Sri Lanka’s ‘Aragalaya’ uprising that deposed the nation’s president two years back, is empowering Anura Kumara Dissanayake to lead the fight against corruption.
What Is ‘Aragalaya’?
‘Aragalaya’ derived from the Sinhala word for ‘struggle’ was as movement that emerged in March 2022.
At this time, thousands of people took to the streets in Sri Lanka over long power cuts, fuel, food, and medicine shortages and rising prices.
Dissanayake Aspiring To Be The New President
Marxist-leaning Dissanayake, popularly known as AKD,is aspiring to become the South Asian country’s new president as Sri Lankans prepare to vote on Saturday.
He is hoping to draw on the widespread discontent that fuelled the protests in 2022 and toppled former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
For Dissanayake, securing victory over the weekend will only be a job half-done, as he is hamstrung by his party holding just three seats in the 225-member house.
Jayadeva Uyangoda, a political scientist, explained that AKD does not claim he is the direct legacy of the Aragalaya, but he is its main beneficiary.
Uyangoda said that Jayadeva comes from the non-elites and the public are fed up with the traditional political elites.
Anura Kumara Dissanayake Ready To Serve Sri Lankans
Dissanayake, known for his ability to deliver stirring speeches in eloquent Sinhala, declared that he was ready to serve Sri Lankans.
He called the election a “perfect opportunity” for voters to put behind the pain and suffering of the crisis.
“Now that victorious moment is finally here and we should work together to ensure it is not lost,” he said at a rally.
Rajapaksa Blamed For Collapse Of The Economy
Many people blamed Rajapaksa for the economy’s collapse that led to shortages of essentials such as fuel and medicine.
That opened the door to Dissanayake whose political stock has risen dramatically in the two years since the economic
crisis.
What Has The National People’s Power Alliance Promised?
His National People’s Power alliance has pledged to bring about change that the Aragalaya movement had clamoured for.
Survey On Voting Preferences
The Sri Lanka Opinion Tracker Survey by Institute for Health Policy (IHP) shows Dissanayake leading in voting preferences at 36%.
Opposition leader Sajith Premadasa of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) party figures as a second choice of voters at 32% while President Ranil Wickremesinghe is third with 28%.
Dhananath Fernando, a Colombo based economist said that people will vote putting aside their traditional political leanings.
Economic Meltdown Will Be a Factor In Voting
Fernando said that voters will vote more on issues that led to the economic meltdown and subsequently the Aragalaya movement.
Parliament elected Wickremesinghe after Rajapaksa was forced to flee the country during the height of the 2022 protests and later resign.
Wickremesinghe has managed an uncertain recovery, anchored by a $2.9 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout programme and a $25 billion debt restructuring process.
Economic Crash
The 2022 economic crash drove inflation to 70%, power tariffs jumped 65% and the currency depreciated 45%.
Inflation and interest rates are currently down to single digits, while growth of 3% is expected in 2024, the first expansion since the economy shrank 7.3% during the crisis.
For Melani Gunathilaka, 37, a climate and political activist who camped with friends during Aragalaya, near the president’s office, the recovery has come at the cost of economic hardship and is driving people to seek political change.
“I don’t think anybody thinks it’s going to solve all issues but at least there should be leaders who are not insensitive to people,” Gunathilaka said.
“We are going through an austerity scheme… putting the burden of debt on working people while businesses and banks thrive, and I think people are expecting a change to that.”
Dissanayake’s Plans
To be sure, Dissanayake’s plans in his manifesto to rework a key debt restructuring programme at the core of the IMF bailout and a pledge to slash taxes that would impact fiscal targets set under it have raised worries about his economic policies.
During campaign speeches, he has taken a more conciliatory approach.
Dissanayake has assured that changes will be undertaken in consultation with the IMF.
He articulated his commitment to ensuring repayment of debt.
Dissanayake is not alone in championing the Aragalaya’s goal for political change.
Nuwan Bopage Is Also Contesting
Lawyer-activist Nuwan Bopage, 40, is contesting as a champion of Leftist policies but is not seen as a frontrunner.
“Winning or losing is a different matter. None of these parties have any solution to this crisis. Whoever wins, the people will lose,” said Bopage.
Bopage wants Sri Lanka to divest from the IMF programme, reduce taxes and backs stronger state intervention.
(With Inputs From Reuters)
