AN UNPRECEDENTED MANDATE

Dr. Jehan Perera highlights the opportunities presented to the new regime

The National People’s Power (NPP) achieved a historic milestone with 159 parliamentary seats and surpassed the two-thirds majority threshold. While this level of dominance in parliament was in evidence as recently as 2019 under the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), this is a significant moment in Sri Lanka’s political history that needs to be carefully navigated.

Past experiences have shown that such majorities can lead to reckless governance, corruption and impunity, as witnessed under the Gotabaya Rajapaksa administration. This time around, the NPP must chart a different course and seize the goodwill of a hopeful electorate to address the nation’s longstanding issues.

The political avalanche that swept the electoral landscape due to the demand for change is unprecedented. In some electorates, the majority achieved by the NPP exceeded 70 percent and its voter share in the country was over 61 percent of the electorate.

This victory swept aside many who had earned names for themselves on account of their long years of commitment to influencing policies in the national interest.

In their place, there’s now a host of much younger people who have their ideals and hopes for positive change, but with little experience of governance and administration.

The NPP’s victory is remarkable as it has cut across ethnic, religious and regional divides, and united a country that’s often fractured along these lines.

For the first time in decades, the electoral map is largely uniform, representing a collective desire for change.

Even the north and east, which have been historically sceptical of central governance, overwhelmingly supported the NPP, and broke a long tradition of voting along ethnic and religious lines.

This shift is significant because the electorate in the north and east of the country have long prioritised issues such as devolution of power, demilitarisation, land rights, and justice for missing persons and prisoners. While these issues were not central to the NPP’s campaign, the party’s promise of systemic reform and equitable governance resonated across the nation.

The NPP’s mandate is also a rejection of the status quo.

Sri Lanka’s unprecedented economic crisis in 2022 exposed deep-seated corruption and incompetence among the established political parties. Despite some stabilisation efforts by the previous administration, trust was eroded by its failure to address the root causes of the crisis or hold corrupt actors accountable.

This erosion of trust extended to minority focussed political parties in the north and east, which failed to deliver meaningful results over the decades. The NPP has a unique opportunity to bridge these gaps and craft policies that address both shared national challenges – such as economic recovery and corruption, and specific concerns at the local level.

It needs to prioritise actions that don’t require constitutional amendments but can still yield tangible benefits for minority communities. These include implementing existing laws on land rights, memorialisation, use of the Tamil language in administration and appointing Tamil officers to key positions.

Swift action will solidify minority support and demonstrate the government’s commitment to inclusivity. The patience of the electorate, particularly in the north and east, is limited since decades of unfulfilled promises have left people sceptical.

So the government must balance short-term actions with long-term reforms, and prove its ability to deliver on its commitments.

The NPP’s ability to tackle ethnic and religious grievances could also yield international benefits. A successful resolution to these issues will enhance Sri Lanka’s global standing and attract foreign investors who will provide much needed economic stimulus.

There’s also an unprecedented opportunity to enact lasting constitutional changes. This includes addressing the ‘ethnic issue’ through power sharing mechanisms, and ensuring a political solution that fosters reconciliation and national unity.

To succeed, the government must engage with all stakeholders – including civil society and opposition parties – to craft a sustainable framework.

The NPP’s victory represents a collective aspiration for a just, inclusive and corruption free governance model. There’s a need for a transformative approach that prioritises transparency, accountability and equity.

If the NPP can fulfil its promises, it will set a precedent for collaborative and inclusive governance, with the participation of ethnic and religious communities. Success in addressing ethnic grievances and reviving the economy could establish Sri Lanka as an example of reconciliation and stability that will also boost investor confidence.