Crawling out of the woodwork -The Island

The Island(Click)

Crawling out of the woodwork August 29, 2010, 8:09 pm

President Mahinda Rajapaksa has cleared all the obstacles to the passage of his constitutional reforms to be presented to Parliament shortly. The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) has affirmed its support for the President.
The SLMC's U-turn has raised many an eyebrow. It is now all out to help President Rajapaksa secure a third term, among other things, though in 2005, it did not want Mahinda as President even for a single term. That was why it threw its weight behind the then UNP presidential candidate, Ranil Wickremesinghe, in a bid to defeat Mahinda at the presidential election in that year. Thereafter, it sided with President Rajapaksa but tried to bring down his government in December 2007 by defecting on the eve of a crucial budget vote, where defeat would have marked the end of not only the UPFA government but also its military campaign. Giving reasons for its pull-out, the SLMC characterised the Rajapaksa regime as being unfriendly towards the minorities. It also made a frantic effort last January to ruin President Rajapaksa's chances of securing a second term. It backed Gen. Sarath Fonseka to the hilt in the presidential race.
Worse, after the January election, the SLMC lent its voice to those who claimed that the 'real president' was Gen. Fonseka and President Rajapaksa had rigged the election results. In other words, the SLMC subscribed to the JVP’s computer jilmaat theory. It took part in a joint Opposition rally at Hyde Park, Colombo, where Gen. Fonseka was declared 'People's President'.
Why is it that the SLMC has today pledged its support for President Rajapaksa, whom it tried to destroy politically and refused to recognise? Has his government become friendly towards the minorities all of a sudden?
A prolonged stay in the Opposition with no prospects of coming back to power is a frightening proposition for any political party. It is like being lost in a fierce winter without visibility, mobility and thermal wear. Or, more appropriately, a political party out of power is like a junkie going cold turkey. In politics, it is said, one has no permanent enemies or permanent friends but permanent interests; principles usually fall by the wayside and expediency takes precedence over them. The SLMC knows which side of its bread is buttered, politically speaking. It has bought an insurance policy of sorts by throwing in its lot with the President!
Politicians are naturally greedy for power. And President Rajapaksa is a politician. He, like any other head of State, has developed an addiction to power. But, is it just another term to enjoy power that he seeks from an amendment to Article 31 (2), which limits the number of terms a person can serve as an elected president to two? It is not only power that he is after. He seems to think that the most effective way to counter the on-going international war crimes witch hunt against him and his military leaders is to stay in power as long as he could.
So long as that threat persists, he can rest assured that those who voted overwhelmingly for him at the last presidential and parliamentary elections will remain on his side, because the Opposition is generally considered far too servile and malleable in the hands of the foreign governments bent on conducting a war crimes probe against this country.
The government's successful war helped President Rajapaksa win a second term and reconsolidate his power in Parliament in a much bigger way. His critics accused him of using military gains to win elections. Now that there is no war, what will he exploit to secure a third term? He will make use of mega development projects for that purpose. Instead of freewheeling during his second term that commences in November, unlike his predecessors, he will have to pedal hard and make an effort to retain his popularity. It is an uphill task, though a faction ridden Opposition is lying supine and defections are debilitating it further.
The SLMC is not alone in the game of running with Fonseka and hunting with the Rajapaksas. More and more government backers in the Opposition ranks are sure to crawl out of the woodwork within the next few days. Their motto seems to be: "If you cannot beat them, join them."