LOCAL and international news reports say that Maithripala Sirisena was sworn in as Sri Lankan president after a victory over veteran strongman Mahinda Rajapakse in an election dominated by charges of corruption and growing authoritarianism by the man in office. Rajapakse was voted out after 10 years in office while Sirisena said Sri Lanka would mend its ties with the international community, in a clear reference to Rajapakse’s falling out with the West over allegations of wartime rights abuses by the military.
According to the reports, the people celebrated Sirisena’s win and the newly appointed Prime Minister shared how the people want a new political culture as they do not want anyone taking the law into their own hands. Reports also stated that Sirisena was a former Health Minister who also thanked Rajapakse for a ‘fair election’ that allowed him to be the President. He was elected with a 51.28-percent share of the vote to the former leader’s 47.58 percent. This was a remarkable reverse for a Rajapakse who had appeared to have a certain victory when he called snap polls in November. The beauty is that Rajapakse accepted the defeat with grace.
More reports clarified that Sirisena was elected on a tide of resentment against Rajapakse, who rewrote the Constitution after his re-election in 2010 to remove the two-term limit on the presidency and give himself more powers over public servants and judges. Rajapakse also enjoyed huge support among majority Sinhalese voters after overseeing the end of a separatist war by ethnic Tamil rebels in 2009 but he was also accused of undermining the independence of the judiciary and has packed the government with relatives, sparking resentment even within his own party.
After going over the Sri Lanka’s blood-stained history and public feeling, Sirisena’s win over Rajapakse seems like a way to properly address their threat to democracy posed by the Rajapakse’s family and their followers. Sirisena has a big pedestal to fill as Sri Lanka needs a leader who will consider their duty, begin to distance from corruption, nepotism and make, even with small steps, towards building an accountable, transparent government. We hope the new leader reaches out to the persecuted Tamil community and goes back to parliamentary system to reduce the concentration of power in President’s hands, which may as well be a way to curb corruption. While it is true that nothing will erase the atrocities committed during the civil war and many human rights violations, but transparent unbiased leadership will help Sri Lankan communities of all languages and religions to again coexist. It is too early to predict what Sirisena will actually bring to that table, but we wish good luck to the Sri Lankan people and their new President regardless. Congratulations President Sirisena.
