19 March, 2024

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If Sajith Wants To Win

By Sarath de Alwis –

Sarath de Alwis

Presidential elections are more about candidate and less about the party. That explains the curious, yet familiar process that we have witnessed in recent weeks; would be candidate refashioning the party structures in his own image or attempting to do so.  

The outcome of course, depends on how the country wide constituency comprehends the ideology of the candidate and more importantly, his or her capacity to deliver on promise.    

It is the candidate who can make or unmake the coalition of forces that gravitate towards his candidacy. That can happen only if the candidate is perceived as the wining horse. The ‘man’ overrides the ‘manifesto’. 

The party turns to the candidate for survival and success. The ‘person ‘alters, and redirects the ‘history’ of the party, that provide the skeletal structure and the voter base that goes with it.  

The movement that gradually takes shape between nomination and election is dependent on the ability and appeal of the chosen leader. 

Sajith Premadasa demonstrated this ‘truth’ at the Galle face rally. The UNP establishment discovered another painful truth 24 hours later. At the Elpitiya Pradeshiya Sabah election, the party clearly demonstrated its petrified position since the year 2006.   

The spectacle at Galle face and the debacle in Elpitiya, taken together holds a hard truth.

In politics failure is decisive. A political party that ignores this basic premise is headed to oblivion.

Galle face indicated to the promise of Sajith’s candidacy. Elpitiya points to the petrified plight of Ranil’s leadership.  

The purpose of a political party is to make sense out of structures of authority. It must dismantle the illegitimate and expel the irrelevant. That is the only way available for a political party to stay ahead of the competition.

Seeking justification for the inexplicable may be human nature but not good politics.   

The UNP or a sizeable majority within it, decided to field Sajith Premadasa as it’s presidential candidate. They did so for several good reasons. 

In this age of 24 x 7 connectivity, Ranil Wickremesinghe fails to connect. His pontifications on economics is absolute gobbledygook for the young, the old and the sensible. 

A series of accidental quirks made him the Leader of one of our mainstream political movements. Since then he has focused his full energies for the single-minded task of explaining the accidental as preordained history. 

Stalin famously asked how many divisions the pope commanded. Nobody asks Ranil how many votes a former attorney general or a Rotarian lawyer commands. 

There is a segment in the UNP’s political class ready to buy this balderdash. This miniscule group makes its way to Ranil’s cabinet through the national list.

 What we must remember is that they don’t get elected either in the north or the south.

Sajith Premadasa must now walk the talk. He must stop beating around the bush.

At Galle face he did take the bull by the horns but quickly sidestepped the issue. The spirited bull fighter held his cape. 

He reminded the people’s assembly at Galle Face, how hard he had to fight for the candidacy of his party. He was not the choice of the party leader or the magic circle that manages its affairs.

 If the party decided to relent, it was only because, it was a proposition they could not afford to reject. 

Sajith thanked the leader for his graceful acceptance of a fait accompli that Harin Fernando and Mangala Samaraweera pulled off as a military maneuver, the outcome of which was uncertain until the Elections Commission gazettes  the date of nominations.

Those who defied Ranil Wickremesinghe’s grabbing, greedy appetite for clinging on to power within the party and insisted on Sajith Premadasa’s candidacy have been proven right.   The success of the mass mobilization at Galle face demonstrates that there is a residual power within reach of the UNP and its allies. 

That residual power alone cannot confront the hegemony of the Rajapaksa family and its ‘strong man’ Sinhala Buddhist’ messiah. 

For Sajith Premadasa to win, he must reach out to a wider swathe of the electorate. In clear unambiguous terms, Sajith Premadasa must demonstrate to a skeptical constituency that the torch has indeed passed on to a new generation. 

At Galle face, Sajith Premadasa took considerable pains to address the issue of national security. He fielded the Field Marshall to checkmate Gotabaya’s claimed wisdom on the subject. 

