For a nation which thought it had seen it all in the last 74 years – be it civil commotion, riots, insurrections, political coups, wars, natural disasters, etc. – what is unravelling before it now is a whole new chapter. As of Thursday, 31 March 2022, Sri Lanka is heading into unfamiliar, uncharted territory where ordinary people devoid of political colour, race, or religion are lining up to take on the political establishment for the first time in its history. Last Thursday was also the first time that a spontaneous apolitical civilian protest targeted the leader of the nation.
Bottled-up frustration due to the action and inaction of elected representatives quickly transformed an ordinary roadside candlelit vigil – which has now become a common occurrence on street corners – into a gathering of thousands of people in a spontaneous expression of anger, which ultimately ended up with the protesters laying siege to the President’s private residence. What transpired thereafter is now the subject of a Police investigation and no one is holding their breath as to its outcome, but what the powers that be need to keep in mind is that, for the first time, this was a protest sans any political connections and was therefore a genuine outpouring of frustration by ordinary people, stemming from the unbearable cost of living made even more unbearable by fuel shortages and lengthy power cuts with no solution, other than piling on more and more loans, in sight.
There is a likelihood that unruly elements with political motives may have hijacked the largely-peaceful protest in order to provide an excuse for law enforcement to crack down on it, but it is highly unlikely that the matter will end there. In another first, hundreds of lawyers thronged the Gangodawila Magistrate’s Court in order to defend the 53 individuals who were arrested for allegedly causing the destruction of public property. This gesture has earned the black-coated gentry new respect and has also emboldened others to continue to express their fundamental right of expression.
However, in order to thwart what certainly is a growing people’s movement, the Government has hastened to impose a state of public emergency, giving the authorities wide powers to impinge on the right to expression and assembly. Notwithstanding that the Gazette Extraordinary imposing a state of emergency requires parliamentary approval within 14 days or stands invalidated, how this plays out within the governing group – which until recently boasted a two-thirds majority – will be interesting to see as it will require those attempting to distance themselves from the regime to put their money where their mouth is, and therein lies the rub. Meanwhile, the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL), once again coming forward to stand on behalf of the people, called on the President to revoke the emergency proclamation. The BASL, unlike the Government, is well aware of the fact that there can be no threat to the country from its own people, its sovereign, simply exercising their fundamental right. The US Ambassador was quick to comment on the matter, meaning the regime will find the going in the international front that much harder as well.
What the country witnessed last Thursday was a watershed event where ordinary people sent a clear message to the highest in the land that no longer were they prepared to be the mat on which politicians wiped their feet, but were ready to assert themselves as the true sovereign. No regime, however powerful, anywhere in the world can ever afford to go against the will of the people and survive to tell the tale – no matter the method of suppression. In a democracy it is the people who propose and also dispose when they feel like it, which is why 31 March will be marked as the day on which the ordinary, long-suffering people of Sri Lanka collectively pushed the button for system reset.
The reset will likely result in profound change, not only in the governance model, but also in the electoral system where elected representatives will have to be directly accountable to the people. If the regime were to assume that 31 March was a one-off event, and that anything similar in the future could be quelled by resorting to emergency regulations, then it is only fooling itself. The clearest indication that it is only the beginning of a greater movement is the current plight of politicians who are being banished from public events and, for the first time in their lives, having to hide themselves from the public. As to how long the inevitable can be delayed depends on the people’s collective patience.
Meanwhile, if the Opposition parties are to smack their lips with glee and assume that what’s coming is the usual change of pillows for the headache, they are also likely to be sadly mistaken. There is no mistaking the fact that people are demanding not only solutions to their grievances, but also to the manner in which the country is governed, which could likely mean a prolonged struggle. They say every cloud has a silver lining and if the current upheaval were to lead to the election of a professional Parliament in future, then it would be well worth the effort. Because for the first time since independence, those going before the people seeking election in the future will have to offer far more than just the gift of the gab.
