Irrational behaviour of RW and MR vs. rational behaviour of President AKD

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake

Ranil Wickremesinghe

Mahinda Rajapaksa

As a well-educated veteran politician who has served in parliament for nearly 50 years and has been the leader of UNP for a long time, the public expects that Ex-President RW will behave and respond rationally. The above can also be well applied to Ex-President MR. However, this article shows that their irrational behaviour can be compared with the rational behaviour of President AKD. Along with 50 years in politics, RW and MR failed to achieve political maturity in the right direction that the President/AKD achieved within 20 years of politics; the young politicians who follow AKD can learn all. But those who follow RW and MR are lost

Introduction

Given the parliamentary election on 14 November 2024, the public can hear unique and surprising things about politics, particularly from political rallies. This article aims to discuss a few of the above so that voters can better understand whom to cast their votes for. 

Ex-Prex RW advice, along with his political bankruptcy 

The ex-President RW has advised candidates in the Colombo district who contest under the gas cylinder symbol to question the Government of AKD immediately without further delay regarding his promises during the last Presidential election. It is good questioning. However, when the Ex-Prez RW was in power, he created mounting difficulties and problems in numerous ways instead of addressing and solving them. The rising cost of living was at the forefront. In short, Ex-Prez RW created issues and difficulties during his reign of two years and left those questions to President AKD to address and resolve in less than one month in office, making it difficult to understand the mentality of Ranil Wickremesinghe (RW). 

It would be good if Ex-Prez RW questioned AKD about his promises during the last Presidential election, but RW has no courage. As a veteran and well-educated politician, RW was defeated by Sajith Premadasa in the last Presidential election. It shows his utter political bankruptcy, as no presidential election was won under his name. Given all the above, he advises his party candidates on this and that, which is very low-quality political advice. Those candidates with the Gas Cylinder Symbol need to be taken care of, as it will undoubtedly affect their winning chance, if any.

Some facts further elucidate RW’s political bankruptcy. More than 60 former MPs who were with the Ex-Prez have retired from politics as they could not face any election or the public, and he advised organising cluster meetings instead of having sizeable public campaign rallies, as RW knows well that they cannot gather at least a few hundred for a political meeting, the reality on the ground. Given the tsunami-like political rallies held by President AKD in Tangalle and Katunayake, Ex-Prez RW must understand that those political rallies will destroy Gas Cylinder Symbol cluster meetings anywhere in the country. 

Incomprehensible exploitation by Ex-Presidents MR and RW

Not long ago, the Government disclosed the colossal misuse of Government vehicles by those so-called advisers and experts of Ex-Prez RW. When the country faces mounting economic development challenges, an utter waste of Government funds for those advisors and experts has been a disgusting shame for those involved in not needing to repeat their names as they are known to the public. Given the above background, the following must be noted with utmost concern. According to Act No. 4 in 1986, the President’s Entitlement stipulates the official facilities, including transport, that can be provided to a former president. Section 3 (2) of the act specifies that former presidents are entitled to receive transport and other facilities equivalent to a Cabinet Minister’s. 

Furthermore, guidelines issued by former Secretary to President Lalith Weeratunga in a letter dated 14 May 2010 states that a maximum of three vehicles, including motor vehicles, SUVs, and double cabs, are permitted for ministers and deputy ministers. According to the information, up to 17 October 2024, 11 vehicles were with Ex-Prez RW, while 16 vehicles were with Mahinda Rajapaksa (MR). It is unclear how many vehicles were with RW and MR some time ago when they had full power and control. All of the above vividly indicates the massive exploration, selfishness, and greed that go with veteran and mature politicians—low-quality life. 

As part of the Presidential election campaign promises, President AKD has initiated necessary action so that it is expected that RW and MR will return the excess vehicles, retaining their entitlement of a maximum of three vehicles. Among many, the public must note the following. The nature and massive exploitation by both RW and MR which is disgusting, given the mounting difficulties faced by the public. MR also has an ambulance, while for some hospitals in the country, having an ambulance is a top priority. The public wonders why MR does not have a hospital beside his official residence, including doctors, nurses, oxygen cylinders, a pharmacy, etc. 

Recently, MR publicly stated that politicians never retire, and mounting exploitation indeed has no end as such. At the same time, Namal agrees with MR, and the public wonders how a group of people always accompanies MR wherever he goes, including in the toilets. Undoubtedly, those people do not have the brains of termites; that is why MR has made some slaves for himself, and in the miserable affairs of the politics of Sri Lanka, the young politicians, including his son, hardly learn from MR.  

