The old man and the sea of political sharks

The old man and the sea of political sharks

Former President Ranil Wickramasinghe being arrested before he was remanded for a brief period (Pix by Waruna Wanniarachchi) 

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Sri Lanka’s political scene is borrowing chunks from Tamil Nadu when it comes to setting the stage outside the courtroom in the case of a hero facing court proceedings. 

Former President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who stands as a suspect in a court case for the alleged misuse of public funds, has suddenly become a hero for the public. This is in real contrast to the image Wickremesinghe had in his dealings with the masses, typically from a political sense. But when you study the present political developments that are unfolding, they can leave room for unbiased individuals to think that this whole hullabaloo outside the courtroom is the work of a section of individuals for whom differentiating the right from the wrong doesn’t mean a thing. 

There was a time in this country when the public had to scream for justice in the face of tyranny, when the authorities squandered public funds, and those who wished to show dissent were silenced after either being abused mentally, or physically, or both. This is a past where the wrong deeds of the past are being dug into, and this regime supports that. President Anura Kumara Dissanayake reaffirms at this juncture that the law will be enforced equally on everyone. He also warns that those found guilty of corruption would face strict punishment.

Irresponsible YouTubers

YouTuber, leave aside the Wickremesinghe ‘story’ for a moment; time and time again, the ‘informed and educated public’ have maintained that they have had their reservations about YouTubers and the content they create. Now, a YouTuber named Sudaththa Thilakasiri is in the midst of the controversy because he had predicted Wickremesinghe’s arrest and remand before the latter was summoned to CID headquarters. The stage is set for YouTubers and social media creators to publish content sans verification and without being checked by the authorities. This is an area which must be addressed fast. 

This government must ensure that YouTubers are made to follow guidelines akin to those involved in mainstream media. An individual like former President Mahinda Rajapaksa still generates a large amount of views when clips from his speeches and appearances, made in front of the public, are video recorded and released on social media. Mahinda, after retirement, is still a hero on social media. But the Wickremesinghe saga is a ‘daily live coverage.’ Amidst the shouting and cheering, Wickremasinghe was granted bail. The former president stands staring at the law taking its course, and he is doing all that in the public eye. 

People may have a soft corner for Wickremasinghe because he steered an economy that couldn’t deliver the basic essentials for people post Aragalaya.’ On social media, we see politicians who can be best described as ‘show ponies.’ Wickremesinghe is the real ‘thing,’ but did he make a misjudgment somewhere?

Praise for Ranil

Those who are singing praises of Wickremasinghe are growing in numbers. Two notable global figures that have thrown their weight behind the agitation campaign to save Wickramasinghe are former Norwegian peacemaker Erik Solheim and Indian Congress MP Shashi Tharoor.

Sri Lanka is a funny country where politics are concerned. All along, till the present regime assumed power, those who walked ‘crooked’ made it to parliament. Now those who walk ‘straight’– or in other words play with a straight bat—have entered parliament and are the present-day lawmakers. But the majority in the political audience, still, could consist of those whose mindset sways when public sentiment feels for the underdog or the battered person. Going by what the ‘feel’ is outside the court proceedings, Wickremesinghe, like never before, is spoken about like as a hero. We remember how Chandrika Kumaratunga won the presidential elections in 1999 thanks to a sympathy vote. She suffered severe damage to one of her eyes just prior to the elections when LTTE rebels targeted her at a political rally in Colombo and triggered a bomb. 

Sri Lankans are guilty of either getting too close to or making themselves too distant from a politician. As with Wickremasinghe, we have a lawmaker, who, at least during the twilight years of his political career, sees the label of being ‘unfriendly’ falling off and winning the ‘vote’ of the public

https://www.dailymirror.lk/opinion/The-old-man-and-the-sea-of-political-sharks/172-317796