We do not fantasise ruling forever

First year of the Sirisena Presidency:

By Lakshman Gunasekara

At the end of his first year in office, President Maithripala Sirisena is more forward looking rather than reflective as he was interviewed jointly by the Sunday Observer and her sister paper, The Silumina, last week.

Sandwiched between a presentation of a book by a group of his citizens and a meeting with two members of the Sangha, the interview was not only short but also couldn’t catch the Executive Head of State in a reflective mood.

His focus was almost entirely on the coming twelve months for a government, which he constitutionally heads but jointly leads in political partnership with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. ‘Transformation’ is his word for this joint mission.

His slight, white-clad, figure is not so much dwarfed by the ornate grandeur of his office at the Presidential Secretariat as casting its own sobering touch to the baroque ambience. President Sirisena is acutely aware of the uniquely collaborative nature of the current governing coalition which combines the two traditionally rival major political parties, the SLFP and UNP. When he argues his case, it is less as a Head of State and more as a national leader in a joint movement with other national leaders to accomplish a historic mission of fundamental societal significance.

His constant predication of an ‘us’ in his politically inclusive description of his role as Head of State explicitly affirmed the sharing of power between major political forces and the missionary nature of the regime as opposed to managerial one. And his inclusiveness – refreshingly - also showed in his appreciation of the ethnically plural nature of the nation he heads. That was how he argued the case for inter-ethnic solidarity as being the essential foundation of Sri Lankan nationhood. This he did when describing the political failure of the previous regime in the course of militarily defeating the ethnic secessionist insurgency.

Excerpts:

Q: How do you see the past year, your first in office as President?

A. The past year has been one of only the beginning of our political mission to rescue the whole State system from the near-collapse situation it was being led in to.

As a government of national unity the two main national parties have come together to meet the national need to deal with this crisis of governmental failure by the previous regime.

The job we took on is multi-dimensional. Not only have we to repair the immense damage to the State system – the administration, judiciary, economic management – but we also have to repair the relations between the communities that make up our national society. At the same time we have to clean up the mess of huge corruption also perpetrated by the previous family dominated rule.

And we are taking on the biggest job of all, something that previous regimes promised but never delivered: to reform the executive presidential State system that is the underlying cause of the crisis.

Q: Do you see the past year as successful?

A. The past year has been spent in laying the foundation for all these endeavours. Firstly, we have had to learn, as collaborating political parties, to work together as political partners and not as rivals.

We learnt to share the burden of both strategising and implementation in these challenging projects of repair, redress and reform. Then, we also had to learn to sustain proper governance and economic management even as we take steps in our larger tasks of national recovery. We have succeeded in taking urgent measures to meet immediate problems of financial stability, investment in development, re-establishing more transparent government.

Thirdly, we have begun investigating the vast numbers of cases of corruption on a mass scale in which public funds and resources have been plundered.

I think that we have several successes, even as we press on in planning and implementing our bigger challenges of structural reform.

The foundations of good governance are being laid. The immediate essentials such as the institutions of public administration, law and order, the judiciary, have been attended to with the appointment, at long last, of the various public commissions and the proper functioning of the constitutional council that makes all these appointments.

We have already taken the first major step in political reform with the 19th Amendment – the executive powers of the President have been reduced. We have held a peaceful parliamentary election. The mass media have been assured of liberal operating conditions.

Q: While the previous regime was condemned for its rampant nepotism, in this early period of your own presidency there have been some allegations of nepotism…

A. The previous regime had a systematic practice of nepotism, of family rule. We deteriorated from a modern republic to a kind of rule by royalty. There is no such practice since the new regime took over. We are trying hard to reverse a trend that has been in place from top to bottom for years and, we are succeeding. We seek not just to end nepotism but to change the social and political culture from which it grew. We must have a societal transformation if the institutional reform that we have now begun is to be effective. The citizens, the bureaucracy, the politicians, the security establishment, must all behave with respect for the law and institutional processes. I am happy to note how our citizens and public servants have responded to our call for good governance. It is when all elements of a nation-state abide by the basic laws of that State that we have the stability to guarantee continuity of policies and also the protection of citizens rights.

