By Jehan Perera –
Jehan Perera
The effort of the March 12 Movement, a civil society collective, to bring presidential candidates onto one platform and share their visions and hopes with the general population was successful in its second round. All six of the presidential candidates who had been scheduled for the debate participated as expected and shared their visions and aspirations for the future. Their message went through the electronic and mass media to the general public. Although titled as a “presidential debate” the structure of the programme was different from that practiced in the United States, where the presidential candidates engage in verbal sparring with one another. The Sri Lankan version was to pose the same question to each of the presidential candidates and have them answer within a set time limit.
The intention of the March 12 Movement was to provide an opportunity for the presidential candidates to present their views on issues of interest to the public rather than engage in debate on them. At the conclusion of the presentations, the audience was to be invited to submit their questions in written form where they would be screened for content by a committee and passed on the candidates for their responses. However, despite all these safeguards to ensure the presidential candidates a safe environment, the first round of the debates held the previous day saw only one of the six invited candidates appear for the debate. The others, including the three main presidential candidates, did not join. They either declined in advance or failed to show up at the time of the event much to the chagrin of the audience, some of whom had come from Jaffna, Anuradhapura and Puttalam.
It appears that the tight nature of the three-cornered race between the presidential candidates is leading to a stressful situation in which none of them is willing to take a risk and expose themselves to an audience that is not in their sphere of influence. This was a negative phenomenon, as an open clash of different positions, strategies and actions on common issues is beneficial to educating the general public as well as generating new ideas about facing the future in the spirit of a shared future. Unfortunately, the tight nature of the presidential election time around, with three main candidates in the field, and not two as usual has also led to a significant amount of negative campaigning where the focus is on criticizing one or both of the nearest rival candidates.
Tightening Race
In recent weeks, public opinion polls have shown President Ranil Wickremesinghe to be the biggest gainer (in proportional terms) in comparison to his two main rivals, Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa and NPP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake. However, these same surveys also show that the president continues to lag behind his rivals. This may explain the measures being resorted to by the presidential candidates such as engaging in negative campaigning by critiquing the qualities of their rivals. At the same time, they have also been engaging in positive campaigning regarding the need to address the country’s most pressing problems. There has been a convergence among them on the need to abide by the basic framework of the IMF agreement which has opened the doors to the country’s economic ties with the larger world.
There is also convergence on the part of the three main presidential candidates on the need to deal with the country’s ethnic conflict. They have all promised to deal with the issue in a way that will unite the people on the principles of equality and justice. They have all been making strenuous efforts to win the votes of the ethnic and religious minorities. This is very positive, as the ethnic conflict has been a part of divisive politics since the dawn of independence. However, due to the tight nature of the competition, there is also negative campaigning vis-à-vis each other. During a recent visit to Jaffna, the NPP leader called on the Tamil voters not to thwart his victory or be seen as not being on the winning side along with voters in the south of the country who will vote for him. This has been portrayed as an implied threat to the Tamil people whereby he has called on them to vote for him and be a part of the electoral victory that the NPP/JVP is seeking rather than voting against him and losing the opportunity to be a part of this victory.
The approach by ITAK spokesperson M A Sumanthiran has been positive in this regard. He has disagreed with the negative interpretation given to the NPP leader’s speech in Jaffna and said he never thought the NPP leader made that statement with a view to expressing any racist feelings and that he has taken great care in eradicating racism in this country. The ITAK spokesperson said he would work with the NPP to eradicate corruption and misrule in the country. Indeed, these are the two most important aspects of the Aragalaya protest movement that led to the premature change of government two years ago but which have yet to be dealt with. These laudable statements by Mr Sumanthiran are now the subject of misinterpretation that he has changed sides.
Reconciliation Mode
The key role in the recent decision of the ITAK to endorse the presidential bid of Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa was also made by Mr Sumanthiran. He led the ITAK to make a choice between the presidential candidates and to select the candidate whose manifesto and past commitment was believed to be the best for the Tamil people at this juncture. At the same time, he has shown that he will not be hostile to other political parties and their leaders, even those his party has not endorsed, and be open to cooperate with them in the best interests of the Tamil people. The spirit of leadership that the country needs is not to hold grudges, to look for the best in others and to hold them to the highest standards.
