Dawn of a new era with cautious optimism

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake 

What happened on 21 September 2024 was historic. It was another milestone in the long march towards a new era in the history of this country. 

In a sense, it marked the beginning of the end of a socio-political and economic paradigm, which had bedevilled this nation over several decades.  If historians want to delineate the origins of this beginning, they should go back to the 2022 aragalaya when hundreds of disgruntled youngsters from all communities spontaneously came together at Galle Face Green with the unique demand, “System Change”.  It was unique because never before such protestors called for a change of the system or paradigm that dictated the way the State was run but always for a change of Government or leadership or party.  Although the aragalaya was put down with force by the substitute President Ranil Wickremasinghe (RW) the awakening that aragalaya kindled spread like wildfire among the masses and resulted in the victory of Anura Kumara Dissanayaka (AKD) on that memorable day of 21 September. Although AKD’s disciplined campaign, dedication and commitment to system change were contributory factors, his victory personifies the awakening of a new generation of Sri Lankans who had been eyewitnesses to an era of political, economic and social decadence engineered by successive groups of self-centred leaders and their political parties. It was unfortunate that Tamil and Muslim leaders failed to grasp the meaning and strength of the awakening and decided to sabotage with partial success its spread within their own communities. They should be regretting now.          

Throughout this Presidential campaign however, it was disheartening to note some of the comments expressed by a few notable intellectuals and responsible political analysts, that the aragalaya call for system change, as represented by National Peoples Power (NPP) and its leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake (AKD), being dismissed and ridiculed as Utopian and chaotic or weaponised continuity. They even canvassed for the victory of the least evilly option represented by a candidate from the old order instead of the one calling for system change. This total negativity towards fundamental change tantamount to outright condemnation of the intellectual capabilities and political maturity of an entire generation of youthful leaders who yearn to create a Sri Lanka detached from its 76 years old moribund, divisive and destructive political order and corrupt governance while aiming to remake it as a resourceful economy and democratic polity without destroying its pluralist societal heritage and with international recognition.  Is that noble ambition a utopian dream? How did Lee Kwan Yew and his foot soldiers with no weaponry create modern Singapore? Selective reading of history can lead even intellectuals to learn wrong lessons.  Fear of the unknown seems to have gripped the senses of even the discernible.

After AKD’s victory, the western media has already labelled him as a Marxist leader and local media never got tired of reminding Sri Lankans of the insurrectionary past of JVP.  What is so Marxist or insurrectionary may we ask of introducing a system that is not going to be even distantly resemble the Communist Manifesto or any other ism? Neither AKD nor his NPP teammates ever denied the continuity of Sri Lanka’s democratic Parliamentary tradition or its open economy with competitive free markets, and not even the need to discontinue friendly relations with neighbouring countries and international institutions. However, one of the preconditions to maintain that continuity is to cleanse the status quo of its hardened corrosive sediments. AKD’s commitment to change the political culture and corrupt governance through social revolution is a call for continuity on a new template. Farmers know better that there is no use in sowing the seed before preparing the ground.  It is this lesson learnt from his rural background that has made AKD to call for a program of systemic cleansing before introducing the new in stages, which no doubt had sent jitters among patrons of the Old Order.   

AKD has promised to dissolve the Parliament and call for a General Election. A working majority is essential for NPP to translate its programs into action smoothly.  The same awakening should deliver that majority also. The economy no doubt needs priority of attention. The IMF program is expected to continue with adjustments.  While the new regime would be keen to minimise the stresses and strains caused by that program so far IMF too would be considering the pros and cons of suspending the program midway. To its stakeholders in particular IMF assistance is lot more than a matter of $ 2.9 billion. IMF should pay respect to the new regime’s commitment towards rejuvenating and resourcing the local productive sector while stabilising the financial sector at the same time.   

The old order should never underestimate the innovative talent and stock of intellectual and scientific capital deposited within the new generation. Even then no new system could be devised and implemented by any Government or leader overnight.  It is a process that takes time to complete.  In completing that process, there may be blunders and setbacks, but with a declining learning curve those setbacks could be rectified with minimum damage. The new era has dawned with plenty of expectations, and with people support and wise counsel from experts and elders there is hope for cautious optimism.         

(The writer is attached to the School of Business and Governance, Murdoch University, Western Australia)