Thursday, 13 November 2014 00:00
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THE verdict is in – literally. Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court has unanimously determined that the incumbent president can run for a third term and therefore President Mahinda Rajapaksa has no legal impediment to contest the upcoming presidential election.
A full bench of the Supreme Court has made a unanimous decision and it was delivered to the President Monday night at the Temple Trees.
President Rajapaksa consulted the Supreme Court on his eligibility to run for the top post for a third term as per article 129 (1) of the Constitution. He requested the apex court to give its opinion on whether a presidential election could be held before four years of his term was completed and whether the incumbent president could come forward for a third term if such an election was held.
Now that Rajapaksa’s candidature has been finalised the onus is on Opposition parties to get their act together. This is especially difficult given a presidential election could be called as early as the last week of November. Recent reports indicate Opposition parties are scrambling to finalise a common candidate who at this moment is tipped to be United National Party (UNP) Deputy Leader Karu Jayasuriya.
As a stalwart politician, Jayasuriya will provide a credible option to Opposition parties’ intent on seeing the end of the Executive Presidency. He can be trusted to follow the timeline set down to abolish the Executive Presidency with a two-thirds majority, which will be provided for him by Parliament. But all this depends on him winning and it is still uncertain whether he can eclipse the star power of Rajapaksa at a presidential election.
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.
Moreover, concerns are being raised over the Opposition’s long-term plans, not least because fissures are appearing even before a common candidate is named. Democratic Party leader Sarath Fonseka, at a recent press conference, reinforced these fears when he recalled his previous ordeal in the same position and warned any future common candidate to be ready even to land in prison. 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.
Even if Opposition parties prevail and a common candidate is voted to lead Sri Lanka next year, the question of where he will lead remains. Rajapaksa through his oft repeated ‘Mahinda Chinthanaya’ and related development plans has provided growth-hungry citizens with a familiar path. Admittedly it is a path with potholes but many are willing to take that over potential political chaos should the Rajapaksa Government be shown the door.
With so much at stake the next few months will put Sri Lankans at odds with each other as well as pose tough questions that no one may know answers to.
