No-Confidence Saga Part Deux: An Attempt At A Caretaker Government
Rasika Jayakody
If newspaper and online media reports this weekend are something to go by, President Maithripala Sirisena is toying with the idea of forming a Caretaker Government with his erstwhile arch-rival Mahinda Rajapaksa.
Several newspapers have reported of a meeting between Sirisena and Rajapaksa at the residence of former Minister S.B. Dissanayake, a member of the so-called ‘15 Group’ of the SLFP. Although the outcome of the discussion is still not clear, it can be assumed the discussion has laid the foundation for a continued dialogue over the proposal for a ‘Caretaker Government’.
The desired goal is not too hard to fathom. It envisions a temporary coalition between the SLFP and the Joint Opposition, booting the UNP and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe out of the government. The vote on Budget 2019 may be perceived as an opportune moment by Sirisena and Rajapaksa to try their luck.
An SLFP Parliamentarian in support of this initiative, in an interview with Asian Mirror, explained the end-objectives: “Former President Rajapaksa can be the Prime Minister under President Sirisena in the envisioned Caretaker Government. The same arrangement can continue after the next Presidential election; Rajapaksa can support President Sirisena at the Presidential election and the President will support Rajapaksa at the Parliamentary election. The President has already made it clear that under the 19th Amendment to the Constitution the Prime Minister is the central figure in the government. Therefore, the former President will receive his due place in a future government,” he said.
President Sirisena’s attempt to form a Caretaker Government with the Joint Opposition is in the wake of a botched plan to present himself as the Common Candidate of the UNP-led coalition in 2020. The UNP reportedly informed the President in no uncertain terms that the party does not intend to field a Common Candidate at the next Presidential election. It was after this that the President turned to the Joint Opposition with a fresh pitch to preserve his ambitions.
What remains clear, is that the attempt to form a proposed Caretaker Government, if successful, will only exacerbate the current political crisis and looming uncertainty over the economy. It will plunge the country into a chaotic and turbulent political weather at least until the next Presidential election, worsening the prevailing foreign exchange issue and driving away potential investors. That said, it is important to examine if the formation of a Caretaker Government between the SLFP and the Joint Opposition is feasible.
The last effort the SLFP and the Joint Opposition undertook together was the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, in April, this year. The attempt boomeranged on those who initiated and supported it when, in a dramatic turn of events, a large number of SLFP MPs abstained from voting and the motion was defeated in the House with a resounding majority.
This allowed Prime Minister Wickremesinghe to reaffirm his authority in Parliament with 122 votes despite a shocking defeat at the Local Government election in February. Instead of expelling him from the government, the JO’s no-confidence motion gave Wickremesinghe a new lease of life, leaving the SLFP badly hurt and in shambles. The SLFP MPs who supported the no-confidence motion left the government and form a separate group while Sirisena was forced to go back to the drawing board. The Joint Opposition attributed the defeat of the no-confidence motion to the SLFP, as the party failed to throw their full weight behind the initiative and deliver the promised numbers.
This proposed Caretaker Government is the second ‘Joint Venture’ by the SLFP and the Joint Opposition to oust the Prime Minister. The problem, however, is that the SLFP and the Joint Opposition do not yet wield a majority in the House – which is a prerequisite to topple the UNP-led government and oust the Prime Minister. Alternatively, they need the support of the JVP and at least a group of 10 UNP Parliamentarians bold enough to defect from the party and align themselves with the SLFP-JO coalition
The sharp political differences between the two groups make it unrealistic to expect the JVP’s support for a Caretaker Government, and apart from Athuraliye Rathana Thera, a national list Parliamentarian, none of the UNP MPs seem ready to break away from the party and declare war on their leader, the Prime Minister. Even those who took swipes at the Prime Minister before the no-confidence motion was introduced, meekly supported him at the final vote, leaving the originators and the supporters of the initiative in the lurch.
