Dilrook Kannangara

Voters are unforgiving. Sri Lankan voters can be quite nasty, merciless and even violent if they realize they have been taken for fools.

If a political party wins power by deceiving people through lies and false promises, depending on the severity of those lies its lifespan will be cut short. The biggest public demand before the elections in 2024 was to severely punish politicians of the former regimes. People did not ask for free bread, rice, gas or other free goods. They didn’t even ask for development or political solutions. Instead, the north, south, east, west and the centre of the country demanded punishing former national leaders and their supporters. It is a very easy deliverable but the NPP regime has failed to deliver it. NPP regime must act quickly and decisively on this and make people happy by punishing key political figures responsible for the 76-years of rot. Otherwise, the NPP regime goes home before the next national election.

2024 parliamentary election was the first and only election where the entire nation (barring just one district) voted for one political party in complete ethnic and religious unity. Most Buddhists voted for the NPP and so did most Christians, most Hindus and most Muslims. It never happened before. In doing so, they did not demand sectarian political solutions or other tribal demands. It took 100 years since elections were introduced to achieve this noble milestone in 2024. However, people in the north, south, east, west and the centre of the country had 2 demands – punish former national leaders and their henchmen severely and extract the loot they took away from countrymen. Just 2 demands. What’s better is meeting these demands dilutes the rivals of the NPP regime which is an added advantage for it. However, the NPP regime has let people down. At least so far. If they think that they could hold on to power through lies, false promises and deceit, they are mistaken. On one hand people will pull out their support extended so far to the regime exposing it to collapse. On the other hand, rival politicians and their clans will regroup and strike the government hard when and where it hurts most forcing it to relinquish power.

People know that the president and the prime minister have a soft corner for their former parliamentary colleagues but people don’t. Thus far the NPP has failed to overcome these personal affiliations of its 2 leaders which has angered the general public. Putting personal interests over public and national interest is a grave mistake of the NPP if it continues doing so.

Inexperience is not an excuse for the NPP. It must learn the tricks of the trade quickly and put them into practice. Otherwise, it must face an angry, ruthless and an unforgiving electorate. No more lies.