He can easily address public apathy towards the current governments demonstrated sterility by defining the composition and trajectory of the cabinet of ministers that he will preside over if and when elected president.

Gotabaya Rajapaksa if elected president will have Mahinda Rajapaksa as his prime minster. Mahinda hopes that Ranil will be the leader of opposition. 

That possible ‘theater of the absurd’ is what makes the urban middle class to secretly hope for a Gotabaya presidency that will bring about a shock reversal of all known possibilities.

Politics is a business where the knowns are finite, and the unknowns are infinite. 

When Sajith Premadasa wanted to speak on the impeachment of the chief justice, his party leader did not allow him parliamentary time. He was helped out by the TNA that allocated time from its quota.

Ramli Wickremesinghe seriously contemplated disciplinary action against his deputy leader for defying the party whip to condemn the impeachment of a sitting chief justice. 

The urgency to publish this missive prevents me from delving in to archived material pertaining to the disgraceful conduct of Ranil Wickremesinghe in the impeachment saga.

A coward first abandons himself. After that all betrayals come easy. The bard has said it for all time.

“Our doubts are traitors and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt.”

It must be said at this crucial hour that Sajith unlike Ranil did not fear to attempt. 

To win, Sajith Premadasa must articulate and pursue a coherent set of positions on urgent public policy issues. He cannot do that with Ranil Wickremesinghe’s current stranglehold on the party. He should become more accountable to the voters and demonstrate to those who are ready to trust him, that he will govern more effectively and independently when in power. 

Let us face it. Gotabaya may now operate under the more than ample shadow of his brother. No one doubts that as president he will be his own man.

The prelate and authority on fallopian tubes Rathana thero hopes that Gotabaya will be his own man. The suave and debonair litigator Ali Sabry believes that Gotabaya will be his own man and that he will lead us to a brave new world of ethnic harmony. 

The Prelate and President’s counsel are both agreed that Gotabaya is the textbook ‘Expedient Patriot’ and his expediency can be relied on to deliver their respective desires. Good luck to them both.  

Sajith Premadasa is uniquely positioned to deescalate the tensions within the anti-Gotabaya forces by acknowledging existing differences that need not frustrate our national imperative of consolidating the post 2015 democratic gains.  

Identity politics is a zero-sum game that rules out the possibility of dialogue and compromise. That said, we must recognize  Gotabaya’s brilliance in sustaining the semblance of  an ongoing dialogue and the possibility of a compromise with minorities while outsourcing venomous chauvinism to an underworld of hired hooligans. 

With remarkable aplomb, the hooligans are  removed from positions when exposed!  

The division between Ranil’s coterie and Sajith’s following are deeper than mere differences of opinion on public policy issues. 

The urban, cosmopolitan, affluent public opinion holds Gotabaya Rajapaksa as an effective leader to bring about positive societal transformation. And so does the nether world of tribal prejudice and clerical fascism. 

When identities are at stake, consensus is not easy to achieve. Gotabaya may have a technocratic solution to the problem. Sajith Premadasa must in the next few days work out a human solution for that problem.   

As Arthur Koestler said, ‘God seems to have left the receiver off the hook and time is running out’.  

Sajith Premadasa must send out a clear signal that the torch has passed on to a new generation that is in rhythm with the pulse of the universe.

In my humble opinion Ajith Perera lost a million votes when he said that Ranil will be their leader till 2024. 

Hyperbole even if claimed as true is a contradiction in terms. It’s a way of saying, ‘It’s a lie, but who cares?’

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Latest comments

  • 14
    30

    Sajith Premadasa does not have the balls and will to put against the wall his very own party members who he saw were up to their eye balls in corruption.
    He does not have balls to walk upto the strikers and tell them either face the music or do your job and go home.
    To be a leader of a country in Sri lanka one needs to have balls of steel to confront the anarchists who roaming around every street corner.
    If Sajith comes to power it will be the same shit for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
    What lanka needs is a educated autocratic leader like Lee Kuan Yew or Dr Mahathir and sadly none are available.
    Democracy is its downfall.

