• The unyielding politics of All PartiesConferences
• Archbishop demonstrates unique political characteristics
• Wimal throws down the gauntlet at Basil
All Parties Conferences, better known as APC, are not a new phenomenon in Sri Lanka. Nevertheless, the pertinent question is whether they were of any help to resolve vital issues such as the ethnic question or economic crises.
The first known APC in South Asia took place in 1928 in India.
It was a group of Indian political parties whichgot together and organized a committee in May 1928 to author the constitution of India after the independence movement got underway in India.
A draft constitution, known as the Nehru Report, was adopted by the APC in Lucknow under the chairmanship of Dr M.A Ansari in 1928.
In Sri Lanka, the first-ever APC was mooted in 1984 following the ethnic clashes in 1983 which tainted the image of Sri Lanka.
Then President J.R Jayewardene came under tremendous pressure from India and other countries in the West to resolve the crisis at its earliest.
To devise a viable solution for the national question President. J.R Jayawardene summoned an APC in Colombo.
Tamil leaders such as A. Amirthalingam, M.Sivasithamparam and the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Leader R. Sampanthan came from hibernation in Tamil Nadu to participate in the conference under the guidance of the Indian government. It was rather doubtful whether they could find a lasting solution to the problem even though it dragged on for a while.
A second APC, summoned by President Ranasinghe Premadasa, took place in 1989. At the time the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) was present in the northern and eastern provinces. The Indo-Lanka peace accord which was signed between Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and President J.R Jayewardene effectively allowed the presence of the IPKF on Sri Lankan soil.
To date, this was the most comprehensive arrangement that was in place to resolve the ethnic crisis which plagued the country from the mid-fifties.
The last APC came into being under President Mahinda Rajapaksa but there wasn’t any solution which was forthcoming although the Tissa Vitharana committee made comprehensive recommendations.
Since information about convening yet another APC has come into the public domain, people have begun expressing their views on how effective it would be.
In Sri Lanka, APC’s have come into being on numerous occasions but have proven to be futile. Even during President Sirisena’s time, an APC to draft a new constitution was under consideration. However, since the whole parliament converted to a constituent assembly, the need did not arise.
Once again, former president Sirisena who is the current leader of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, has mooted the idea of an APC to find solutions to the current economic crisis which has placed the country in a precarious position. The proposal earned a deserving ear and plaudits from the President and others who were present at the meeting with the SLFP delegation when the idea was floated.
The economic pundits in the government have no viable solution for the precarious economic abyss which they have driven the country into.They opine that eventually the government has to seek the assistance of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), whether it likes it or not, to avert the further sliding of the economy to that of a bankrupt and a failed state. The risk of credit rating agencies downgrading Sri Lanka further remains high and if it happens it will be difficult to put the country back on track again.
Against this backdrop can an APC be of any use unless there are economic experts who can offer feasible options for the government to circumvent the present crisis which is seeping through to every nook and cranny of the state apparatus? JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake alikened this phenomena to the tentacles of an octopus.
The other idea is for all political parties to suggest to the government that it seeks re-election to parliament since the country is on the verge of a collapse.
However, the talk is that there are suggestions that all parties come together to form a national government as a solution to the present crisis. Some people may even float the name of Ranil Wickremesinghe to be the Prime Minister. Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage made a passing remark in parliament last week that Ranil Wickremesinghe will be their new leader.
Former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has said on numerous occasions that it is beyond his imagination to join a sinking ship. Although some quarters of the government’s members may be thinking that Wickremsinghe will make a good prime minister just for a short period to manage the economy beyond these difficult times, it somehow doesn’t seem to be a workable solution. It can cause an upheaval at the higher echelons of the government since Basil Rajapaksa is keeping his fingers crossed to achieve his dream of becoming prime minister, which will be a springboard to him becoming the next President. It is evident that amidst all the crises, a few individuals are trying to reach their lifelong dreams at the expense of the suffering of the masses.
Undeniably, Basil Rajapaksa’s ambition is to create a media hype about his abilities using backbenchers and to aim for the highest.
In the circumstances, the best bet for the participants of other parties is to press for a parliamentary election which will allow the people to choose a new government of theirchoice.
