Fleeting nature of political power

JVP General Secretary Tilvin Silva in a discussion on his Facebook page recently made some comments on some of the discussions that transpired during a visit to China by a delegation from the JVP that was undertaken at the invitation of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in June.

What was alarming about Silva’s praise for the political system in place in China which allowed for uninterrupted implementation of the same policies which in turn has allowed for the development of the country?

“We have now started to change this country. But, if our Government changes in the next five years while we are in the process of making this change, then everything we started would be ruined. The next group would do something different. That is why we think that if a Government can stay in power for 15, 20 or 25 years. Only then would it be able to take the country forward under one vision, one policy framework. That is the advantage that China has,” Silva said.

The CPC officials had told the JVP delegation that they need to be in power for at least 15 to 20 years to implement the changes that they plan for the country.

In a Sri Lankan context, this is rather alarming given that be it flawed, Sri Lanka has a multi-party system and has been a functioning democracy since independence with peaceful transfer of power from one party to another at regularly held elections. The voters’ choices may not have been the wisest at times, but it has allowed the country to be an uninterrupted democracy and the only one in South Asia along with India. Hence seeing merits in a system where one party has been in power continuously for over 70 decades is disturbing.

Sri Lankans have committed themselves to a democratic setup and despite many ups and downs, through attempted coups, through attempts to seize power by the bullet instead of the ballot, through separatist wars, political assassinations and many challenges, the people have kept faith in the system. It may be unpleasant for the JVP General Secretary to recall but Sri Lankan voters braved threats from the JVP in the latter part of the 1980s to go to the polls even though they were told the first 10 in line to vote would be killed. 

Some voters paid the ultimate sacrifice, but the people kept faith in the system and continued to change government at regular periods. The people of the North and East too had to pay a heavy price during the years when terror reigned in this area where, casting a vote was akin to a death sentence. But they too showed resilience and ensured their representatives were sent to Parliament and to other elected bodies.

Hence for the JVP General Secretary to see any merit in a system that does not tolerate dissent, does not allow political freedom, etc., is unacceptable particularly given that it was the voters of this country who thought it fit to hand over power to the JVP-led alliance, not as a keepsake but as temporary custodians.

On the positive side, President Anura Kumara Disanayake seems to have a better grip of how a democracy functions. Speaking at an event earlier this week, he made it clear that he is aware that his position is limited to a certain period of time and that he has not come to the high seat to stay stuck there as if he were glued there by ‘multibond’. His goal is to groom capable youth to take the country forward in a principled manner.

The President’s comments are refreshingly welcome in a country where some of those who have held the post of president have occupied it like they would be there for the rest of their lives only to be rudely awakened by the voters who have rejected them.

It’s for politicians and political party leaders to bear this in mind, it takes a very short time for voters to turn against those in power. Hence the focus should be in serving one term in office without thinking for 15-20 years ahead.