    • 10
      17

      What about Mahesh Senanayake? I think he may fit the bill, as to a leader who will lead this country, that we are all yearning for.

      • 21
        6

        It’s better to vote for a Sri Lankan than a coward who ran away from the war and became dual citizen as Secretary Defence and a questionable nationality even today. What right has GR got to talk of national security when compared to SF. The guy talks about others balls must examine his own.

      • 10
        2

        Mahesh who? What has he got others don’t have?

        • 0
          0

          Steel balls!

      • 2
        0

        He will be another guy who will find it difficult to get away from the influence of Ranil and his click

    • 9
      0

      Peter, nominations closed. All we have are, 2 leading candidates, 1 well known but not a leading candidate, few little known candidates & too many unknown candidates.

      You have 32 days, try to see if you could find a Lee Kuan Yew or a Dr Mahathir in any one of remaining 33 candidates. Whoever wins, at least you can say that you caste your vote to a Lee Kuan Yew or Dr Mahathir

      • 0
        0

        If we dont have LKY or Dr Mathir, how about are very own, Y C Chang or Yen Fu Pakstun or now 4th or 5th generation Chinese or Burmese,

    • 25
      5

      Peter, you seem not have faith in both candidates. But you blast and insult Sajith, and no mentioning of Gota. That’s freedom of expression, Sajith has given you.

    • 14
      2

      Peter, Peter grass eater, why don’t you lend him your balls?

      • 6
        5

        You do not have to ask Peter to lend his balls to Sajith.
        If Sajith has balls then you can proudly stand up and say as a citizen of sri lanka that you are living in a corruption free country.
        You can safely travel on any road without fear of getting rolled over by some maniac behind a steering wheel.
        You can safely get into any train and travel with reliability to any part of the country without being squashed due to rail strikes.
        You can walk into into any govt hospital and get the best treatment without fear of striking medical staff.
        You do not have to make way for some arsehole of a phony politician riding comfortably in a BMW with his retinue of private thugs to safe guard him.
        But !!!! then like the rest of the grass eaters in the land you are miserable being looking for a way of escaping the madness surrounding you through your vote a vote that brings more madness into your life.
        Its a pity a great pity that idiots like you survive in a beautiful land of great wealth and potential that you cannot see because your eyes are in your rear same as the phonies you vote into power.
        Don’t forget to stand in front of Sajith’s house after he wins because you may get the scraps from his table.

    • 0
      0

      Thank you god you dont think that Gota can do what Lee Kuan Yew or Dr Mahathir did.

    • 3
      0

      For the time being we should forgot about Democracy and find somebody with guts to act to suit the developing situations – we do not need Leaders who are politically correct but who could take correct actions

  • 6
    17

    Well, Sajith is UNPs’ night watchman.

    Backers want him to bat defensively to avoid humiliation until a capable/acceptable leadership emerges.

    Wonder whether he’ll be able to register a defeat without any humiliation, for backers to heave a sigh of relief.

    • 14
      4

      RW has leadership, but he is not popular as MR. Tell me a name from SLPP or SLFP who can win against RW if there is no MR.

      • 8
        3

        a Muslim ,

        You talk about corruption means , you are a vote loser !
        In a country full of crooks and fraudsters , you need a
        long term plans and strategies to eliminate corruption.
        Traditional parties and leaders are the ones who prosper
        on corruption and bribery . Look at the offers to the
        public made by both Sajith and Gota if they win ! How cheap
        is it to put the voters to beggars in order to win the election
        by bribing them with personal benefits from the coffer after
        a win ? Look what Sajith says , ‘ I will give you shoes , two
        school uniforms , lunch’ etc . Is this an election or Christmas ?

        • 6
          0

          whywhy – It is not Sajith who belittles our people, it is the reality that comes out when trying to address majority of people’s everyday issues. If you think we don’t have people can’t afford a pair of shoes, you have misunderstood Sri Lanka, or some “pada show carayas” have deceived you.

