By Shamindra Ferdinando

Leader of Eksath Janaraja Peramuna (EJP) Patali Champika Ranawaka, MP, has warned the Wickremesinghe-Rajapaksa government of catastrophic consequences if police are unleashed on protesting political parties.

Ranawaka, elected on the SJB ticket, emphasised the responsibility on the part of UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, who is also the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces, in addition to being the Defence Minister, to ensure a peaceful environment in the run-up to a national election, in six months’ time.

If the government targeted political parties with a view to suppress dissenting views, violence could erupt during the election campaign, the former minister said, warning of post-election incidents unless the government gave up its current strategy.

MP Ranawaka stressed that the change of government later this year was now certain. The Colombo District MP was commenting on what he called an indiscriminate police attack on the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) protest in Colombo on the afternoon of January 30th.

The police disrupted the protest march soon after it began near Viharamahadevi Park. They mounted a sustained water cannon and tear gas attack on the protesters led by SJB leader Sajith Premadasa.

The former Jathika Hela Urumaya stalwart ironically urged President Wickremesinghe not to resort to his predecessor Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s violent strategies, even though the latter was blamed by many for his leniency towards protests that eventually brought him down.

MP Ranawaka who had served Wickremesinghe’s cabinet-of-ministers during 2015-2019 yahapalana administration said that President Wickremesinghe should respond to situations keeping in mind he was elected by parliament to complete the remainder of Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s five-year term.

Wickremesinghe received 134 votes, including his sole vote from the UNP, whereas his chief opponent Dallas Alahapperuma managed just 82 though he was elected to the parliament on the SLPP ticket at the last general election in August 2022.

Declaring that the country was heading for a fresh cycle of violence, MP Ranawaka said that those in charge of police should be held accountable for the rapidly deteriorating situation. The EJP leader said that the unprovoked attack on the SJB underscored the growing threat to basic freedoms at a time the vast majority of people were struggling to make ends meet. He examined the President’s actions against the backdrop of the passage of the Online Safety Bill that was really meant to silence critics.

The ex-minister said that the people couldn’t cope with sharply increased electricity and fuel prices and unprecedented increase in taxes. Therefore, the ongoing Opposition campaigns have attracted significant public participation thereby causing concerns among the powers that be, MP Ranawaka said.

Lawmaker Ranawaka alleged that the moves to privatize the Electricity Board, Sri Lanka Insurance, Litro Gas as well as three state banks triggered apprehension among their employees. There were also growing issues in other sections of the public sector, MP Ranawaka said, while referring to trouble brewing in the Board of Investment (BoI).

The ex-minister said that unless the government responded to the developing situation prudently the stability could be undermined, paving the way for chaos. Contrary to often repeated government claims that the situation had been stabilized and the country making significant progress, MP Ranawaka said that the crisis was far from over. The situation is delicate and failure on the part of those at the helm to navigate the turbulent waters could be quite disastrous, the ex-minister said.

The lawmaker urged President Wickremesinghe to create a level playing field without resorting to the Rajapaksa-type tactics that would plunge the country into a fresh crisis.