For better for worse, whose decision was worse

In our history we have innumerable instances of politicians making pre-election promises which they have never kept after coming into power. Perhaps they never intended to keep those promises or were forced into the realisation that implementation of the same would be detrimental to the good of the country.

In the run-up to the 1956 general election, Bandaranaike, the leader of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, (the SLFP), promised to make Sinhala the national language of the country within a period of 24 hours of coming into power. The slogan roused communalism in the country. The race hatred preached by Bandaranaike’s followers led to an equally racist counter campaign by the Tamil politicians.  

The United National Party (UNP), the then ruling party followed the lead of Bandaranaike and his followers. They too campaigned along similar racist lines. The racist forces unleashed by that campaign and the Tamil political parties counter-campaign effectively divided ordinary Lankans along communal lines.

A majority of people began looking at themselves not as Lankans, but as Sinhalese, Tamils or Muslims.

After his victory at the general election of 1956, Bandaranaike kept his word and put into motion the mechanism to implement his short sighted ‘Sinhala only’ policy. By 1958, race hatred reached boiling point and erupted into island wide race riots. Thousands of Tamils died, their homes and businesses were looted and burned. The country was divided on racial and religious lines. 

The imposition of Bandaranaike’s Sinhala only policy ultimately led to the 30-year civil war which was brought to a bloody end on the banks of the Nanthikadal lagoon. It is estimated that around 70,000 people died as a result of Bandaranaike’s decision. 

Since the aftermath of the war, none of the major national political parties made efforts to find a solution to the injustices the Tamil and other minority communities continue to face. 

The regional political parties among the Tamil and Muslim communities, besides recriminating past grievances, injustices and abuses offered no practical solutions of their own to the vexing problems faced by minority communities.

At the 2024 presidential and parliamentary election the JVP-led National Peoples Power (NPP) pledged to renegotiate the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Extended Fund Facility agreement. The NPP claimed the agreement laid unfair burdens on the poorer sections of the community. 

It promised to lower prices of goods and facilities. The president and his party also pledged to tackle the problems faced by minority communities, eradicate corruption and bring an end to endemic corruption in the country.

The NPP presidential candidate won the presidential election and the NPP won with a 2/3rd majority at the parliamentary election in 2024. However the NPP has neither renegotiated the IMF nor has it brought down the cost of living.  

Is the NPP simply following the footsteps of past Sri Lankan politicians? Making promises simply to gain votes and forgetting them once elected? The reality faced by the NPP government has been that in the event of withdrawing or attempting to renegotiate the IMF agreement a ‘sword of Damocles’ hangs over its head. 

If government withdraws from the IMF agreement, it faces the danger of a loss of access to future funding. A withdrawal jeopardises its debt restructuring efforts and collapses the credibility the government has rebuilt with international markets. In turn it could lead to a reversal of the economic recovery. We may see a resurgence of high inflation, renewed financial instability which would undermine measures that have helped control prices and increase reserves. 

It is on this basis ‘we the people’ have to judge the NPP.Today the government owes the country an explanation for not honouring its election pledges.  It needs to admit, it either used slogans to gain votes or in child-like fashion did not realise international agreements once signed, cannot be broken unilaterally without consequences. 

While welcoming the government’s ability to change direction when the seriousness of a situation demands, the government needs to apologise to the public for misleading it in critical situations. Or Else, this government will also be judged as being no different to corrupt governments of the past.

People may also believe Opposition accusations regarding the release of a number of containers from customs custody without checking are true.

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