This week, as the New Year dawned and the government grappled with an unstable economy and an increasingly restless public, we learnt the importance of being Basil.
Basil had already generated publicity in the media by flying away to the United States to be with his family who remain citizens of the United States, as does Basil whose entry to Parliament was facilitated by the 20th Amendment which allowed dual citizens to become parliamentarians.
The fact that the country’s finance minister had jetted off to America on vacation when the country’s economy was in crisis didn’t sit well with the public- until it was revealed that older brother and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa has flown in a private jet to India to participate in a special ‘pooja’ at Tirupathi.
The Prime Minister’s voyage was lambasted on social media and the veteran politician, usually an astute judge of public sentiment, came in for heavy criticism. There was much speculation as to who funded the trip but even if all that was above board it was more the fact that Rajapaksa was insensitive to the current sufferings of the average Sri Lankan to undertake such a jaunt that came to be highlighted.
Hardly had the dust settled on Basil’s return to the country, another wave of speculation swept through the corridors of power. There were stories doing the rounds that Basil was making a play for the premiership. Suggestions were made, mostly on social media posts, that there were ministers and other officials who were also ‘campaigning’ for Basil to be made PM. There were also hints that Mahinda would resign due to health reasons paving the way for Basil to take over.
The genesis of these rumours is uncertain. It is difficult to determine whether they were floated with the objective of embarrassing Basil Rajapaksa or Mahinda Rajapaksa or both. However, it is highly unlikely that they had any substance beneath them.
Whatever the faults of the Medamulana clan, sibling rivalry is not among them as it was with the Bandaranaikes, Chandrika and Anura. What happens at the dining table discussions at Medamulana (or maybe at Mirihana these days) stays there and once a decision is reached, the brothers have stood united. Divisions among the family clan is the one allegation that cannot be made against the Rajapaksas and that is one reason that they have survived thus far.
Nevertheless, speculation about Basil eyeing the Premiership reached such feverish levels that the Prime Minister’s Office was forced to issue an official statement saying that Mahinda Rajapaksa had no intentions of resigning. These reports were absolutely false and without basis, the statement said.
A day later, Basil again becomes the focus of attention, calling a special media briefing and unveiling a 229 billion rupee ‘relief package’ for the country’s citizenry. It includes a 5000 rupee salary hike for all public servants including teachers who only recently had their wages increased. There were bonanzas for pensioners, Samurdhi recipients and disabled soldiers, not to mention an increase of 25 rupees in the guaranteed price of paddy for farmers and a generous allowance for anyone interested in home cultivation.
Finance Minister Rajapaksa was not shy to flaunt his goodies, much a like a Santa Claus arriving slightly late but just in time to pacify and appease the masses seething with anger and hunger. In effect, this was, a ‘mini’ budget’.
Or was it, really? Finance Minister Rajapaksa himself says all financial allocations for the ‘relief package’ was made in the Budget presented in November. However, there was no mention of a 5000 rupee wage hike for public servants in that budget which was of the ‘tighten your belts’ type. There were no increased allowances for Samurdhi recipients and pensioners as well.
So, what are we missing here? If, as he says, all the funds for the relief package were those allocated in the last Budget, we weren’t told about it at the time. Or else, brainy Basil has discovered 229 billion rupees from somewhere within the nooks and crannies of his last budget to splurge on these little handouts for the more vulnerable groups in our country.
That begs a question, though. If the funds were already allocated and available, what was Basil doing all this time while prices of essential items have soared sky high, there are queues everywhere, evoking distressing memories of Sirima Bandaranaike’s rule in the ‘70s? Why did he jet off to America prior to the New Year leaving the hoi polloi to languish, lamenting the price of their daily staples such as the loaf of bread and the cup of milk tea?
Or is it that Basil suddenly discovered a stash of money from somewhere- even if it is from one of our generous donors such as China- that he could now use to provide relief to the long suffering masses?
It is not the relief that is being questioned. Any concessions that would alleviate the current plight of our citizens is most welcome and Basil should get all the credit he deserves if he conjured up some economic miracle from virtually nothing.
However, the story just doesn’t seem to add up and that is why questions need to be asked. If all these funds were indeed available from the last budget, why weren’t they utilised until the circumstances became so dire? If the funds didn’t indeed come from the previous Budget, what is its source?
The answers to these questions will really be known only to Basil and a select few like Punchi Banda Jayasundera but in the end, it will not matter. Basil has had his day in the limelight and he has had his say about how he will bring relief to our citizens, some of whom would be gullible enough to believe him.
The Basil show is not over yet. The next episode consists of a Cabinet reshuffle. That too was deferred until Basil’s return from the United States because, obviously it is he who decides who gets what although it may be brother Gotabaya who signs on the dotted line on the piece of paper conferring the portfolio.
Therefore, Basil doesn’t need to be Prime Minister to do or say what he wants. That is the importance of being Basil.
