Ranil Wickremesinghe, the discredited former Prime Minister hand-picked by the Rajapaksas, and now (s)elected as President by an illegitimate Parliament, has expectedly unleashed a brutal crackdown on the people’s movement of Sri Lanka. Wickremesinghe represents everything that is antithetical to the people’s will in Sri Lanka. He is a henchman of the Rajapaksas, whose party, the SLPP, has been backing him in the Parliament. Representing the ruling elites and economically dominant classes who are desperate for the return to status quo, Wickremesinghe audaciously introduced new emergency provisions on 17th July as Acting President of the country. This was even before he was (s)elected as President in the openly rebuked ‘election’ that was staged by the country’s 225 parliamentarians. From day 1, he has embodied authoritarian, brute power that seeks to defend the political status quo and entrenched privileges of the rich. Ironically, Wickremesinghe who failed to win a parliamentary seat from his own constituency in the last election, and his party, the UNP, was washed out, has acquired the most powerful in the Sri Lankan ruling establishment. This has been possible at the behest of the Rajapaksas, dominant economic classes and imperialist forces.
For a country long saddled with emergency in the past decades, the new provisions of emergency imposed by Wickremesinghe was easily ratified by the Parliament, which is tragic and condemnable. In fact, the new provisions are more draconic and anti-people than earlier emergency measures. The Sri Lankan Parliament’s speedy ratification of the already imposed emergency by President Wickremesinghe represents outright mockery of the struggling common masses and conscious neglect of the causes that have propelled the people’s struggle. Rather than the deep-seated economic hardships of the people and key reasons fuelling their mass discontent, the so-called violent occupation of government buildings was repeatedly discussed in the Parliament. Declaring the legitimate people’s movement as a threat to so-called national security, these corrupt politicians have basically sought vengeful action. The parliamentary sanction for renewed repression of the janatha aragalaya is simply a cowardly defence of their illegitimate privileges and soon to be intensified austerity measures dictated by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
The present political establishment is in complete contradiction with the popular will. The attack on civilians at protest sites, arrests and other forms of harassment of noted aragalaya activists is just one of the indicators of this fundamental contradiction between the common masses and the Wickremesinghe government. The contradiction is further evident in the fact that the dictator, Ranil Wickremesinghe, has incorporated almost all the Rajapaksa-backed SLPP cabinet members in his so-called ‘new’ government. Overall, the ratification of the draconic emergency measures by the Sri Lankan Parliament reveals that both the executive and the legislature stand on the wrong side of history, and have essentially declared a war against the people of the country. Little do they know that by doing so, they are actually paving the way for their own downfall as the Sri Lankan people rally their numbers for a befitting response.
The emergency provisions ratified by the Parliament are only going to strengthen the police, military and government investigative agencies. Already its fallout is evident. A brutal attack on the main protest site at Galle Face Green in the dead of night was launched on 21st July. It has been followed by ruthless attacks on civilians across Sri Lanka, as well as growing coercion by local authorities and the police on protesters to dismantle protest sites spread across the country. There is complete repression of the fundamental rights of the people viz. freedom of speech and expression and the freedom of peaceful assembly. There is also a malicious media campaign against the activists and supporters of the aragalaya. Abductions of noted activists are unfolding daily.
Several prominent aragalaya activists such as activist Danish Ali, as well as former student leader and journalist, Veranga Pushpika, have been arrested. There has been an order for the arrest of priest Jeevantha Peiris, a prominent activist at Galle Face Green. It has also been reported that the CID is planning to slap cases on several activists. Several anti-government media houses such as Xposure News which had actively covered the developments in the present struggle are also being intimidated and there is pressure on them to provide evidence against the protesters at Galle Face. Investigative journalists are being sought to be arrested by the police.
The widespread repression of the valiant people’s movement in Sri Lanka completely exposes the Ranil Wickremesinghe government and 225 parliamentarians. Such authoritarian, dictatorial state measures show to the world that the Sri Lankan government is not a government of the people but is a pawn in the hands of corrupt politicians like the Rajapaksas, and a stooge of wealthy Sri Lankan capitalists and imperialist forces like the IMF.
Of course, this repression under new emergency provisions can prove a crucial catalyst, a turning point, for Sri Lanka’s struggling masses. As the Wickremesinghes and Rajapaksas unleash their goons in uniform, the potential for people’s power to strike back grows steadily. The more this illegitimate Presidency and corrupt Parliament seek to evade the issues fuelling your discontent, and the more the delegitimised government empowers the police-army combine to crush you, the more aragalaya should call on the people to defend the movement for democracy and fundamental restructuring of the Sri Lankan economy. The aragalaya’s strength is in its numbers and genuine demands for systemic change. Rising like a phoenix from the ashes, the movement persists. It must definitely continue till there is a complete change in the life of the common people, who have suffered enough at the hands of corruption, misgovernance, poverty, hunger, loss of jobs, disrupted education, communal polarisation, violent civil war, and power-hungry, pro-capitalist politicians.
We must not let the situation slide into one wherein people simply subvert one group of thieves only to pave the way for another group of thieves to take the power. It is imperative to subvert the entire theft business which is capitalism, and the entrenched alienation of the people from self-rule. Empower the people, not self-seeking politicians. We shall fight, we shall win.
In solidarity!
Dr. Maya John
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