By assessing the situation and acting wisely it could inevitably shepherd the country out of the present political and economic quagmire that it has got itself into.
It is not the time for Ranil Wickremesinghe to put all his options on the table, but to move carefully in a rather dangerous political minefield. Ranil Wickremesinghe, being the solitary UNP member in Parliament after the UNP was wiped out at the last parliamentary polls, the government could be eager to use his experience to surmount the current challenging state of affairs.
The people hope that it will be a fruitful exercise rather than making it a talk shop. The immediate need is to pull the country from the doldrums viz -a viz the economic stagnation.
The cost of living has skyrocketed, with prices of all essential items hitting the ceiling. The Central Bank of Sri Lanka’s decision to float the currency against the United States dollar has resulted in a backlash as the pegged currency reached 260/= for a dollar, causing ripples in the market. Bus prices in general are likely to go up by 30%. Already, airline tickets have recorded a whopping 27% increase in bread and wheat flour prices have reached their zenith. The Lanka Indian Oil Company (LIOC) increased fuel prices by Rs. fifty for petrol and seventy-five for diesel. It was the highest ever recorded price increase in contemporary Sri Lankan history. People stood in gas and petrol queues chanting slogans against the government which has displayed its emotional numbness towardsthe people’s feelings.
The sudden decision to let the rupee float has raised many a question. The expected results were far from the reality. The backlash was severe, pushing all the prices of commodities beyond the reach of the ordinary public.
The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna smelt a rat in the sudden move by the government to float therupee against the dollar. They sensed that the Central Bank of Sri Lanka which had for a long time pegged the rupee at 202 against the USD,floated it last week for a reason.
Although the stated objective is to increase the dollar remittances of expatriate workers, JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayke viewed the government’s sudden move differently. He reminded parliament about the legislation which was introduced last year to give a tax amnesty to individuals who voluntarily disclose their undisclosed income with a surcharge of only one per cent which comes to an end on March31st. The JVP leader said that by floating the rupee, money launderers could make a thumping profit and so will exporters who have retained their money overseas.
The summing up of the JVP leader’s submissions to parliament is that through every step taken under the pretext of serving the people, the government commits massive frauds on the unsuspecting citizens.
Besides, the government is worried about the stance of Archbishop Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith, who took the unprecedented step of addressing the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC). The Cardinal, true to the pledge he made to the victims of the Easter Sunday carnage, took the issue to an international forum under the aegis of the Holy Father Pope Francis.
Can the government maintain its silence any longer without probing the matter to unravel the truth?
The step taken by the Cardinal may have been the first in the history of the UNHRC. It was a unique occasion where a religious dignitary had gone that far to seek justice for the people. The Archbishop’s feat may go down in history as a crusade for justice and human rights. Earlier, when he advocated the election of a new government to replace the Yahapalanagovernment, he had a verbal spat with the then Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera on human rights issues. The Archbishop has now realized that human rights are an essential ingredient in public life when it comes to the politics of a third world country.
The other political issue which will have equally far reaching ramifications was the sacking of Minister Wimal Weerawansa who has throwndown the gauntlet at Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa. Weerawansa accused the finance minister of taking the President hostage and engaging in statecraft according to his whims and fancies. In an interview with the Sirasa media channel, he was critical of the president’s move to appoint an economic council with politicians of the calibre of Johnston Fernando and Aluthgamage who have no clue about economics.
He said it should comprise academics possessing an ample knowledge of economic issues facing a developing country.
He also said it is time to get rid of the faltering finance minister who has yet another schedule to accomplish.
After a lapse of many months, the media was able to get through to Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa who said the government is doing its best to give concessions to the people despite the trying circumstances.
Resorting to the customary scapegoating of external factors, he said that the ‘pandemic and the Russian and Ukrainian war have caused
a severe backlash in our economy, yet we are trying our best to put the country back on track,” while leaving the courthouse after the Malwaanamansion case in the Gampaha High Court in which he has been implicated.
The latest is that Basil Rajapaksa will leave for Washington in early April to meet IMF officialswhich is a long-awaited move after so much procrastination. The move may not bode well with Central Bank Governor Ajith NivaardCabraal, who was optimistic that the economy is poised to bounce back after the initial shock it suffered.