The Sri Lankan people continue to suffer in the aftermath of the economic collapse that took place over two and a half years ago. The need of the hour is national unity to face the local and international challenges that a world which is itself increasingly in conflict will find difficult to focus on. This suggests that the Sri Lankan polity cannot afford to be torn apart by polarization and misinterpretation which can generate more of the same. The vicious cycle needs to be addressed. The country and its people need to be united to face the challenges. In a situation where the people’s vote will be split more than three ways, the possibilities of polarization are increased.
In organizing the presidential debates, the hope of the March 12 Movement was to provide a platform to the presidential candidates could indicate the areas of their agreement on fundamental issues and not only their disagreements. President Wickremesinghe expressed this sentiment at a media conference when he said “We need a political system that supports basic fundamentals, even if we differ on details. This is what our country needs and what all desire.” The challenge to each of the presidential candidates is to commit themselves to support the winner of the presidential election, even if it is not themselves that wins. The way they conduct themselves and address the people and their opponents during the election campaign will determine the prospects for reconciliation in the future.
Ajith / September 10, 2024
“However, despite all these safeguards to ensure the presidential candidates a safe environment, the first round of the debates held the previous day saw only one of the six invited candidates appear for the debate. “
This statement can be lead to a misleading conclusion that all six candidates only did not participate in the first day and they all participated in the second day. The fact is all of them are cheating the people and they are afraid to tell their real motives are against to people.
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SJ / September 10, 2024
“This statement can be lead to a misleading conclusion that all six candidates only did not participate in the first day and they all participated in the second day. “
How can that be?
There is no mention of anything about any other round.
Let not imagination run riot.
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Mallaiyuran / September 10, 2024
“Let not imagination run riot “
O God, Enna Savamada ithu!
Instead of roaming and whirling in the hallucination worlds induced of Deva medicine and observing illusional things like “Imagination running A Communist riots and revolution in the congested Colombo roads and the Sinhala Buddhists Rapist Police thinking they are LTTEyers or JVPyers and shooting tear gas and water cannon to maim them.” go to an English class to read, write and understand English writings, before sitting lazily and messing with the English website.
Before that:
With all your illuminating transcending talents, could you translate this to Tamil in proper grammatical way so we can avoid additional spying farting against LTTE unlike you were obligated to create for the Rapist Air Force, as translator?
” the first round of the debates ……blah blah blah…………………… held the previous day blah blah blah saw only one of the six invited candidates appear for the debate.”
(Anyone can switch their party alliance as many times as they want among the political parties, Evil will not distribute VC positions to Parai Demuloos. He openly declared that he follows Don Stephen’s policies, not Stalin’s, to extradite Demuloos out of the country.)
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SJ / September 10, 2024
This c**p is no imagination but dope.
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Mallaiyuran / September 11, 2024
no imagination but dope This pitiful soul is suffering from the lack of imagination in other’s heads. Anne Paum! Does that mean more trouble is forecasted inside the rioting storm’s eye.?
It is only Deva’s medicine induced observation that can measure the human head’s imagination whether they are dead, doped or rioting. Nobody even dreams of challenging the sole king on that.
Well, like in the Deva’s gang’s heads, there is no rioting going on in my head to Imaginate non-existing meaning for the English sentences. That is because the never-dawning night in their heads has suppressed its ability to understand what is written there, or what to write in response to that. It is the Karma of Jaffna people to suffer by Bathiudeen’s’ standardization and in addition, in classes, illumination of Mechanical Marxism from the one he promoted, instead of science and math.
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SJ / September 11, 2024
“suffering from the lack of imagination in other’s heads”
True that it can be a pain.
What lacks your head is a source of laughter.
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Ajith / September 11, 2024
SJ,
Your slavery to China and Srimavo family is not an imagination.
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SJ / September 11, 2024
Dishonesty blends beautifully with stupidity in you.
Keep us amused.
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leelagemalli / September 11, 2024
In my opinion, Ajith or similar pompous men are misleading our people by not seeming to know how much the people are suffering.
The majority of our people are completely ignorant. These kind of men are stoking their anger.
