Many contain the view that it was the particular army which kept the nation from breaking up during this period before winning a decisive even if controversial victory against the separatists.
Yet, despite the extra-large role played with the country’s military institution, years of hardship, war and human legal rights abuses, Sri Lankans have steadfastly kept on to their democratic civilian government. There have been coup attempts in 1962 and 1966 and again within 1991, but these were all thwarted by civilian government.
The other reason can be economic. The main difficulties facing Sri Lanka really are a result of economic mismanagement and corruption. A new administration will need to quickly secure international financial loans or some other kind of support to stabilise the economy plus resume the importation of food and energy. This can only end up being possible with a civilian leader at the sturzhelm of such discussions.
The problem the military government would face is that the army is still discredited within the eyes of the worldwide community as a result of mass human rights violations committed during the municipal war against the country’s Tamil separatists.
If an army general were to take energy now, Sri Lanka will become a pariah – and would believe it is almost impossible to raise the foreign investment it so desperately requirements.
The importance of selecting someone who is able to work out loans from global institutions such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank and the Asian Development Financial institution (ADB) was underlined when Rajapaksa hired Wickremesinghe, the prime minister, to the finance profile.
Wickremesinghe experienced already announced a proposal of reforms designed to stabilise the economic climate and planned to provide a debt restructuring plan to the IMF by August.