Whither SJB?

The main Opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) seems to be in a disarray and this can be seen in some of the public comments of its members and actions. The no-confidence motion against Deputy Minister of Defence Maj. Gen. (Retd.) Aruna Jayasekara is the latest ill thought out action of the SJB. 

The grounds for bringing the motion is that Jayasekara had served as Security Forces Commander of the Eastern Province in 2019 but had failed to prevent the Easter Sunday terrorist bombings even though he was privy to growing extremist activity in the area and that an impartial probe into the terror attacks is impossible while he continues to function as Deputy Minister of Defence.

While there is no procedural roadblock to bringing a no-confidence motion against a deputy minister, convention dictates that such motions be brought against the Prime Minister, a Cabinet Minister or the Speaker. There is also room to bring substantive motion against the conduct of an MP, but the facts in the NCM refer to his conduct long before Jayasekera became an MP and hence his past conduct cannot be questioned.

For the SJB this premature attempt at bringing an NCM will not help its ailing fortunes. It is no secret that the public don’t see the SJB as an effective opposition. The SJB was formed by former UNP members who threw their lot behind its leader Sajith Premadasa after ditching Ranil Wickremesinghe. Its fortunes haven’t been great from the start and all it has done is to sit in opposition without building itself into a formidable force to take power one day.

While in opposition, the SJB should have built up a good team with shadow cabinet ministers so that those within its ranks would take their job more seriously and contribute meaningfully. But that has not happened.

It’s true there are a few promising young lawmakers, some of them first time in Parliament, who are gaining traction for their ability to contribute meaningfully during parliamentary debates as well as to the public political discourse. However, there are too few of them while some of the seniors in the SJB are failing to make a mark.

The SJB has 40 MPs in Parliament and it seems a small number given the Government has over 150 members but it is not the numbers that count, it’s how the opposition performs collectively that counts.

There were media reports this week that Premadasa has said he would be the next SJB candidate for the next presidential election when the current president hasn’t even completed a year in office. As an opposition in a democratic country, the role is not to try to topple an elected government before its term ends, except under extenuating circumstances. Instead the opposition should be effective and efficient in legislative matters as well as build a public discourse around important matters.

Premadasa unfortunately has yet to grasp this. Recently he said that there are 40,000 unemployed graduates since the NPP took office. In a country with an inflated public service, even to please voters, no responsible politicians should make such remarks because this will lead to demands for more government jobs. It’s better to be upfront and say that even the SJB can’t promise government jobs to all unemployed graduates because that is the reality. 

The SJB may be buoyed by the last local government election results which showed a dip in Government popularity, but that does mean that the people will embrace the SJB just because they are not satisfied with the Government. The failure of the SJB to secure the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) is the clearest example that the party has lost touch of ground realities and those within it pulling in different directions.

The provincial council elections are due next year and this will be a litmus test for the SJB. If it continues this way, it’s unlikely it’ll make many inroads with voters. The party needs to bring to the forefront its talented and able members within its ranks and let them take the lead. Its lacklustre leadership isn’t helping the SJB at all.