Disunity and politicisation has destroyed Sri Lanka, veteran policymaker and former Speaker of the Parliament Karu Jayasuriya told The Sunday Morning last week.
Jayasuriya, who is the Chairman of the National Movement for Social Justice (NMSJ), called for broad political consensus to navigate Sri Lanka out of the crisis it was facing, through a ‘ceasefire’ between the Opposition and the Government to enable meaningful progress for recovery.
The former Speaker opined that such a ceasefire would enable an open discussion on key issues and fast-track the ‘system change’ that was sought by the Aragalaya people’s movement during last year.
Jayasuriya called for strengthening of the parliamentary system and reforms to ensure oversight of governance, adding that bipartisan support for critical policy reforms would help Sri Lanka recover economically and heal divisions among its communities. Solutions to the problems faced by Sri Lankans today needed to be resolved with consensus, Jayasuriya stressed.
In an interview with The Sunday Morning, Jaysuriya pointed out that while timely elections were vital for a democracy, a delay of a few months to streamline costs of sustaining Local Government (LG) institutions would not pose a significant risk to the democracy of the country.
What are your thoughts on the current political climate and the direction the country is heading in after 75 years of independence?
It is painful to see what has become of our beloved country. It is painful to see countries which got independence after Sri Lanka prospering while we seem to be going down. We have sacrificed a lot of blood and lives because there has been no unity in the country.
Before independence, the Sinhalese, Tamils, and Muslims were initially divided, but the wise leaders at the time understood that we needed to be united in asking the British for independence. They thought it fit to first hold hands and ask the colonial masters for independence. We could have been a prosperous nation like Singapore. I use Singapore as its leaders used Sri Lanka as a model back then.
Over the last 75 years, many unfortunate incidents happened. The British left us with a sound road and rail network and economic stability. The plantation industry had most of the wealth and we all know what the subsequent Government’s nationalisation of the industry resulted in. We had two unsuccessful coup attempts in the 1960s. We faced youth uprisings in ’71 and ’89. In 1983 we had the racial riots and we all know what happened after. Power-hungry politicians used race and religion to further their political ambitions.
We could have avoided all of this. If the parliamentary system had played its role unitedly, the situation would not have deteriorated.
The National Movement for Social Justice comprises people who love the country and are without any political ambitions. They have diverse views but when it comes to nation building, we all have one view. That is, we must come out of this tragic situation. The Founder of the NMSJ, the late Most Ven. Maduluwawe Sobitha Thera, openly called for the abolition of the Executive Presidency. That was his main theme.
His role was equivalent to Bishop Tutu in South Africa. The change which was brought about mainly by his efforts did not bear fruit to the extent that he wanted. What we had in mind at the time (immediately after the 2015 Presidential Election) was to go for a Parliamentary Election and then abolish the Executive Presidency. We asked the people to give us [the NMSJ] a mandate for 100 days to restore democracy in the country and then abolish the Executive Presidency, transferring the powers to the Parliament. He died with a heavy heart due to not seeing his ambition through.
As a former Speaker and policymaker, what do you see as the role you have to play at present?
Regarding the current situation, with the country bankrupt and in crisis, we in the NMSJ advocated for the Parliament to work together for a period of about six months, without an Opposition, with an agreement on a common minimum programme acceptable to all political parties. Thereafter, to go for elections and let the people decide who should govern.
This was the consensus which received the blessing of religious leaders, civil society groups, and a majority of the people. However, unfortunately, it did not happen because we could not come to a common consensus.
Today, the political parties must forget the politics of the past and look to the future in the name of unborn generations. If such a government is formed, I am personally aware that many powerful nations are prepared to back us. Japan and Korea are good examples of how unity can allow countries to wake up and rise.
As such, today (3), I make an appeal to the nation, to political parties; for the sake of the country, let us have a ceasefire in Parliament for a limited period. There are so many issues that need to be addressed urgently with unity. The NMSJ can be a non-political facilitator for such a move.
