By

Lucien Rajakarunanayake

While the fight against corruption gained new strength, the political strategies of the defeated forces of corruption have taken a new stride in political organisation, with the launch of the “Eliya” movement, which does not bring much light as the name indicates, but throws out the so far uncertain candidate for political leadership, from the Rajapaksa family. This is the emergence of the Military cum Administrative hulk, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, who has so far been trying to show that he had little interest in politics.

With the definite reality that Mahinda Rajapaksa will not be the next national leader, being kept out of the presidency by the 19th Amendment, the Rajapaksa forces have organised what is seen as a new intellectual leadership, – with academia, diplomats, clergy of different faiths, and professionals who have clearly moved to racist and majoritarian thinking, to present Gotabhaya Rajapaksa as the next leader of the Sinhala majority.

The “Gota Eliya” exercise was mainly structured on criticism of constitutional changes – especially the proposal for a new Constitution, which has been a key policy issue of the Yahapalanaya alliance. The “Eliya” makes it clear that they are not in favour of any new constitution, and also oppose constitutional reforms that could lead to a wider democracy, and the progress of the thinking and policies of reconciliation and nation building.

The “Eliya” drivers must be pleased with the decision of the SLFP to oppose major constitutional reform, and instead only support constitutional amendments that will not remove the Executive Presidency.

The Eliya policies are against constitutional reform, or progress in towards wider democracy that will go against the success of the military victory against the LTTE, attempting to show that any new constitution that is being discussed today, will give to the Tamils, or to the Tamil Diaspora, what the LTTE failed to win in the battlefield. The rays of Eliya are certainly against any widening of the system of devolution introduced with the 13th Amendment.

The strategies of the “Eliya” are directed towards the expected parliamentary and presidential polls in 2020, and will seek to obtain the support of new voters, not involved in the defeat of the Rajapaksa Regime in January and August 2015. It is certainly an uphill task, but it has hope for success due to the divisions that prevail between the UNP and SLFP. However, there is also the reality of the efforts now being made to bring the SLFP and its inner rivals of the JO to come together, and also the efforts by some to bring both Mahinda Rajapaksa and President Maithripala Sirisena to some understanding in the coming months, especially with local government polls.

Amidst all this complex and tortuous politics “Eliya” certainly has no easy opening for a Gotabhaya Rajapaksa candidacy for national leadership. Its success will have much more to do with giving the true light to the people on the political and social realities in the county, and not through the darkness of racist and religious extremism that hangs as the backdrop in this new political stage in the country.

Courtesy:Daily News