The legacy of Ranil

Sri Lanka is undergoing the most tumultuous moment in its democratic history. Due to two and a half years of mismanagement by the Gotabaya Rajapaksa administration the country is now economically bankrupt while facing a political precipice. After the unprecedented 9 July uprising by the people, the country has become ungovernable. 

At this moment, protestors occupy the presidential secretariat and the official residence of the President and the President is hiding inside a military camp. He has informed through the Speaker of Parliament that he would be resigning by tomorrow (13 July).

Six-time Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe did not have to share this inglorious fate had he not taken up the premiership two months ago. Present Rajapaksa and his family were at the verge of capitulation when Wickremesinghe offered them a lifeline for survival after 9 May. It has been apparent that the presidency and the Government of the Rajapaksas were unsustainable after the total economic collapse since April 2022. Their incompetence, mismanagement and corruption have delivered a sovereign default for the first time in the history of the county and a total economic meltdown. 

The only viable way forward at that time was for the whole Rajapaksa administration to step aside and offer an alternative democratic path to move forward. Sri Lanka’s mature democracy, despite its numerous flaws, would have been able to handle such a peaceful transition either through a constitutional amendment or a fresh general election. However, the lifeline offered by Wickremesinghe only delayed the inevitable and caused greater harm for the country.

Now as President Rajapaksa has declared that he would resign, attention has focused on what Wickremesinghe would do at this juncture. If he is not to resign and is not removed from office by the President, then at least for a very few weeks Wickremesinghe will become President. However, such an automatic appointment needs to be ratified by Parliament within a period of one month which at this point remains highly unlikely. With the provisions of the 20th Amendment President Rajapaksa has the option of sacking the prime minister without any question or consideration. 

Unlike in October 2018 when such an action was taken against Wickremesinghe neither is it unconstitutional nor is the prime minister in a position to challenge the action by showing a majority in Parliament with his measly single seat. In either case the enraged masses of this country are not going to settle for a Wickremesinghe presidency even for a matter of weeks since he has by his own volition hitched his wagon to the Rajapaksa wheel. Any attempts of both or either of these leaders attempting to remain in office is a ludicrous proposition at this moment and will lead to a bloodbath with certainty. While President Rajapaksa may be accused of many bloody crimes, it is up to Prime Minister Wickremesinghe to decide whether he too would want to go down in history with blood on his hands.

Therefore, there are no good options for Prime Minister Wickremesinghe other than to honourably resign, preferably before the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa which has now been promised for tomorrow (13 July).

The end of the Wickremesinghe era need not be inglorious. Ranil Wickremesinghe is a man who will leave an inalienable mark in Sri Lankan contemporary history. His efforts to negotiate peace with the LTTE, reforms introduced in education, Information Communication Technology and the greater economy by making numerous sectors competitive, and his contribution in enacting the 19th Amendment to the Constitution that strengthened democratic institutions are all part of the Wickremesinghe legacy. Had he given up the UNP leadership after the 2020 election and stepped out of politics his legacy may have been kinder.

It is not too late to salvage a dignified legacy for a man who has been in every parliament since 1977 and a giant historical figure of our times. Many hope Wickremesinghe will resign, for the country; for his legacy; and for himself.