A Momentary Fix: The True Cost of Ranil's Rise to Power

I can't understand why people are writing emotional thank-you notes to Ranil for "stabilizing the ship." Do Sri Lankans really have such short-term memories? Remember when the Bar Council of Sri Lanka, along with the opposition parties, set a deadline for Gota during the Aragalaya movement to introduce a constitutional amendment to abolish the executive presidency and resign? That was a genuine opportunity for transformative reform. 

Until that demand was met, the opposition decided that no one would take the Prime Minister's post, which kept the pressure on Gota to act. But then RW swooped in at that crucial moment, taking up the Prime Minister's post. By doing so, he relieved the immediate pressure on Gota, effectively halting the momentum for change. Ranil’s choice to prioritize his personal gain allowed the existing power structures to remain intact, transforming what could have been a significant political shift into just a temporary fix.

Being thankful to Ranil is like a bride being kidnapped from her wedding to the perfect guy, forced to marry her abductor, and then feeling grateful because he treated her well after the forced marriage. Sure, he may have made things a bit more comfortable after crashing the big day, but that doesn’t erase the fact that she was supposed to marry Mr. Right, not Mr. Right-Now.

Similarly, while Ranil’s rise to power might seem like it stabilized the immediate chaos, it came at the cost of derailing the real chance for systemic reform and meaningful change. Just because the situation didn’t worsen doesn’t mean we should forgive or celebrate the original betrayal.