Thursday 19th September, 2024

The mandatory cooling-off period prior to an election is time for reflection. But it is doubtful whether Sri Lankans make the best use of it, for informed voting is a rarity in this country. Promises, rhetoric, handouts, gimmicks such as inflated crowds usually sway voters if the voting patterns at the last few elections are any indication. One can only hope that there will be a difference this time around, and the public will vote wisely.

All formidable candidates in the presidential fray are making various claims and trading allegations. The irony of something that NPP presidential candidate Anura Kumara Dissanayake said at a campaign rally in Kurunegala, on Tuesday, may not have been lost on political observers and analysts. Making a crude caricature of SJB candidate Sajith Premadasa and castigating President Ranil Wickremesinghe, Dissanayake traced the genesis of the present economic crisis to reckless borrowing during the UNP-led UNF (Yahapalana) government from 2015 to 2019. Placing the total value of the loans obtained during that period at USD 13.5 billion, Dissanayake said that they had led to the current crisis; Wickremesinghe, who was boasting of having rid the country of queues for gas, automotive fuel, etc., had been trying to solve the problems the Yahapalana government had created. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa had paid for what the UNP-led government did between 2015 and 2019, Dissanayake said, taking pity on Gotabaya.

If the UNP-led government (2015-2019) had not resorted to heavy borrowing from external sources, fuel shortages would not have arisen, Dissanayake stressed. In saying so, he opened a can of worms for the presidential candidates who claim to be frontrunners and the political parties/groups they represent.

The JVP was instrumental in paving the way for the election of Maithripala Sirisena as President and the formation of the UNP-led government in 2015. While that administration was on a borrowing spree, issuing as it did International Sovereign Bonds, the JVP was honeymooning with the UNP, and therefore there is no way the JVP/NPP can absolve itself of the responsibility for the disastrous outcome of heavy borrowing between 2015 and 2019, and the resultant aggravation of the country’s forex crisis. The JVP unwaveringly stood by the UNP-led government and went so far as to help Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe retain a parliamentary majority following an attempt by President Sirisena to dislodge that regime in October 2018.

Moreover, the JVP/NPP derived a turbo boost for its election campaign from Aragalaya, which came about mostly due to the country’s foreign reserve crisis. Is it that the JVP/NPP has gained mileage from a crisis it helped create, albeit unwittingly, by helping the Yahapalana government remain in power until 2019? Isn’t the JVP culpable on multiple counts for the people’s current predicament. This is the blowback of Dissanayake’s scathing attack on Wickremesinghe in Kurunegala.

Interestingly, all other prominent presidential candidates also cannot deny culpability for what has befallen the country during the Yahapalana government and the incumbent regime. Dilith Jayaweera has credited himself with the successful propaganda campaign that propelled Gotabaya to power in 2019. Sajith was a powerful minister in the Yahapalana government, which worsened the country’s debt crisis. Namal is one of the Rajapaksas, who mismanaged the economy, ran away, catapulted Wickremesinghe to the highest position in the country and provided him with a parliamentary majority. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe was in the Cabinets of both the Yahapalana administration and the current government.

All these candidates pretend to be on a mission to deliver the hapless Sri Lankans from their suffering, but Dissanayake has unintentionally thrown light on the sins of the self-proclaimed saviours.

Wednesday 18th September, 2024

There has been an increase in the recirculation of videos of past incidents via the Internet to confuse the public ahead of the forthcoming presidential election, the police have said, requesting the public not to be misled by such misinformation campaigns. They have warned that stringent action will be taken against those who are responsible for circulating such videos.

One can only hope that the public will be able to see through such propaganda ruses. It may be recalled that on the day of the 2010 presidential election, while voting was in progress, some state-owned media outlets stooped so low as to float baseless stories which were detrimental to the interests of the then common presidential candidate of the Opposition, Sarath Fonseka, but thankfully the Election Commission (EC) moved in swiftly to stop them. No such action may be possible against errant social media outfits which have become a law unto themselves.

Anything is possible in this digital age, as is common knowledge. The Internet is awash with doctored videos and other such propaganda material. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has made possible what was considered impossible a few years ago, and AI-generated videos are in circulation, promoting or vilifying presidential candidates.

Propaganda campaigns are being carried out, according to Rafferty’s rules in the digital space, which is polluted by half-truths, mistruths and lies. Deepfake has become the order of the day if the sheer number of digitally manipulated images and videos doing the rounds on the Internet is any indication. The situation is bound to take a turn for the worse during the mandatory cooling-off period, which commences tomorrow.