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These kind of provocateurs just carry out their provocation without looking into the issues in depth.
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Sometimes I wonder what these kind of senior citizens expect from us. Late honorable Sambadhhen fought for peace. But people today don’t seem to take it seriously. AKD led groups would never be able to treat the people of the North with the same spoon. This is needless to say as they were always behind the RAJAPAKSHE racists who did not allow the 13th amendment to be fully implemented.
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On the other hand, SAJITH the joker is a clown as of today. The only man powerful through wisdom is certainly RW. Not only for the international community but also for the youth, he is the man of the match at the moment. This week is the most critical one before the upcoming election..
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Mallaiyuran / September 12, 2024
”Your slavery to China and Srimavo family is not an imagination”
Ajit,
President Deng Xiaoping modernized the Chinese path, and its economy has shot to sky high like NASA’s rockets. Some souls in CT are Dinosauric, prehistoric, archaic, outdated ones, still hanging on the ground sitting and saying sarcastic, short, lame, meaningless riddles. Because the God who created these has lost the “birthdate register”, He doesn’t know how to handle those. “Maadu Sethalum Unni Kalarathu”. The cow may die, but the tick has no place to go to suck blood. Siri Ma O = (4/17/16 minus 10/10/2000). That equation is telling what a useful date for a Marxist is. Leave the advanced world alone, but even in the Sinhala Buddhist Wildlife Socialistic Sanctuary, SinhaLE Lankawe talk about Marxism other than the one and the only one. Thank God for Bathiudeen having created only one of his handiworks with terrible wild imaginations hi flying, and left it in Langkang, but no more.
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Ajith / September 10, 2024
“At the same time, he has shown that he will not be hostile to other political parties and their leaders, even those his party has not endorsed, and be open to cooperate with them in the best interests of the Tamil people. The spirit of leadership that the country needs is not to hold grudges, to look for the best in others and to hold them to the highest standards.”
Who is Sumanthiran? He is not the leader of the ITAK. He is a spokesman who divided Federal Party in to two. He is the one who brought ITAK into the courts when he lost the leadership election. He misuse his profession to divide the Tamils. The Civil Society and many Tamil political parties and most of the ITAK members are in support of a Tamil Common candidate not to vote any of the Sinhalese leadership who failed the country and brought Economic Crisis. ITAK has an English name: Federal Party. The party did not accept 13th amendment as a Solution to the ethnic Problem. 13th Amendment is already in the Constitution.
You don’t need to support one candidate and call another candidate as racist. You cannot trust Sumanthiran’s words. Why couldn’t President of ITAK now or who elected as ITAK’s leader did not speak publicly. After Sumanthiran’s statement I show the emergence of Weerawanse who was hiding until now.
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SJ / September 10, 2024
” ITAK has an English name: Federal Party. The party did not accept 13th amendment as a Solution to the ethnic Problem. 13th Amendment is already in the Constitution.”
The ITAK as part of the TULF, accepted 13A and all demands thus far concerned its full implementation.
The TULF accepted it at least as an interim solution, and that is acceptance in the current context.
When did the TULF/FP/TNA reject 13A?
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Mallaiyuran / September 10, 2024
follows Don Stephen’s policies, not Stalin’s, to extradite Demuloos out of the country.)
At the time of Parliament passing the 13th Amendment, ITAK did not exist. It was totally banned after TULF was formed. The party put a cap on it not to operate ever in the future. To ensure this will never be violated, the whole bunch of keys and their duplicated anybody had all been handed over to Amirthalingam. As Amirthalingam and successor Sivasithamparam both faced sudden death, Sampanthar Aiya adopted that heritage of Amirthalingam. Sampanthar Aiya, at the start, wanted to hold the oath Amirthalingam made. But he ended up breaking the promise, when Anandasangaree, the most senior member of TULF, hijacked the “Rise Sun “flag to stall the election efforts of TNA. It was then he took the keys out of his pocket and opened “ITAK House”. But after that, he was not faithful to the promise of “Never operate ITAK’ again”. In fact, he freely allowed members to open the full-scale federal Party and operate it as a separate entity in TN, unlike it was an invalid, dormant, coma status unit in TULF. In a legal sense, anybody who had attempted to operate anything in that comma time was “null and void” officially. Those actions were not sanctioned by the party’s official bodies like the central committee, executive committee, political committee or anything else. So TULF was accepted in any form of consent for 13A as a solution.
