Excerpts from an exclusive interview conducted with the Legal Director to the President Attorney-at-Law Manoj Gamage who is also the President of `Lawyers for Justice’. In this wide-ranging interview, he touches on the past, present and future of Sri Lankan politics.
Q: By now the majority of Sri Lankan people have forgotten the recent past. How do you analyse the recent past?
A: In 2021 and 2022 the country was in an extremely bad shape with the Covid-19 crisis and the financial crisis. The Opposition predicted that the country will be filled with dead bodies and expected half a million deaths by September 2020. Importing vaccines was criticised by the Opposition. In the middle of all those criticisms, former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa very successfully controlled Covid-19 much better than other countries.
Then the Opposition started their usual game which is opposing and criticising everything. This country will never be able to go forward like this because the traditional Opposition in our country is only good at one thing. That is criticising and opposing everything done by everyone.
When the financial crisis hit and the Aragalaya started former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa invited the Opposition Leader to take over the Government. He was the very first individual who received this invitation. He received a golden opportunity to show his leadership quality.
Then the former President invited the JVP Leadership and all the others to come forward, accept Cabinet portfolios and assist the Government to pull the country up from the financial crisis. The Opposition Leader started to write letters and the JVP said they will take over if everyone else is removed which is not realistic at all.
All abandoned the opportunity without accepting the real challenge because they did not think that Sri Lanka could be saved from the crisis. All of them were dead scared to face that challenge and it was the bitter truth. When all “heroes” were scared and ran away presenting unrealistic demands, Ranil Wickremesinghe came forward bravely and accepted the challenge.
Q: What do you think about the current President accepting the challenge and offering his leadership when all the others rejected the offer?
A: I have only one question. Where would we stand today if President Wickremesinghe did not come forward and take over the country? I would have respected any leader who accepted the challenge no matter whether it was the Opposition Leader or the JVP Leader. It was the only way of showing genuine love towards people. I respect President Wickremesinghe for his brave decision, capability and genuine love towards people and the country.
Q: What do you think about the Aragalaya?
A: The Aragalaya was started by the ordinary people who really wanted to save the country from the crisis, who wanted to end all types of corruption and so on but gradually the Aragalaya was hijacked by a few bankrupt political parties which turned it into a violent mob.
They shed blood and killed people after destroying valuable State and private properties. Political enemies were attacked and some of them were killed in broad daylight.
Q: What is a real “System Change”?
A: A real System Change should be done according to the European way which is through peaceful elections. The System Change should be ideological and not a violent mob. If President Wickremesinghe did not stop the intended arson attack on the Parliament during Aragalaya, Sri Lanka would have become another Libya, Syria or Afghanistan.
If that extremely unfortunate incident took place on that day, people would need a wheelbarrow full of money to buy a loaf of bread. But President Wickremesinghe saved the Motherland from that grave situation.
Q: Who is responsible for the economic crisis?
A: It is not the correct time to hold a forensic audit to find out who is responsible for the financial crisis. In my personal view, many who ruled the country after 1948 are responsible for the current crisis. I do not say that the country is now in the best position. But the country has been saved from the crisis. The ordinary people face numerous difficulties. But there are no people dying on the streets due to hunger.
Q: What should be the role of the Opposition at this crucial juncture?
A: The Opposition has again started to say that the country needs a System Change. The current Parliament, especially the Opposition, is cracking jokes instead of policies. All developed countries in the world have one development policy which does not change with the Governments. But unfortunately here in Sri Lanka there is one “policy”. It is pulling the leg of anyone who is doing good work for the country and capturing power. All in the Opposition have criticisms and not plans.
Sri Lanka faces various issues in politics, Parliament, Judiciary, in open society due to various points of view. Whenever something happens in any developed foreign country, the issue is analysed and solved. But things are upside down here in Sri Lanka. Whenever a problem arises in any system, no attention is paid to fixing that problem and the only focus is on how that specific issue can be used to take advantage for a given individual. This is the main issue with this country.
Often politicians use various tactics to destroy their opponents but when the same tactic is being used by someone else to destroy him/her, the politician starts to worry.
Only one thing had happened since Independence. It is pointing fingers at others. But the country needs an Economic Policy, a National Security Policy, an Education Policy and a Health Policy.
Such policies should be formulated by the Government and the Opposition acting in unison. Political deceitfulness and targeting the capture of power will take the country nowhere. Also, leaving the country is not the solution.
Q: What is wrong with Sri Lankan people’s attitudes?
A: I am facing various challenges that cannot be revealed due to my political views. I will reveal them when the time comes. I will reveal everything, especially the corruption in all sectors if I am elected to Parliament some day. The most important group for any country in the world is youth. But here in Sri Lanka educated youth spend their valuable time on roads protesting and facing tear gas just because of a few minor political parties. They spend years in the university without completing their degrees. Any country in the world needs a population which genuinely loves their Motherland.
Countries like India and Japan have that type of population. Even in their movies they promote patriotism. But here in Sri Lanka all youth are waiting to go abroad. They plan to destroy anyone who owns a Lamborghini and not to earn money and buy one for himself/herself. The bottom line is that Sri Lankan people should get rid of their deceitfulness.
All are waiting for the failure of the other. This is why no one came forward when the current President invited all to join him to rebuild the country.
No President in Sri Lankan history was supported to implement his/her policies during his/her five-year term. This is the bitter truth. We talk about Lee Kuan Yew, Mahathir Mohamad and so on. They built their countries because the entire country supported them. Here in Sri Lanka no matter who comes to power, from that day all start to pull from his/her leg. The other problem is various waves. People get trapped in various waves that are being created from time to time. No citizen of this country should become ‘a pawn’ of anyone or any organisation.
