Whom should I vote for this Presidential election?

This Presidential election 2024 is wholly absent of candidates with a clear program of national development of the most essential services and sectors now in tatters like education, health and public commuting that leaves out the most important reason to vote. The “vote” at a presidential election is meant to elect a person with a clear “world vision” for the country, that requires candidates to spell their own vision in detail.

On common acceptance, this country went bankrupt post ‘77 due to inefficient and corrupt Governments. “Corruption” in most Government offices at local level and on roads negotiating traffic is about “bribes” that involve two persons and cash. Corruption in real terms is at the apex of governance. As COPE investigations revealed, massive continuous frauds were being carried out by top bureaucrats in Government departments like the IRD, the Customs and the Excise Department to mention just a few. If the minister fails in managing his ministry efficiently and “clean”, he or she is part of that corruption on negligence alone.

Heavier and co-ordinated mega corruption that ate into the economy was politically sponsored. This mega corruption began with constructions in the Mahaweli Development work, moved to the apparel sector during the Multi-fibre Arrangement (MFA) era from around 1980 to 2004. Apparel production quotas handled by the Industries Ministry led to organised corruption. Then began mega corruption with solicited and unsolicited foreign funded projects from around year 2000. Massive dollar amounts were said to have been pilfered and parked in off-shore accounts. 

Any presidential candidate who has not been in corrupt governments?

Is there any mainstream presidential candidate spoken of as a front runner, who has NOT been in any of the corrupt governments since 2000? 

Leaving out his ministerial responsibility under Presidents Jayewardene and Premadasa, candidate Wickremesinghe is held responsible for the 2015 February Bond Scam that he as PM was making efforts to launder clean, while his finance minister Karunanayake was desperate in coming clean with a “short memory”. As PM Wickremesinghe, he was directly involved in leasing out the multi storeyed building in Rajagiriya for a massive two-year lease to house the Agriculture Ministry that was never occupied. There were more corrupt projects approved under him by the cabinet of ministers in his “Yahapalanaya” government. 

He stands for Presidential election claiming he was solely responsible in getting SL out of the abyss it was in. That he was instrumental in negotiating the 2.9-billion-dollar EFF loan within a contract signed with the IMF. That IMF agreement speaks about a new anti-corruption law. Wickremesinghe’s present tenure as substitute president covering up the remaining period of president Gotabaya R, deposed in July 2022, is about corruption that involves his many Advisors and Co-ordinators at the presidential secretariat, and recent abuse of power in appointing the two ministers as presidential advisors after they were unseated from parliament on a Supreme Court order. 

I keep wondering whether I should wholly ignore everything corrupt and arrogant abuse of power in this two year and a month’s tenure, merely on the claim the economy was stabilised and the country was brought out of the abyss on more dollar loans borrowed, with no signs of earning enough forex to service even the interests that accrue.  

Would Sajith’s promise to establish good governance hold water?

As for Leader of Opposition Sajith P who dominates SJB politics with his authority as leader of the party, would his promise to establish good governance in a “corruption free” rule under him hold water? He now says he would abolish the presidency if elected. That in no way would leave him “clean” when he does not hold himself accountable to the voter on funds utilised to donate buses and smart-rooms to remote village schools. He has by now donated around 50 buses to schools and each is said to be worth Rs. 5 million though the market price quoted is much higher. What is important more than the billions involved, is his accountability to the voter. 

His declaration of income and assets as a presidential candidate, does not in any way indicate his ability to afford regular donation of buses to schools. His declared assets do not seem to generate an income for such charity, given the monthly income of Rs. 285,681. Comparatively low for a present-day leading politician. Should I vote for a candidate who is not prepared to say from where his funds in billions come from? Am I to expect such a candidate to be clean, if elected into an extremely corrupt and inefficient governing system, with no proposals in how the system would be cleaned up?  

Story is even weirder with Anura

The story is no different or even weirder with the JVP/NPP candidate Anura Kumara Dissanayake (AKD). In 2002, JVP mobilisation against the Norwegian facilitated ceasefire agreement and peace talks, was allegedly sponsored by the Indian High Commission in Colombo and was widely discussed, their unusual presence at the Indian Independence Day celebrations in 2002 August is proof of such funding. Allegations they are. After all, it is allegations we hear against others and in particular against Rajapaksas too. 

JVP in April 2004 entered into a partnership with President Kumaratunga and joined her government with four cabinet and four deputy ministerial portfolios. Cabinet ministers were AKD – Agriculture, Vijitha Herath – Cultural Affairs, Lal Kantha – Rural Economy and Chandradasa Wijesinghe – Fisheries. They held those portfolios for 1 year and 2 months, leaving the Government in June 2005. They take pride saying they sent back extra vehicles, reduced fuel usage and cut down on waste in ministries and in other State entities under their ministries. But they don’t have any progressive development project they could speak about as “Mahapola” by Minister Athulathmudali, “Janasaviya” and “Udagam” housing program by Ranasinghe Premadasa as Minister of Housing and Construction or even as Mahinda Rajapaksa’s tri-partite consensual “Workers’ Charter” as Minister of Labour that was stalled by President Kumaratunga.

On corruption, there were allegations against the JVP Minister of Fisheries on siphoning off Tsunami aid meant for the fisheries community. There is a clear case of selling the “V FM” radio broadcasting license to a second party, the JVP obtained while in Kumaratunga government. 

They ought to have known “digital frequencies” are owned by people and even the TRC cannot sell. TRC is mandated to issue temporary lease licenses only that cannot be transferred to a second party. Yet it does happen with TRC involvement and with no media organisation or the civil society questioning the TRC. Another is misuse of Madiwela MPs quarters by JVP activists for their lodging, with sitting MPs not residing in them. It is sheer abuse of State facilities, the taxpayers have to pay for. 

Most bizarre of all political decisions

Most bizarre of all political decisions in this new millennium was the JVP decision to back PM Mahinda Rajapaksa’s presidential candidacy in 2005 November, with callous disregard to the fact Rajapaksa was publicly accused of an 82.9 million rupee scandal called “Helping Hambantota”. AKD cannot say they were not aware of MR’s “Helping Hambantota” scam after UNP MP Kabir Hashim lodged a complaint with the CID on 18 July 2005 providing information including bank-accounts and cheque numbers. They could not have been ignorant of MR’s petition to the Supreme Court in September 2005 informing CID investigations violate his FR and appealing investigations to be stopped. With CJ Sarath N. Silva, the SC decided to instruct the CID to stop all investigations into the Helping Hambantota complaint. JVP now takes pride in ensuring Mahinda Rajapaksa’s election as President in November 2005 and AKD is on record telling the BBC “Sinhala Sandeshaya” they do not regret that decision taken against “Tamil Separatism”.

Namal is no choice to be considered

That much for AKD who is promoted as the “most clean and astute politician” Sri Lanka needs this hour, and now to Namal Rajapaksa, perhaps the youngest of the 39 presidential candidates this election. His pedigree needs no introduction, as one in the Rajapaksa family. I doubt he believes he could be a winning candidate this Presidential election. He seems to have politically matured counting on how he faces media and shows he is not on a campaign that faults others for the tragedy we are in. The impression Namal leaves in me is that he is politically focussed in creating a national image for himself to be a front runner at the 2029 Presidential elections. Thus, for me, Namal is no choice to be considered this Presidential election, to waste a vote.

I do not wish to waste my vote on anyone else either. That defines my dilemma. “How am I to place the “cross” on whom and for what special reason”? If criteria for selection is, “a history with no allegations on corruption, efficient in multi-tasking and has a futuristic program for socio-economic development already in public domain”, then my vote has no choice.