          • 2
            0

            Real Leader should make people rich enough to buy their own meal and other day to day requirements without expecting anything from Government on a platter – which mean Government should formulate clear policies to develop this country – Sajith is promising to deliver various goodies – Is he going to use his own money to these charities ?? — he is promising to waste our money to win his election and drag the country from bad to worst – Gota is the only one who at least talk about policies

          • 0
            0

            a Muslim ,

            When it comes to reality , the reality is , the world that we
            heavily depend on is , in recession and our export and
            imports have fallen as a result . Our guys are are deceiving
            the whole nation with false hopes of prosperity . The real
            prosperity doesn’t come with freebies but with hard work
            and understanding world economic realities . The real
            cheating in politics happens in our country when people
            are being led by a world of false promises over and over
            again and again without stop by older and younger
            leaders of traditional parties . Yes , one latest prosperity
            report that has just emerged is , the cabinet has approved
            a proposal to allow Sirisena to continue living in his Paget
            Road residence after the polls ! Gamarala who loves eating
            on plantain leaves is, to get back to farming in Colombo-7 !
            People need to understand this reality behind prosperity
            and freebies talks !

      • 5
        3

        a.Muslim

        kidding!

        Bet, Geetha Kumarasinghe can defeat RW.

    • 4
      0

      Mahinda Had only one big ball,
      Gota has two but one is small
      Maitre has something similar
      And poor Ranil has no balls at all.

      With apologies yo the composer of Colnel Bogeys March.

    • 0
      0

      Though rare, at times night watchman can score centuries.
      Sad but true. Perhaps Sajith knows he is just a night watchman.

    • 0
      1

      Sri lankans are a ungrateful lot. If not for RUnil been in power this country would be begging every body forgets why Mahinda wanted early elections.
      We have been paying the rajapaksha
      loans and still achieved a growth rate
      Of 3%. The fact of the matter is there is no Singha lease who have the guts to to stand up and say that till buddhist priest run this country we will never prosper. All politicians are scared of these hippocrits. The only good about got a is once he is in power he will not care a shit about what unwanted people say. The best combination for. Srilanka is got a president ranil priminister so that he can run the economy without interference. Sajith is nothing but a joker surrounded by a cliqe of rogues already.

      loans

  • 15
    2

    Sarath,

    It’s a brave piece …….. the pols who always change to the winning side know which way the wind is blowing ….. and it does not bode well for the UNP-side.

    For the sake of the country …….. lets hope for a miracle. :))

    • 15
      0

      nimal,
      I agree with Sarath b’cos I’ve been saying the same : Sajith must be sending a parallel message of changing the political structure of the UNP so that only qualified candidates will get the nomination at all levels.

  • 6
    2

    Dear Sarath de Alwis,
    .
    I think that you are right to blame Ranil for the plight of the country. It’s an interesting article, but you see us getting manipulated by the guy who promises more.
    .
    I’ll keep hoping for a good showing by the JVP to at least check the unquestioned wielding of power by whichever of these two guys get elected. That it’s going to be after the counting of Preferences is my wish, and I hope that all voters will know how that system works:
    .
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mrz6RpzDaa4
    .
    That’s four minutes of Mahinda Deshapriya. Shouldn’t Prof. Hoole be doing a similar video for Tamil users? Never mind those who use English. We can like it or lump it.
    .
    When I began typing there were no comments; now I see one which confirms my view that many of us are not satisfied with what is on offer from these two guys. The problem is that we’re saying all this in a language that few understand.
    .
    Those who find me not coherent in expressing my views have rightly assessed the uncertainty that I feel about the future.

