In Sri Lanka today people are concerned who precisely who will be in control the administration Ranil led Green alliance or a Rajapaksa led Blue alliance to rule the country after 2020 General Elections, remembering the attempts by the later to arrogate the position held by the former as Prime Minister a few months ago on October 26, 2018. It is true that the achievements of Green administration committed to fix the several problems created during Blue administration, especially since the conclusion of the conflict in May 2009 has disappointed many Sri Lankans. Yet those who caused the trouble paralyzing the country sending the economy into free fall have no authority to even to criticize and cannot be allowed to continue with their attempts to sabotage the difficult journey towards reconciliation. But they failed miserably in the face of determined resistance from citizens and independent institutions including judiciary. Sri Lankans must know that their future lies on achieving sustainable peace, non-recurrence of conflict, strengthening the rule of law and that the economic prosperity of the nation depends in truth and not in fear.
Earlier, the Blue administration from 2009 to 2014 could have allowed the minorities to have fair justice during those negative peace years by allowing courts to do their job to ensure an impartial investigation, protect the witnesses, etc. Instead political authorities took a political decision to banish law and installed impunity to result in an environment where the families of the victims faced harassment and threats. Then with the intervention of friendly nations in 2015 came the Green administration to end impunity and with a promise to bring justice; only to send mixed signals and the mistrust people had on the rulers continues as crimes are still committed and justice remains undone.
Only a holistic rule with same Law and Order applicable to all can bring justice and people have no hopes of getting it from either administration that have shared the rule from 2009 to 2019 with all people ending up having negative peace. Almost a decade after the war, defence continues to claim the largest chunk of government expenditure for the year of 2019, almost twice the allocation for health and quadruple that allocated for education. Whereas country needs the much promised reconciliation and reconstruction with a workable political solution; only then people will have lower living costs and higher living standards. Thus spending more on defence makes a mockery of promised good governance, a path which will eventually veer away from democracy and back to the autocratic past, with the freely given consent of a majority of her people.
Most Sri Lankans are facing a dilemma, for they have to vote either the Blue Alliance or the Green Alliance at the General Elections due in 2020. For the minorities in particular those in the war ravaged North-East, even though the war was brought to finish a decade ago, they are not enjoying peace and as the Tamil Proverb “Ravana or Rama – Does it really matter who rule?” for it makes no difference to them if it is Blue or Green that win the 2020 General Election. Possible to change this stalemate if both agree to provide a holistic rule in a united country fit for all communities living in the island nation.
Northern Breeze 