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Mallaiyuran / September 10, 2024
TNA never accepted 13A as any kind of solution to Tamil’s problems. Anything else said on that are outright lies. Only Sampanthar Aiya took the matter to PM Manmohan Singh, saying 13A cannot be abolished without Tamils’ problem being satisfactorily resolved, after Old Rowdy King annihilating Tamils in 2009 Genocide and proclaimed that there was only one race was existing in Langkang and dismissed 13A as redundant and appointed a committee to abolish it, under Nimal Sri Pala De Silva’s leadership. Manmohan Singh told Rowdy King to work on a solution. Old Rowdy came out with the 13A+, that is not strengthening 13A with any +, but to further consolidate the EP’s power with an upper house, which is not people elected like in the USA, but some additional tier to strengthen the EP and appointed by the ruling government establishment. We saw from the recent Evil’s devilish actions on over-riding election commission on conducting Local Council election, Overriding Parliament on withdrawing allocated and approved budget fund, handicapping the Finance Minister and treasury in distributing the budgeted funds, investigating Supreme Court Decisions(verdicts) on interpreting constitutions on election date, appointment of special positions like IGP. Shiranee Bandaranayke, Mokam Pieris, Sri Pavan’s appoints and the subsequent arbitrary firing of them by forcing the Parliament tells, in front of the Langkang’s EP’s authority, Parliament and Supreme Courts are not equal to other offices’ peons even.
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Mallaiyuran / September 10, 2024
Even as idiots as Mr. 40% was able to impose Samurthi on the 13A and build title less Mansons. Hakeems, Rishards, Hizballahs supported these in order to export Halal through the Bundist government rubber stamp and start Jihadi school bringing ME’s money. CBBL cosigned these racketeering only to be labeled by FTFA as heaven of Money laundering. Tamil lawyers and parliamentarians are well aware of this, and they have publicly discussed this in the media; no one has accepted the 13A under an EP as any solution on any ground. When Rowdy King appointed the Presidential Committed to dissolve the 13A, he put his back washer Deva in that, to show Dr. Manmohan Singh, that the Tamils were in consent to the 13A absolution. But Deva was dreaming of becoming NPC’s CM his entire time when he was washing the back for Old Rowdy. So he stayed out of the committee meeting and the committee could not record his consent, officially. But in the meantime, Manmohan Singh, following the2013 UNGA meeting debacle for Old Rowdy in NYC, forced him to conduct the one and only NPC election, under 13A, which was brought as the bogus solution to show the world that the Tamils’ problem is solved forever.
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Mallaiyuran / September 10, 2024
This was the reason, after failing to curb the presidential power in favor of Yahapalanaya Evil Prime Minister, Sumanthiran agreed with Evil, they would take a watered out Federalism or enhanced 13A in Evil and agree to abolish the “president” in the proposed new constitution in 2017. But Evil was dreaming of EP as much as Deva was dreaming of NPC CM, cheated Sumanthiran on the promise of dissolving the “presidency”.
Anura has accepted that the Tamils’ problem has not been settled by any of these gilmarts, but still remains as an open wound, worm pest. Proposing a solution at this heavily congested elevation is not going to influence any voter enthusiasm in the North East in favor of the NPP. So NPP, other promising not to remove 13A, has not said anything about the Tamils problems. But the fact remains that Tamils’ lack of enthusiasm in this election can hurt both Tamils and Sinhalese, because the disillusioned hyena parties, the UNP-SLFP union, is trying all possible tricks, even publicly violating the constitution to gain election victory.
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Singar A. Velan / September 11, 2024
Political positions taken by TULF / ITAK is like Schrodinger’s cat — can be this and that at the same time.
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Jaffna Man / September 10, 2024
Whoa Jehan. Hold your horses.
