Building on Hope, Gaining Trust: Challenges for a New Government
Photo courtesy of HRW
Elections can be times of hope, offering the possibility of a fresh start, yet also bring deep divisions to the surface. Sri Lanka is one of several countries where in 2024 voters have made, or are about to make, important choices. Each part of the world has a unique history and set of conditions. Yet there may be lessons to be learnt from other countries in which left and centrist parties have responded in varying ways to tensions linked with economic hardship or uncertainty, identity and difference.
New president Anura Kumara Dissanayake from the NPP and ministers face tough challenges as will candidates elected as MPs in a few weeks. These include external pressures from the IMF and overseas creditors and internal ones from wealthy or otherwise powerful figures and groups well connected politically or with mainstream media influence. In particular those who have faced minimal hardship, or prospered despite or because of others’ suffering linked with disadvantage and discrimination, may be resistant to certain changes to the status quo. In addition, many in minority communities are sceptical that President Dissanayake will do enough to take on board their concerns and advance equality.
Meanwhile the aragalaya – the wave of people’s struggle that transformed the political landscape over two and a half years making it possible for President Dissanayake to win – has led to high expectations. If the new government does not deliver a shift away from a type of leadership widely seen as self-serving, corrupt, authoritarian and divisive to a better future for low and middle income people from diverse communities, this could spark fresh protests on a major scale.
Sri Lankans’ calls for political, cultural, social and economic rights to be respected have been amplified by human rights defenders across the world, including at the UN. At the 57th session of the Human Rights Council (HRC), begun under the previous regime and finishing in October, High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk urged Sri Lanka to break a destructive cycle and journey towards a just and sustainable future. This included accountability for past abuses, as questions have repeatedly been raised about whether internal mechanisms on their own would be effective.
Human Rights Watch, among others, has urged that UN monitoring, reporting and evidence gathering should continue. Many HRC members states have signed a draft resolution “to extend the mandate of the Office of the High Commissioner and all work requested of it by the Human Rights Council in its resolution 51/1, and requests the Office to present an oral update to the Council at its fifty-eighth session and a comprehensive report on progress in reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka at its sixtieth session”. The unearthing of another mass grave was a grim reminder of how many families still await answers.
There are no easy answers but there are some pointers from recent history, in Sri Lanka and beyond, on approaches to avoid. It may feel unfair that politicians with left wing policies may be judged more harshly than those on the right, yet this does happen. And it can be tempting – so as to gain support or at least avoid attack from those who wish to uphold or increase imbalances in power, wealth and status – to allow human rights for a section of the population to be eroded. The benefits are fleeting, the costs ongoing.
Principles and practicalities
Across much of the world, there has been a surge in destructive forms of nationalism, often linked with authoritarianism and sometimes blatant hostility to minorities and women’s rights. In the West, the historical background tends to be different from that in Asia, African and Latin America, maybe of a fading imperial past contrasted with a more precarious present, despite ongoing global imbalances. Yet people and groups embracing far right views have connected with and encouraged one another across different parts of the globe, sometimes with the help of social and mainstream media corporations. They have been skilled in manipulating people feeling marginalised to turn against their neighbours.
Meanwhile, austerity has repeatedly been shown not to work economically as well as harming large numbers of people even in wealthier countries as distinguished economists have pointed out. And it has triggered massive unrest in country after country, as researchers have explored the reasons why, or more worryingly, led to bitter divisions within and among communities.
Left wing and centrist politicians have sometimes shifted to the right hoping to prove themselves business friendly or win over voters hostile to minorities. This can backfire spectacularly, with a swift drop in popularity, especially if appearing self-seeking or less than transparent as well as hard hearted. At the same time, trying to win over those drawn to hard line policies where possible can be more effective than feeding into their sense of alienation. Holding on to principles can be tough when in office amid competing pressures but straying too far from these can be costly.
If the new government wishes to maximise support for measures which advance human rights, it may be helpful to keep emphasising those interests which ordinary people have in common.
To begin with, decentralisation of power and accountability for past abuses are not just issues for minorities. Many Sinhalese people too could benefit from a shift away from Colombo dominance of a kind which leaves large parts of the population underserved. Ideally this should not just be about autocratic local leaders replacing those far away but rather a shift towards greater participatory democracy.
While many ethnic and religious majority people have relatives in the armed forces even if they have not themselves served may feel uncomfortable with revisiting aspects of the past but the cost of not doing so is even higher. People of all communities bereaved through violence deserve to know what happened to loved ones if this enables them to grieve properly. Top commanders who led astray those they commanded, deliberately or recklessly destroyed the defenceless and will not admit they did anything wrong should not be in positions where they can do further harm. And a line needs to be clearly drawn: certain forms of extreme violence are immoral and unlawful. National recognition of this will make it harder to glamourise atrocities ordered by top LTTE leaders and violent extremists who distorted Islam for their own ends as well as Sinhalese chauvinists. International help may be needed, especially since those who committed horrific misdeeds are often still well connected and may try to silence those wanting truth.
Poverty and economic insecurity are not just a problem for Sinhalese Buddhists. Some in minority communities face multiple disadvantages – displaced or with a breadwinner missing or discriminated against when seeking jobs, making ends meet can be an ongoing struggle – while Malaiyaha Tamils and people downtrodden on caste and class grounds have long suffered financial hardship, now made worse by soaring prices.
Religious equality is not anti-faith; quite the contrary. The ethical and spiritual power of religion is too often diluted when entwined with worldly privilege and gain or attempts to justify society’s treatment of minorities and women as inferior or deny basic rights to LGBTQ people. There are strong faith-based arguments for treating everyone with compassion and upholding justice for all.
At a practical level, President Dissanayake and ministers are faced with IMF pressure to give way on a very poor deal, which not only damages health and education but also makes little economic sense. It benefits bondholders, giving them extraordinary privileges (rather than discouraging unwise lending), at the expense of ordinary people; slows down economic recovery; stunts the physical and mental growth of the next generation of workers; and increases the risk of further waves of, at best, large scale protest and, at worst, descent into yet more cycles of violence. Some believe that if the IMF and partners will not modify it, saying yes might be even worse than saying no. This is yet another area in which international help could make a major difference if enough people and organisations worldwide underline the important of this aspect of human rights and justice.
After a shaky start in which the foreign minister appeared to reject HRC attempts to defend Sri Lankans’ rights when violated by past regimes, a speech by Mohan Pieris, permanent representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations, at the UN General Assembly made a number of persuasive points during a debate on leaving no one behind: acting together for the advancement of peace, sustainable development and human dignity for present and future generations. He spoke of global turmoil including a surge in racism and hate speech, a debt crisis affecting many developing nations and the need for a better way to address this globally, the climate crisis, hazards of antimicrobial resistance, need for an equitable approach to technology and justice for Palestinian people.
He said that “As Sri Lanka embarks on a path of national unity, ethical governance and economic recovery and growth with justice and equity under new leadership, we reiterate our commitment to multilateral cooperation in pursuit of peace, prosperity, and sustainability. We must harness the power of international solidarity to confront the interconnected challenges before us as well as to explore durable solutions for the generations to come.”
Reluctance to cooperate with the work of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights deepens concerns about the new leadership’s commitment to uphold human rights consistently, not only addressing the past but also preventing fresh abuses.
Sri Lankans have often been courageous, thoughtful and well organised in striving for democracy and human rights. The moral force of the new leadership’s case will be all the greater if willing to face some of the trickiest issues in Sri Lanka itself, which echo those elsewhere. This will not be easy but could make a major difference to many lives, locally and beyond, and strengthen hope in troubled times.