  • 15
    2

    In 2015, the most unexpected happened thanks to a collective effort of all anti Rajapaksa forces. The voters were so fed up with the antics of that Government that they chose to show MR the door (NGR was a major player in that Administration) and some attribute that defeat to the actions of NGR) . MR does not appear to have got that message. He still wishes to cling onto power. One needs to question why? He had 10 years to deliver. Did he deliver? Do you wish that era to return? Had he delivered, he would still be the Head of State. A leopard never changes its spots.

    In 2019, the equation is different as anti Rajapaksa forces are somewhat divided. (e.g. JVP is fielding its own candidate). Yet, NGR / MR do not have control of State Institutions and the public purse as in 2015, to subvert the electoral process (remember in 2015 MR got down even the Ambassadors to campaign for him). The final result partly depends on which candidate best connects with the Voters.The recent PS election result is irrelevant in the whole scheme of things.

    As to SP, he reminds me of his father. A task master and a man of action. The manner in which SP secured the nomination from his Party reflects his resolve to serve the Nation. He has come of age. He appears to have all the credentials to be a Great Leader and Statesman whereas as NGR carries a lot of baggage and is unfit and unsuitable to lead the Nation and definitely is not Presidential material.

    Unfortunately, NGR is not open to questioning by the public / journalists; a clear manifestation he has skeletons in his cupboard. He has not come out with any policy initiatives. One big lingering question still is whether he is constitutionally eligible to contest this election. It is likely this issue will be subject to a future court ruling.

    • 6
      0

      Gamini,
      MR certainly had the opportunity to be a president for life and a world renowned statesman had he not surrounded himself with over zealous military advisors basking in the glory of a victory and declaring “Zero Casualties ” when in any war there is collateral damage even to its own troops. Blind Freddy would have known this.
      If only he was humble as the victorious Nigerian General Yakuza Gowan who at the end of the short Biafran civil war in the 1970’s in which nearly a million people died, mostly of starvation declared “There are no victors and vanquished in War ” instead he extended a hand of friendship and strove to bring about Reconciliation, Reconstruction and Rehabilitation There were no medals awarded to commemorate the victory but only an extended hand of Peace which was most gracious and appropriate.
      We as a nation have failed to follow this example.
      Can we have a leader of this calibre to unite the country and rid us of all the ills now bestowed on us without taking away our democratic rights?

      We only brought about more misery by declaring “Zero Casualties “when in any war there is colateral damage.

  • 4
    9

    Is the writer trying to underplay Gota’s emergence by alluding to “Urban, cosmopolitan, affluent public opinion, nether world of tribal prejudice and clerical fascism”? Is he running scared?

  • 8
    16

    CT Readers, don’t be fooled by the little outward show of support for Gota, there are many like me who will not show their hand in public but will support him in the election. Like day follows night, Gota will be the next President. At least CT will be a lively forum yet again

  • 16
    0

    Sajith.P. stood for a principle in the Impeachment of Chief Justice Shiranee Bandaranayake.,to the extent that he violated the Party high command. So he seems to have a mind of his own on national issues.

    • 0
      2

      Plato,

      There were issues on Sherani’s dismissal. Lankawe’s none of political parties operate on policies, but on personal grudges, commission and nepotism.

      Sherani came through back door, pushed up CBK. Ranil had some problems with Chandrika in his time. Sherani was appointed by Old king illegally. So, he did not wanted to support Sherani, but wanted to stand up that parliament had power to decide. Sherani’s judgement also practically restricted the parliament by saying the Divineguma was violating the Provincial Councils’ rights. Ranil didn’t like that too. So UNP did not oppose Sherani’s dismissal when she was impeached.

      When Mokan Peiris, came, Ranil didn’t like him either. So Ranil sacked him un-procedurally. Old Royals, that time, fearing to America, kept their tails between the hind legs. To substantiate his illegal dismissal, Ranil technically reappointed Sherani. He immediately fired her as he never wanted her near to him. Then he brought puppet Sri Pavan. Sri Pavan Oked the fallowed 19A, as the way Ranil wanted. Ranil did not support Sherani and he did not wanted Vaalaiththodam to support her, too. There is nothing wrong

      But Ranil’s handicap was shown out very well during the coup time. By 19A, there is no way to fire a PM, even by NCM at parliament. But Ranil allowed him to be replaced by Old King until Sam & Sum took it to court. That time Ranil didn’t stand up to defend parliament, which had the majority. Again that too he wanted to hand over the PM position to Old King to teach West a lesson in March 2019 at UNHRC.

