By Arundathie Sangakkara –

Gota must be digging in to his cake, still. According to his posters covering Colombo, “Whole Country Is Absolved And Free”. Gotabaya must be imagining that he is this whole country.

Such is his immature narcissism. 

Poor Gota.

The ‘Brave Son’ cannot speak without the teleprompter. So brave was he that a deposit was made for Chamal Rajapaksa for the Presidential election! Gotabaya is an organic failure at managing his emotions. Even a small question posed can escalate in to a death threat. This rabid wolf is not easily unleashed by Mahinda, the seasoned politician in the family. If you causally unleash the Gota Wolf he might kill us, kill Mahinda, demolish Chi-Chi’s rocket, suck on the bones of Frederica Jansz, rip out the stent in his own heart and use that stent as a toothpick! Although exaggerated in jest, the reality of Gota Wolf is not so far off. His abilities to self-destruct and destroy others are both exceptional.

Srimath Dad- SriMouth Son

Yahapalanites and Sajithites are consoling themselves that the “independent judiciary” has issued and independent verdict. It is the complicit UNP government that paved the way to Gotabaya who should be behind bars, to the secure cradle of Presidential candidacy that offers an array of indirect protections. When he was protected like a baby by Sirisena, Rail, Sarala et al, where was Sajith?

According to both the President and Sajith, Sajith spent his time in government repeatedly refusing the offer Sirisena made to make him Prime Minister. 

When Dilrukshi Dias Wickramasinghe holds a similar conversation with Nissanka Senadhipathi, she is interdicted. I quite appreciate it. As per the legal nature and the ethics of her office, that is the fate deserved by Dilrukshi Dias Wickramasinghe. However the question is, does that principle apply to a Member of Parliament and a Minister who holds incessant conversations about “deal-or-no-deal” with a President who is the Chairman of a different political party? Who gave him the moral absolvement from such activity? No one has “Absolved and Released” them from this. They have forgiven each other and continue their political cuddle. What sort of an empty argument is “He gave me- I didn’t take- I’m so good”?

According to an article written to Colombo Telegraph by Grusha Andrews, Sajith “Srimath Sirisena’s Darling Sajith”. Very first days in to his election campaign, Sajith displays his political instability and his inability to weather the stress of the campaign. He is referring to his own mouth as “Sri Mukhaya”, the Holy Mouth. As a Facebook post jokingly explained “Srimath Dad- SriMouth Son! Is this really the guy who is dreaming of being the next president of our Republic? What kind of a mentality does he have? Where will our country head with him? 

Elections and Public Relations Companies

Sajith’s election campaign is professionally executed by a foreign Public Relations company. It’s the same with Gotabaya. May be it is so with Mahesh Senanayake and Anura Kumara Dissanayake. Sajith’s campaign is so affluent to cover the full front pages of national newspapers with the image of Sajith from the word go. The election wealth of Gotabaya has not come out yet. It is a wealth overriding Sajith’s. We do know how that wealth of Gotabaya was earned; how the black money was laundered.  It was the UNP government in which Sajith was a member that protected that Gotabaya.

The job of election PR companies is to apply political make up on people, imply non-existent importance and give an illusion of non-existent intelligence and humanity. They also create news, infuse the internet with memes, spend money on boosting posts, brainwash people and build illusions of leaders. Regardless of red, blue or green, this is the political reality. At the end of this election we will all clean the polythene and the cutouts and sweep our backyards. At the end of that cleaning what is the country that is left for us? Is it a ‘new country’? ‘A country you feel like living in?’ A ‘just society’? Will we get new leaders? Will old murderers and looters get new punishment? 

 No.

The Wolf Avoided The People’s Forum

On October 5th The People’s Forum, a programme where the presidential candidates were featured and questioned on one stage was held. This was telecast live on all TV channels. Gotabaya did not attend this important event. Looks like the unleashing of the wolf was refused. Even if it were unleashed, the wolf only knows how to growl. To bite; to look for its next meal. The wolf does not know how to converse. One of the inalienable features of a vibrant democracy is that important elections are hall marked by debates among the candidates. Gotabaya is too immature politically to understand this; he is also politically uncultured. In Gotabaya’s actual country, the United States of America, presidential debates are entwined with the very idea of presidential elections. But in this instance the ‘patriotic hero’ has run away in the first round itself!

Sajith Premadasa, however, showed his political maturity by attending this forum. He came, he behaved in a gentlemanly manner and he showed he was a democrat. One must appreciate it.

Is There A Star? 

The importance of an effort such as the People’s Forum is that it gives the voters the chance to make a comparative estimate of the candidates. As such programs cannot be fully controlled by a programme director, it gives an opportunity to glimpse in to the natural view of the candidates. It connects the voters with aspects of reality. 

According to Gotabaya’s paid cyber soldiers, both Sajith and Anura are inconsequential candidates that Gotabaya should not bother debate. In the exchange between Sajith and Anura, it was apparent that in a complex political sky, the Anura Star is unmistakably born and a script reader called Sajith is also present. 

When this Presidential election is done and dusted, and after the PR Company’s bills are paid and they have returned to their own country, we will be left with the newspaper adorned by Sajith’s beautiful smile. Oh, also we will be left with Sajith himself, the ‘puthano’ of ‘piyano’. The newspaper, we can use at least to wrap the rice packet. But what can we wrap with Sajith?

If the National Hero from America wins my two options would be to shut up like a demure Sinhala lady or choose death.

The Difference Between The Two

Let’s consider the answer given to the same question by Sajith and Anura at the People’s Forum

Question: How will you empower the institutions and structures that work in relation to independence of the judiciary, human rights and national security?

Summary of Sajith’s answer: (after obtaining permission from the “exalted, respected, most venerable monks…. and thanking the organizers) he stated that he will do so by de-politicizing those institutions and structures. He states that all sorts of people are interfering with the processes of the judiciary and he will create an environment where the “war heroes” can do their job without influence or interference. He will also establish cohesion and peace amongst ethnicities and will add the concepts of economic rights and social rights to complete the concept of human rights.

Summary of Anura’s answer: (following a brief thank you) with regard to establishing the independence of the judiciary, it is my belief that there is nothing wrong with the institutions and the structures. The problem is that the political culture is demolishing those institutions and structures. There is differential treatment of the way judicial processes are carried out, depending of the wealth and the power different people possess. Our main struggle will be to ensure that the law is the same for all regardless of power or money.

As for national security, it should be established within and without. As for internal national security that should be established by not allowing racism or religious extremism raise their heads. Under no circumstance will we allow such extremism to surface. 

As for the challenges to national security from external forces, these external forces do not emerge as armed conflict anymore. They come as economic pacts, defense agreements and trade agreements that are designed to weaken our state.

Strengthening our independent economy, achievements is the power and energy sector and strengthening our economy will ensure resistance to external threat to our national security. In addition well managed international relations will also contribute to this. 

Throughout the People’s Forum it was apparent as to who possessed the intelligence and the deep economic and political vision; the social sense, justice and national identity. You can ascertain this by watching the flowing video from 1.19 hours onwards. 

Sajith’s arrival at the People’s Forum itself is a victory for democracy. He represents the largest singular political party in Sri Lanka with a large voter base. 

Anura is entering the presidential race as the alternate third force. His voter base is lesser than that of the UNP. 

However Anura possess a valuable wealth that both Sajith and Gotabaya lack sorely. That is Anura’s fair political spirit. This can be seen to anyone with equanimous eyes.

Anura Star has risen.