July 9, 2022, and July 8, 2024, are two unforgettable days for Sri Lanka. On July 9, 2022, the public surrounded the President’s Secretariat and ousted President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa. On July 8, 2024, the Supreme Court ruled that Ranil Wickramasinghe’s term would last five years.
On July 9, 2022, the people demanded Gota to step down. On July 8, 2024, the Supreme Court directed Ranil to hold elections. It was a remarkable month, featuring two significant days and two monumental decisions.
A former leftist leader remarked on July as an incredible month in Sri Lanka’s history. It’s not just because of Black July. In July 1960, the world witnessed its first female prime minister elected after the general election. The transformative 1977 general election, which handed an unprecedented mandate, also occurred in July. Black July, marking a turning point in JR’s tenure, unfolded in July 1983. In July 1987, the signing of the Indo-Lanka Accord signalled JR’s era’s conclusion. Seventeen years later, in July 1994, Chandrika emerged as the prime ministerial candidate of the SLFP-led PDP, securing victory over the UNP, although the election took place in August. In July 2001, the LTTE’s attack on Katunayake Airport in Colombo marked a critical juncture towards the end of Chandrika’s presidency. In 2022, July saw the departure of Gota and the ascension of Ranil as president.
JR became the prime minister in July with a five-sixth majority. In JR’s biography, describes the destructive Black July that happened in July 1983. The Indo-Lanka Treaty was signed in July 1987. Ranil became an MP for the first time in July and became the President in July 2022. In July 1988, JR decided not to contest the presidential election again by changing the constitution. In July 2024, the Supreme Court decides that Ranil cannot extend his presidency for another year.
Ranil thought of running for a presidential election initially when he assumed office, but later he hesitated about it. This is because when neither the Samagi Jana Balavega agreed to his candidacy nor his attempt to mislead the Samagi Jana Balavega was foiled he could not take them under his control. He tried to break the Podujana Peramuna after that, but it was also unsuccessful. Since then he has been looking to extend his time. He tries to show obtaining the IMF premium as a victory, reducing the value of the dollar as a victory, restructuring the debt and showing it as a victory, not to contest the presidential election but to extend the term of office of the president.
But those around him theU.N.P leaders and ministers think that he is getting ready to contest the presidential election. But the reality is that he is preparing to create an opinion among the public to extend the time and influence the court through that opinion. He experimented with this in the LG poll. After taking the first IMF instalment, he told the court through the secretary of the Ministry of Finance that he did not have the money to hold an LG vote, and if there was an LG vote, the IMF program would be disrupted. Even though the court ordered to hold the vote, the finance ministry secretary insulted the court by stating that there is no money to hold the vote, but the courts did not decide in haste to decide the cases filed by the opposition. Ranil thought to adopt the same strategy that worked to postpone the LG vote could be used to postpone the presidential election. Ranil played this game thinking that the ‘aragalaya’ was over now. Ranil thought that he could rule the country the same way he ruled the UNP.
He thinks that the Constitution of the country and the U.N.P constitutions are both one. The Working Committee of UNP and the ruling party in the Parliament of Sri Lanka are not two but one.
During the past 30 years since Ranil became U.N.P leader, the party constitution was changed, to creep through the holes of the constitution to protect his party leadership. Although he appointed the working committee, he appointed members who raised their hands when the constitution was being amended and he sneaked through the holes of the constitution.
A constitution of a country is not the Constitution of U.N.P. Members of the ruling party are not the U.N.P. working committee members. The masses are not U.N.P members. Every time he came to power from 1994 to 2022, he showed the country that he was ready to give up power at any moment. In 1994, when Gamini Dissanayake was to form a government with Muslim Congress leader Ashroff, he sabotaged it and left the post of Prime Minister, paving the path for Chandrika to become Prime Minister.
When Chandrika took over the ministries of his government in 2003, he could have impeached her and prevented her from dissolving parliament, but he accepted Chandrika’s decision and went public. When Maithripala dismissed him as Prime Minister in 2018, he gave the ‘Temple Trees’ to Mahinda and packed his things to go home. He changed his mind at the insistence of the UNP leaders. Because of this, he was known as a great liberal democrat. But he never gave up U.N.P leadership despite rebellion after rebellion. The reason may be he thought he could become the president one day if he held on to UNP leadership. He became the president as expected. But he is now a leader who is trying to stay in the presidency for better or for worse.
As the saying goes the white of a ‘koka’ is visible when it flies, the real character of Ranil came out after he became the President…?’
That’s true. Ranil became the prime minister and took power. But he becomes president and wields power. Not only Ranil, but everyone who goes to the presidential chair is like that.
Even if I sit in the president’s chair, I also get into that madness…’ Once Lalith Athulathmudali said to Mahanayake Thero.
1977 When JR contested, a slogan used by N.M. and Colvins against JR was
Don’t give it to dictator JR. If you give it, you can’t take it back…’
This is the slogan of people of the calibre of N.M. and Colvin. What they said is true. JR did not give it back but JR had to give. If Uncle who was elected by the people’s vote, had to leave, what about Ranil, who was elected by the Rajapaksa’s?