I sense propaganda in the following:
“However, due to the tight nature of the competition, there is also negative campaigning vis-à-vis each other. During a recent visit to Jaffna, the NPP leader called on the Tamil voters not to thwart his victory or be seen as not being on the winning side along with voters in the south of the country who will vote for him. This has been portrayed as an implied threat to the Tamil people whereby he has called on them to vote for him and be a part of the electoral victory that the NPP/JVP is seeking”
1) It is not a tight race insofar as Ranil is a distant third.
2) Some of my relations in Colombo have picked up your interpretation that Anura Kumara has threatened the Tamil people. Sumanthiran whom many believe is pro-Ranil has clearly dismissed your view that a threat was implied.
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Ajith / September 11, 2024
“During a recent visit to Jaffna, the NPP leader called on the Tamil voters not to thwart his victory or be seen as not being on the winning side along with voters in the south of the country who will vote for him. “
I agree that it is pathetic state of RW followed by some Colombo based Professionals like Prof. A. Sarwesvaran. It is a request from Anura for join with Sinhalese who wants to have a change. Most of the. Sinhalese have changed their support to NPP because of the Corruption of the SLFP/SLPP and UNP. Ranil and Mahinda not only destroyed both UNP and SLFP but also the Country.
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leelagemalli / September 12, 2024
Ajith,
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Please come with the facts!
Do not mislead the nation at this crucial juncture of the island nation. Because you have supported the terrorists in the North for so long and some have supported the terrorists in the South, we should not all go after you..
Unfortunately innocent people have to suffer because of your narrow mindedness. That is the curse in this destined nation.
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Where on earth cut off the nose to spite the face.?
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What matters is who is the best candidate out of the 39.
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AKD is no different from Gota. No arguments would be necessary.
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It is obvious to anyone who has any deep knowledge of Sri Lankan politics, AKD is good at throwing accusations to others.. He doesn’t come with any kind of business or any kind of success stories. Nor was he an exceptional minister during CBK admin. He was not a person who fought against injustice (enough) during the time given to him by the good governance government.
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Just because you don’t like Ranil as a person, you don’t have to put people in danger. As a senior citizen of this country, you owe it to yourself to give reasons for the abusive nature against RW.
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paragon / September 10, 2024
The Tamil Common Candidate Move has been arranged by some current and former members of parliament to use it as a stepping stone to collect votes in the future parliament elections.
MR.VICKNESWARAN-He spoke in support of RANIL for some times before but when he noticed that other members of parliament supporting MR.ARIYAUM he changed his mind to suit the situation.he has no party branches or proper party supporters in jaffna district and knows very well that his hope of winning at the next election is very bleak.
SURESH PREMACHANDRAN
N.SRIKANTHA- same as vickneswaran using MR.ARIYANENDRAN AS SCAPEGOAT FOR THEIR PERSONAL POLITICAL GAIN
TELEO
PLOT-THEY ARE PLAYING DOUBLE GAME.TELO MP VONO KETHARALINGAM IS SUPPORTING RANIL-MR.SELVAM MADAIKALM HAS NOT TAKEN ANY ACTION.
SOME PLOT 2ND LEVEL LEADERS ARE DIVIDED AND SUPPORTING RANIL OR SAJITH.
MAA-WHY?SENATHI IS PLAYING HIDE AND SEEK DOUBLE GAME.RANIL WAS WELCOMED BY HIM BUT HIS SON FORMER SON IN LAW OF LATE MP RAVIRAJ HAS BEEN SEEN MEETING SAJITH PREMADASA.
KILINOCHCHI GOVERNOR SRITHARAN IS SUPPORTING MR.ARIYANDAM BUT AVOIDING CENTRAL COMITEE MEETING WHICH IS SUPPORTING SAJITH.WHEN 90%jaffna political leaders are playing hide and seek double game only SOOMANTHIRAN MP OPENLY SUPPORTING SAJITH HEMADASA AND TAKING A RISK AS IF SAJITH LOOSE THE ELECTIONS HIS POLITICAL FUTURE IN JAFFANA WILL BE OVER.SOOMANTHI IS WALKING ON THE FIRE.
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SJ / September 11, 2024
What a lot of air bubbles!
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Mallaiyuran / September 12, 2024
Better than wild foxes’ fart!
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