When a Head of State becomes a Nation’s Nightmare

It is not unknown in history that a single ruler was the cause of a nation’s downfall, the obvious case in modern times being Adolf Hitler—an elected leader—one of the best known among a collection of reviled names scattered throughout history as examples of the evil that power can degenerate into. In each case they mercifully failed to prevail in the end.

On this island, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has become that nightmare for its people, just two years after he was elected as head of state, a feat not easily achieved.

Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, miffed at his brother’s attempts to scapegoat him for the country’s increasing instability, brought in thousands of his supporters from the provinces to the city yesterday (Monday 9th May), proclaiming their demand for his continuance in office. They rioted violently in the streets, clashing with the original, peaceful protestors, smashing the temporary structures that those young people had erected in protest sites in front of the PM’s residence and at the Galle Face Green. They have succeeded in putting some of them in hospital. The police intervened with tear gas and water cannon to stop the marauding hordes of MR supporters from their scorched earth intentions at Galle Face Green and beat them back for now.

The peaceful protest at GotaGoGama was finally invaded, not by law enforcement but by provincial politicians of the MR camp with their supporters. Escalation of the situation is now inevitable.

The President owes it to the People to prevent this emerging situation from deteriorating into further blood-letting in a land that has already seen far too much of it. He and only he, can end this nightmare, instead of continuing to embody it.

Meanwhile, the parties of the Parliamentary Opposition need a deep going reckoning to understand why some of them were rejected violently at the protests sites today, and some welcomed, as they attempted to solidarize with those young people under attack from MR supporters. As the aspirant government, they need to self-examine and re-position fast, just as the protesters must not descend into anarchy by rejecting even those on their side in Parliament.