Half a coup or full coup?

The Island, Colombo
http://www.island.lk
November 07, 2003

The underlying motives of Chandrika Kumaratunga’s blitzkrieg on Wednesday and Thursday is hard to discern. On Wednesday she sacked three key ministers and heads of some key officials rolled. In one stroke of the pen she had grabbed the portfolios of Defence, National Security and the Media. She prorogued parliament, declared emergency and even moved troops and police— small in numbers— to some strategic places. It certainly appeared that a political coup d’etat was on. Yesterday was rather quiet. There was much speculation whether she had achieved what she wanted and stopped from proceeding or whether she was biding her time to go through all her motions.

Today, her adversary, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe is expected to arrive to the cheering of thousands of supporters, UNP insiders say. Wickremasinghe on Wednesday in Washington accused the president of attempting to subvert the mandate given to his party in December 2001 by the people and vowed that he would not be thwarted from achieving his objectives. Yesterday, the Cabinet of Ministers disapproved the action of the president during the prime minister’s absence on an official visit to the United States and demanded that the president restores the portfolios she had taken away and vested upon herself. They also wanted the heads of the three media institutions whom she had appointed, removed.

There are many possible developments that may take place. if the UNF decides to challenge the president. It could lead to a head on collision leading to dissolution of parliament or it could be that the UNP may consent to go along with her even though she has acquired three key portfolios and also control of the three key media institutions owned by the state.

The question right now is: will Chandrika be satisfied with half a coup or will she go all the way?

This power struggle has already wreaked havoc on the economy with the crash of the stock market and cancellation of group tourist flights.

Apart from the damage done to the economy, it has once again made Sri Lanka the laughing stock of the world.

The world media on Wednesday and yesterday had pictures of troops guarding our government press where gazette notification on the removal of the ministers and prorogation of parliament were being printed. Sri Lankans in recent times had developed the unique political practice of thwarting the implementation of decisions of the political executive by preventing the issue of proclamations which the law stipulates should be printed by the Government Printer.

Yesterday, Reuters had the story of tables being virtually turned at Lake House where with the appointment of a new Chairman, desk heads changed colour. Indeed the President who got low priority in the reportage of the Daily News suddenly hit the headlines with the Daily News proclaiming: ‘President Supreme in Defence’. A Presidential Secretariat panjandrum has walked into Lake House and ordered headlines changed and the papers led stories with the president.

Internal turmoil in state media institutions when changes in the power structure take place at the top is nothing new. Way back in 1970 with the victory of the United Front government the Marxist leaders like Anil Moonesinghe in the United Front led an attack on Lake House reminiscent of the French revolutionaries attacking the Bastille.. But the ‘Bastion of Reactionary Capitalism’, as Lake House was then known, withstood the attack. Subsequently Lake House fell— it was ‘ broadbased’ which meant it went under government control. And since then every change of government led to heads of editors rolling and lesser minions being subjected to various humiliations.. What is happening in Lake House now is nothing new. Other state media such as radio and TV will follow suit with anxious political climbers removing the photographs of incumbent ministers and the prime minister and replacing them with that of the new ministers and bosses and of course the president.

If Chandrka Kumaratunga gets control of the state media and run them as her mouth pieces, it is only Ranil Wickremasinghe to blame. On being elected to power his first priority should have been to privatise or disband the thestate media. In modern democracies state owned media are out of fashion. Every powerful party has its own media organisation. Chandrika Kumaratunga’s mistake too was not to have disbanded these media institutions and created institutions loyal to her party.When in the Oppostion they have to face government subsidised powerful state media.

The victims are the hired hacks who delude themslves in the belief that the’ pen is mightier than the sword’and sing paeans of priase for their masters.. Their private media counterparts are a little better off— at least they don’t get kicked around every time a government changes.

The sum total of it all is that the Sri Lankan nation is in a very rapid process of self destruction. The once prestigious Civil Service is now composed of a set of lackeys kow-towing to their political bosses for extensions of service. The armed services chiefs are like donkeys before the carrot, once again for extension of service. The corruption of the judiciary has been exposed and the criminalisation of the police is complete. Of the politicians, the least said the better.

Where will this political crisis take us? It certainly doesn’t have any indications of showing a way out of the woods. Even if the crisis fizzles out, is the status quo any better?