Leave problems in President’s hands
Dhanapala Weerasekera
In the face of the usual misuse of democracy by critics and
opponents, President Mahinda Rajapaksa has shown all Sri Lankans and the
world that problems can be solved by correct action at the correct time
and in the correct manner in consultation with the correct people and
that he is the correct person to be entrusted with the problems of the
country.
Democracy has been abused and misinterpreted in our country since
Independence with even the most undemocratic organizations citing
democratic principles to cover actions which are contrary to the desires
of the empowering powers, the people. The President decided to use
rather than abuse his executive presidential powers in the interests of
the country and its people.
He very correctly ignored the pressures of local and international
individuals and organizations who tried to use the cover of pseudo
democracy and partisan big power mantrams under various names and labels
to achieve their ends.
Real democracy or the majority peoples desires were often blocked by
protests and demonstrations by a fractional percentage of people led by
power hungry politicians, highly exaggerated and blown up by sensation
hunting sections of the media. The people have in no uncertain terms
almost unanimously approved of his actions and continue to express their
confidence that he is their only hope for sorting out the problems
facing the country.
With his non vacillating leadership and control of Cabinet and his
officials, the hope of a better future lies in the President’s hands and
is expected to be so by the people. A study of the actions and incidents
of over 60 years of democratic leadership by 12 leaders we have had,
will show that this is the first time that a leader has used powers and
achieved results mandated by the people and approved by the people.
The people are not concerned about trivialities and unimportant
technicalities often raised by opponents but on final results and
benefits to the country.
All attempts specially by the UNP and the JVP to sideline the
President’s and Defense Secretary’s great contribution to the victories
have not only been rejected but ridiculed by the people and is now being
acknowledged locally and internationally.
The continuing confidence expressed is a mandate for the President to
continue the good work and handle the massive short term and long term
problems ahead including the financial problems caused mainly by the
global economic crisis, the cost of living also due to global factors
which the people understand and appreciate and the long term affects of
global warming and sea level rise and other environmental problems.
This real “people’s voice” mandate not only empowers the President
but also orders all the people including politicians and officials to
respect the decision of the people and leave their problems in the hands
of the President.
Those who use the “mantram” of democracy as interpreted by them to
project themselves and their interests should compare the manner in
which leaders whom they follow used democratic principles with the
manner in which President Rajapaksa used his powers. Taking the
essential interpretation of the principle of democracy as the will of
the people and mandate or empowerment by the people, a close look at the
past is interesting and enlightening.
People’s mandate
The D.S. Senanayake government was given no people’s mandate to
disenfranchise the Tamils of Indian origin nor to chop and change
language issues in Parliament.
S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike’s government had a mandate to make Sinhalese
the official language but never got a people’s mandate for a change of
his mandated policy or a pact with the Federal Party. Dudley
Senanayake’s government did not get a people’s mandate to sign a secret
pact with the Federal Party.
J.R. Jayewardene’s government did not get a people’s mandate to
appoint a commission and disenfranchise opposition leaders and to
unleash a government sponsored campaign of terror against defeated
opponents nor to introduce the open economic system.
Did he get a people’s mandate to subordinate our national integrity
by an agreement with India and invite the Indian Peace Keeping Force
into our country? What mandate did he get to give patronage to the
organized attempt at ethnic cleansing by murder arson and brutalizing
Tamils in 1983?
Ranil Wickremesinghe’s government got no people’s mandate to sign a
ceasefire agreement with the LTTE nor to subordinate the interests of
our country to the dictates of Norwegian and other foreign powers
thereby giving the LTTE an opportunity to smuggle in the massive arms
and weaponry used to murder our people and cause the death and
destruction we have seen by passing even normal customs checks.
The JVP’s citing democratic principles and policies and attempting to
criticize the President’s principles in this line is a joke fit for
cartoonists.
Thanks to some of our own leaders their murder of innocent people for
the offence of using their democratic right to attend their work places
and oppose their terrorism anti social campaigns, killing and abusing
the dead bodies of their murder victims are swept under the carpet
giving the JVP leaders and new opportunity to attempt misleading and
rousing up youth against democracy itself. Democracy in our country has
been interpreted as the right to form a government by virtue of holding
a majority in Parliament.
It had little to do with constitutions and election promises official
declarations and manifests. Once installed in power, a government can
take decisions as they please either with the support of the Government
MPs or even backed by sections of the Opposition and such decisions
could even be contrary to election promises and manifestos. People had
no say and would generally bow down to any decision. Electing a
government was like issuing a blank cheque with or without funds.
The Mahinda Chintanaya
President Mahinda Rajapaksa, is in my opinion as one who has followed
politics of this country since 1945, the first leader whether as
empowered Prime Minister or Executive President who issued a carefully
worded manifesto, fought the elections on such manifesto, and conducted
the affairs of his Government in accordance with his promises to the
people.
The Mahinda Chintanaya is not just a dead document but a live
declaration of intentions and as such it can stand up to sudden
unexpected changes in the country which require adjustments, without
violating the essence of promises made to the voters.
It is such as change in our politics that the only criticisms
levelled against it by the opposition relates to minor matters like time
frames, sudden
unforeseen events and unexpected events. Like vultures they looked
forward to set backs and changes in timings, paying no heed to the great
manner in which the President and his government could face up to such
events and meet the challenges.
This policy of the UNP has not changed and Ranil Wickremesinghe
continues his criticism of the President’s decision to defeat the LTTE
before talks on Tamil problems.
He does not still realize that the LTTE dominated Tamil opinion and
that the TNA which he still supports was not democratically
representative of the Tamil people but was only a mouthpiece of
Prabhakaran in Parliament and elsewhere and he continues his recognition
of the LTTE and pro-LTTE politicians as the representatives of all
Tamils. |