A New Era Has Probably Dawned For All Sri Lankans With The Dissolution Of Parliament And Pending Elections!

The proverbial sword of Damoclese has finally descended on the UNF Administration of Ranil Wickremasinghe through the Special Gazette Order effective Midnight Saturday February 7th 2004 as President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga has dissolved the Sri Lankan Parliament through the Constitutional Powers vested in her paving the way for National Ballots in the 225 member Legislature and General Elections to be held on April 2nd 2004, some 4 years ahead of schedule.
All over bar the shouting! the so called 'Power Struggle' between the uneasy cohabitation of the UNF and the PA probably has implications relative to the conjoining of Opposition parties the JVP, SLFP and the President's PA in a Memorandum of Understanding and National Unity and a certain urgency based on the impasse on the stalled Peace Process which was stalemated as a direct result of the Prime Minister's refusal to continue peace negotiations with the LTTE after the President took recent control of the key Ministries of Defence, Information and Communications in November 2003.It has also given her the courage to believe in her chances at the next polls which are indicative of anti UNF sentiment after many decisions jeopardizing Sri Lanka's Sovereignity and Territorial Integrity and were found wanting!

The UNF Administration was the ruling party since December 2001 and maintained an uneasy cohabitation with the President yet often deadlocked on issues relative to the LTTE terrorists and a general consensus which prevailed amongst the majority of the Sinhala Nation that the UNF and Ranil Wickremasinghe were overly conciliatory to the LTTE who appeared to be moving towards their separatist objectives despite the Ceasefire and their Memorandum of Understanding with the Administration where many key issues of National Security and Territorial Integrity appeared to be in danger of being compromised.

In a move of swiftness and alacricity the President has sprung no real surprises in that it was expected but for the exact timing which the UNF were apparently unprepared for albeit a general air of expectancy of its eventuality prevalent amongst discerning circles of the hierarchy which may now provide an opportunity for Mrs Kumaratunga to win a Majority in Parliament in the best interests of the Nation as a likely conclusion or as an alternative the return to the current numeric significances of seats or thereabouts providing an opportunity for Ranil Wickremasinghe once again to hang on to his slender majority together with his Muslim and Tamil allies which at present considering the general mood of the voting majority seems somewhat unlikely though not completely conclusive knowing the unpredictabilities of a political swing in Sri Lanka's political history.

Statistically at present the UNF comprises of a 114 seat majority and the PA / JVP combined have 93 seats in opposition where the balance of power in reality now rests in the hands of the voting public whose support or disgruntlement will be illustrated on April 2nd 2004.

With the dissolution of parliament the President has moved swiftly to avail of a concession which entitles her to create new Posts and Ministries and had appointed two close associates and allies Mr. Lakshman Kadirgamar, the former Foreign Minister, as Minister of Information and Telecommunication, and Mr.D M Jayaratne a key member of her caucases as Minister of Posts and Communication further strengthening her resolve to rule the Nation with strong allies of intellectual repute together with her newly formed alliances with neighbouring Superpower India who has thus far remained non committal on the dissolution on a diplomatic note other than to say that India did not instigate it!.

The functions and powers of the UNF Administration have in the meantime been relegated to caretaker status with no administrative power towards decision making until the mandate for the next Administration has been decided and certainly a loss of face for the Wickremasinghe Government which has been categorically caught off guard!

There are many speculations as to where all this will leave the Nation's balance towards the fragile peace which has lasted thus far since its inception and there have been lukewarm responses from the LTTE towards their commitments to peace whose own direction towards their objectives appear to have been thrown into turmoil together with that of the UNF which many believe were their champions but often contradicted by the roadside pundits whose pesssimistic assertions together with some internal LTTE bleatings often hint at a return to war which short of projecting their own self destruction is an avenue which the more moderate of the LTTE idealogues are unlikely to take as it is in their best interests to continue negotiations towards peace regardless of who commands the Administration in Colombo and a likely rationale!

On a rather ominous note the Prime Minister has called off a scheduled visit to Thailand and the speculations of how the dissolution of Parliament might affect millions of Dollars of Pledged Aid and their dispensations should the political climate within Sri Lanka de-stabilize, there appears to be some negative speculation by some forecasters of gloom with little right to do so (The BBC and Associated Press may be cited as examples in particular) and needs to be put to rest that if the donor countries pledged aid to Sri Lanka in all sincerity without expectations of turnaround benefits and their vested interests for the future there should be no concerns at all other than the pledges being made manifest towards their objectives, namely the development and rehabilitation of a terrorist insurrection torn Nation!

Perhaps a new era of great expectations has dawned for Sri Lanka and the aftermath of April 2nd 2004 will convey to all Sri Lankans that Her matriarch has come through for their Nation with her allies in guiding it to a fortuitous future and the indiscretions of past Administrations compensated for with a relentless drive towards setting in motion the wheels of progress Sri Lanka so desperately needs.