Reality in Sri Lanka very different to speeches in New York

Addressing the United Nations General Assembly, President Ranil Wickremesinghe waxed eloquently on the international stage last week informing that despite significant social, economic and political challenges in the past year, including threats to democratic traditions, Sri Lanka has managed to achieve a “democratic transition.”

His speech spoke of the global geopolitical landscape, various challenges, such as climate change, debt and sustainable development. He stressed the need for international solidarity and climate finance, particularly for smaller, climate-vulnerable and debt-ridden countries. He committed to climate action, including renewable energy goals, forest conservation and emissions reduction while expressing concern about the impact of climate change on food security, clean energy and livelihoods, emphasising the urgency of mobilising climate finance. Additionally, the President emphasised the need for reform in multilateral institutions like the UN, particularly the expansion of the Security Council’s composition. He emphasised the importance of disarmament and the impact of global military expenditures.

All of this made for a really good speech, with the only catch being that the reality in Sri Lanka is considerably different to the painted picture and the policies implemented by the Wickremesinghe administration are divergent from the exalted proclamations on the world stage.

In the same week President Wickremesinghe preached ‘democratic traditions of Sri Lanka’ to the world, his Government gazetted two bills that can only be called anti-democratic and draconian.

The Anti-Terrorism Bill with its vague and broad definitions of what constitutes an ‘act of terrorism’ is very likely to continue the rich ‘tradition’ of the Prevention of Terrorism Act that has been weaponised against political dissent for our 40 years. The Online Safety Bill which proposes significant curtailment of the fundamental right to expression and opinion will no doubt be another tool of repression to suppress criticism of the Government and the branches of the State. Previously the Wickremesinghe administration had attempted similar curtailment of rights through the Broadcasting Regulatory Commission Bill which had to be withdrawn due to public protests.

President Wickremesinghe who speaks of ‘democratic traditions’ in Sri Lanka has indefinitely postponed local government elections. Before speaking democratic traditions, one would have to fulfil the minimum standards of a functioning democracy, the holding of free, fair and regular elections. President Wickremesinghe who is now announcing to the world that Sri Lanka has overcome its dire economic challenges is on record informing Parliament in April this year that the country is too broke to hold elections. “For now, there is no money. But for now, there is no election either. There is no money for an election, and even if there was, there is no election. So what do we do?” the head of state quipped in relation to the local government elections which have now been indefinitely postponed.

The move for postponement of the elections comes as the Government has shown little signs of austerity or seriousness in addressing unsustainable expenditure in the State sector. In the long tradition of excess that was witnessed in the last two decades that brought Sri Lanka to its financial knees, president Wickremesinghe didn’t shy away from taking an extraordinarily large delegation to the UN in New York. At a time when most in Sri Lanka are still suffering from enormous economic hardships due to bad policies of politicians, it was in the very least in bad state to see an enormous delegation to the other side of the world on taxpayer rupee.

Whether the economy or the much touted ‘democratic traditions’, the reality in Sri Lanka is very far from what is preached by the President in New York.