The official response to Thursday’s events from the highest office in the land made a bad case worse by labelling those who took part in it as “extremists”. Within minutes, people from all walks of life embraced the label on social media, proudly calling themselves extremists, showing just how out of touch the administration was with reality. Further, the regime may have bitten more than it could chew by the manner in which it is alleged to have treated those arrested. It has left a bad taste among a public that was simply asking for the barest of essentials. It has also led to the erosion of goodwill towards the security apparatus, which has always been held in the highest esteem by a grateful public. Therefore, to compromise this respect and goodwill by putting the men in uniform in an uncomfortable position is quite a gamble for the regime and something it might regret sooner than later.
The disconnect between people and the rulers was clearly apparent in the manner in which the Indian Foreign Minister promptly intervened on at least two separate instances during his brief visit here last week. The first was when he took time to visit a fuel station and personally looked into issues faced by the public, which no local minister has done to date. The second instance was when news reached him that Peradeniya Hospital had suspended surgeries owing to the lack of pharmaceutical items. Amply highlighting the danger of being economically-dependent on another nation for survival, the Indian Minister thought it fit to bypass protocols and instruct the Indian High Commissioner to directly reach out to the hospital and provide the necessary items. This made the entire health apparatus, including the Health Ministry, redundant. To put it in perspective, just imagine if the reverse were to have happened.
Given the circumstances, it might be worthwhile for the powers that be to look back at what led to this situation. In a nutshell, the constant denial of a crisis and the resultant lack of empathy on the part of the regime. In order to justify the denial, one lie was being replaced with another – until it came to breaking point, with the Head of State also choosing to wash his hands off the issue by stating in the last address to the nation that the present problem was not one of his making. The BASL no less has had to publicly lament in the recent past the denial of the people’s basic right to be informed of the truth.
In this digital age, people are usually better informed than most ministers are. They are well aware of the goings-on and don’t take too well to ministerial deceit. This is another reason for the seething public anger. For instance, the Finance Minister vehemently denied the existence of pre-conditions for Indian assistance. However, during the Indian Foreign Minister’s recent visit, it transpired that conditions were aplenty and some even appeared to pose a threat to national security, which resulted in the Defence Ministry having to issue a statement. This meant that either the Minister did not know about the conditions or that he lied. In a progressive set up, either of those outcomes would render the Minister unfit for the job.
Then we have a Petroleum Minister who has been lying day in and out ever since he was appointed to the post. Having announced that power cuts would cease from 5 March, every few days he has conned his way by stating that the issue will be resolved in the “next few days”. A month later, the ‘next few days’ are still nowhere in sight.
Then the Central Bank Governor has consistently denied the existence of a crisis and only relented when his boss, the Finance Minister, announced that he would approach the IMF for assistance. This individual has much to answer for and should be held accountable for paving the way for the current mess. His penchant for keeping the people in the dark has resulted in the country having to find out about loan requests from various countries from foreign media. Even recently when the Central Bank Governor was queried on the power crisis by an international news agency, his response was that there was no crisis with neon lights burning away in Colombo.
With official Government policy seemingly being to keep people in the dark, when they are suddenly asked to make unprecedented sacrifices, the natural outcome is anger. It is this anger that is now surfacing in the four corners of the country and there is very little that law enforcement can do when the ordinary people decide to vent that anger in a democratic way.
The great reset
02 Apr 2022
The great reset
02 Apr 2022
For a nation which thought it had seen it all in the last 74 years – be it civil commotion, riots, insurrections, political coups, wars, natural disasters, etc. – what is unravelling before it now is a whole new chapter. As of Thursday, 31 March 2022, Sri Lanka is heading into unfamiliar, uncharted territory where ordinary people devoid of political colour, race, or religion are lining up to take on the political establishment for the first time in its history. Last Thursday was also the first time that a spontaneous apolitical civilian protest targeted the leader of the nation.
