Elections, hypocrisy, tall tales and trails of broken promises

The electorate is faced with what looks like a Hobson’s Choice. Our president, prior to presidential elections, promised to renegotiate the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Extended Fund Facility. He claimed the deal unfairly targeted poorer sections of the community, and promised to immediately rescind the unfair burdens if voted into power

On 6 May (yesterday), fellow citizens of this emerald isle of ours wended their way to polling stations in villages and towns of our country. We all went to cast that all-important vote of ours to elect persons who would rule our local bodies, ranging from town councils to municipalities. As happened during our presidential election and at the parliamentary elections, most of us would perhaps have voted for the ‘Malimava’.

It’s not that you and I believe comrade Dissanayake and his merry men and women from the NPP (National People’s Power) group will be true to their word. Of course, we do not believe the NPP will bring down the cost of living in the aftermath of the ruination the Rajapaksa family left this country in.

We do believe the NPP will once again win a majority of the local bodies which are up for grabs. But this time around, the numbers will probably be less than those which they gained at the parliamentary election. With the old left and other discredited political outfits having let the electorate down so badly, giving them another chance to let ‘us the people’ down once again does not seem likely. 
The electorate is faced with what looks like a Hobson’s Choice. Our president, prior to presidential elections, promised to renegotiate the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Extended Fund Facility. He claimed the deal unfairly targeted poorer sections of the community, and promised to immediately rescind the unfair burdens if voted into power. 

Comrade Dissanayake, according to officials who attended the meeting, was shut down within minutes of attempting to raise objections. The poor man with his tail between his legs, so-to-say, has gone on bended knee and promised to raise electricity tariff rates within the next month or so.
While in Opposition, Dissanayake and his band of NPP politicians promised to immediately scrap the draconian Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA)—under which thousands of JVPers were tortured and killed—immediately after coming to power. Among those killed under that notorious piece of legislation were the founding father of the JVP, Wijeweera and his deputy, Gamanayake. 

Having deceived the masses (from Point Pedro to Hambantota, and Colombo to Trincomalee) our beloved president just used the self-same PTA to arrest an activist pasting an anti-Israel sticker at a Colombo shopping mall. At the same time, buses running on particular routes are emblazoned with giant stickers of Israeli flags.

Mamma Mia! Has hypocrisy no bounds? Just over seven months ago, the president’s JVP was leading local and international rallies against Israeli genocide in Palestine!!! 

The ‘Tamil Guardian’ reported the release of a series of Tamil-language campaign songs for the upcoming local government elections, closely associated with Tamil nationalism and the LTTE. The songs are linked to a particular national political party. The JVP distanced itself from the campaign... Strangely, no CID inquiry has been initiated regarding the use of separatist sentiments. 

Our president may have been too young to remember, but India’s late premier Indira Gandhi once encouraged Sikh separatist leader Bhindranwale in order to split Sikh votes. It led to a bloody conflict, the suppression of Indian Sikh separatists and the assassination of Ms. Gandhi by the separatists. Internationally, Sikh separatism continues to this day, much to India’s chagrin. 

President Dissanayake needs to be more mindful of those attempting to raise the flag of separatism to gain a mess of pottage or a handful of votes. Closer home, President Dissanayake in his May Day address at Galle Face Green warned trade union movements not to demand wage increases. At today’s wage levels, according to UNICEF, ‘2.3 million children in our country don’t have enough to eat. Families wake up every day to increased food prices, struggling to provide for their children’.

The president, however, says that he and his band of cabinet ministers and parliamentarians are making sacrifices. We do hope that during his pleasant trip to Vietnam, the government provides him and his entourage with at least two square meals a day.

As mentioned earlier, the president may win more local government bodies. But let it not be at the expense of national unity.