It seems the winds of change have now shifted towards South Asia. This year, the power of the people has spoken in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and now Sri Lanka. Although the controversies arising from the ballot in Pakistan are still haunting the government, in the other three countries, the expression of popular will has been decisive.
The most recent elections were held in Sri Lanka. The presidential race included the former president, who had barely managed to strike a deal with the IMF. Also in the running were the leader of the opposition and a member of the ousted Rajapaksa family.
The results surprised everyone. For several decades, traditional political families had dominated Sri Lankan politics. Just two years ago, the Rajapaksa family had such overwhelming influence that they controlled the presidency, the prime minister’s office, and half a dozen cabinet positions. The political system and governance had been structured in such a way that corruption, nepotism, and coercion became commonplace.
The long-standing political turmoil, infighting, and corruption had brought the country to such a dire state that the public’s patience finally snapped. Masses of people flooded the streets in rage. The world watched in astonishment as huge crowds stormed the presidential palace and the homes of the Rajapaksa family. The administrative and security structures crumbled in the face of public anger. The entire Rajapaksa family had to flee the country to save their lives. The military, however, did give them the courtesy of protection and facilitated their escape. During their hasty departure, they managed to get Ranil Wickremesinghe, a single-seat holder, elected as president through their party in parliament.
In the presidential election held last week, Marxist candidate Dissanayake, along with his party and allies, secured 42% of the votes and was elected. For the first time in decades, the presidential election went into a second round. In the second round, the 55-year-old Dissanayake won decisively with a significant lead. The opposition leader barely managed to secure 33% of the vote, while the sitting president, Ranil Wickremesinghe, who had taken office in 2022 after the country defaulted, could only garner 17% of the votes. The scion of the Rajapaksa family came in a distant fourth, barely managing 4% of the vote.
This result was a major upset for the world. First, a Marxist party, once part of an armed struggle in Sri Lanka, defeated traditional political rivals. Second, for Western countries that take pride in the dominance of capitalism, it was difficult to digest that a candidate with Marxist leanings had been elected president in a small country.
After taking the oath, Sri Lanka’s new president presented a well-balanced agenda to the world. Following the country’s economic default, Sri Lanka had to undergo extremely difficult reforms to secure a new IMF package, which placed a heavy burden on the people. Their frustration and helplessness manifested through the ballot. However, the new president, Dissanayake, made it clear that the IMF program is a formal agreement between Sri Lanka and the IMF, which he fully owns and intends to implement.
Without any sugarcoating, the new president also acknowledged that the country is plagued by corruption, poor governance, and multiple issues. He emphasized that resolving these problems overnight is not easy, and his electoral victory should not be taken as an indication that these issues will be fixed in the blink of an eye. In that sense, it was a timely reality check.
Earlier, Bangladesh witnessed several intense protests over the past two years, which the government brutally suppressed. However, the violent protests that began in July forced the government to retreat. In no time, the strong and iron-fisted government crumbled like a house of cards. When Hasina Wajid was re-elected for the fourth time in January 2024, she had laid out a long-term agenda. Yet, when the storm of public anger hit, she was given barely an hour to pack her essential belongings and flee. She left with the regret of not being able to record a farewell video message and escaped to India.
What an irony it is that the same India, with which Hasina Wajid had cultivated close ties and leveraged their friendship for political gains, now finds her presence a headache. Bangladesh, once India’s close ally, is no longer the same. On the other hand, no other country is willing to host the ousted Prime Minister, Hasina Wajid. How quickly times change!
These recent political earthquakes offer several lessons for Pakistan. The current government, under PDM-1 and PDM-2, proudly claims that they saved the country from default and didn’t care about politics in doing so. While the official results of the February elections remain, the public’s frustration with the challenging economic conditions is becoming evident. The constant confrontation with a major political party has prevented any political stability from taking root. Behind the scenes, efforts to mysteriously pass the constitutional package are ongoing. The division within the Supreme Court and the government’s confrontations have taken political tensions, divisions, and mutual distrust to new levels. In this environment, the recent IMF package, with its stringent conditions, is unlikely to succeed in alleviating the public’s economic woes.
The political upheavals in the region are a clear sign that corruption, poor governance, and the unchecked privileges of the elite do have a breaking point!