There are several key bills like the Anti-Corruption Bill that should be moved with bipartisan support. We were also talking about a new constitution, but we haven’t done anything. We need to work together again. If we do that, it will automatically bring the ‘system change’ the Aragalaya movement called for. This is what the people wanted and what the religious leaders wanted. It is what we need to enact.
We must also move in unison to replace the Prevention of Terrorism Act. These are the changes we need to make with political cohesion.
Recently, you tweeted that ‘Democracy delayed serves no good’. What do you feel about the Government’s stance on the LG Elections? Does it set an unwise precedent and pose a risk to democracy?
There are two views on the Local Government Elections. We made submissions to the Government over a year ago. The Local Government institutions today will have 8,000 odd individuals. Not to delay the LG Polls, but that number is unsustainable and it should be reduced. What we said was it should be reduced to a realistic level.
Another issue is that in the LG councils, all the power is vested with one person, much like an Executive President. Many LG members have told us that there is a need for a committee system.
I don’t want to defend the Government’s or the Opposition’s views. However, there is an argument about the need for reducing the 8,000 memberships of the LG system. The Government has asked for some reforms.
While we stand for holding elections on time, which is a democratic principle, there is a point to what the Government is saying about financing such a large LG system. Therefore, a few months’ delay will not hurt the country or its democracy. As this is a Local Government Election, it cannot change the national government.
There are key issues which the Government needs to focus on, which we too have called for, such as a 24-hour power supply. Have the essentials available, bring the country back to normalcy, and revive the economy and tourism. This is why we need to sit together and have a consensus.
Do you think there will be an early Presidential or General Election?
It may happen. This is where the Parliament must meet and negotiate with the Executive. These are matters which need to be discussed. The people should be given an opportunity to elect a new government, but at the right time.
I don’t know if any elections will be brought forward, but that is a possibility. We [NMSJ] do not get involved in politics. We don’t know what the President and the Government have in mind, and as such, the more reason for dialogue in Parliament. We do understand that without economic stability, there is no moving forward for the country.
What are your views on the new tax policy? There has been significant backlash from both the public and private sectors.
I concede that the new tax structure causes immense difficulties to the public, State workers, and private sector alike. Their lifestyles have changed due to the high cost of living and taxes. These are human issues. As such, there needs to be robust debate about this in Parliament.
We see the President asking for alternative solutions from the Opposition, so there is a need to discuss these matters which affect every Sri Lankan with a sense of seriousness and to do so quickly. A political ceasefire in Parliament will enable such discussions.
However, this is a bitter pill to swallow. The measures taken by the CBSL may be difficult, but seem to be gradually stabilising the situation. I don’t know how work stoppages will help the situation, especially in the medical sector, where human suffering is addressed.
Over the last two years, there has been an increase in complaints about Police brutality and the use of force on demonstrators. What are your thoughts on such allegations and is there an urgent need to enact law enforcement reforms?
In my view, I speak from the experience of meeting with nearly 40 groups that were part of the Aragalaya movement, which had many educated and intelligent people in it. All they wanted was freedom, democracy, the right to life, and one country, one rule. I think we can all agree that those salient features were lacking when the Aragalaya rose up.
However, unfortunately, towards the end of the protest movement, some undesirable elements joined the broader movement and created mayhem. I still feel that there could have been a better dialogue with the Aragalaya leaders for a peaceful settlement, but before that they were attacked.
This is where the Police must also understand the human side of the issues. They must understand the rights that people have.
While there are excellent officers in the Police service, there are also politicised officers who go after politicians and that erodes professionalism. Professionalism and reforms are needed in the Police. We have to go for modern concepts and the Police need better training.
Police officials go through a hard life; they are also human beings and any criticism of them will also need to take into account such hardships. We need to bring in new checks and balances for the Police. Also, when protesting, the public must not disrupt traffic or others who are going about their business.