President AKD denied the request of Ex-President RW

An individual like RW cannot live without power, supremacy, influence, command, and control, whether he is in power or not. This may be a kind of mental disorder, as RW once publicly said to a youth forum that he is a cunning politician. During the Tangalle political rally, President AKD disclosed that his office received a request from Ex-Prez RW for 16 chefs, 163 security personnel, 30 umbrellas, and 20 vehicles. The public is wondering what the purpose of having 16 chefs is, while the number of malnourished children under 5 and starving children is increasing as a daily event, given the massive and widespread poverty in the country. As was revealed in the media, some children go to school with sugar in water for breakfast. 

The public may remember Marie Antoinette in 1789, during one of the famines in France during the reign of her husband, King Louis XVI. As per the story, Marie was unaware or blind to the sufferings or conditions of ordinary people’s daily lives and advised to eat cake if bread was not there. It is a well-known fact that RW was not concerned about the sufferings of ordinary people and requests for 16 chefs. The public can well remember that the Ex-Prez made a helicopter trip in the country, went on world tours costing nearly a billion, just top of the iceberg of wasted public funds, during his reign of two years. Imagine the opportunity of Rs. 1 billion to provide clean water to about 60% of the population, repair schools, and provide road access, to mention a few. 

Now, he is not in power and control; he still wants to exploit and misuse resources in the country; he made the request mentioned above to the wrong man; he may have thought that MR was in power, but it is AKD. He must have learned a lifetime good lesson from my friend, “Anura Kumara Dissanayake”. It is good that RW did not request a tailor. On the other hand, the Ex-Prez has forgotten the fact that the starving child he gave to President AKD to care for. Given in my article with the Colombo Telegraph, the task of President AKD is similar to earning curd with a double-edged sharpened knife as he is doing his utmost to eliminate all unnecessary expenditures and utilise each rupee productively, effectively, and efficiently. Instead, the Ex-Prez RW should appreciate and value what President AKD is doing; the Ex-Prez is doing the opposite of AKD. Given the above, the public is lost in understanding the commitment of Ex-Prez RW based on economic development and the improvement of the well-being of the public. In short, the followers of RW, particularly the young politicians, are lost. 

Ex-President RW gave a time bomb to President AKD

Ex-Prez RW made a unique statement on Thursday, 16 October 2024, stressing some of the necessities that Sri Lanka needs to achieve, such as the revenue targets of 15% GDP, foreign exchange accumulation of about $ 14 billion to pay back foreign loans starting in 2028, and the yearly required 1% increase in economic growth based on the IMF program. Further, he said that according to the results of the last Presidential election, no party would be able to secure an absolute majority in the parliament, and urged the public to vote for a team of experienced politicians; only those contesting under the Gas Cylinder Symbol are qualified to be in the list of the experienced politicians. 

As the public knows well about the qualifications and expertise of those experienced politicians of RW, it is not intended to write about them. Regarding the loan repayment in 2028, the Ex-President gave a time bomb to President AKD based on his “Yes Sir” policy with the IMF. Undoubtedly, as the President AKD knows well about the nature and extent of the time bomb in 2028, he is fully committed to managing it. Regarding “no party will be able to secure an absolute majority in the parliament,” as I wrote in “Political Tsunami of UNP, SLFP. SJB and SLFP and Their Destiny”, if the Gas Cylinder Symbol wins a single seat, it will be a miracle. 

SJB accuses President AKD/NPP of fielding “Goni Billas” for general elections

President AKD/NPP has fielded a list of candidates. Most of them may be new to the public, as the NPP wants new blood in the parliament instead of the corrupt lot that the parliament had. Many in SJB, particularly Kurunegala district candidate and former parliamentarian of SJB Thushara Indunil, likened the NPP candidates to “Sengawunu Amuththan” (Hidden Visitors) Goni Billa (Bogeyman)”. While voters in Kurunegala expresses sympathy about Thushara Indunil, no doubt they will ensure that Thushara Indunil will not be back in the parliament in his time, unless he wants go and watch in the parliamentary gallery those elected “Goni Billas” performing their work responsibilities productively and effectively, vividly convincing voters in Kurunegala made the right choice. In short, Thushara Indunil is one of the 225 MPs the public has said to go home. Instead of SJB having genuine people, as Thushara Indunil asserted, they are with AKD/NPP. 

Conclusion

As a well-educated veteran politician who has served in parliament for nearly 50 years and has been the leader of UNP for a long time, the public expects that Ex-President RW will behave and respond rationally. The above can also be well applied to Ex-President MR. However, this article shows that their irrational behaviour can be compared with the rational behaviour of President AKD. Along with 50 years in politics, RW and MR failed to achieve political maturity in the right direction that the President/AKD achieved within 20 years of politics; the young politicians who follow AKD can learn all. But those who follow RW and MR are lost. 

(The writer worked as the Special Adviser to the Office of the President of Namibia and was a Senior Consultant with UNDP for 16 years. He worked as a Senior Economist with the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (1972-1993) before he migrated to New Zealand. He can be contacted at [email protected].)