By TON Sri Lanka

On July 9, Sri Lanka was undergoing a rebellion through people’s street power. Huge masses had forced the former President to quit. The Presidential palace, the Presidential Secretariat and the Prime Minister’s office were stormed, destroyed, and occupied with the burning of Prime Minister personal residence that housed thousands of books.

Astonishingly, the opposition in parliament even appealed to troops not to obey orders. The Western kept urging the government not to use force to stop the protesters while turning a blind eye to arson and vandalism indulged in by the so-called “peaceful protesters.”

The President fled to Singapore and resigned from there. Sri Lanka had had its first successful revolution, the media crowed, as previous attempts had failed in the past. The country was supposed to be on the beginning of a new drive of success. The media, both local and international, supported the vandalism and arson committed by the agitators.

However, for all that, the Aragalaya failed out within days. As the general masses were dismayed by the arson and lawlessness indulged in by the fundamental leadership of the movement. The Sri Lankan masses prefer to change governments occasionally but only through the ballot box. They have always opposed insurgences. The insurrections in 1962, 1971 and 1988-89 failed because of an absence of peoples’ support.

The former President fled because of popular pressure and lost fight against them. He issued no orders to the law and order machinery thus stopping it. The mobs had overrun of every government building they attacked because of the failure of the law enforcement agencies.

However Peace and normalcy was restored subsequently after the firm legally issued instructions by the incumbent president. The government machinery began to demonstrate a resolve to safeguard the constitutionally sanctioned order. The broad masses and the silent majority chose out of the struggle preferring orderly transfer of power to disorderly, chaotic and unplanned change. There ascended a deep gap between the peaceful majority and the politicized elite of Sri Lanka and their representatives in the media.

For most of the three-month “Go Home” movement, the agitators were peaceful, drawn as they were from the educated middle classes. Finally, radical political elements spear-headed by the Frontline Socialist Party (FSP), penetrated the movement and took over the leadership which was responsible for the damage, burning, the attacking of government offices and the violent confrontations with the security forces.

The apolitical and non-violent demonstrators were persuaded into believing that the rough and vocal types were genuine radicals. Furthermore US interference in the internal affairs of Sri Lanka and repeated demand for restraint in dealing with the agitators while totally ignoring the arson and occupation of government offices by the latter.

When the new president took over the Presidency, the law and order situation changed drastically. He professed a State of Emergency and legally authorized the security forces to use all genuine methods to maintain law and order and defense the sanctity of government and private property. After the showed determination and willpower, the law and order machinery began to work.

Hundreds of trouble-makers were recognized and detained. This had a helpful effect on people who would have otherwise contributed in the chaos even if only for a bit of adventure. To bring the situation under control, president has had to address some critical issues. These were the shortage of essentials like fuel and foreign exchange and the IMF’s insistence that China should first reschedule the repayment of its loans to Sri Lanka before IMF finalizes its bailout package.

The President seems to addressing the shortages, though fuel is still in short supply for lack of foreign exchange. Sri Lanka is hopeful of getting some debt relief from China to enable the IMF to announce its bailout. At long last, China has indicated to Sri Lanka’s Ambassador that it could provide US$ 4 billion in loans at a low rate of interest and a long repayment period.

It has been alleged that the American envoy was a role in fomenting violence and it was considered to be part of a larger design to destabilize and dominate Sri Lanka.