka’s political landscape may well be redefined at the next General Election, and not at the Presidential one. 

With no clear front runner for the Presidential Election, some are likely to get the usual ‘last minute jitters’ and vote ‘for the person who can win’ rather than for the person they want to win. Such is the political dynamic of Sri Lanka. Nevertheless, with more citizens now concerned about governance, and becoming more politically aware and involved, the ‘old wine’, will eventually run out of ‘new bottle’ to continue their hold on power. The change will likely take time, but will surely come to pass. 



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