This was Sri Lanka’s first presidential election since bankruptcy, and Anura Kumar Dissanayake won. He was the country’s first Marxist leader to hold such a high position. Sri Lanka has been struggling with political and economic turmoil for the past two years. Now President Dissanayake will do double duty. But at the same time, this is also a matter of his attitude towards India and China. His party, the People’s Party, has made many remarks against India before.
Who is the new president?
Dissanayake, 56, has Marxist ideas and often talks about standing with workers and the lower-middle class. The winning leaders from the National People’s Power Party (NPP) all have left-wing stances, which is also new for Colombo. In fact, before that, the country’s democratically elected governments were all right-wing in their thinking. Even Goabaya Rajapaksa, who nearly sunk the country, was considered right-wing. During his tenure, when the country suffered an economic earthquake, Dissanayake became his staunch opponent. So much so that he came to be seen as a voice for eradicating corruption, and the public was expected to elect him.
Going straight from the right to the left would be a huge change for the country. But the matter is not limited to Sri Lanka, and its impact will also affect neighboring countries, especially India and China.
Sri Lanka is very important to both countries. There are many reasons for this.
– Sri Lanka is located in the Indian Ocean and is a center of maritime trade. Global trade continues from this country, which connects West and East Asia. Both China and India want to ensure their presence here. But China, with its expansionist attitude, was a step ahead and almost settled in Hambantota Port as well.
– This ocean is also of strategic importance. Since Sri Lanka is close to India’s southern coast, India also wants to maintain it. This is very useful in naval strategy.
-Both countries are investing heavily here. Although India’s attitude has always been to give priority to its neighbors, China has invested huge amounts of money while also charging huge interest rates. Even now he is investing a lot in infrastructure here.
Who will have the upper hand, India or China?
Dissanayake faces many challenges, the biggest of which is eliminating instability in 2022. But at the same time, he will also face pressure to balance foreign policy. Previously, governments’ foreign policies have tried to put India and China on equal footing, but China has continually gained the upper hand due to massive investments and debt.
Things will be different now. One of the reasons for this is the central political ideology. Sri Lanka’s president is known for his left-wing views, while the slant of power here is thought to be to the right. In this case, the fear of the possible intervention of ideology remains.
However, Anil Jayantha, a member of the national executive committee of Sri Lanka’s ruling coalition NPP, denied this claim. He said our party and leaders want to join India, The Week reported. It is not only our neighbor but also a superpower. Recently we received an invitation to the Indian Agriculture Summit and we also went to Delhi and Kerala. Our leaders want to work with all major powers to stabilize our economy.
When did you show your anti-India attitude?
Amid all the positive things, there are also many disturbing things. For example, the People’s Party led by the new president is the country’s main left-wing party and has repeatedly made anti-India remarks. Indian peacekeeping troops went there in 1987 under the Indo-Sri Lankan accord to stop ongoing fighting between Tamil rebels and the Sri Lankan army. The JVP, on the other hand, saw this as external interference in the country and caused a lot of commotion. Even Indian troops were called invaders. Later, the party also accused India of supporting Tamil rebels. He accused India of deliberately provoking the rebels to maintain its influence.
From an ideological point of view, it is closer to China.
JVP adhered to Maoist stance from the beginning, which was a gift from Chinese leader Mao Zedong. He has repeatedly praised China’s policies, whether political or economic. He also opposed Western influence. China also frequently criticizes all Western influences, including the United States. So this link connects the two.
India is becoming a good friend
But based on these alone, it does not mean that the new government can leave India. India’s Neighborhood First policy is also the reason behind it. The instability in Sri Lanka two years ago and India’s unconditional help cannot be ignored. In addition, as India’s global influence increases, neighboring countries also believe that if tensions arise in their own countries, India can provide help at the global level or speak for them.
The Maldives is an example. Mohammad Muizou showed anti-India attitude after becoming president. Even the ‘India Out’ movement has started. Now he’s back on track. Recently, the Presidential Palace issued a statement stating that Muizu may visit India soon. At the same time, India did not completely ignore the Maldives, but only pledged to provide help, despite showing strict needs.
