With great power comes great responsibility

Saturday, 16 November 2024 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The National People’s Power (NPP) secured a massive win in Thursday’s General elections, crossing the two-third mark by winning 159 seats and performing beyond expectations of all. The election also saw the routing of many of the big names in politics with voters sending a clear message that they are sick and tired of the old guard who have failed voters successively. For President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, the win will be particularly sweet given that it has silenced his critics who called him a “minority” president for having failed to secure the presidency with less than 50% of the vote.

As they say, with great power comes great responsibility and hence it is unlikely the President nor others in his party will take this mandate lightly. The mandate comes with great expectations of those who voted for them and among the many promises made is to abolish the Executive Presidency, enact a new constitution and bring about national unity.

In 2020, the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) under then president Gotabaya Rajapaksa also secured a two-third majority but it was used more to further personal agenda than for the good of the country. The NPP is unlikely to go the same way but any government with too much power can easily go astray and hence the Opposition has a major role to play in ensuring that the Government is kept in check. A two-third majority is not a blank cheque to push personal agenda but a limited time given to deliver on their promises in the next five years.

For the main Opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), another loss will be disheartening but the next few years will give them time to rethink the future of the party as well as any change in leadership that may help it to take power in the future. For the group backed by former president Ranil Wickremesinghe, the voters have clearly rejected them and it’s time for many of the old guard to say adieu to politics and think of alternative careers.

There has also been a major shift in voting patterns in the north and east and the message seems to be one of wanting to move away from traditional political parties and turn to national parties.

The low turnout at the election (65% as opposed to 75% at the Presidential election) also shows that the public have lost faith in government and are wary of those who come to power. The world over, most analysts agree that while people continue to participate in the democratic process, their trust in government including the executive legislature and the judiciary remains low. This is also the case with Sri Lanka where the incoming parliament has the unenviable task of building public trust and lifting parliamentary standards.

For now the NPP and its supporters should be free to enjoy the sweet taste of success. They fought well and won better, truly putting an end to the old order. Now the task ahead is to deliver on its many promises because the Lankan voters who go with a lot of enthusiasm to vote out the old set of rulers do not take too long to turn their wrath on the new incumbents. The ouster of Gotabaya Rajapaksa is a good reminder of the fleeting nature of political victory.