Minister of Transport and Industries Dilum Amunugama said the ongoing protests are not against any particular party but are against all 225 Parliamentarians. First of all, 225 lawmakers should start acting in a more responsible manner and try to win the trust of the public and the youth.
The Minister in an interview with the Sunday Observer said at present people has lost their trust in the whole parliamentary system which is another big issue. All 225 Parliamentarians should tell the country that they will first change the system in Parliament.
If someone is trying to change the system, the best place is that all 225 lawmakers will have to start thinking differently, act differently and discuss something worthwhile in Parliament and at the end of the day by deciding on what they at least debate on.
Excerpts of the interview.
Q: Even though the people are conducting countrywide protests over the past two weeks asking the President and the Government to step down, both the Government and Opposition lawmakers in Parliament have not been able to reach a consensus and find a solution to the current political crisis. What could be the solution?
A: Basically, this is a financial crisis, not a political crisis. Because of that, the supply chain has broken down and fuel, gas and the power supply have been interrupted. Actually, the protests are against these issues. The only way out of it is to handle it through an economical management plan. Trying to take a political solution is not going to solve the problem.
The entire Cabinet of Ministers resigned and then we invited whoever was interested to take over the Government as the protestors in Galle Face say they want all 225 MPs to quit including the Prime Minister. Even if the President and the Prime Minister resign, then what is the mechanism to run the country? The country cannot be handed over to the Galle Face protestors. You can’t let Galle Face protestors run the country.
They are just protesting without a solution and they don’t suggest anything. They have no idea or recommendation as to what should happen next. The Government was elected with a two thirds majority in Parliament and therefore cannot act irresponsibly. Actually, we have to be held responsible for whatever has happened. The economic crisis has occurred due to the Covid-19 pandemic and whatever decisions that had been taken. But it is not solely based on what has happened during the past two years.
Though the protestors say ‘Gota go home’, we have been in power only two years. This crisis did not emerge within those two years. If you go to the entire financial history, this is the last stage of a long-term financial crisis. So, we have to face the music of trying to sort out a long-term financial management crisis. That is what we are trying to do now. But none of these protestors have recommendations as to how it could be overcome. At present there is a new Finance Minister. In addition, changes have been made in the Finance Ministry and the Central Bank. Now the Finance Minister is negotiating not only with the IMF but also with other countries and financial institutions.
As a Government, we will have to accept the fact this crisis should have been detected earlier. If it was detected, it could have been solved before it came to this stage. I would say that the Government is at fault for not going for a solution very much in advance to address the crisis situation.
Q: Some Government and Opposition lawmakers are of the view that the entire Government should quit and form an Interim Government to make immediate changes as demanded by the people. Your views?
A: The entire Government quit and invited all parties to come and join hands with us to form an Interim Government but no one came. You can’t have a country without a Government. We were without a Government for about two weeks and we were negotiating with all the parties. But none of the parties obliged to come forward and take over positions and form an Interim Government. If that is the situation, the next step is to form our own Government and try to solve the existing problems.
Q: One person was killed and another 27 were injured at the Rambukkana incident on Tuesday. Both the Government and Opposition MPs demand an impartial inquiry in this regard. Could you explain?
A: Rambukkana is one incident. But this was going to happen someday. With the type of protests, which were going on, it was just as to when it was going to happen and where. It was seen at Mirihana when the protestors tried to attack the President’s private residence. Then the Police had to get involved but they managed to disperse the crowd. Likewise, Rambukkana is yet another incident and I would say the Police minimised the number of fatal injuries.
That protest had developed into a mob. Just close to the Rambukkana Railway Station, there was a train with 650 passengers and the protestors had attempted to ignite a fuel bowser with 33000 liters of fuel. It could have caused 10 to 20 fatal injuries if it exploded. If it was set on fire and exploded, the entire area would have gone in flames including the train.
In one way, I think the police was able to at least disperse that otherwise there would have been much more deaths if the protestors had torched the fuel bowser. Unfortunately, the Police had fired in the air and some protestors were injured and one person was killed as well. If you take into account the two-year tenure of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, no peaceful protest had been intervened and not a single tear gas canister or rubber bullet was fired.
Sometimes, it may be a wrong decision. Actually, you cannot blame the police as well. I am not trying to say what they did is right. When the police are trying to settle violent protests or mobs, then obviously you find some fatal injuries. These are politically motivated protests. The main Opposition and other small parties in the Opposition see this as a good opportunity to ground the Government on to the floor.
So, they are also making use of the situation to develop mobs and protests. Unfortunately, the protests organised by the political groups are violent. The Rambukkana incident was another such unfortunate incident. There are politically motivated groups who motivate youth and put them in front but once they are injured or shot dead, they are nowhere. This has happened in our country sometime back as well. The public should be aware there is a problem and the Government has accepted that. We are trying to sort it out. Protesting peacefully is a different thing. But protesting by interrupting other people’s transport mode or their livelihood is making the situation worse.
Q: The people are under the impression that just changing the figure heads and making yet another Cabinet reshuffle won’t bring solutions to the burning issues of the people. Your views?
A: There was also some sort of resistance where even these protestors wanted a system change to rectify the errors. They don’t want senior members and the ministerial portfolios should be handed over to the youth. Obviously, our seniors obliged and said if that is the view of the youth in the country, they will hand over their key positions to youth and allow them to synchronise with youths outside and try to sort out their problems. That is what we are exactly doing right now.
