Wednesday, 3 December 2014 00:00
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The die has been cast. Ending weeks of speculation the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) has officially backed the Common Candidate Maithripala Sirisena in what will possibly be the greatest challenge ever faced by the party.
On the surface, the JHU’s principals would appeal to many voters weary of the breakdown in law and order, rampant corruption and nepotism evident in the Government. The eight resolutions adopted at the party’s convention in November especially seek to redress significant issues such as opaque Government spending that would appeal to the common man.
These resolutions call for the removal of the Executive President’s power to appoint Supreme Court judges and Court of Appeal judges, to set out in the Constitution the ministries that can be held by the President and to resettle the Sinhalese who were displaced from the north and the east during the conflict, in conformity with the population ratios in the 1971 census.
It also proposed the number of deputy ministers should be reduced to 35 and that the President should be made answerable to Parliament, that a system of voting that is a meld of the proportional representation system and the first-past-the-post system should be introduced for all elections, that non-career diplomats in the foreign service should comprise only 35% of the total and that those too be appointed in accordance with specified criteria. Though specifics of the JHU-Sirisena agreement have not been formally announced it is likely to fall largely within this ambit.
But other elements within the resolutions could send alarm bells among moderates and minorities alike. In particular the largely hardline demand of bringing legislation to “safeguard Buddhism” and trim powers of provincial councils will make many cautious of the JHU’s demands.
The main aim of insisting a reduction in the powers of the provincial councils is to clip the wings of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA). Despite repeated denials by the TNA that it does not follow a separatist agenda, the JHU has insisted on being suspicious of its prominence in the north and has criticised the Government for not rolling back provincial council powers ahead of elections last year.
In past elections the JHU has played a safe hand preferring to remain with the Rajapaksa coalition making this foray to the polls both interesting and risky. Technically they are likely to do well to boost Sirisena’s fortunes but it could come at the cost of support from minority parties.
Also while the Opposition is fixated on ending the Executive Presidency the public may not have the same focus. Rajapaksa’s Budget for 2015, delivered with aplomb last month, provided many financial incentives, especially for public workers and rural people who are the backbone of Rajapaksa’s vote base. Despite having obvious concerns over deteriorating law and order undermining democratic institutions it is questionable whether the public is ready to move away from the decade-long Rajapaksa regime.
The UNP, JHU and JVP, given their history and conflicting political ideologies, will be uneasy bedfellows at best, which does not augur well for what will undoubtedly be a well-fought election.
With so much at stake the JHU crossover has at least brought hope to many wanting change - but with trepidation.
