The Government, Opposition and dreams of Abou Ben Adhem

Now why on earth would a political party with a 2/3rds majority in parliament, want to coalesce under the leadership of a rejected politician?

At the November 2024 elections, the NPP won a supermajority. The party secured 159 seats in the 225-member Parliament. The NPP’s victory included winning all electoral districts other than the Batticaloa district. It also won the most seats in the Jaffna District, making it the first non-Tamil political party to win that district.

The SJB led by Sajith Premadasa -- presently the largest party in the opposition -- came in a distant second winning a mere 40 seats. With only 40 seats in parliament, the SJB suddenly announced quite out of the blues on the 12th of August that its leader Premadasa, was ready to lead a new government with progressive sections of the NPP!

Now why on earth would a political party with a 2/3rds majority in parliament, want to coalesce under the leadership of a rejected politician? Did he like poet Leigh Hunt’s mythical character ‘Abou Ben Adhem’ wake up from a deep sleep dreaming an angel of the Lord had cast him as premier of this land?

Premadasa’s offer to lead a new administration also brought to mind memories of times gone by. Then President Gotabaya Rajapaksa called on Premadasa to take up the post of prime minister in the aftermath of Mahinda Rajapaksa’s resignation during the height of the ‘Aragalaya’. Premadasa rejected that offer.  When Wickremesinghe indicated his willingness  to take up the post, Premadasa made a last ditch attempt to lay claim to the vacant spot, but was too late. This time around, what makes the Leader of the Opposition think the people are looking to him to lead the country?

The NPP campaigned on an anti-corruption platform. To date, the  government has been most successful in its anti-corruption drive. Numbers of past ministers have been charged before courts of law, found guilty and now languish behind bars. A number of other ministers, including the kith and kin of past presidents are under investigation. Some others remain in remand custody, while many others are under investigation. 

Government has also brought in legislation to cut the perks of members of parliament, ministers and past presidents. These actions have found favour with the electorate. And the people are cheering the government on.

However, there are many areas where government has been unable to fulfill its promises. It could not as promised renegotiate the IMF agreement and is forced to work within its confines. A unilateral break with sections of the IMF deal could lead to a withdrawal of IMF guarantees and lead to bankrupting the country once again.

Recognising the government is caught between the devil and the deep, even trade unions do not seem to be willing to push too hard against the government’s inability to bring down the cost of living. This is best seen in trade unions withdrawing threats of strikes. The most recent being the Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) calling off its planned all-island strike a few days ago. In like manner the teachers unions and the railway unions too called off trade union action at the last minute.

However, the  government cannot afford to become complacent. The rising cost of living is driving thousands of educated people out of the country. A study conducted by Professors Wasantha Athukorala and Laksman Kumara at the University of Peradeniya reveals over  fifty percent of students who earn degrees at state universities are leaving the country with no intention of returning.

The study also reveals Govt. spends between Rs. 400,000 and Rs. 1.4 million per student annually. We cannot blame the students for leaving, as our economy is unable to fulfill the economic needs of these young people. Despite a drop in unemployment this year, wages have not kept pace with the cost of living. Another failure of the government has been its unwillingness to repeal the abhorrent PTA. Despite promises and pompous statements, the piece of legislation remains in the statute books. Today it is being used against journalists.

No lesser person than the Prime Minister herself has said over 200,000 children are dropping out of school annually. Children are often forced to drop out of school in the face of skyrocketing prices of basic food costs. The public do not expect the  government to bring down the cost of living in seven short months. But they expect their elected representatives to solve this problem sooner than later.

If this does not happen,  political discard Jhonston Fernando’s prediction on Namal Rajapaksa -- God forbid - - may come true.