It seems that some people have already forgotten the pressure and difficulties faced by the people when Sri Lanka had gone through the worst ever economic crisis just two years ago. Some people have hopes to defeat their strongest opponent and gain victory by spreading falsehoods, hatred and malice. Therefore, these days, many reports, statements and posts related to politics on social media are published aiming at distorting the real ground situation. It seems that they think that the political ideologies of the country should be determined through that.
The unveiling of the poster titled Aranchiya Subhai (Await! Good news) can be described as an event that gives an understanding of how the media should be handled in such a situation. Some media activists say that this poster has attracted more people than the famous poster Mekauda… Monawada Karanne (Who is this, what is he doing). The poster “Who is this and what is he doing” was published only as a poster in those pre-Internet days while the Aranchiya Subhai poster has become a poster as well as a post that has been repeatedly posted and shared many times on social media networks.
Today, that poster has become one of the most used among many people. Aranchiya Subhai is now being used a lot on social media when referring to anything new. Now it is being used in some advertisements and products as well. This is the best example to show how a creative way was used to announce the successful completion of the country’s debt restructuring. It has immediately gained the attention of the entire country.
Good news
It was recently shown that some people have forgotten about the harsh experiences that they faced during the economic crisis, but for a large number of people, those bitter memories will not fade away. Knowing that the country is getting out of bankruptcy, the people welcomed the good news by lighting firecrackers. I think that the light that was lit from all directions of the country that day was a symbol of the happiness of the people.
At the same time, President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s speech to the nation on June 26 seems to have provided an opportunity for the people to have confidence in the country’s future. It seems that the speech created a different atmosphere for the people who think that they are in a country where they cannot fulfil their dreams, as well as for the people who think that they cannot deal with the future with confidence. In his speech, President Wickremesinghe said that an atmosphere has now been created where the country can escape from bankruptcy and fulfil the expectations of the country’s youth. While announcing the successful completion of the country’s debt restructuring, the President also let the public know that he is contesting the forthcoming Presidential Election (PE). Explaining the efforts that he has taken in rebuilding the country and its economy in his address to the nation he said, “They are walking all over Sri Lanka asking for power. They go to schools and ask for power. They are travelling around the world and asking for power and working day and night for power.”
“I work day and night for the country, walking all over Sri Lanka and fulfilling the needs of the people and launching programs to strengthen the economy. I am going around the world and working to get international support to develop our country”.
Then he let the people know that he would run for the PE, leaving the responsibility of deciding on it to the people of this country.
“Will you join me, who has taken the country forward by understanding the problem from the beginning and giving practical solutions to those issues and also who has shown results or join the groups that still do not understand the country’s problems and groping in the dark but striving hard for power?”, he said.
When the other Presidential candidates announced their candidacy and walked all over the country asking for power, President Wickremesinghe said he had taken all efforts to get the country out of darkness and there was a room for people to have a choice between him and them. Until that day’s indication, President Wickremesinghe had not announced whether he would contest the Presidential Election. He was not ready to announce his candidacy for the PE or start campaigning for it saying as there was enough time for it. In a marathon, there is no advantage for a runner to run at his maximum speed from the very beginning. His strategy seems to have been to exert maximum energy when he is close to the end line of the race while other candidates, who run fast from the start, seem exhausted before the final lap of the race.
Seasoned politician
President Wickremesinghe, who is a matured and seasoned politician, has an excellent knowledge and experience on elections, including PEs, how the election campaigns should be conducted, and measures to be taken while having experience of winning as well as losing elections. It seems as if he started his Presidential campaign with one poster that is sweeping the entire country.
After releasing the Aranchiya Subhai poster and the President’s address to the nation, no one is now saying that he will not contest the PE. All the claims made by some that he will not contest the PE have now come to an end. He has been able to suppress the campaigns of all other parties with one poster in a sudden and surprising move and create a situation where all the campaigns of others are shaped according to his own campaign.
During those days, other Presidential candidates were vociferous claiming that President Wickremesinghe was going to make a ruse by addressing the nation on June 26. Those parties declared that what he was going to say about debt restructuring is a false propaganda campaign that is going to be started with the aim of deceiving the people. Nevertheless, the real situation was confirmed by the statements of foreign diplomats as well as foreign countries and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Senior Mission Chief in Sri Lanka Peter Breuer before and after the President’s statement.
US Ambassador Julie J. Chung has congratulated Sri Lanka on the outcome of the debt restructuring process. India has sent a detailed greeting and expressed that it will continue to support Sri Lanka in the same way it supported Sri Lanka during the economic crisis and appreciated the successful completion of the debt restructuring. At the same time, Japan had also issued a statement and IMF Senior Mission Chief Breuer issued a statement that the country’s economy has started a successful journey due to Sri Lanka being able to implement debt restructuring at a successful level. Due to such strong statements, it became clear that it is not the kind of deception that the Opposition claims.
What I see as the most important thing is to observe the changes in the PE race after President Wickremesinghe indicated his candidacy and it clearly shows that there are three prominent candidates running for the PE. One change is the way in which the other two parties reacted with panic and confusion after the indication of candidacy by President Wickremesinghe. I think that people see how a big propaganda campaign was launched against President Wickremesinghe’s poster and address to the nation, forgetting all other matters.
The other is to observe how the politics of the country has completely turned upside down in a sudden move and the course of politics has undergone a great change. Mostly, it is reflected in relation to social media. It would appear that the campaigns of both the other major candidates, which were run with great enthusiasm up to now, have suffered a major setback. The liveliness of their statements made in platforms or other occasions have now become lifeless and lacklustre.