Bottled-up frustration due to the action and inaction of elected representatives quickly transformed an ordinary roadside candlelit vigil – which has now become a common occurrence on street corners – into a gathering of thousands of people in a spontaneous expression of anger, which ultimately ended up with the protesters laying siege to the President’s private residence. What transpired thereafter is now the subject of a Police investigation and no one is holding their breath as to its outcome, but what the powers that be need to keep in mind is that, for the first time, this was a protest sans any political connections and was therefore a genuine outpouring of frustration by ordinary people, stemming from the unbearable cost of living made even more unbearable by fuel shortages and lengthy power cuts with no solution, other than piling on more and more loans, in sight.
There is a likelihood that unruly elements with political motives may have hijacked the largely-peaceful protest in order to provide an excuse for law enforcement to crack down on it, but it is highly unlikely that the matter will end there. In another first, hundreds of lawyers thronged the Gangodawila Magistrate’s Court in order to defend the 53 individuals who were arrested for allegedly causing the destruction of public property. This gesture has earned the black-coated gentry new respect and has also emboldened others to continue to express their fundamental right of expression.
However, in order to thwart what certainly is a growing people’s movement, the Government has hastened to impose a state of public emergency, giving the authorities wide powers to impinge on the right to expression and assembly. Notwithstanding that the Gazette Extraordinary imposing a state of emergency requires parliamentary approval within 14 days or stands invalidated, how this plays out within the governing group – which until recently boasted a two-thirds majority – will be interesting to see as it will require those attempting to distance themselves from the regime to put their money where their mouth is, and therein lies the rub. Meanwhile, the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL), once again coming forward to stand on behalf of the people, called on the President to revoke the emergency proclamation. The BASL, unlike the Government, is well aware of the fact that there can be no threat to the country from its own people, its sovereign, simply exercising their fundamental right. The US Ambassador was quick to comment on the matter, meaning the regime will find the going in the international front that much harder as well.
What the country witnessed last Thursday was a watershed event where ordinary people sent a clear message to the highest in the land that no longer were they prepared to be the mat on which politicians wiped their feet, but were ready to assert themselves as the true sovereign. No regime, however powerful, anywhere in the world can ever afford to go against the will of the people and survive to tell the tale – no matter the method of suppression. In a democracy it is the people who propose and also dispose when they feel like it, which is why 31 March will be marked as the day on which the ordinary, long-suffering people of Sri Lanka collectively pushed the button for system reset.
The reset will likely result in profound change, not only in the governance model, but also in the electoral system where elected representatives will have to be directly accountable to the people. If the regime were to assume that 31 March was a one-off event, and that anything similar in the future could be quelled by resorting to emergency regulations, then it is only fooling itself. The clearest indication that it is only the beginning of a greater movement is the current plight of politicians who are being banished from public events and, for the first time in their lives, having to hide themselves from the public. As to how long the inevitable can be delayed depends on the people’s collective patience.
Meanwhile, if the Opposition parties are to smack their lips with glee and assume that what’s coming is the usual change of pillows for the headache, they are also likely to be sadly mistaken. There is no mistaking the fact that people are demanding not only solutions to their grievances, but also to the manner in which the country is governed, which could likely mean a prolonged struggle. They say every cloud has a silver lining and if the current upheaval were to lead to the election of a professional Parliament in future, then it would be well worth the effort. Because for the first time since independence, those going before the people seeking election in the future will have to offer far more than just the gift of the gab.
The official response to Thursday’s events from the highest office in the land made a bad case worse by labelling those who took part in it as “extremists”. Within minutes, people from all walks of life embraced the label on social media, proudly calling themselves extremists, showing just how out of touch the administration was with reality. Further, the regime may have bitten more than it could chew by the manner in which it is alleged to have treated those arrested. It has left a bad taste among a public that was simply asking for the barest of essentials. It has also led to the erosion of goodwill towards the security apparatus, which has always been held in the highest esteem by a grateful public. Therefore, to compromise this respect and goodwill by putting the men in uniform in an uncomfortable position is quite a gamble for the regime and something it might regret sooner than later.