Q: How confident are you of the prospects for national reconciliation after all these years of hostility between communities?

A. When the previous regime ended the separatist insurgency militarily, it failed to be adequately sensitive to the political and social aspects of the ethnic conflict. While everything was done on the battlefield, nothing was done in a sustained and organised manner to redress those social and cultural problems of communities that underlie the conflict. Because of this, tension between communities was on the rise again. The Tamils of the north wanted democracy restored. This we have begun. The Tamils want to live together with the Sinhalese in trust and friendship. Muslims, who have also suffered, also want to revive the friendship they enjoyed with the other communities. The relations between the Sinhalese and Muslims was also breaking down. There was disunity all around. After the fighting, it is important that social groups learn to live together in harmony on the basis of resolved issues. But that did not occur. That is one major goal of this regime and my presidency. This cannot be done in a year or even two years. It involves both political structural reform as well as social healing of loss suffered by communities. We have already started this process along several tracks in the past year and we must sustain this momentum.

Q: How far have you succeeded in ensuring a return to democracy?

A. Our government has re-established the rule of law and this is already helping people enjoy social security. Abductions, disappearances and assassinations were continuing after the war. Terror remained among the populace. Friends were scared even to chat on the phone. In the past year, we have ended the environment of fear.

With our institutional repair, the strict observance of discipline among public servants, we have laid the foundation for a civilised and humane society.

Q: Although white vans no longer operate, do we have a new phenomenon of black Defender vehicles emerging?

A. Those white vans operated with impunity all the time under the last regime. Under ours, even a single case of black Defenders is immediately being investigated and we will not hesitate to punish the wrong-doers. As you can see from the police, action already being taken, the law agencies will not discriminate between government and opposition in combating crime. Politicians will not be allowed to abuse their powers.

Q. How has inter-ethnic reconciliation progressed?

A. 62.5 lakhs of citizens voted for me last January irrespective of party and ethnic biases. We live in a multi-religious and multi-lingual society with a rich mix of cultures. This is the identity of the Sri Lankan nation. It is a rich civilisation that we have inherited and we must protect this civilisation.

We are doing everything that we can in redressing the issues of the minorities.

Q: Do you have the political strength to achieve this?

A. Some of our opponents are portraying us as politically unstable. But no previous President won the majority as I did from across the country and across communities. In Parliament, we can show a two-thirds majority when needed. This political success is a headache for our opponents.

This past year we have prevented any return to the nepotism and dictatorship of the past. Now we have to implement reform to go beyond.

Q: But are not the probes into corruption too slow? The public complains of a lack of prosecutions…

A. The corruption is vast and complex. And we must follow the rules and not break them as others did. The process of justice is slow and cannot be rushed. If we try to ‘speed’ there is the danger of accidents!

Q: What will the Constitutional reform achieve?

A. We aim for a new constitution and not merely some changes to the existing one. As head of State, I do not want to influence the process even as it begins.

By next week we will have the principle mechanism for constitution-making in place – that is, the conversion of Parliament into a Constitutional Assembly. We certainly hope to fully abolish the executive presidential system. So 2016 will be the first year of a period of transformation.

Q: But we have already tried two constitutions. Why do we need a completely new one?

A. It is precisely because the entire current constitution is faulty that we need a whole new one rather than trying to repair something that causes so much damage. We will have an elaborate and exhaustive process of consultation among the political parties, other community representative groups, citizens interest groups.

Q: While you are putting in place a specific forum for the political parties, how will you consult with civil society?

A. We will have a special mechanism and process to consult civil society. All groups will be invited to make submissions and to discuss matters.

Q: Will the proposed new constitution include arrangements to meet the needs of the minority communities?

A. The new constitution will address the needs of all communities and cultural groups. I cannot be more specific than that on such sensitive issues even before they are taken up!

Q: You will need continuing political partnership for this. How long will the national unity government last?

Our joint coalition government will work throughout its full five-year term. We do not fantasize about ruling forever. That is a myth.

Quotes:

Speeding can be dangerous

Focus on coming 12 months

Inter-ethnic solidarity foundation for nationhood