‘They are all friends, brother…’
This statement of Ranjan Ramanayake is one of the most popular slogans in Sri Lanka. Talking about theft in Sri Lanka, Ranjan ends his story in a five-star hotel or in the village bazaar or in a three-wheeler saying that this story is correct.
Sri Lanka’s first election fight against theft was Chandrika’s fight against corruption and terror in 1994. In 1994 Chandrika and the Sri Lankan Freedom Party-led National Front presented a 17-year of UNP corruption list against the government ministers. Chandrika spoke on the public platform about the corruption of bread. She said that the thieves would be brought to Galle face. She said that if the corruption is stopped, the bread can be given at 3.50. She came to power after 17 years of U.N.P rule. She set up a bribery commission to investigate corruption in the government. The Bribery Commission started looking for the corruption and fraud of the former ministers of the UNP government. It didn’t take long.
Chandrika started making deals with the former ministers of UNP who were accused of corruption in the Bribery Commission. She used the corruption file of the Bribery Commission to make the parliamentary majority and get the two-thirds needed for the political package. By showing that file, she scared the powerful ex-ministers of the U.N.P. She advised them to rebel against the leader Ranil. In the end, the stalwarts of U.N.P., who were accused of corruption, rebelled against Ranil and joined Chandrika’s government to avoid going to jail.
Mahinda, the president in 2005, did the same thing. The corruption of 2002 and 2004 U.N.P. government ministers was investigated by the COPE Committee of the Parliament. He said that he had the file with him and the door of the saloon was opened after scaring the MPs.
Mahinda came to power in 2005 not to catch theft but to win the war. From 2005 to 2014, Sri Lankan politics revolved not against theft but in favour of patriotism. This situation changed for the first time in 2014. By 2014, there was a big debate in the country about the thefts of the Rajapaksa family. Srilanka Freedom party secretary Maithripala Sirisena came out of the government saying that theft cannot be tolerated.
On the presidential election day of 2015, he vowed to close the Katunayake airport and crack down on thieves. Ranil also promised that he would find the thieves and send the Rajapakse family and the ministers who favour the family to jail. 2015 Maitri became the President. Ranil became the Prime Minister. Catch thieves U.N.P. and Sri Lanka Freedom party formed a national government. A special financial crime investigation unit was established. It didn’t take long. The thieves caught Maithri and Ranil who went to catch the thieves. The two started making deals with thieves in competition. Ranil had to get the Rajapaksa to form a new party to weaken Maithrie’s SLFP. Maithrie wanted the Rajapaksas to weaken Ranil and the U.N.P. The Rajapaksas and their MPs secretly gave Maitri information and same manner gave information to Ranil. Ranil freed the thief Maitri caught and Ranil freed the thief who Maithri caught.
‘They are all friends, brother…’
Ranjan told this story after getting fed up by watching Maithri and Ranil’s thief catching. Ranjan’s story is correct. Mithril eventually kicked Ranil out of the prime ministership and made Mahinda the prime minister. Later he contested elections from the Podujana Peramuna. Ranil accepted the prime ministership and the presidency to protect the Rajapaksa.
Even if Gotabaya became president in 2019, Ranil would be jailed for bond theft and the masterminds responsible for the Easter attack would be punished. But Gota needed Ranil’s support as well as Maithri’s support to become president. Ranil’s support was needed to solve problems within the UNP and defeat Sajith by pulling Sajith’s leg. Maithri was needed to get Sri Lankan Freedom party votes. Because of this, neither Ranil nor Maithri had a hand after Gotabaya became president. The Rajapaksa family wanted Ranil to destroy Sajith. That is why Mahinda publicly said that Ranil should come to Parliament.
The biggest reason why thieves cannot be caught in Sri Lanka is that leaders who come to power make deals with thieves after coming to power to protect their power.
Sajith Premadasa formed a new party called Samagi Jana Balawegaya saying that I don’t have deal politics. During the 2022 struggle, Sajith could have made a deal with Gota and assumed the prime ministership. But Sajith said that if Gota does not transfer executive powers to the post of Prime Minister, he will not accept the post of Prime Minister. Similarly, he imposed a condition that Gotabaya should step down from the presidency within a specific time frame.
Sajith could have struck a deal with the Rajapaksa family when Ranil was the president and was condescending to the Rajapaksa family.
We are ready to beat the budget. But the opposition should take the lead and come talk to us…’
This is what Namal Rajapakse said when the budget was presented this year. This shows that even though Ranil is his arch-enemy, Sajith is not going to whitewash the Rajapaksas and make a deal with them Rajapaksas. If Ranil or Rajapaksa were where Sajith is today, they would make a deal calling the enemy their friend.
Sajith did not play the same game. When the Rajapaksas bankrupted the country, he gave the head of Samagi Jana Balavega’s Intelligence Board, Samagi Jana Balavega’s executive committee member Dr. Mahim Mendis, the courage to go to court against the Rajapaksa. Mahim Mendis was a university professor who played a major role in coordinating the successful struggle.
‘Now the Rajapaksas have fallen. Let’s save the Rajapaksas and make a deal with the Rajapaksas and finish off Ranil…’
Sajith received many such proposals. But he did not get caught up in those deals. He instructed Dr. Mahim Mendis to proceed with the case. Prominent lawyer Upul Jayasuriya encouraged the case.
After the court’s decision, he has now brought the fight to parliament. Now the battle has come to the streets.
The opposition in Sri Lanka always says that when we come to power, we will catch thieves. But for the first time in Sri Lanka’s political history, Samagi Jana Balawegaya has started punishing thieves through the courts while still in the opposition.
‘They are all friends, brother…’
Even Ranjan said this is wrong today.
‘They are not all friends, brother…’
That is how the court’s decision against bankrupting the country changes Ranjan’s story