Peoples’ problems continue amid political shenanigans

• Prime Minister tells Buddhist clergy that he will not resign until the certainty of a replacement

• Will the Prime Minister oust the Leader of the Opposition?

It has been three weeks since the start of GotagoHome at Galle Face Green with no respite for the peoples’ socioeconomic woes which on the contrary, have grown.  The government allowed an unprecedented 45 percent hike in the price of domestic gas leaving little change from a 5000 rupee note.  Despite this the shortage of gas continues with desperate people queuing up for as much as nine hours to buy gas. Like the price of gas, fuel prices have been skyrocketing. A protest in Rambukkana for cheaper fuel ended with the killing of one civilian while dozens of others were injured including several who needed intensive care. There is no light at the end of the tunnel for the power cuts which have been going on for months. Although President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s gave an assurance that there will be no power cuts after March 5 they have continued with no end in sight.  The shortage of essentials, usually preceded by a price hike, is driving people to pawn their jewellery to stock up.

Despite warnings by health professionals, the shortage of drugs and medical equipment came upon the people suddenly because the government had not made contingency plans to face it. Since early April, these professionals have been warning of the aggravating crisis which became a secondary matter to a government which is fighting for its own survival.

Health sector professionals are accusing government bureaucrats for the shortage of medicines and medical equipment which triggered the current crisis crippling the health service.

The Ministry of Health has a clearly laid out procedure to assess stocks of medicine and essential health supplies. The assessment for the following year is usually carried out by December the latest of the previous year. According to Ravi Kumudesh who is the President of the Academy of Health Professionals the people are now having to face the resulting crisis of policy decisions not having been made at the right time plus arrogant policy decisions made by a few who are in control.

Although the forex crunch has played its part in the pinch these professionals point out that it has been in the making for a few years and that warnings went unheeded. An expert on pharmaceutical and healthcare management points out how in 2021 the tender for supplies was called 23 times, affecting the availability of this year’s supply. As many as 150 medicines could run dry in the coming weeks.

The health service is currently being drip fed by international donors and donations from the Sri Lankan expatriate community to buy critical and life- saving medicines and medical equipment. It runs the risk of a complete collapse if this in-kind assistance dries up. Sri Lanka has about an 800- strong hospital network which includes national, base, rural and maternity care centers.

Three weeks of parliamentary debate have not brought any solutions to the peoples’ problems. It parliament has failed to provide any immediate relief to the peoples’ needs except for the government, the Independents of the government and the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) each presenting their drafts of the 21^st amendment.

The people are between a rock and a hard place fighting for change within a constitutional and democratic framework while a divided government and a divided opposition play out their customary political games.

In the Rajapaksa camp the President and Prime Minister are trying to cut the ground from under each others feet while keeping up appearances.  In a classic playing out of the old proverb that blood is thicker than mud, they have both been squashing claims that the President has asked the Prime Minister to leave his job. But in reality, this could be the watershed moment when familial ties will have to be severed by a president who has to choose between his political survival or cave into the ambitions of his sibling for a continuation of the Rajapaksa succession. The President also knows that his succour is drawn from the grassroots leaders of the Sri Lankan Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) who are backing the Prime Minister.  They had a meeting with him last week and said that the Prime Minister must not be allowed to resign. Come what may, the bitter pill they both will have to swallow to come to terms with reality is that the current peoples’ struggle will be the catalyst for their curtain call.

The most definitive testimony about the Prime Minister’s position in the current deadlock comes from the meeting the Ven. Omalpe Sobitha with a delegation of Buddhist clergy had with him on 27^th April.   The delegation of monks met the Prime Minister to convey the message of the Chief Prelates that he must resign.  The Prime Minister’s response had been that he does not have a problem with resigning but he was not doing it because of the vacuum that will arise following his resignation which could lead to instability in the country. The delegation of monks had pointed out that the responsibility of choosing a prime minister should be left to parliament.  The Prime Minister had pointed to the current debates and discussions that are going on about who will be suited for the post and that there is still no consensus and conclusion about who it can be. He had said that the post could remain vacant for days and weeks, in fact without a limit to time, which will be detrimental to the government and drag the current crisis to an unknown end.  The Prime Minister had said that until a decision is made about who will fill the vacuum following his resignation, he will continue in his post.  He had also suggested a meeting of the party leaders to make a united decision.

On the 30^th of April, close to 1000 Buddhist clergy gathered at the All Ceylon Buddhist Congress and marched to Independence Square where they had a meeting to discuss the developments.  The clergy who were present supported the view of the Chief Prelates that the Prime Minister must resign immediately and that parliament must be allowed to decide on his successor.

On the same day, Ven. Sobitha and his delegation convened a meeting of the party leaders at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute. Among the parties represented were the SJB, the National Peoples Power (NPP), Patali Champika Ranawaka and representatives of the Tamil and Muslim parties including MA Sumanthiran who linked up to the meeting and Rishard Bathudeen. The parties had their own opinions.   The SJB had been of the view that there should be preparation for a parliamentary election. The NPP held a similar view to allow the people to decide on their future government and leader. Ranawaka meanwhile had explained the current crisis well but had no solution.  The take away from the meeting was that there was no solution for the current crisis.

An idea which has been ruminated on for some time is the formation in the short term of an all party interim government which will be within the constitutional framework.  The prime minister will have to be someone who commands the respect and confidence of all the political parties and whether this will be from among the current legislators or another who will be brought in on the National List is a conundrum. The NPP, which has three parliamentary seats including one from the National List has said it is prepared to relinquish it to make way for an outsider to be brought in.

The SJB is preparing to hand over a no confidence motion to the Speaker when parliament resumes its sessions this week. The outcome of the motion, which will have to be debated in parliament and which could take time to come to fruition, is still unclear. Already there is talk whether priority should be given to the appointment of a deputy speaker or the no confidence motion which will take place in a climate where the allegedly perennial practice of horse trading still prevails.  UNP MP Nalin Bandara told parliament two weeks ago that the government had paid five ministers USD 2 million each to accept state minister posts.  The slight swing in political allegiances among MPs with the passage of time since the idea of a no confidence motion first surfaced, could be marginally motivating.

However, muddying the political quagmire even further are moves by the SLPP to nominate Mahinda Rajapaksa as Prime Minister in the event he resigns.  The Prime Minister has also said he will sit in the Opposition if he resigns. If so it could be a matter of time before he pulls the rug from under the feet of the current leader of the opposition.