Colombo, August 23 (Daily Mirror Editorial) – In January 2015 when the Yahapalanaya government was elected to power, the majority Sri Lankans had fresh hopes for an era of democratic values and the rule of law. This was especially after a decade of unmitigated power enjoyed by Mahinda Rajapaksa, overriding allegations of corruption due to his huge popularity after the ending of three-decades-long civil war in 2009. The Yahapalanaya government was established in 2015 under President Maithripala Sirisena, who was thought to be a humble and simple leader from rural Polonnaruwa. The head of his Cabinet and Prime Minister was Ranil Wickremesinghe.
One of the key pledges of Yahapalanaya government was to ‘arrest’ and punish those who plundered the country and there followed a series of the investigations, arrests, magisterial inquires and trials. However, having gone through long court proceedings, most of the cases proved baseless.
But it was revealed that the then PM Wickremesinghe had indicated to the law enforcement authorities including the Attorney General’s Department that the state institution should not be used for political witch-hunts and allegations without proper evidence, and such cases should be handled with care.
Exactly a decade after the Yahapalanaya came to power in 2015, Ranil Wickremesinghe has been arrested and produced before the courts for something which he allegedly committed while he was President from 2022 to 2024. He was produced before the Fort Magistrate on the allegations of using public funds to attend his wife’s graduation ceremony in London after an official visit to the United States.
The arrest of Wickremesinghe goes in the island’s history as a first of its kind — no other Executive President starting from the first to hold that position, J. R. Jayawardene to Gotabhaya Rajajapaksha, have not undergone such an ordeal.
Allegations of state leaders, especially Presidents misusing public funds for foreign trips along with massive entourages, has always been a popular criticism.
The arrest of Wickremesinghe has been interpreted as the latest instance of a vindictive political system of witch-hunts by the opposition. Even before Wickremesinghe was arrested, former Foreign Minister and Justice Minister Ali Sabry had expressed strong concern over the practicing of political witch hunts which is common in most Asian political systems. “Such actions reflect a disturbing trend of vindictive and destructive politics which undermines our institutions and our future. This cycle of hatred and retribution must end. Sri Lanka deserves a politics of reason, stability and gratitude to those who have time and again safeguarded the nation,” Ali Sabry told the media referring to the possible arrest of the former President.
The former Minister also commented on the conduct of a controversial You Tuber who not only predicted the arrest of the former President, but went on to assure viewers that he will be remanded. Joining the former Minister Ali Sabry was the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) member and lawyer Lihini Fernando who strongly condemned the irresponsible conduct of the social media handler. MP Fernando underscored the serious undermining of the rule of law and social media passing judgment even before the cases are heard before a court of law. Commenting on the You Tuber’s hasty comment, Ms. Fernando has stated that “such remarks not only demonstrate a blatant disregard for the principles of justice but also seek to mislead the public into believing that judicial decisions can be dictated by personal whims or political conspiracies,”.
However, justifying the arrest of former President Wickremesinghe, National Security Minister Ananda Wijepala stated that the action taken by the law enforcement authority, which is under his ministry, was in accordance with keeping the promises the government had given to the people.
“Our government pledged to bring all wrongdoers before justice, regardless of the positions they held,” Minister Wijepala told the Parliament on Friday while assuring that law and order would be carried out against those responsible for killing and persecution of journalists in Sri Lanka.
eing one of the oldest democracies in Asia, Sri Lanka’s lawmakers have a duty to ensure that the highest principles of democracy are in existence in the country which has a thick black mark on human rights violations and violence. Having come to power with a huge majority vote, National People’s Power or the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (once a victim of political violence) has a responsibility to correct the past and lay a new democratic path, thus ensuring stability of law and order and an independent judiciary which are key to a new political culture. On that process it is essential to prove that Wickremesinghe’s arrest is not a case of a vindictive political culture or a witch-hunt.
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