Signs of a ‘South Asian Spring’

Sri Lanka’s election fits a pattern in the region as more voters expect honesty in leaders and equality in their rule.

The Monitor's View

Headlines can capture events. Yet trends often give them meaning. In South Asia, a series of recent political events has suddenly changed the region from being low in democratic values, as one think tank put it, to possibly enjoying a “South Asian Spring.”

In India, for example, voters broke a decade of one-party rule in elections earlier this year. Protests in Bangladesh ousted an autocrat in August and relaunched democracy. In the disputed region of Jammu and Kashmir between India and Pakistan, residents are casting ballots this week for the first time since 2014.

Now it is Sri Lanka’s turn. On Sunday, voters in the island nation rejected the established parties and elected a former Marxist as president, marking the first leftist government in the country’s history.

And in a victory for a peaceful transfer of power, the defeated incumbent, Ranil Wickremesinghe, gracefully bowed out. “With much love and respect for this beloved nation,” he said, “I hand over its future to the new president.”

What may bind voters across the region are rising concerns about basic economic issues, corruption, and the rule of law. The desire for change, noted Swasthika Arulingam, a Sri Lankan human rights lawyer, reflects a shift from political consciousness based on ethnic identity to equality and accountability for all.

“Political parties and candidates can no longer come and say whatever they want,” she told The Associated Press. “People are asking questions now.”

Sri Lanka’s new president, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, has promised more of a course adjustment than of major disruption. The country is still reeling from an economic crisis that erupted two years ago. He has vowed to uproot a culture of graft and impunity in government. His former passions as an insurgent have cooled after a quarter century in Parliament. While he seeks to ease the impact of economic reforms on poor people, he pledges continued cooperation with austerity-minded international lenders.

One signal from him may matter more than others. “We will work hard to rebuild the trust that people have lost in politics,” Mr. Dissanayake said in his inauguration speech. He also promised to rebuild the nation “in unity and cooperation.”

A similar humility in listening to the people is reshaping democracy in Bangladesh, where famed economist Muhammad Yunus was appointed to steer a transitional government. “In times of great difficulty, it is crucial to be patient,” the Nobel Peace Prize laureate said. “We are one family. We have one goal.”

The election in Sri Lanka has ushered in what may be a peaceful transformation of politics and economics. Yet as in much of South Asia, voters have shifted their expectations, demanding honesty and responsiveness in their leaders.