Sri Lanka’s strongmen seek comeback in presidential vote

Bloomberg

Sri Lanka’s 16 million voters were expected to decide on Saturday whether to return to power a family of strongmen that took the nation towards a deep reliance on China or extend the rule of the current government that promises more freedom but failed to avert terror attacks that killed over 250 people in April.
Gotabaya Rajapaksa, 70, whose brother Mahinda had close ties with Beijing during his 10-year rule, is running as the candidate for the nationalist Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna party. The former defense secretary has made national security his key campaign platform, riding the tide of growing disillusionment among the population after the deadly Easter attacks highlighted the security failures of the present government.
His main opponent is Sajith Premadasa, 52, also from a prominent political dynasty and a member of the ruling alliance that took power four years ago vowing to push for greater democracy, more transparent finances and an independent foreign policy with improved ties with India and the US.
A Rajapaksa presidency could take the island nation back towards greater authoritarianism and abuse of power and an era of impunity for human rights abuses and corruption.
His brother Mahinda Rajapaksa’s tenure in office saw a marked deterioration in democracy, in particular press freedom, said Katharine Adeney, director of the University of Nottingham Asia Research Institute who specialises in South Asia politics and ethnic conflict.
“It’s likely that Gotabaya will have learnt the lessons of the 2015 defeat — that he needs to be careful not to alienate the majority Sinhalese by undermining the democratic process too much — but there are real concerns about the fate of minorities, both Muslims and Tamils, under his leadership,” Adeney said in an email.
Premadasa has pledged to reduce import duties, reform taxes and state-owned enterprises, and open up the economy for foreign investment. He has also promised reconciliation measures to help the country heal from the wounds of the civil war. But his party faces a credibility crisis after the security lapses that lead to the Easter attacks.
“Premadasa is making a virtue out of being less authoritarian than the Rajapaksa family but it’s unclear if he has a clear policy programme, and even less if he can deliver,” Adeney said.
The support of the minority Tamil and Muslim populations, who together form about 25% of the country’s population, will be crucial for Premadasa.
Gunmen opened fire and pelted stones at a convoy of about 20 buses transporting “hundreds” of Muslim voters in northwest Sri Lanka on Saturday, said Manjula Gajanayake, national coordinator for the privately-run Centre for Monitoring Election Violence.
“The reason for the shooting incident is definitely political elements trying to prevent voting,” Gajanayake said, adding that the victims, who escaped unhurt, had been able to exercise their franchise. He said voter turnout had so far been slow in Batticaloa, east of Sri Lanka, which is a predominantly Muslim district.
The winner of Sri Lanka’s election will inherit a country with an economy where growth has slowed to a more than five-year low of 1.6% in the quarter ended in June, and which has a debt level at 83% of GDP.