DONALD Trump in the United States is showing how, in a democratic polity, the winner of the people鈥檚 mandate can become an unstoppable extreme force. Critics of the National People鈥檚 Power government frequently jibe at the government鈥檚 economic policy as being a mere continuation of the essential features of the economic policy of former president, Ranil Wickremesinghe. The criticism is that despite the resounding electoral mandates it received, the government is following the International Monetary Fund prescriptions negotiated by the former president instead of making radical departures from it as promised prior to the elections. The critics themselves do not have alternatives to offer except to assert that during the election campaign the NPP speakers pledged to renegotiate the IMF agreement which they have done only on a very limited basis since coming to power.
There is also another area in which this party鈥檚 government is following the example of former president Ranil Wickremesinghe. During his terms of office, both as prime minister and president, Ranil Wickremesinghe ruled with a light touch. He did not utilise the might of the state to intimidate the larger population. During the post-Aragalaya period he did not permit street protests and arrested and detained those who engaged in such protests. At the same time with a minimal use of state power he brought stability to an unstable society. The same rule-with-a-light touch approach holds true of the NPP government that has succeeded the Wickremesinghe government. The difference is that Anura Kumara Dissanayake has an electoral mandate that Wickremesinghe did not have in his final stint in power and could use his power to the full like Trump, but has chosen not to.
At two successive national elections, the NPP obtained the people鈥檚 mandate, and at the second one in particular, the parliamentary elections, they won an overwhelming 2/3 majority of seats. With this mandate they could have followed the 鈥榮hock and awe鈥� tactics that are being seen in the US today under Trump whose party has won majorities in both the Senate and House of Representatives. The US president has become an unstoppable force and is using his powers to make dramatic changes both within the country and in terms of foreign relations, possibly irreversibly. He wants to make the US as strong, safe and prosperous as possible and with the help of the world鈥檚 richest man, Elon Musk, the duo has become seemingly unstoppable in forging ahead at all costs.
听
Extreme power听
THE US has rightly been admired in many parts of the world, and especially in democratic countries, for being a model of democratic governance. The concepts of 鈥榗hecks and balances鈥� and 鈥榮eparation of powers鈥� by which one branch of the government restricts the power of the other branches appeared to have reached their highest point in the US But this system does not seem to be working, at least at the present time, due to the popularity of Trump and his belief in the rightness of his ideas and Elon Musk. The extreme power that can accrue to political leaders who obtain the people鈥檚 mandate can best be seen at the present time in the United States. The Trump administration is using the president鈥檚 democratic mandate in full measure, though for how long is the question. They have strong popular support within the country, but the problem is they are generating very strong opposition as well, which is dividing the US rather than unifying it.
The challenge for those in the US who think differently, and there are many of them at every level of society, is to find ways to address Trump鈥檚 conviction that he has the right answers to the problems faced by the US which also appears to have convinced the majority of American voters to believe in him. The decisions that Trump and his team have been making to make the US strong, safe and prosperous include eliminating entire government departments and dismissing employees at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration which were established to protect the more disadvantaged sectors of society. The targets have included USAID which has had consequences for Sri Lanka and many other disadvantaged parts of the world.
Data obtained from the Department of External Resources show that since 2019, USAID has financed Sri Lankan government projects amounting to Rs31 billion. This was done under different presidents and political parties. Projects costing $20.4 million were signed during the last year (2019) of the Maithripala Sirisena government. $41.9 million was signed during the Gotabaya Rajapaksa government, $26 million during the Ranil Wickremesinghe government, and $18.1 million so far during the Anura Kumara Dissanayake government. At the time of the funding freeze, there were projects with the justice, finance, environment and energy ministry. This is apart from the support that was being provided to the private sector for business development and to NGOs for social development and good governance work including systems of checks and balances and separation of powers.
听
Moderate politics
THE challenge for those in Sri Lanka who were beneficiaries of USAID is to find alternative sources of financing for the necessary work they were doing with the USAID funding. Among these was funding in support of improving the legal system, making digital technology available to the court system to improve case management, provision of IT equipment, and training of judges, court staff and members of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka. It also included creating awareness about the importance of government departments delivering their services in an inclusive manner to all citizens requiring their services, and providing opportunities for inter-ethnic business collaboration to strengthen the economy. The government鈥檚 NGO Secretariat which has been asked to submit a report on USAID funding needs to find alternative sources of funding for these and give support to those who have lost their USAID funding.
Despite obtaining a mandate that is more impressive at the parliamentary elections than that obtained by Trump, the government of Anura Kumara Dissanayake has been more moderate in its efforts to deal with Sri Lanka鈥檚 problems, whether in regard to the economy or foreign relations. The NPP government is trying to meet the interests of all sections of society, be they the business community, the impoverished masses, the civil society or the majority and minority ethnic and religious communities. They are trying to balance the needs of the people with the scarce economic resources at their disposal. The NPP government has demanded sacrifice of its own members, in terms of the benefits they receive from their positions, to correspond to the economic hardships that the majority of people face at this time.
The contrast between the governance styles of Trump in the US and Dissanayake in Sri Lanka highlights the different paths democratic leaders can take. Trump is attempting to decisively reshape the US foreign policy, eliminating entire government departments and overwhelming traditional governance structures. The NPP government under Dissanayake has sought a more balanced, inclusive path by taking steps to address economic challenges and governance issues while maintaining stability. They are being tough where they need to be, such as on the corruption and criminality of the past. They need to be supported as they are showing Sri Lankans and the international community how a government can use its mandate without polarising society and thereby securing the consensus necessary for sustainable change.
听
Jehan Perera is executive director of the National Peace Council of Sri Lanka.
