‘U’ turns of Mahinda’s regime

- ‘War’ euphoria cannot be the vote winning tool anymore. People are facing the pressures in many fronts and the yester-month’s war victory euphoria cannot be the deciding factor. What people want is peace and stability now and not the crony family governance of the few.
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By Nilantha Ilangamuwa

(November 22, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) President Mahinda Rajapaksha is expected to announce the Presidential election on Monday evening (November 23). After unbelievable dithering and poor handling of the internal conflicts within his party over General Fonseka’s resignation, the compelling circumstances have made the President to call the Presidential election.

The regime which based on ‘ Mahinda Chinthanaya’ has somersaulted one hundred degrees and all attempts have been made now to appease the Tamil people. What a speech by the President in Tamil in the SLFP annual conference. Mere memorized speech in Tamil that did not touch on the real issues affecting the minorities is a mere gimmick to lure the Tamils to wholeheartedly support him for saying some nonsense in Tamil.

There are no Tigers to intimidate the Tamils this time to prevent them from voting like in the last Presidential elections. But Douglas Devananda is there to extend the very same policy of the Tigers in favour of the President this time. The President is said to be putting all his faith on Douglas to pull in the votes of the Tamils in his favour.

According to news reports quoting the President’s brother Basil Rajapaksha, who is the unelected national list member of parliament and the ‘Senior’ advisor to the President, the Government has decided to release the IDPs ( Internal Displaced People) well before end of January 2010.

With the added financial Masala to each of the IDP families, the government is doing everything to lure the Tamil votes. Basil Rajapaksha is acting like the deputy executive President and he is in absolute control of eight districts in the Island and now attempting to portray himself as the ‘ombudsman’ of the Tamil people, while all gates remain bolted for other Tamil speaking political parties and leaders to meet the IDP’s.

With the impending outcome of Fundamental Rights hearing in the Supreme Court filed by the UNP and with the Chinthanaya’s cunning appeasement process to lure the Tamil votes the President has extended his Chinthanaya mission to open the IDP camp gates to some of his ‘yes’ men to gain some political mileage.

There is no difference between the regime and the defeated LTTE regime. They are two sides of the same coin. Both parties wanted sole - representative status and to achieve this they behaved like the local Czars. The control freak mindset of the Rajapaksha regime fear other political parties will make mileage if they are allowed into the camps and having now stage managed the IDP situation with DMK’s Kanimozi, bedfellows of Chinthaya in the TNA and UN’s John Holmes, the President is trying to play the vote winning trumpet to appease the Tamils.

With the majority already in dilemma following the booting of General Fonseka, Chinthaya is scheming to lure the Tamil votes. The retired General is already being labelled as a ‘traitor’ because of the challenge posed by him to the regime. The regime must be thinking branding the General as a ‘traitor’ will go well with the suffering minorities.

‘War’ euphoria cannot be the vote winning tool anymore. People are facing the pressures in many fronts and the yester-month’s war victory euphoria cannot be the deciding factor. What people want is peace and stability now and not the crony family governance of the few.

The war drama is over on the ground now. But some point scoring will take place with some revelations from the surrendered LTTE cadres to garner votes for the regime in the South. Majority of the youth are preparing to rebel against the Government at the election and they are eagerly waiting for a fresh leadership that can bring lasting peace with socio-economic progress of the nation, putting away the crony culture of family rule and corruption.

-Sri Lanka Guardian