5th Column

My dear ‘aragalaya’ participants,

I thought of writing to you today, as it is exactly three years since you gathered at Galle Face for over three months and chased Gota maama away, not only from the top job but also from the country. Not surprisingly, not many remember this ‘anniversary’ and very few people talk about those events now.

It took seven and a half decades to dawn on us that the two-party system was merely a mechanism to keep an elite group of people in power, alternating with each other. Even when the two main parties changed from Blue and Green to Maroon and Light Green, we were content to silently follow them.

It was the ‘aragalaya’ that made a drastic change possible but that too was only after gas, fuel and electricity became scarce everywhere. That brought the so-called ‘middle class’ in Colombo to the streets. Then, everyone joined the protests for three months. That is what led to this silent ‘revolution’.

If Gota maama, Basil, PB or Cabraal realised this early, they wouldn’t have let foreign reserves dwindle so much. Then, we would have enough dollars to buy gas and fuel and keep the power on and the two-party system could still be thriving today and the ‘maalimaawa’ would still be three percent!

The claim that the ‘aragalaya’ had no well-defined political leadership had its pluses and minuses. Poor Sajith rushed to Galle Face during the uprising only to be booed and chased away. Anura sahodaraya also visited. He was allowed to stay for a while. Perhaps that was a sign of things to come.

With the ‘aragalaya’ not having an identified leader, no one knew what would happen next when it ended. As a result, the biggest winner was undoubtedly Uncle Ranil. The person who was destined to never win an election for the top job was handed that title through only a vote in Parliament.

That was ironical because if anyone had asked all you ‘aragalaya’ participants whether your ultimate goal was to make Uncle Ranil President, you would have screamed ‘no’. However, at the very least it prevented a crisis such as what happened in Bangladesh when Sheikh Hasina also had to flee.

Three years later, perhaps it is time to ask yourselves whether you have achieved what you wanted from the ‘aragalaya’. Whether you like it or not, it is fair to say that it was the momentum of the ‘aragalaya’ that thrust the ‘maalimaawa’ chaps into power and Anura sahodaraya into the hot seat.

It could be argued that it is too early to judge the ‘maalimaawa’ chaps because they have been in charge for less than a year. Even so, it is time to reflect on the changes over the past nine months. Often, coming events cast their shadows early and hint at what might come later.

The economy, which Uncle Ranil put back on track, is still on the same track. If Uncle Ranil deserves credit for what he did, so does Anura sahodaraya because he has blatantly disregarded almost every campaign promise he made regarding dealing with the IMF and stuck to Uncle Ranil’s plan until now.

I suppose part of your struggle three years ago was against corruption. Most of you believed that this was part of the reason why we ended up bankrupt. After months of slow progress, we are seeing some results now. A few are behind bars. Others, we are made to believe, will soon join them.

For the first time, an Inspector General of Police is being investigated and the top people who were in charge of the Prisons, Immigration and Motor Traffic have been detained. There is a growing sense that we are all becoming equal before the law–although some still seem immune from justice.

These are events which we never expected. Only a ‘maalimaawa’ government made it possible but Harshana was silly to say that out loud as Justice Minister because that can be interpreted differently. Of course, in the Cabinet, apart from a select few, there is close race to become the biggest joker!

The promises that were made about finding the masterminds behind the Easter attack and punishing them are still just promises. Anura sahodaraya keeps telling us–and the Cardinal–that justice for the victims is imminent. We know it cannot be rushed but, after so many promises, some are sceptical.

We hear nothing about some of the promises made during the ‘maalimaawa’ campaign. The top job will be abolished through a new Constitution and the Prevention of Terrorism and Online Safety laws would be repealed, we were told. In this and many other aspects, it has been ‘No Action, Talk Only’.

Worryingly, those who fled during the ‘aragalaya’ are emerging from hiding. They were reluctant at first but are making familiar noises now. The reason for that is, after the ‘aragalaya’ we may have got the government we deserve, but we have also ended with an opposition we don’t deserve!

Yours truly,

Punchi Putha

PS – Those who resent the ‘maalimaawa’ claim it is only a matter of months before everything collapses and they return to take control. On the other hand, some ‘maalimaawa’ chaps think they will never let go of what they won after seven decades. The truth, I daresay, is somewhere in between!