Sri Lanka is in the midst of too many crises to deal with at once, and the fact that most of these crises are interconnected calls for long-term social, political, and economic measures to mitigate them. However, given the nature of the issues that Sri Lanka is dealing with, finding ways to pull through the prevailing political instability appears to be the most immediate step that the country needs to take.

In fact, addressing the political instability has become the main topic for many, even the general public who were not interested in politics before, and that interest has become an integral part of the ongoing protests against the Government and President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

Apart from the resignation of the Rajapaksa family, what the people expect as an immediate solution is a question worth discussing, and those protesting at the “GotaGoGama” have very different opinions in that regard, especially about the ongoing discussions about the formation of an interim government.

Same old faces

An interim government, according to Suneth (name changed on request), a protester at the “GotaGoGama”, is more or less another deception by the leaders of the incumbent Government to remain in power. His main concern was over the composition of this proposed interim government.

He explained: “An interim government or an all-party interim government, as referred to by some, seems like a good idea at a time when the people are demanding the Government’s resignation. However, if you look at it closely, it is just another proposal aimed at deceiving the people, because an interim government does not lead to real change.

“The name of the Government and its powers and functions may be different. However, when it comes to the composition of an interim government, the situation will be the same – the same old politicians who are hated and rejected by the people will act as the leaders of this government, and we cannot expect any real change from them.

“For example, according to some in the political arena, current Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa will most likely be the Premier of an interim government. That is certainly not a change, and that is certainly not what the people expect. The Cabinet of Ministers of an interim Government under him is certainly not going to be free from his influence, and the same old faces will continue to behave in the same old way, under a new label.”

He also expressed concerns about the composition of the Cabinet of an interim government, claiming that none of the current MPs or Ministers are competent enough to lead an interim government that will be tasked with saving a collapsing country.

“We have seen what they can do, and have suffered immensely from what they have done. We do not need them even for a brief period of time. The plain truth is that if they had done their jobs properly when they had power under various governments during the past few decades, the country would not be in this situation. Expecting the 225 MPs to resolve the present crisis under an interim government is like expecting a murderer to bring back to life a person they killed.”

Udara, another protester who said that he represents the country’s exports sector, said that the people should not be concerned about who comes to power, but how they function.

“We are divided based on the politicians we prefer and different political ideologies, and those are the root causes of many of the issues that we are facing today. What we must be concerned about is how whoever we elect acts to help us have a better life. To do that, there needs to be a proper system that makes it impossible for politicians to engage in irregularities and to do what is advantageous to them as opposed to what is advantageous to the people. Our struggle should not be confined to being against the Rajapaksa family.”

In this context, he said, whether or not Sri Lanka opts for an interim government should not be the main concern. According to him, the people should prioritise amending the existing Constitution and making the relevant legal reforms.

“If we focused on changing politicians and not the system within which they work, in 10 years, we will still be in the same position,” Udara noted.

Politicians versus experts and intellectuals

Meanwhile, expressing similar sentiments about elected public representatives, L.K. Anuradha, a 27-year-old protester, said that the solution to the prevailing situation is pressuring all 225 MPs to resign, and to replace them with a Parliament of 225 intellectuals and experts from various fields. That is, he said, what Sri Lanka has been lacking for decades.

“In a democracy, the system of the people being given the opportunity to choose their representatives looks like the ideal way to ensure that the people’s interests are taken into account when taking decisions that have an impact on the country. However, even after decades of having that system, what has Sri Lanka achieved? Nothing but instability, chaos, the destruction of people’s livelihoods today, and vast uncertainty about the people’s future. At every election, we elect representatives who we think can and will prioritise our interests, only to be disappointed in a few months, and we have continued to repeat this over decades.”

To break this cycle, and as the next step that Sri Lanka should take, he said that Sri Lanka should elect or appoint experts and intellectuals who can bring some kind of stability to the country’s economic and political spheres.

“I do not think that either an interim government consisting of the current MPs, or an election to give the current MPs another chance or to elect new MPs, is the solution. Doing so will not change anything. Even if 225 new MPs and a new President from outside Parliament are elected, given the nature of the existing political culture within which these new MPs have to function, and also the existing MPs’ influence on the new MPs, the country’s situation will not get better.

“The concept of Parliament should be continued, and strengthened. However, it should be done by experts in matters such as the economy, international relations, small and medium industries, health, and technology. We should choose such experts and intellectuals as MPs, and function under them.

“Politicians’ only job should be implementing the decisions and plans made by experts and intellectuals, and to act as a link between the experts and intellectuals that we appointed to Parliament, and the public employees and the people. Politicians’ role should be more like a higher form of public employees, and they should not have any power to act on their own accord.”

Holding elections amidst a crisis

The idea of holding Presidential and General Elections to elect a new President and MPs was rejected by a number of protesters who spoke with The Morning. Most of them are of the opinion that Sri Lanka should not spend billions of rupees in the hope of a systemic change that is unlikely to take place even after an election.

One protester charged: “Even if an abrupt election was an option we have, an election will not necessarily make available adequate options to the people. Even if an election was held, whom are we going to elect? The 225 MPs we have now, or their friends or relatives?”

Meanwhile, B.C. Jayathunga, a 57-year-old protester, discussed the practicality of holding elections at this juncture.

“We do not have money to hold an election. If we allocated money to hold an election, that will in turn worsen the economic burden on the people, because at the end of the day, it is the taxpayers’ money that is spent to hold an election.We are going through the worst economic crisis we have faced, and it is definitely not the time to spend the taxpayers’ hard-earned money for such activities.

“Also, owing to the decisiveness of a new President and a new Parliament at this juncture of the crisis, many politicians will fight for it. There will be the squandering and misuse of public funds, election-related irregularities and violence, the use of black money, and other forms of corruption. Crisis-hit Sri Lanka does not need any more disorder, and an election will only further worsen the people’s daily lives.”

However, another protester put forward that this is the ideal time to hold Presidential and General Elections, because the people are certain about what kind of leaders they need.

“This is the best time to elect new leaders, and an election after the resignation of the present administration is the next best step. In my lifetime, people have never been this certain about the wrong decisions they made at elections during the past few decades, what is wrong with the kind of leaders that governed the country thus far, and what sort of leaders Sri Lanka needs in the future. They are ready to make wise decisions now, and they should be given an opportunity to do so.”

In response to The Morning’s questions about the monetary resources required to hold Presidential and General Elections, he said that even though the country is in a difficult situation as far as its financial situation is concerned, giving the people the opportunity to choose suitable public representatives when the people are more ready than ever, is necessary.

He said that getting the present administration to do that, however, will prove a massive challenge, and which should be achieved through the ongoing protests.

Political instability is at the centre of the prevailing crises, and it is extremely important that the ongoing protests lead to something concrete and long term, beyond a mere change of government.

Thus far, the people’s demands were limited to getting rid of the present administration. However, as per the opinions of those who spoke with The Morning, it is evident that the people are becoming more conversant about what political solutions they need, and what needs to be done to make not only the present but also the future of Sri Lanka more stable.

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Sumudu Chamara

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