For 30 days in Sri Lanka’s own ‘Gota go gama’, a space carved out by protesters in front of the Presidential Secretariat, Sri Lankans responded to a vision of an alternative Sri Lanka — one that was democratic, non-violent, inclusive and creative; where youth would find a special place and where fear no longer would be the governing principle. Music, theatre and traditional rituals filled the space along with political chants and slogans. People from every community sought refuge at ‘Gota go gama’ from the daily hardship of living, irrespective of class, religion, gender or ethnicity.
Aggression has seeped in
Then came May 9 and government thugs attacked and brutally destroyed that sacred space and injured so many. That spirit of violence has now seeped into the protest movement itself and is also exploited by angry people at the local level. As protesters confronted their Jacobin streak, government supporters were beaten, humiliated and the houses of government ministers burnt to the ground. Vigilantes roamed the streets while the police and security forces seemed surprisingly indifferent. Many of the private properties of the Rajapaksas were completely destroyed. On May 11, the government began to enforce the Emergency more purposely, deterring anti-government vigilantes, telling those who were rebuilding ‘Gota go Gama’ that they had to go home and that the curfew would be strictly enforced. Whether this is a temporary measure during curfew or whether this entails a more decisive role for the military remains to be seen. The situation remains tense and volatile.
Before May 9, Sri Lanka was witnessing a larger social movement in the making. It was youth-led but involved a large cross-section of the people. For over a year, young people in different spaces seemed to be organising things through social media. Sceptics dismissed their mobilisation as peripheral. No one writing in the mainstream could imagine any real threat to the Rajapaksa power and authority. Strongman authoritarianism still remained the ideology of political elites. All this changed with the novel coronavirus pandemic and the massive economic crisis accentuated by man-made folly in particular economic decisions that were taken. The remoteness and the lack of communication by the government, whose members continued with their conspicuous consumption, rankled the population. Foreign exchange shortages and a debt crisis combined to completely disrupt the lives of average citizens. Confronted by fuel and gas shortages, the lack of food availability and the spiralling cost of living, a desperate population turned to its youth to express its anger and frustration.
Youth mobilisation had several components united by anger against the Rajapaksa regime. Young social activists had been organising things over the last year for a new political culture. Inspired by the Occupy Wall Street movement, Black Lives Matter, the Arab Spring, the Indian farmers’ movement and Shaheen Bagh, they created an enclave for an alternative vision of Sri Lanka. The emphasis was on non-violence, democracy, ethnic harmony and creative expression. Large crowds and leading celebrities flocked each evening to ‘Gota go Gama’ to express their solidarity. The security forces stepped back. Fear had been broken.
These young activists were then joined by all-island student and academic unions. There was a bit of unease when this occurred, since some of the groups had a violent history, but for 30 days they joined in and extended their ful support to the peaceful protest. Trade unions, the environmental movement, professional associations, and civil society groups from women’s groups to Rotary Clubs and religious leaders of all faiths including leading Buddhist monks, also made their way to the village. Democracy, ethnic harmony, corruption and the arbitrary alienation of assets seemed to be the major themes.