Patriotism, to quote the cliché, is said to be the last refuge of the scoundrel. For the Rajapaksas, that is what they resort to first, to win elections.
A dozen years ago, in 2010, it was patriotism that won Mahinda Rajapaksa his second term of office as President. To be fair, it was justified in that instance. Rajapaksa had given the necessary political leadership that enabled then Army Commander Sarath Fonseka to lead an unrelenting onslaught against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) that led to their annihilation. Many, including international experts on terrorism, didn’t think this was possible. For his role in that effort, Rajapaksa was rewarded with re-election.
Five years later, Mahinda Rajapaksa was booted out of office by the masses. He took refuge in Medamulana, clung on to windowsill at his ancestral home and famously said that it was votes of the minority communities that led to his downfall. Even in defeat, he was appealing to chauvinistic Sinhala Buddhist sentiment.
The brains trust of the Rajapaksas learnt their lesson in 2015. They were not willing to repeat it in 2019. They ensured that the lead up to the presidential elections was littered with incidents that pitted the Muslim community against the Sinhalese. The strategy was clear: Obtain a massive majority from the Sinhalese community who form over 70 per cent of the population and the election would be in the bag.
For that purpose, social media was flooded with anti-Muslim material. There were largely unsubstantiated stories about a ‘campaign’ to annihilate the Sinhala community by introducing ‘sterilisation pills’ into food at Muslim eateries. This is not medically possible, but that doesn’t really matter when your audience is gullible.
Radical, pro-Sinhala Buddhist organisations such as ‘Bodu Bala Sena’ and ‘Sinhaley’, often headed by rabble rousing Buddhist monks preaching hatred that is against the tenets of their religion, mushroomed and fanned the flames of communal hatred, openly advocating a boycott of Muslim owned business establishments.
Perhaps to add some spice to this narrative a Muslim doctor in Kurunegala was accused of performing illegal sterilisations on female patients he treated. Again, a panel of doctors said this was not practically possible. That doctor has been put through a terrible ordeal and, it suffices to note that two years after this government came in to office, he has yet to be tried for his purported crimes.
Then, as if on cue, the Easter attacks happen. We do not claim to know the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth about these attacks. What we do know is the facts related to them. Firstly, they formed the perfect backdrop for then potential candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa to announce he was running for President. He did so, just a few days after the attacks, saying he needed to ‘save the nation from terrorism again’, as he had done once with the LTTE.
Secondly, the head of the catholic church in Sri Lanka, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, whose was understandably aggrieved at the events and whose comments in the aftermath of the attacks inadvertently helped Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s candidacy, now has a different view. He believes that the attacks were not simply the work of a few radical Islamic terrorists but that there was a hidden hand behind them. He has said so publicly.
Elected to office in such a context- and with the Chief priest of the Kelaniya Temple claiming that a snake king (‘naagarajaya’) appeared from the Kelani river carrying scared relics of the Buddha indicating that a saviour will arrive- Gotabaya Rajapaksa was not shy to flaunt his majoritarian credentials. In his first address to the nation from the Sri Maha Bodhi in Anuradhapura he proudly declared that he won only because of Sinhala Buddhist votes and he has proved wrong those who said this cannot be done.
The popularity of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and government is now in the doldrums. There is no electricity or fertiliser freely available, using gas for cooking is a life threatening exercise and the price of essential items are sky-rocketing by the day. No government has been so reviled after so short a time in office.
There are many issues that have alienated the government from the masses, despite the massive mandate it received just over two years ago. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has been spectacularly incompetent, hiring and firing people at whim and not being able to ‘change the system’ as he promised to do. Issues related to agriculture policy, gas distribution, sale of national assets and the severe foreign exchange crisis remain unresolved. Ruling party politicians appear blasé to the sufferings of the people and carry on as if everything is hunky-dory.
So, you can bet your last inflation ridden rupee that the Rajapaksas will revert to their tried and tested mantra- patriotism- and attempt, once more, to portray themselves as saviours of the Sinhala Buddhist majority. That is the only way out for this regime as it tries desperately to cling to power, with major national elections due in less than three years.
Last week, there were reports that a grenade was found at a church in Colombo. An individual, a caretaker in the church was arrested. Now, a retired doctor has also been arrested in this regard. We do not wish to prejudge the investigations but Cardinal Ranjith, outspoken as always, has already cast doubts on how the Police are going about conducting their inquiries.
This may well be the first attempt to test the country’s thinking about a threat to national security, the trump card of the Rajapaksas who claim that they, and only they, can ensure the safety of nation because all other parties failed in their attempts to win the war against terrorism.
Is this then the opening act of yet another drama that will unfold with the same theme in the next three years? That is what His Eminence Cardinal Ranjith appears to be asking.
What the Rajapaksas do not seem to realise is that they were repaid in full for winning the war against terror with re-election in 2010. It doesn’t entitle them to a blank cheque to rule the country forever.
