One way of addressing the current crisis is to try tamping down the hysteria that revolves around the issues of the day. The issues are no doubt of a serious nature, and the shortage of medicines for instance is particularly disturbing.
But, for a country that has been bailed out some sixteen times by the IMF, the latest request for a facility ought not to be something to go into hysterics over.
The new team has universal approval, particularly from the Opposition and the civil society types. So, there could be no quarrel over that.
This writer has not seen a single adverse comment over the appointment of Indrajith Coomaraswamy as one of the team of advisors on economic policy. On the other hand, there has been a great deal of praise, and the fact is that he was picked as a professional. Ditto, with regard to the appointment of Nandalal Weerasinghe as CBSL Governor.
If there is bipartisan support for the new appointments, there would hopefully be at the very least some sort of consensus within the political Establishment. Now, there may be those operating outside of that community of establishment politicians that do not see these appointments as being of any help. They are after all, free to continue with their peaceful protests.
That would be fine — to some extent the protests themselves would have contributed to the appointment of this new team that has bipartisan support among the politicians within the ‘system.’
Collaborates
The establishment types may not want to arrive at any consensus within the precincts of Parliament. The reasons are multifarious. On the one hand the political Opposition probably does not want to hold this hot potato — a State that’s in peril due to various circumstances, which now has to find a way out of the quagmire.
The Opposition does not want to take over an administration which would be in charge of affairs of a nation that is still not out of the woods. They feel failure is still a possible outcome, and when it happens they do not want to be the ones at the helm to be tainted by that failure.
There are a couple of problems with this position.
There is a failure already that all parties to this crisis have tacitly or otherwise acknowledged by now, and when the entire Cabinet called it quits, obviously there was an acknowledgment that only a course correction would remedy the situation.
As such, any Opposition that collaborates in some way with the Government would not be judged on their failure because there was ‘systemic’ failure already writ large. Also, the Opposition is refusing to cooperate in Parliament on the basis of the Government’s intransigence.
They say the refusal of the President to step down is a reason they cannot cooperate. If they are genuine in that stand, it explains why they are not joining any initiative by the Government but are supporting the efforts being made by applauding, through their proxies at least, the appointments of Coomaraswamy and Weerasinghe.
Hesitation
Apparently, Coomaraswamy has expressed his delight that Sabry finally consented to take on the Finance portfolio. A personal message had been conveyed to Sabry to that effect, it is learnt. The net effect of all this is that the system is in self-preservation mode, even though there is no outward sign of it.
The system had better be in self-preservation mode, because all actors within that system — regime and Opposition and those in-between — would not be able to sidestep this issue and not risk the wrath of the public. The public may be in protest mood, or at least sections of it.
It does not mean however, that any of them do not expect those in charge to abdicate their responsibility.
To that extent at least, the protests are part tantrum and part uprising. The tantrum is for the regime and the legitimate political players within Parliament to take note and bring us back from the brink.
Those responsible who are not shirking that task at the moment such as Coomaraswamy and Weerasinghe and others are owned an eternal debt of gratitude. Sabry was from within the ‘system’ but the fact that he stepped up to the plate, though after some hesitation, is viewed by and large as some consolation.
Those outside the system and in protest mode would not acknowledge any of this because they are trying to achieve a different end — ‘systemic’ change. They are already asking how that could be done with a creature of the system in tow, Sabry. But they too are not saying anything about either Weerasinghe or Coomaraswamy or any of those appointments.
It shows that despite everything, they do not want things to fall apart now that they have decided the system has failed and they have to replace it. So there is so much hope that’s reposed in the success of the current initiatives.
At least in theory the position of the Opposition that they would not be able to work with somebody they refer to as an ‘intransigent President’ does not hold water.
They could have given the people a ball by ball commentary of future developments and if the President walked all over their initiatives, they could have informed the public exactly at that time he does so, and walked away from the partnership.
But they preferred to take the position that they do not even want to try— because they already ‘know’ the President is intransigent. It could be because they feel power is within their grasp, and they don’t want to endanger that possibility.
But also, they may be scared it would all go pear shaped, and they would have ownership of the ensuing failure.
On the one hand, it does not bode well for credence of the system especially when it concerns those protestors for instance. If various ambitious folk in the Opposition ranks wanted to prove themselves, this would have been the ideal opportunity.
Kudos
Putative supermen such as Harsha could have indeed proved they are super-men they claim to be. If they could have pulled us back from the brink it would have stayed with them — the kudos they would earn doing that job. Instead, now they have allowed non-political actors and others such as Sabry a stab at earning that kudos.
Coomaraswamy and Weerasinghe we are sure, do not want any of the kudos. But the people would look up to them the way they look up to the troops that prevailed in the war effort.
The next few days would be critical, but as things are, the establishment counter-revolution is not faring too badly. If you are on the side of the revolutionaries, this is a reality that you’d have to face up to.
The protests may continue no matter what the outcome of the new team’s efforts are. Also there is still no certainty that the new team could indeed change things substantially. But there is a clear intent, and the people are more than all, awaiting a resolution.
The shape of the revolution, they would be able to decide after that, but there are no signs that a revolution would take place before the resolution of the immediate crisis.
The revolutionaries apparently want an interim arrangement for six months with a single parliamentarian of their choice at the helm. So far Sabry and Co. have managed to stave off that demand.
Perhaps Weerasinghe, Coomaraswamy and Co. believe there should be a country first, to stage a revolution in.
Perhaps the results of their labours would all come in stages. It could also all come apart in stages. But certain people have put their shoulders to the wheel, and that message is the most significant take away from the developments of last week.
Weerasinghe has already got to work. The policy interest rates have gone up significantly. Those camping folk out there at Galle Face may not be aware of all this. But they would certainly have to contend with a stubborn regime activated counter-revolution that’s not a PR campaign, but is dogged work to get the wheels of the system back on track.