The people of Sri Lanka have voted for change in the ninth presidential election with their nod to Anura Kumara Dissanayake of the National People’s Power (NPP). Even though Mr. Dissanayake, also the chief of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), had to go through a second round of counting — a first since the introduction of the system of executive presidency in 1978 — the spirit of the mandate is for a change and a perceptible shift away from the established, traditional parties and groups that dominated the political landscape. It is remarkable that the JVP, a party with Marxist origins, that is leading the NPP, has been able to get about 42% of the vote share, unlike its poor showing in 2019 and 2020. And though lower than in 2015 and 2019, voter turnout was about 79.5%. Given their constraints, all the contestants conducted themselves in a way that reflected their faith in the democratic system. It is also no surprise that the purpose for which the popular uprising Aragalaya (‘struggle’ in Sinhala) took place, found resonance in the campaign and verdict.
As economic woes had triggered the uprising, all the contenders had focused on the economic factor. Mr. Dissanayake told The Hindu recently that fixing the battered economy would be among his priorities. Despite being a Leftist, the JVP leader appears receptive to welcoming private and foreign investments. His election manifesto talks of renegotiating, rather than scrapping, with the IMF the $2.9 billion bailout agreement. What Mr. Dissanayake should not overlook is that he has to adopt a consensual path while implementing his economic policies and programmes. It is also going to be challenging when it comes to the other facets of governance and how he will be able to ensure a “system change” as he has repeatedly attacked the present “corrupt political culture”. The promise to hold elections to provincial councils — a tier of government that the JVP had once opposed — must be reassuring to Tamils. In the area of foreign relations, Mr. Dissanayake, dubbed by his critics a “pro-China” leader, is expected to extend his pragmatism — he did visit India early this year. His manifesto also mentions that Sri Lanka’s territory would not be allowed “to threaten or risk the national security of any country in the region including India”. But it remains to be seen how the new President will translate into action his electoral promise of abolishing the current system of executive presidency, a matter that has refused to die down in the political discourse of the country for over 30 years. Mr. Dissanayake, who will be assuming charge under not so comfortable conditions, requires understanding and cooperation from every section of Sri Lankan society.
Published - September 23, 2024 12:10 am IST
