REACHING A POINT OF CULMINATION IN ‘GO GOTA GO HOME’ CAMPAIGN
Transforming an image from hero to zero
Barely two and half years back, he was a hero in the eyes of the majority of Sri Lankans. He was seen as the messiah who could bring prosperity to the nation in peril. It was a time when the previous government of good governance was at the low ebb of popularity due to alleged mishandling of the country’s economy. Rajapakses who were out of power, were counting fingers until they swung back to power as they were so much accustomed to it with an element of obvious greediness. Meanwhile, Mahinda Rajapakse (MR) was still hailed as the leader who brought the civil war to an end and this sentiment continued to echo in the hearts of people especially in rural Sri Lanka. Since MR was handicapped by the constitution to run for presidency once again, newly formed Podu Jana Peramuna was eagerly looking for a suitable candidate none other than from the Rajapakse clan because the name Rajapakse was highly marketable brand then. Meanwhile, Gotabaya Rajapakse (GR) was preoccupied with doing spade work on his own to emerge as the Presidential Candidate. GR’s strategy was different so he first formed an organisation named ‘ViyathMaga’ which name signified a gathering of professionals in many fields. This organisation spearheaded his presidential campaign systematically and organised seminars around the country to educate people in every nook and corner. On top of everything, he was an immensely popular public figure from 2005 to 2015 who held the powerful position of Defense Secretary in MR’s two regimes. People came to adore his new concepts and innovations in urban planning and development after the civil conflict was over. He indeed beautified the city of Colombo and other major cities with jogging tracks, restoring old colonial buildings and changing city facades. With his such deeds, he inflated his own image until it became a larger than life image. Now people came to understand that it was not so. Now, people are agitated and up in arms against the same candidate they brought to the political limelight two years back.
Wrong policies at wrong time and corruption at its height
True that GR’s current regime was marred by Covid-19 pandemic. Then, why are people gunning for his oust abruptly? This is a good question that warrants a sharp analysis. Sri Lanka is heavily dependent on the hospitality industry which literally fills the state coffers with dollars as being the foremost foreign exchange earner. When the pandemic hit the country, our incomes were decimated. In spite of this situation, the government went along unabated with usual expenses in the hope that the situation would become normal soon. Ever gullible and superstitious GR was ill-advised by his band of economic advisors and infamous Meni (Reverend Mother) of divine or psychic powers in Anuradhapura. It is unbelievable that a president of a country is blindly lured by these kinds of crooks although we live in the 21st century. He also made another huge blunder last year banning chemical fertiliser and pesticides although it should be carried out systematically over a specific period of time. This had a negative impact on our tea cultivations as its harvest had come down sharply affecting tea exports. This was not only confined to tea but other crops, mainly rice as well. In fact, the entirety of the agricultural sector was affected by this untimely decision. As the yields were dwindling, the prices of vegetables, fruits, cereals, beans and all other commodities started to skyrocket. Despite everything, GR and his select band of his so-called advisors went on regardless in turning out fancy jogging tracks all around the country at a staggering Rs 200 Million and other miscellaneous development projects. For the reasons best known to GR, he was optimistic that he could deliver goods on the economic front with the help of his divine Meni (Soothsayer) in Anuradhapura. In doing so, he made a fool of himself as a novice president with no knowledge of statecraft. Nevertheless, he was stubborn and headstrong not to listen to his seniors in the cabinet either. In fact, when the veteran politician and former premier Ranil Wickramasinghe forewarned of the looming dollar crisis, no one was willing to take his advice. His call to go for the IMF was conveniently ignored. Meanwhile, corruption was happening at its best in every nook and corner of the country. Corruption charges were levelled against top bureaucrats of the state mechanism but all walked scot-free at the end. Most prominently, sugar tax scandal which tantamount to the central bank bond scam of the previous regime or more, Garlic scam at Sathosa, fraud in procurement process of Covid-19 Vaccines to name a few.
Unlimited extravagance of the government
People were perturbed over these obvious corruption charges especially at a time of a national crisis. As it appears, the government seems to appease the businessmen and bureaucrats who helped them into power. The situation deteriorated gradually with the dollar crisis raising its ugly head, strangling the neck of the government in tandem. In spite of the catastrophe which was snowballing, Rajapakse family indulged in a lavish living style. Ailing MR took wings in a luxury private jet to Tirupathi Temple in South India accompanied by his offspring and their spouses. This was widely reported in the media particularly in social media platforms so it took no time to spread across. The biggest scam reported was Rajapakse family’s alleged smuggling USD 19 Billion out of the country as printed material weighing 101 Tons in Sri Lankan Airline flights to Kampala, Uganda. This was aired by a YouTube video channel operated by a gutty Sri Lankan. Further, it was reported in a multitude of web articles as well. The government has never denied it but chosen to maintain a low key of the alleged incident instead. But, the presentation in the YouTube channel was so convincing with facts and evidence that the majority of poor Sri Lankans came to believe it whether the story was true or not. Everything seemed to fall in line against Rajapaksa. MR was recently declared as the 5th most corrupt president of the world by an international newsmagazine. Meanwhile, MR’s eldest son, Namal Rajapakse was reported to have indulged in water sports while on an official visit to Maldives recently. The videos of his escapades expansively ran through the social media channels. But, NR retorted saying what is there for the Minister of Sports to do on an official visit overseas. So in Sri Lanka, the Sports Minister undertakes overseas trips as if to take part in sports activities. This nasty comment also showcases his political immaturity in depth as opined in the social media. With endless queues for diesel, petrol and Gas, skyrocketing prices of essential commodities which prices are raised each day and night, the frustration of the people grew at a lightning speed. On 5th March, the president’s private residence in Mirihana, was surrounded by the Women’s Front of SJB Party in a surprise move. This protest was led by Hirunika Premachandra (HP), young leader of fairer sex in SJB fold. Even intelligence units were unaware of such a move so that they couldn’t forewarn the president in time. However, this protest was rather peaceful as they dispersed themselves after handing over a letter to the president’s staff. But, HP, at the end of the protest declared boldly that she did carry out this on purpose to allay fear of psychosis of the people for Rajapaksa. And it did. By 31st March, anger against Rajapaksa was gathering momentum at a rapid speed and people grew bolder by now. In an unplanned move, some people gathered at Mirihana junction in darkness due to the power cut decided to stage a peaceful protest which was joined by onlookers while passing cars encouraged them by continuous honking. This protest ended on a sad note as an Army bus was set on fire by an individual to the astonishment of peaceful protestors. It was suspected to be an act of an interested party to project an image that the protest was orchestrated by extremist elements. This protest was tear-gassed and some protestors were arrested by the police. Next day, more than 300 lawyers volunteered to appear for suspects in a precedent which was not seen in the history of the judiciary. GR immediately declared a state of emergency following the 31st incident and imposed curfew on the 03rd of April as there was a rumor in the social media of a mass scale protests on that day. In spite of the curfew in force, there had been several protests all around the country at major cities demanding oust of GR. Judging by the trend, the coming week would surely be very crucial in the country’s political climate. Rajapakses can no way contain the ever intensifying protests by force in the wake of the oncoming Sinhala/ Tamil New Year. After all, it is peoples’ power that would be calling shots. This is what befell Ferdinand Marcos of Philippines in 1986. History repeats itself somewhere, maybe in Sri Lanka this time.
