Maithri Palanayak, Sthavara Ratak
Shiranee Dissanayake
Maithri Palanayak, Sthavara Ratak (A Maithri Style of Governance, A Stable Country)
Mr. President, as a concerned fair minded citizen who voted you into power I would like to begin by asking you a very simple question. How much longer are you prepared to wait for Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa to show his majority in Parliament and watch indifferently as the economy of our beloved motherland rapidly descends into the depths?
Today we are confronted with the most ludicrous situation where the Speaker of Parliament does not recognize the government appointed by you on 26th October 2018 and the purported government does not recognize the Speaker. The conflict is based on the differences of opinion on the interpretation of the provisions of the constitution with regard to removal of the Prime Minister and dissolution of Parliament. Currently the dissolution of Parliament issue is before the courts.
The drama which was enacted in Parliament over the past month which was broadcast live, clearly shows the depths to which politics in this country has descended. You are more than aware of the circumstances which led to this situation. I am sure you will agree that this complicated confused situation is a direct result of the decision you took on the 26th of October 2018.
Looking back at your appointment as President on 8th January 2015, and the sequence of events which followed, it is an undisputed fact that you were accepted by all communities in Sri Lanka as their President as you came into power by the vote of all three communities namely, Sinhala,Tamil and Muslim.
When you made the bold, life threatening decision to move out of the Rajapaksa camp and contest the presidential election against Mahinda Rajapaksa, as the common candidate of the United National Front (UNF) your promise of a Maithri Palanayak, Sthawara Ratak succeeded in winning the respect, admiration and trust of the people. This was certainly not because you supported the UNP but because you displayed the qualities of a true statesman who was committed to act according to your conscience, abolish the excessive powers of the executive presidency, protect democracy and install good governance. What the people wanted was a free and just society where people of all races, religions and political hues could live in equality, peace and harmony with each other. And that is what they expected you to deliver.
During the first year of rule as President you cut down the allocation for the security and maintenance of the President. Every speech you delivered reflected your commitment to be fair by all communities irrespective of their race, religion and political hues. You took over the ministry of environment in order to ensure a safe and clean environment for our future generations. You assured the people that the old order of Mahinda Rajapaksa will not find a place under your leadership. You even mentioned that you will not contest for a second term but will retire to Anuradhapura after your first term as President. The manner in which you conducted yourself won you the respect and trust not only of the people of Sri Lanka but also of the international community who changed their stance regarding Sri Lanka after you took office. To all intents and purposes you were a man who had his mind focused in the right direction to bring about a Maithri Palanayak and a Sthavara Ratak.
Indeed there may have been conflicts of interest and differences of opinion between you and Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe which the people were not aware of. This is natural when two political parties with different social, economic and political visions come together to form a government. However, the prime objective of the coalition as seen by the people was to pull the country out of the economic morass it was enmeshed in, give people the freedom to exercise their rights and steer the country towards peace and prosperity.
The number one priority of the people who voted the UNF into power under your leadership was to rise above petty party politics and work together in the interest of the common good which is why they did not give a clear majority to any single party. Also don’t forget that the people endorsed your manifesto to form a national government and appoint Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe as the prime minister for the 100 day programme which followed your appointment as President. The general election if 18th September 2015 reflected the thinking of the people regarding their choice for the next 5 years. However, regrettably the UNF government was unable to meet the expectations of the people in bringing to book the wrongdoers during the previous regime and easing the burden on the people after 3 ½ years of Yahapalana rule. Rather the bond scam left a huge black mark against Ranil Wickremesinghe whose appointment of Mr. Arjuna Mahendran as Central Bank Governor led to the allegation that the bond issue involving his son-in law Arjun Aloysius was an irregular one causing enormous loss to the government. Be that as it may the no confidence motion brought against Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe was defeated in Parliament by 123 votes out of a total of 225.
Your sudden decision to remove Mr. Wickremesinghe from office and appoint Mr. Mahinda Rajapakse as Prime Minister has not only created mayhem in Parliament but also plunged the country into a state of instability disrupting the smooth ru