    • 1
      0

      You’ve made a very good point there, Plato.
      .
      This bit of history had not really got imprinted in my mind.
      .
      However, I wish the UNP would record him talking quietly for listening at home; hearing him sawing the air with platitudes on public platforms is irritating.

  • 4
    15

    If Sajith wants to win……he should withdraw from the presidential race.

    • 3
      3

      There is no alternative to the Ranil Wickramasinghe strategy. UNP can cross 50% mark only with en block voting of minority groups. To this end intensive campaigning to the effect that Rajapaksas are anti minority is essential. This strategy worked in 2015 and will do this time too. Otherwise voting apathy among the minorities may set in and their full potential may not be available to the UNP. ( In 2015 a new minority group was created. Sinhala Christians. There were daily reports of number of churches destroyed the previous day. On CT Thisaranee Gunasekara had taken over this department into which Wahabis have now thrown a spanner.)

      Soma

    • 4
      5

      Dear Pasqual , you beat me to it, mate..

      Keselwatta Kid could have saved his UNP Membership and that Deputy Gig until Dr Ranil passed on
      But it is too late…

    • 3
      3

      So your American woman Ayyo-amma can become first lady?

      Ayyo Gotabaya!

      • 0
        0

        Narigaaya ,

        It’s a valid question ! We not only elect a President , when he is
        elected the president , his tail becomes the First Lady ! We do
        have a dilemma here , Head is Srilankan ( still not sure) and the
        tail American (dead sure) ! Heshan Withanage must raise this
        at his rallies .

  • 9
    3

    We must use this opportunity to remove the Rajapakse Curse for ever.

  • 4
    7

    Now that Sarath Alwis has openly spelled out the best strategy for Sajith those of us on the other side can take necessary measures to educate the electorate that there is no way he can relieve himself of UNP baggage and his father’s sins.

    Soma

  • 4
    2

    Ali Zabry, I thought is a fella who wears a Wig and goes to High Court And banks oodles of Cash….
    Man .. after watching him on stage , I thought what a passionate patriotic Srilnakan this dude is…
    I am glad Nandasena has such talent to assist him to circumnavigate Dr Ranil’s 19 A .

    Paqual says Keselwatta Kid must withdraw if he wants to Win..It is too late.
    But there is another way

    On the 17th the Kid should hold an emergency meet with his close buddies and organize an Israeli type preemptive strike on Dr Ranil and his coterie who worked relentlessly to stop the Kid .
    -.
    Otherwise Dr Ranil will definitely not only Roll them from their current Gigs in the Cabinet but also sack them from the UNP.

    Sira admitted that he asked Keselwatta Kid at least twice to do it in the past. .
    Ironically Keselwatta Kid has to ask Sira this time to do it.
    I am sure Sira will say no….

  • 11
    2

    Sajith’s election campaign must warn people of the danger if Gotabaya comes to power. They failed so far. People must know. This is what happens if Gota wins the election. Please educate people.

    1. Economic sanctions. For western countries Gotabaya is a killer of journalists, civilians, an abductor, a powerful mafia boss protecting murderers. When such a person becomes president, western countries impose economic sanctions. 90% of SL’s exports are to western countries. If they impose any trade restriction, SL is no more.

    2. Mass murder. Government servants cannot freely do their strikes. Some people are happy about it but killing these people is not the solution. All government servants will be spied upon. If they speak anything against Rajapaksas they will pay! If they ask for better conditions, they will be shot. Very foolish of government servants to vote for Gota. Their lives will be in danger.