The mainstream media outfits, save a handful, usually abide by the guidelines set out by the EC, which has warned that noncompliance will be severely dealt with, but they usually prove ineffective in regulating social media.

Misinformation has become a money-spinner. Cyber manipulators are already in overdrive, and what they will do during the mandatory campaign blackout period is anybody’s guess. Literally, they have the potential to set the country ablaze, as was seen in the aftermath of the savage SLPP goon attacks on the Galle Face protesters in May 2022, when the flames of retaliatory violence which left a government MP dead and many houses belonging to the ruling party politicians gutted were mostly stoked by social media posts. Besides, Sri Lankans have earned notoriety for mass hysteria, episodes of which are numerous.

One may recall that hundreds of thousands of people rushed to a village in Kegalle, during the Covid-19 pandemic, to buy an untested herbal syrup touted as a miracle cure. There have also been several instances where large crowds gathered near some religious statues, claiming that rays were emanating from them. Many people also fell for a story that a massive cobra had emerged from the Kelani Ganga ahead of a past presidential election. In the aftermath of the Xpress Pearl ship disaster in 2021, some social media activists triggered panic buying of salt, of all things; they claimed that there would be a shortage of table salt owing to sea pollution. Salt remained in short supply for weeks on end. The possibility of some sinister elements active on the Internet scaring the public into stocking up on food and fuel in a frenzied manner in view of the forthcoming election cannot be ruled out. It behoves the government to go all out to counter such moves.

Let the police and the EC be urged to redouble their efforts to prevent disruptive elements from spreading misinformation to confuse the public and plunge the country into chaos at this crucial juncture.

Tuesday 17th September, 2024

The ongoing contest for the coveted presidency has turned red in tooth and claw, with the contenders desperately doing everything in their power to achieve their most cherished goal. Election campaigns are getting down and dirty with politicians and their supporters hurling mud at one another. What is fast approaching is a contest the political leaders in the fray cannot afford to lose, given the very high stakes they have in it. The 21 Sept., presidential election is bound to be followed by a general election, and the party of the winner of the presidency usually secures the control of Parliament.

Thankfully, the pre-election period has been peaceful so far, but owing to the unpredictable nature of Sri Lankan politics, anything is possible. It is only natural that some countries have expressed concern about the safety of their citizens visiting this country and some of them have gone to the extent of issuing travel warnings.

Ironically, no sooner had Washington issued a travel advisory on Sri Lanka, asking the US citizens here to exercise caution in view of the forthcoming presidential election than the Secret Service foiled a bid to assassinate former US President Donald Trump, who is seeking a nonconsecutive term. But for an Argus-eyed SS agent, who spotted a gun barrel in a bush on a golf course, where Trump was playing, on Sunday, and opened fire, the gunman hiding in the shrubbery would perhaps have been able to achieve his target. It was the second attempt to kill Trump since early July 2024, when a bullet grazed his right ear at an election rally in Pennsylvania.

The SS has received praise for thwarting Sunday’s assassination bid, and deservedly so. It has however come in for criticism for its failure to prevent the suspect from entering the golf course and bringing the former President into the effective range of his AK-47 assault rifle fitted with a scope. The gunman is now in custody; he almost made good his escape after his botched mission. He is expected to reveal, under interrogation, the motive for his attempt to kill Trump.

Sunday’s incident and the narrow escape Trump had from an assassin’s bullet in July show the growing vulnerability of US leaders vis-à-vis dangerous elements bent on harming them. This being the situation in the US, described as the most powerful country in the world, it is clear how vulnerable the leaders in the Global South are.

It is hoped that the police and others tasked with protecting the presidential candidates engaged in intense campaigning here will learn from what has played out in the US during the past two months or so, and go all out to ensure the safety of the contenders for the presidency and the public. Thankfully, nothing untoward has happened so far, but nothing must be left to chance where security arrangements are concerned.

Meanwhile, Washington has, in its travel advisory at issue, asked the US citizens to exercise increased caution in Sri Lanka ‘due to civil unrest and terrorism’. One can understand the reference to ‘civil unrest’, but it is intriguing why specific mention has been made of ‘terrorism’. The US has also warned that ‘demonstrations could occur before, during and after the election’.

The State Department’s warning of possible protests here ‘after the election’ is of crucial import. How does the US know that there could be post-election demonstrations? Has it gone by speculation in political circles here or received intelligence indicating such a possibility?

It behoves the Sri Lankan police and security forces to take cognisance of the US warning, make inquires from their American counterparts and take precautions.