The disconnect between people and the rulers was clearly apparent in the manner in which the Indian Foreign Minister promptly intervened on at least two separate instances during his brief visit here last week. The first was when he took time to visit a fuel station and personally looked into issues faced by the public, which no local minister has done to date. The second instance was when news reached him that Peradeniya Hospital had suspended surgeries owing to the lack of pharmaceutical items. Amply highlighting the danger of being economically-dependent on another nation for survival, the Indian Minister thought it fit to bypass protocols and instruct the Indian High Commissioner to directly reach out to the hospital and provide the necessary items. This made the entire health apparatus, including the Health Ministry, redundant. To put it in perspective, just imagine if the reverse were to have happened.
Given the circumstances, it might be worthwhile for the powers that be to look back at what led to this situation. In a nutshell, the constant denial of a crisis and the resultant lack of empathy on the part of the regime. In order to justify the denial, one lie was being replaced with another – until it came to breaking point, with the Head of State also choosing to wash his hands off the issue by stating in the last address to the nation that the present problem was not one of his making. The BASL no less has had to publicly lament in the recent past the denial of the people’s basic right to be informed of the truth.
In this digital age, people are usually better informed than most ministers are. They are well aware of the goings-on and don’t take too well to ministerial deceit. This is another reason for the seething public anger. For instance, the Finance Minister vehemently denied the existence of pre-conditions for Indian assistance. However, during the Indian Foreign Minister’s recent visit, it transpired that conditions were aplenty and some even appeared to pose a threat to national security, which resulted in the Defence Ministry having to issue a statement. This meant that either the Minister did not know about the conditions or that he lied. In a progressive set up, either of those outcomes would render the Minister unfit for the job.
Then we have a Petroleum Minister who has been lying day in and out ever since he was appointed to the post. Having announced that power cuts would cease from 5 March, every few days he has conned his way by stating that the issue will be resolved in the “next few days”. A month later, the ‘next few days’ are still nowhere in sight.
Then the Central Bank Governor has consistently denied the existence of a crisis and only relented when his boss, the Finance Minister, announced that he would approach the IMF for assistance. This individual has much to answer for and should be held accountable for paving the way for the current mess. His penchant for keeping the people in the dark has resulted in the country having to find out about loan requests from various countries from foreign media. Even recently when the Central Bank Governor was queried on the power crisis by an international news agency, his response was that there was no crisis with neon lights burning away in Colombo.
With official Government policy seemingly being to keep people in the dark, when they are suddenly asked to make unprecedented sacrifices, the natural outcome is anger. It is this anger that is now surfacing in the four corners of the country and there is very little that law enforcement can do when the ordinary people decide to vent that anger in a democratic way.
Kapruka
Discover Kapruka, the leading online shopping platform in Sri Lanka, where you can conveniently send Gifts and Flowers to your loved ones for any event. Explore a wide range of popular Shopping Categories on Kapruka, including Toys, Groceries, Electronics, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Automobile, Mother and Baby Products, Clothing, and Fashion. Additionally, Kapruka offers unique online services like Money Remittance, Astrology, Medicine Delivery, and access to over 700 Top Brands. Also If you’re interested in selling with Kapruka, Partner Central by Kapruka is the best solution to start with. Moreover, through Kapruka Global Shop, you can also enjoy the convenience of purchasing products from renowned platforms like Amazon and eBay and have them delivered to Sri Lanka.Send love straight to their heart this Valentine's with our thoughtful gifts!
Discover Kapruka, the leading online shopping platform in Sri Lanka, where you can conveniently send Gifts and Flowers to your loved ones for any event. Explore a wide range of popular Shopping Categories on Kapruka, including Toys, Groceries, Electronics, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Automobile, Mother and Baby Products, Clothing, and Fashion. Additionally, Kapruka offers unique online services like Money Remittance, Astrology, Medicine Delivery, and access to over 700 Top Brands. Also If you’re interested in selling with Kapruka, Partner Central by Kapruka is the best solution to start with. Moreover, through Kapruka Global Shop, you can also enjoy the convenience of purchasing products from renowned platforms like Amazon and eBay and have them delivered to Sri Lanka.Send love straight to their heart this Valentine's with our thoughtful gifts!