    3. SL will have a US First Lady! SL policy will be directed by the SLPP leader who is an American citizen. This is what happened to Somalia!

    4. There will be race riots once again. Remember what happened from 2010 to 2014? Every 3 months there was a riot and the government did nothing to stop.

    5. All extremists will be powerful and they will be abusing people.

    • 3
      3

      Mr. Dasun……………
      Please wake up.

    • 0
      0

      I cannot imagine how can people be so foolish to believe these kind of carp – Yes wake man – you are still dreaming

  • 10
    2

    If Sajith wants to win, he has to come out of 1980s politics.

    • 0
      0

      charles ,

      He has already done it charles ! Dahanayaka’s ‘Banis’ will be
      ‘Sajith lunch’ , everybody will have a roof over his head and
      before it was the head over the roof , on a tree ! He is capable
      of penetrating the era beyond D S Senenayake if elected !
      Both this Sajith and NGR are wonder pills , residences in
      cinnamon garden already await them after five years ! The
      best part is , only these two guys have correctly scanned the
      voters to find their brains in the tummy ! Only J V P locates
      the cerebrum in the back of the head and finds there are
      three brains !

  • 1
    0

    At the expense of repetition may I ask what is the point of behaving like set of guys placing bets on a horse race? The famous quotations like “Such and such are likely to win” or “If such guy wants to win he must satisfy this and that” are part of the analyses one carries out in a game of horse racing. Of course! Politics do count in ascertaining share prices in the stock market. To that extent I should not mind people thinking aloud regarding the possible outcome of any political race. From my perspective, apart from considerations in the stock exchange, I believe I really have no choice as I value human life and none of the “main candidates” do not provide any likelihood of valuing the same. They all have a weakness being unable to listen and respond within norms of civilization of a point of view different to theirs. Death is one of the options they may resort to apart from harassment and other forms of coercion particularly if any one of them gets power. I too believe that unlike last time I should not regret in voting for a set of guys only to find that they were simply interested in grabbing power and enjoying the plums.

  • 4
    1

    Yes Sarath, if Sajith wants to win…

    1. Rajitha S, Ajith P etc should not be on the same stage. Even the good Dr (Harsha) is not cutting through.
    2. RW should take a back seat
    3. Sajith should be very careful of statements he makes.

    Now that Thonda and a TNA MP have pledged their support Sajith cannot expect wholesale minority support especially with Hizbullah’s efforts.

  • 6
    2

    sajith should declare his PM choice as Champika to retain majority sinhala votes. Public are on the assumption that RW will be the PM under a Sajith’s presidency may not vote for Sajith, instead vote for Mahesh.

  • 5
    1

    Sajit Premadasa is the deputy leader/2nd in command of the UNP and has been a powerful cabinet minister of the current government that had/has no answers to country’s burning issues. When every horrendous thing under our hot sun from Meethotamulla garbage carnage to the most recent Good Friday massacre happened where was this 24/7 working gentleman: Sajit? Hilariously, he pretends that he is/was not part of the current regime. What a lie!
    OK, let’s think for a moment that baby Sajit didn’t know any of these problems and now wants a fresh start with a fresh team. We saw the faces of this ‘fresh’ team on the Galle Face stage! Another blatant lie!!
    Sajit got the ticket with a series of conditions imposed by the UNP’s working committee. Denying this is the 3rd lie!!!
    What we now hear from Sajit’s stage is these conditions one by one. Sarath de Alwis himself has mentioned thus: “In my humble opinion Ajith Perera lost a million votes when he said that Ranil will be their leader till 2024”
    In my humble conclusion, Sajit is being ‘used’ as the presidential candidate to avoid a humiliating defeat for the UNP by Ranil’s faction; when the race is over on November 17, 2019 the horse will be exhausted having being unnecessarily whipped by the jockey. This thoroughly beaten horse won’t be qualified for any future top races either.
    Sajit’s fear should not be the defeat but this very dangerous and unavoidable outcome after the election!

