Crisis Still Smouldering: UNP Oblivious To Existential Threat Posed By Sirisena To Political Stability
Rasika Jayakody
Lanka’s political crisis, which came to an apparent close with the reappointment of Ranil Wickremesinghe as the Prime Minister on December 16, is still smouldering.
Sirisena has also removed the name of Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka, a UNP front-liner, from the list of Cabinet appointments nominated by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. The UNP attributes the omission to Sirisena’s deeply personal hatred towards the former Army Chief.
It was reported that President Maithripala Sirisena directed the post-October Chairman of the state-run Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation (SLRC) Sarath Kongahage to stay on despite the appointment of a new Chairperson by Finance and Media Minister Mangala Samaraweera.
Moreover, Sirisena has continued to meddle with high-profile judicial appointments: new battle lines have been opened with the Constitutional Council over the appointment of judges recommended by the Council.
Sirisena has refrained from appointing Justice Gamini Amarasekara and S. Thurairajah as Supreme Court judges, despite their names being recommended by the Council that was appointed under the provisions of the 19thAmendment to the Constitution.
Instead, Sirisena has nominated two others— K. K. Wickremesinghe and Deepali Wijesundara – and is seeking the Council’s approval on their appointment. The 10-member Council overlooking high-profile appointments has however stuck to its guns, swiftly shooting down the President’s attempt.
It is abundantly clear that Sirisena has not learnt anything from the 51-day coup attempt that was unsuccessful only because of all the pro-democratic political forces in the country that united to defeat it. He remains unrepentant and continues to subvert the Constitution, especially the 19thAmendment, which strengthened democratic institutions.
President Sirisena’s behaviour should worry all of the forces that collectively defeated the ‘Constitutional Coup’ through a gruelling, prolonged battle. His intention to derail the UNF-led government increases the possibility of recurrent tensions that may result in another political turmoil.
President Sirisena, therefore, remains an existential threat to political stability in Sri Lanka. In spite of the appointment of a new government, Sri Lanka’s democracy remains shaky and vulnerable. When Sri Lankans go to sleep at night, they do so not know if they will wake up to a new government.
The country’s way out of the current instability hinges on the UNP’s future course of action on Sirisena. At this point, it seems as if the UNP does not want to rock the boat and is working towards restoring normalcy. The real problems will come to the fore after the passage of next year’s budget.
It is naïve to believe that the President and the UNP can co-exist in a government until the next Presidential election, fixed for January 2020. If the UNP intends to run the government for the next 13 months, it has no option but to neutralise the ‘Sirisena factor’ through democratic means.
