Elite politics and dissent in Sri Lanka Harini Amarasuriya Vol. 4, No. 1, pp. 1–22 | ISSN 2050-487X | www.southasianist.ed.ac.uk www.southasianist.ed.ac.uk | ISSN 2050-487X | pg. 1 Vol. 4, No. 1, pp. 1–22 Elite politics and dissent in Sri Lanka Harini Amarasuriya Open University of Sri Lanka, [email protected] 2015 has been a dramatic year in politics in Sri Lanka. A Presidential as well as General Election within the first 8 months of the year and the country saw a new President as well as a new government come into power. The new political order was brought into power on a wave of mobilisation from a range of civil society groups and actors reminiscent of the political transformation that took place in 1994. Then too, a government that had been in power for 17 years, who had overseen the violent suppression of an insurrection in the South was defeated by a relative new comer into politics. This paper attempts to examine the changes that have taken place in 2015 in relation to certain established facts about Sri Lanka’s political system, particularly the dominance and endurance of the elite. It argues that the focus on elite politics as well as the violence resistance against the state by groups such as the LTTE and the JVP has resulted in the lack of attention paid to the endurance of certain democratic impulses in Sri Lankan society. This is examined in relation to the dissent and resistance displayed by smaller groups that played a crucial role in the political transformations both in 1994 as well as in 2015. www.southasianist.ed.ac.uk | ISSN 2050-487X | pg. 2 Introduction going to be blocked by a largely hostile n On the 8th of January 2015 the parliament. In a further mind boggling turn unthinkable happened in Sri of events, defeated President, Mahinda OLanka: President Mahinda Rajapakse contested the general elections Rajapaksa, who had called for Presidential for a parliamentary position from the 1 elections, two years ahead of time, and district of Kurunegla . The general who seemed set to be in power for a election by default became almost another considerable period (he had earlier contest between the old order and the new, removed the two term limit on the except that this time, the coalition that had President) was narrowly defeated by a brought Sirisena to power was more or relative outsider, Maithripala Sirisena who less contesting separately along party lines emerged as the Opposition’s Common at the General Election. The Ranil Candidate. Ironically, Maithripala Sirisena Wickramasinghe led alliance, the was the General Secretary of Rajapakse’s somewhat grandiloquently named United own party, the Sri Lanka Freedom Party National Front for Good Governance (SLFP) and the Minister of Health, when (UNFGG), won the General Election on th he announced his intentions to campaign the 18 of August. The Sri Lanka Freedom against Mahinda Rajapaksa. In what was Party (SLFP) led United People’s Freedom regarded as a major coup, opposition Alliance (UPFA), of which President groups had managed to secretly negotiate Sirisena was the Leader, emerged with the nd with Sirisena and persuade him to stand as 2 highest number of parliamentary seats. the Common Candidate. Campaigning on Although Sirisena had declared that he a platform of ‘change’, ‘good governance’ would stay out of the election campaign, a and reforms to the Presidential system, few days before the election, he delivered Maithripala Sirisena managed to hold the a scathing attack on Mahinda Rajapakse in campaign together and emerge triumphant an address to the nation. In his speech, he against an extremely formidable opponent. more or less appealed to the electorate to Then, if this wasn’t enough for one year, support the forces that had brought him to President Sirisena dissolved parliament on power, which the UNFGG gleefully the 26th of June, just about 6 months after interpreted as a show of support for their being elected and called for general campaign. In an attempt to gain control of elections on the 18th of August 2015. the SLFP and the UPFA (of which the President Sirisena had appointed former SLFP was the main party and which had Leader of the Opposition and United been in power since 1994) which had by National Party (UNP) leader, Ranil now split along Sirisena and Rajapakse Wickramasinghe as Prime Minister soon factions, the President also sacked the after he won the Presidential Elections. 