    • 6
      0

      Yes, Sajith’s dilemma is a very sad one.

  • 6
    2

    If Sajith,the man without kids becomes President. his nutty hair salon self proclaimed “aaryaawa” will go berserk, at far worse levels than his mother did. “Token wife ” like RW.

    But Sarath, thank you for writing from WITHIN Sri Lanka, unlike that pompous pontificate know it all Shymon from Melbourne

    Premedasa will win. He will get all the wahabi kattankudy and heroin smuggler votes, 90% of the Eelam votes, and 25% base Sinhala UNP votes . When he wins, he’s likely to make the butterfly the PM. Everyone knows that they are already born again. That’s why he’s making a ludicrous promise like his father’s insanity. Next will come A Golden throne and insisting people call him Shreemathano or uthumano. Pathetic inferiority complex for that family.

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    history has proved that in sri lanka politicians do not keep their promises so why worry
    just as gota will override mahinda sajith will override ranil
    many young unpers dont want ranil on their platform so if he does not retire he must be forced out
    that should be sajiths first task if he wins
    he must assume leadership of the party and prevent ranil becoming leader of the opposition if he loses

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    As expected the writer confines himself to petty political issues and ignores the overwhelming threat facing Lanka: radical Islamic Jihadi terrorism and a demographic apocalypse of a Moslem majority by 2030.

    The only answer to the former is having a President who can crush terrorism with an annihilating force, and disregard collateral damages. Sajit is not the man for that.

    Neither candidate speaks about the horror of Islamic dominance in Lanka but the people can see that Sajit it not the man for the job of fighting radical Islamic terror.

    I think the decision of the people is clear, but it would really help Gotaby to ensure that he speaks openly about the horrors of Easter Sunday Jihadi bloodfeast. Trying to low ball that will not help him.

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    What happened to the motion to abolish Presidency system in Sri Lanka?

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    What happened to the motion to abolish presidency system in Sri Lanka?

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    Sarath

    Can Sajith Win should be changed to can Sri Lanka win whoever is elected.

    With all due respect you are trying to navigate a passge through where you wish to show that you are non partisan but I can read between lines and come to one conclusion and that is you would like to see Gotha in. But believe you me he will be bad news for the Minorities in the Immediate Future and bad news for Sri Lanka in the long term. All his talk of Prosperity , Vison and Love for his Country are about Immunity from Prosectution in the USA. If MR & Gotha take over in my view Sri Lanka will cease to exist. Againt the wishes and in defiance of MS India developed Palaly and has flown the test flight. It may be a Test Flight but there will be many Testing Flights for Sri Lankan Aviation Industry .

    The up coming election is not about Bread & Butter issues but about who appeals more to the Racist Electorate. especially after Easter Sunday.

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    Sajith Can’t win..Only one question others need to ask “is there anything tangible that the UNP achieved for the country over the past 4 or so years?” What can the UNP say? Nothing. Rajapakshas have things to say in this regard and can dismiss the UNP..

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      Nilame, Oh yes indeed.

      Named regional airports international airports and “mattala paddy warehouse” international airport.

      Delayed Port City Project and paid $175 M damages and re-started

      Created garbage problems

      Opened Nelum Kuluna

      Increased taxes

      Imported rice, heroin and the rest…

      And, above all renamed projects undertaken by the previous regime….

      The list goes on…

      If you have any doubt RW will clarify

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    We need a person who delegates responsibility. He should have supporters wyho will help him to act like Lee Kuan Yew.. Hirunoika Premachandra comes to my mind. We need a person famillar with IT. We need peop-le who will protect local agriculture and industry.. We need people who are connected to agriculture for generastions.. We need people who will work in africa and diversify trade. We sho0uld be careful of FTA with countrie3s that hqave non tariff bariars to our trade, There shoulde be a Presidential tarriff reveiw commision that will give give a good price for our goods. We should have a genuine knowledge hub based on IT.

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