The year that could have been

2022 will no doubt end up as a historic year in the annals of Sri Lankan history. For the first time, a head of state of the republic was ousted by a peaceful popular uprising. For a moment in time, there was much hope of a system-wide change in the governance of the country. 75 years of corrupt politics based on ethnic nationalist supremacy had nurtured a political client system that benefited a few at the cost of many. Yet, in that brief moment somewhere in mid-2022 there seemed to be a new awakening, even amidst the worst economic crisis the country had ever faced. 

The realisation that politicians had hoodwinked the masses, not only in the current Government but for generations. Fed on a hefty dose of hatred and ethnic nationalism, the divisions within the country based on race, religion and class had fuelled and sustained a system that has failed to deliver in all fronts. The consequences were evident for all to see.

Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa was forced to resign in May and there were no contenders for the position within the embittered governing party. It was an opportune moment for not only a change in government through an election but a change of system. It was apparent that the executive presidential system had failed and failed beyond redemption. Rajapaksa who not only had an overwhelming mandate at the presidential election but the largest majority in parliament since the establishment of the second republic in 1978 had delivered the worst economic crisis in history and a total collapse in governance. 

The lack of checks and balances on the executive, enhanced through the 20th Amendment to the Constitution, was clearly one of the prime reasons for the catastrophic failures. There was also a rare acknowledgement that the governance structure that had clearly failed a majority of Sri Lankans had also failed for years to address the grievances of the minority communities, especially the Tamils.

It is at this moment when all seemed possible that one of the biggest betrayals in Sri Lankan political history occurred. Besieged president Gotabaya Rajapaksa was out of viable options for a prime minister within his own ranks and a majority of the opposition contenders had laid conditions for taking up the job, including much needed constitutional reforms. However, Ranil Wickremesinghe, a man without a popular mandate for himself or his party used the chaos to fulfil his personal ambition. Within two months of being appointed prime minister by Rajapaksa it was Wickremesinghe’s turn to be president through machinations in Parliament in July 2022.

The Aragalaya or people’s struggle that made it possible for Wickremesinghe to ascend to the highest office in the land was soon made into the enemy of the State. Its leaders were arrested, intimidated and their voices silenced. The demands that emanated from the Aragalaya for justice, accountability, integrity, and efficiency have been shunned. The same individuals, most with criminal records, continue to hold executive office. Rather than offer a systemic change that was demanded by a vast majority of people, the State is still run by a cartel of corrupt people feeding each other for survival and personal aggrandisation. All that it is at the moment is a group of septuagenarian geriatrics holding office long enough to pass the cartel to their next of kin to plunder in the future.

2022 could have ended on a very different note for Sri Lanka. It could have truly been the year of monumental change for the better. Instead, it will be remembered as yet another opportunity for course correction that was missed.