1 The traditional constituency of the Rajapakse But Prime Minister Wickramasinghe was family is Beliatta in the Hambantota District in the leading a minority government and it Southern Province. However, since Mahinda Rajapakse’s elder brother, Chamal as well as his became increasingly clear that the son Namal were contesting from the Hambantota promised changes of the ‘new order’ were District, the former President opted to field his candidacy from a different district. www.southasianist.ed.ac.uk | ISSN 2050-487X | pg. 3 General Secretaries of both the SLFP and removed from the everyday concerns of the UPFA who were largely perceived to the electorate. Ranil Wickramasinghe be sympathetic to the former President and hadn’t won an election in years: how was appointed his loyalists to those positions. he going to hold this group together and The new General Secretary of the SLFP, win an election? Sceptics declared that Duminda Dissanayake, who was a strong such campaign slogans would be hard supporter of President Sirisena, entered pressed to capture the imagination of the into an agreement with the UNP to form a public against the Sinhala nationalist national government for two years. agenda whipped up by the Rajapakse Consequently, the Tamil National Alliance regime or to withstand the powerful aura (TNA), which had won 16 seats in of Mahinda Rajapakse who skilfully parliament was declared as the largest presented himself as the saviour of the opposition party by the Speaker, and its nation who had brought unity to the leader, R.Sampanthan was declared the country by ending the war against the Leader of the Opposition much to the LTTE. It was conjectured that Kurunegela consternation of the Rajapakse faction in was strategically chosen for Rajapakse’s the SLFP and the UNFPA who had comeback because of its high percentage declared their own intentions of forming of military personnel and their families the main opposition group in parliament. who formed the backbone of Rajapakse’s Mahinda Rajapakse won his parliamentary Sinhala Buddhist constituency. Yet the seat from Kurunegela, but the defeat of the sceptics were proved wrong. The good UPFA at the General Elections, was seen governance and anti-corruption campaign as more or less as an affirmation by the emerged victorious not once, but twice. electorate of the changes that were True, minority communities deserted the effected on the 8th of January. Rajapakse camp almost whole sale and The events of the first 8 months of this proved to be a crucial factor in his 2015 in Sri Lanka took almost everyone election defeats, yet, the swing away from by surprise. The Mahinda Rajapakse the Rajapakse regime was evident in the Sinhala dominated areas of the country as regime had seemed invincible. The motley 2 crew of unlikely allies that came together well. to field Sirisena as a Common Candidate But signs of opposition and dissent to seemed too unwieldy and ideologically the Rajapakse regime had been evident for diverse to be able to hold themselves some time and had been increasing in his together against such a formidable 2nd term as President. The growing dissent opponent who had little compunctions against the Rajapakse regime was about using every resource the powerful organised around a range of seemingly Presidency afforded him to fight his unconnected issues: protests against enemies. The message of ‘good reforms to employer benefit schemes in governance’ and ‘change’ that framed the the Free Trade Zones, fisher community rhetoric of the Common Candidate and protests against rising fuel prices, farmer subsequently the UNFGG at the General Election were seen as too esoteric and 2 See www.slelections.lk for the election results www.thesouthasianist.ed.ac.uk | ISSN 2050-487X | pg. 4 protests against regulations regarding experts debated whether the current packaging, university academics on President could seek a 3rd term and also on funding cuts to education (see Witharana, the adverse impact of the Executive this issue), university students protesting Presidency on democracy in Sri Lanka4. the privatisation of education, community One of the opposition parties, the Janatha protests against the lack of clean drinking Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), declared that water, resistance to evictions to make way any efforts by the incumbent President to for ‘development projects’ in the Colombo seek a third term would be district, lawyers protesting the unconstitutional and that they would do impeachment of the Chief Justice. their utmost to prevent President Notably, these protests were not organised Rajapakse from seeking a 3rd term5. or led by political parties. Opposition Calls to abolish the Presidential system political parties of course cashed in on had been intensifying for over a year when these protests, but this was usually after rumours of a snap Presidential election the event. The leadership to these protests started circulating, particularly, after a well came from civil society individuals and known and charismatic Buddhist monk, groups. Gradually, the exposure of the Rev Maduluwawe Sobitha, formed a massive levels of corruption, excess, abuse group, the National Movement for Social of power and family nepotism drew these Justice (NMSJ) which proposed diverse protests within the common constitutional amendments to abolish the themes of ‘good governance’, abolition of Presidential system.