Interviews | Politics | South Asia

Professor S.I. Keethaponcalan on Two Years of the AKD Presidency in Sri Lanka

“The NPP government made a sensible decision to accept and continue most of the economic policies and programs Ranil Wickremesinghe introduced.”

Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake

It is a little over two years since Anura Kumara Dissanayake, or AKD as he is popularly known, was elected Sri Lanka’s ninth executive president. His victory was an unambiguous vote for change. Unlike his predecessors, AKD did not belong to a political dynasty, nor did he hail from an elite background. Seven weeks after he took over the reins as president, AKD’s National People’s Power (NPP), a coalition of leftist parties, won an emphatic victory in general elections, not only securing a two-thirds majority in parliament but also performing well in the Tamil-dominated Northern Province. Understandably, expectations for AKD ran high.

So how has his government performed? In a discussion with Sudha Ramachandran, South Asia editor of The Diplomat, Professor Soosaipillai I. Keethaponcalan, former chair of the Conflict Analysis and Dispute Resolution Department at Salisbury University in Maryland, said that while AKD has done a “commendable job” on the economic front and has sought to prosecute corrupt politicians, he has done “very little, if anything” in finding a political solution to the ethnic conflict. “There have been no significant prosecutions of those responsible for wartime atrocities,” he said.

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It is a little over two years since Anura Kumara Dissanayake, or AKD as he is popularly known, was elected Sri Lanka’s ninth executive president. His victory was an unambiguous vote for change. Unlike his predecessors, AKD did not belong to a political dynasty, nor did he hail from an elite background. Seven weeks after he took over the reins as president, AKD’s National People’s Power (NPP), a coalition of leftist parties, won an emphatic victory in general elections, not only securing a two-thirds majority in parliament but also performing well in the Tamil-dominated Northern Province. Understandably, expectations for AKD ran high.

So how has his government performed? In a discussion with Sudha Ramachandran, South Asia editor of The Diplomat, Professor Soosaipillai I. Keethaponcalan, former chair of the Conflict Analysis and Dispute Resolution Department at Salisbury University in Maryland, said that while AKD has done a “commendable job” on the economic front and has sought to prosecute corrupt politicians, he has done “very little, if anything” in finding a political solution to the ethnic conflict. “There have been no significant prosecutions of those responsible for wartime atrocities,” he said.

Besides, the AKD government has taken no steps towards revoking the executive presidency — a key election campaign pledge. “Like many of its predecessors, [the AKD government] may have come to appreciate the extensive powers of the executive presidency and may believe that these powers are necessary for political stability,” Keethaponcalan said.

Although Anura Kumara Dissanayake and the NPP were at the forefront of the criticism of Ranil Wickremesinghe’s debt restructuring strategy, as president he followed the same strategy to satisfy IMF norms. How different has his presidency been from that of his predecessors?

I used to believe that in Sri Lanka, two entities were firmly committed to their........

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