Mr. Prime Minister, the mandate is no longer valid

In the face of an unprecedented massive economic and political crisis and a mounting public outcry demanding the ouster of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his government, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa has firmly stated that he would not step down. Neither his younger brother, the President seems to be prepared to heed to the countrywide agitations for his ouster. 

The Prime Minister, to justify his stance and that of his brother had stated that he does not need to heed to the call by the protesters as he came to power through a mandate by the people at elections. And he argues that in spite of a section of the people having come to the streets demanding the resignation of the President and his government, they did not represent the entire country or those who gave the mandate to the President and the government to rule the country. 

From a traditional point of view and also in a way from a legal point of view, this seems to be a strong argument as there is no way to compare the numerical strength of those who demand the ouster of the government and those who still prefer this government to continue, until a nationwide election is held. Hence one can still contend that majority of people support the government and hence the mandate that was received by the President and the government is still intact.

 "Besides, the Prime Minister should not reject the common sense within him when judging the situation on the ground. The country is politically in turmoil with agitations by thousands of people springing daily across the country calling for the ouster of the President and the government"

Yet, one can also argue on the same line to negate the Prime Minister’s position. On what grounds does he argue that the mandate that catapulted them to power is still intact?  The vote base of the United National Party (UNP) had eroded by a massive 30% within three years from the Presidential election in 2015 to the local government elections in 2018, without any economic meltdown in the country like the one the country is faced with now. What is the assurance he has to rule out such an erosion of the vote bank of his party, the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) during the past two-and-a-half years since 2019 Presidential election? 

Besides, the Prime Minister should not reject the common sense within him when judging the situation on the ground. The country is politically in turmoil with agitations by thousands of people springing daily across the country calling for the ouster of the President and the government. Thousands of youth have been agitating day and night in the Galle Face Green in front of the Presidential Secretariat since April 9, putting up tents and food stalls, maintaining a media centre and even opening a library. Interestingly, the protesters have named the protesting site “GotaGoGama.”