When the crisis is a financial crisis changing the figure heads will not solve the problem. However, if there is a resistance against the senior members holding key positions and want youth to be in charge, which is just one percent of what they are requesting. If our senior members didn’t oblige, the President could not have done that Cabinet reshuffle. He didn’t force anyone to quit. It was the senior members who stood aside and allowed the new Cabinet to be appointed.
Q: The people are not demanding that the incumbent President step down and that the Opposition Leader or anyone else take over the leadership. They have rejected all 225 Parliamentarians and demanded for a system change. Would you like to comment?
A: It is a very difficult thing. In a way their slogan is ‘Gota go home’. The President stepping down is not going to sort out anything. You can’t have a country without a President. If the President quits, then who comes in. If he goes home right now, then his brother who is the Prime Minister has to take over as the President. Are the people going to be happy with that? Is that going to sort out the problem? These are the issues that we have to think about. You can’t just go and demand for a system change.
When you say a system change, it is not a small subject. It is a huge thing where you have to change certain segments in the political, administrative and the social system. I am of the view that just using slogans that are not practical and impossible is not going to solve the problems. The problem is something else. Though the protestors demand to change the system, actually they protest since they do not have gas, fuel and electricity. Therefore, the reason for them to protest is something else but what they shout at is something else.
Q: How do you view the demand made by the Opposition to abolish the Executive Presidency?
A: How is that going to solve the problem? If the Executive Presidency is abolished tomorrow and if we are going to get about 10 to 12 billion US dollars to the Treasury the day after tomorrow, of course we should do that. However, all these are their own political intentions and they are on a different agenda. Actually, these are all political agendas. The abolition of the Executive Presidency can be done at any time, even now. Then the Prime Minister will be in power. Then what is the financial plan? How is it going to solve the problem? Is it going to take the protestors of Galle Face? I don’t think it will help. All these can be done, but none of these are the right solutions for the actual problem which is a financial issue.
Q: The SLFP led by former President Maithripala Sirisena has demanded to abolish the 20th Amendment and introduce the 21st Amendment. Is there any need for doing so?
A: No. If some sort of amendment is going to bring us finances, then we can go ahead with it even tomorrow. I don’t think any of those changes will bring in finances which is the biggest problem right now. All these suggestions of the former President, Opposition Leader and the JVP are not solutions for the problem. The current problem is something else.
I would like to recommend that everyone should take a stand and come into a coalition Government or an Interim Government to first change the system in Parliament. Even today when you sit in the Parliament press box, you could see the Opposition is accusing the Government and the Government is accusing the Opposition and they all are going home in the evening without sorting out anything.
So, it is an utter waste of time and money. It would be much more productive if all these lawmakers jointly or individually could go and appeal to the world and try to get some finances. That will stabilise the situation. As a Government, we are doing it and I suggest that other parties also follow suit and that would be the best solution.
Even if the Parliament is shut down, I think there is no problem and it will save some more finances. When finding solutions for the problem, Parliament is at a zero-mileage level. Because the problem is something else and whatever they talk say in Parliament is something else and it has no relevance whatsoever.
We saw that the whole parliamentary day of Wednesday was taken up to talk about the youth who was shot dead at Rambukkana on Tuesday. It was good to talk about it but they were trying to satisfy the youth’s family and gain a political mileage from it. It will pave the way for another protest in the village or somewhere else and someone else might get shot again. They will discourage the law enforcement authorities so that the problem will prevail even tomorrow. That is why the protestors at Galle Face are saying that all 225 Parliamentarians should quit. Because they watch this on television and they know their problems are something else and whatever is discussed in Parliament is something else.
Q: The main Opposition SJB attempts to bring a No Confidence Motion against the Government. In a situation where 40 SLPP Parliamentarians have become independent in Parliament, will it become a major issue for the Government?
A: No. It won’t be a problem. We have lost our two-thirds majority in Parliament but still we have more than 120 MPs. Some SLPP MPs have become independent but we don’t know where they stand. They are neither here nor there. At least we are trying to take the country out of this situation. The Opposition is trying to push us into this situation and see that the country is crashed to the ground. The 40 independent MPs can’t decide on either one. They don’t know whether they want to defeat the Government or not. We opened the doors for all parties to come and join a Coalition Government but it didn’t happen. Therefore, the only option is to take the country out of this. That is exactly the Government’s plan and that is why the new Ministers were appointed.
Q: According to you, what is the way forward for the current political and economic crisis?
A: There is no political crisis. This is an economic crisis. Politically we have lost our two-thirds but still we have the majority. So, there is no political crisis. In order to fight the economic crisis, youths have been appointed as Cabinet Ministers who have innovative ideas as to how we have to address this crisis.
The entire Central Bank structure and Finance Ministry officials have been changed. A very competent person has been appointed as the new Finance Minister. At this moment also they are in Washington and negotiating with other countries as well. If there are queues, issues and power cuts, we are trying to keep it to the minimum.
There are shortages in medicines but the essential medicines are there. We are still floating above the waves. Our duty as new Cabinet Ministers will be to keep the country floating above the waves. When the necessary financial structure is implemented by the Finance Minister, Central Bank and Treasury, then we can move forward. We have a lot of trust in them. Therefore, we would be able to take the country out of this situation.