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| Sunday, 31 July 2005 |
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Daunting challenges before Prime Minister by J. Vitarana
Ending procrastination, vacillation and uncertainty that prevailed for some time, the SLFP has finally decided upon its Presidential candidate. It also laid to rest wild speculations and provocative insinuations of the Opposition with regard to the issue. It has also exposed the hollowness of theories spun by media pundits on a possible split in the SLFP. By unanimously choosing the Prime Minister as its Presidential candidate and Minister Anura Badaranaike as its Prime Ministerial nominee, the SLFP has been able to reinforce inner party unity and cohesion of its ranks. This decision will also contribute towards a better galvanising of support for the Party by raising the morale, enthusiasm and commitment of party members. Like any other healthy living organism the SLFP too was not devoid of contradictions. Actually, contradiction is the essence of life. What is important is not to avoid contradictions but to solve them amicably without making them antagonistic. Thus the SLFP has shown maturity in judgment and democracy in action. There is no doubt that the decision made by the SLFP would receive universal acclaim among the supporters of the UPFA. This is not to deny an approving nod from even those outside the confines of the UPFA. In many ways the Prime Minister is suited to carry on the mantle of the SLFP leadership in the highest echelons of power. It would be interesting to recall here that it was D.A Rajapakse, the father of the PM who followed S.W.R.D Bandaranaike, the father of the present President in breaking ranks with the UNP and forming the Sri Lanka Freedom Party. Thus the PM could be regarded as a true representative of the second generation of SLFP leaders who best uphold the traditions of its founding fathers. One distinct trait of the PM has been his unswerving loyalty to the party. Throughout his political career he stood by the party when even stalwarts deserted it for varied reasons. He bore in silence every humiliation and ignominy that befell him and today he has proved that patience and perseverance pays in the end. Actually it's a sign of maturity. By choosing the PM as its Presidential candidate the SLFP has proved that it is a party of the common man and not one of an elitist group or in common man's parlance a walau parampara as some allege. While political commentators may draw a parallel between the ascendancy of Ranasinghe Premadasa in the UNP with that of Mahinda Rajapakse in the SLFP the two personalities cannot be compared as they represent two ideologies and two basic policies. While Premadasa with all his common origins served the elite Mahinda has chosen progressive politics as his forte. Mahinda Rajapakse is seeking to take charge of the helm of state affairs when the country is facing a critical turning point in its contemporary history. The fratricidal war that bled the country had produced a stalemate that found expression in the form of a Ceasefire Agreement between the belligerents. The ceasefire is being threatened increasingly and an indefinite extension of the no-war no peace status quo seems viable. This makes it an urgent necessity to find an honourable permanent peace through negotiations. This is the biggest challenge any aspirant to the office of the Executive President would find today. To do so in a climate of escalating ethnic tension between communities and in which religious intolerance is also raising its head is a Herculean task requiring astute diplomacy and able statecraft. This would entail the task of winning the confidence and goodwill of all ethnic communities inhabiting the island. In the context of a competitive election campaign this requires extreme restraint not to antagonise various communities or not to allow your fellow travellers to indulge in chauvinistic rhetoric. There is also the equally challenging task of charting a path of development that is in keeping with the aspirations expressed by the people in the last General Elections. To be more precise a new economic policy that is pro-poor is needed in place of the hitherto followed policies based on the Washington Consensus formulae, which have proved disastrous in many of the Third World countries. There is also the urgent need to prevent the continuation of the lop-sided Colombo-centric development that has given rise to extremes of poverty in the peripheries. More equitable deployment of resources and investment as well as accelerated programs of development for the less advantageous communities and regions should receive priority attention in all development plans. In the sphere of foreign relations Sri Lanka will have to charter more independent policies in close alliance with other developing nations while recognising regional and global geo-political realities. |
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