By Jayantha Wijesingha –

Jayantha Wijesingha

It is about time you make a change. Those who don’t think of change, make change and adapt to change will never progress. Mahinda did what we expected from him back in 2005. Despite his failure to do anything further, people of this country voted him (though I doubt if he actually won in 2010) once more. But what transpired from 2010 is highly appalling.

Everything from justice, education, health and social welfare went nowhere. Every system that runs a country seems derailed. Corruption, thuggery, fooling, intoxication and abuse are what we hear daily on every news media. There’s a saying that when you see and hear the same thing every day, you become a part of it and it will no longer be perceived as something out of the ordinary. Are you going to approve such a normalization of cowardly behaviors as a norm?

Instilling fear has become the biggest tactic used by Mahinda’s media strategists. Fear of a war, fear of an armed conflict. How real is this fear when you know the likes of Sobhitha Thera, Rathana Thera, Hela Urumaya and Gen SF is leading this movement.

We are a country that spent Rs. 200 Bn on war and now spending a RECORD Rs 253 Bn on defense. No one questions where does that money go when we no longer purchase military equipments or fight a war? When the health sector gets less than 5% of the total budget, defense expenses go beyond 15 %. Ironically we have more people dying every year from Kidney disease than the number of people who died due to war.

Most of what the country earns goes for loan repayments. We are just surviving like a middle class family that is merely living midst of all the hardships. Is this what you and I expected after the war? Poor people cannot afford the prices of goods although we are lucky not to feel that heat so much. If you go shopping with Rs 2500 in hand you will know how fast it can vaporize. But our ministers who call themselves economic experts argue their gut out that a family of four can survive with just Rs 2500 a month. What is funny is their electricity bills exceed tens of thousands, while such ministers’ school aged daughter spends more than Rs 10,000 for her mobile every month.

We have always witnessed crimes committed by politically motivated goons. But we haven’t seen anyone going free like this government’s tenor. Rapist Saaruwa Sunil and Murderer Duminda Silva are classic examples for same. How conveniently they fooled us the public who let them continue their dirty work. Will any one of you approve these crimes? Many ministers were accused and proved to be the culprits of illegal dealings, murders and corruption. Just name at least one who got punished by the law.

The Justice system itself is another area that got a hard blow by this regime. The Chief Justice was removed and a replaced with a henchman who travels the world with the president. The system was rigged so badly that it got divided like never before. Mahinda’s motto was always to “Divide and Rule”. You see it in among communities, artists, the Venerable Sanga and in his attempt to dilute opposition parties.

I can talk for hours on why you should make a change this time to see a better future for yourself and for our next generation. But I am certain that you are aware as much as I am and will not get trapped in Mahinda’s cheap advertising tactics. I am in no way saying that My3 will be that great a hero or the model we need as a politician in our search for a rescuer. What I am saying is that if he actually does 50% of what he promises, he can still be a hundred times better than Mahinda Rajapaksha.

What should you do to see that change? Keep Mahinda in power for another eight long years and see nothing change for sure, or transfer it to My3 for 100 days and see how he executes his manifesto?