{"id":134765,"date":"2014-12-13T00:22:32","date_gmt":"2014-12-12T18:52:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/?p=134765"},"modified":"2014-12-16T13:49:21","modified_gmt":"2014-12-16T08:19:21","slug":"mahinda-and-maithripala-compare-headaches","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/mahinda-and-maithripala-compare-headaches\/","title":{"rendered":"Mahinda And Maithripala Compare Headaches"},"content":{"rendered":"

By\u00a0Malinda Seneviratne<\/a><\/span>\u00a0–<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Malinda<\/a>

Malinda Seneviratne<\/p><\/div>\n

Meanwhile in a parallel universe<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Everyone talks about the candidates. The candidates themselves talk about each other. In a parallel universe they actually talk WITH each other.\u00a0 And so we \u2018heart\u2019 Mahinda Rajapaksa<\/span><\/a> comparing notes with Maithripala Sirisena<\/span><\/a>. It was almost as though each was discussing an election that the other was contesting.<\/p>\n

\u2018How are things going, Maithri?\u2019 Mahinda opened with a question.<\/p>\n

\u2018You know how it is, Janadhipathithumani<\/i>\u2026\u2019 Maithri began but was cut short.<\/p>\n

\u2018Call me Mahinda, otherwise I will have to call you \u201cApekshakathuma,\u201d and that would be funny all things considered,\u2019 Mahinda explained.<\/p>\n

\u2018Didn\u2019t Chandrika Methiniya call you \u201cApekshakathuma\u201d way back in 2005?\u2019 Maithri asked but Mahinda, true to form, dodged.<\/p>\n

\"Mahinda<\/a>\u2018Let me tell you something. Even if she called you \u201capekshakathuma,\u201d she won\u2019t mean it that way. In her head she would probably be thinking, \u201cgon naamba<\/i>\u201d. \u00a0I am pretty sure that\u2019s how she saw me. I saw her seeing me and I suggest that you do too.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018And what of Ranil?\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018A good man.\u00a0 You need him. He has ambitious, but don\u2019t we all?\u00a0 But he\u2019s a pragmatist. He knows what\u2019s possible and what\u2019s not. He can help you. In fact I think his help is vital. As long as he thinks that at the end of the day he can trick you into transferring the people\u2019s mandate to him, he will back you 100%.\u00a0 If not, he will still support you, but will hold back.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018I see. So how are things going at your end?\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018Good. I am the incumbent, don\u2019t forget. And as long as Chandrika looks like the one holding the strings, all I have to do is compare her track record with mine.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018But what if we drop her?\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018That would be a blow, to tell you the truth. But you see Maithri, this is about one candidate, not a party or a cabinet of ministers. People may hate some of my ministers, they might be upset that I didn\u2019t get rid of thugs and thieves, but they still see me a strong leader, the person who brought peace, the president who made sure that young people won\u2019t join the army only to die or come home without limbs or eyes. All I have to do is smile.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018That\u2019s true. So you are confident?\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018Maithri, even if I was not, I will not show it. The thing about being a presidential candidate is that you have to act like you are in control, even if you are not.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018It\u2019s not easy,\u2019 Maithri confessed.<\/p>\n

\u2018Yes, I know. It was the same for me in 2005. Everyone wants to use you. Everyone thinks that you can be made a pawn.\u00a0 And then the egos!\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018Oh yes! They think that I would be nothing if not for them. All of them think that. How did you manage to handle things in 2005?\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018I played along. People with big egos are vain. Vanity is an easy vice to prey on. Let them think whatever they want to think.\u00a0 Just remember that in this game there is only one winner.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018You mean like how we tell people that they are kings and queens until the polls close and after that they have to come crawling to us?\u2019\u00a0 Maithri was a quick learner and it showed.<\/p>\n

\u2018Exactly!\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018So, any predictions?\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018Maithri, I will win.\u00a0 But don\u2019t worry.\u00a0 After I win, I will make a long speech about you. See, you are not Sarath Fonseka.\u00a0 I will take care of you. After all, we are old friends. And we are both SLFPers.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018That\u2019s nice to know. I am also convinced I will win. But don\u2019t worry. I will also make a long speech and tell the nation that you, of all people, is deserving of the people\u2019s gratitude. I might even add that you did things no one thought possible and which your predecessors didn\u2019t have the guts to do.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018You might annoy Chandrika!\u2019\u00a0 Mahinda guffawed.<\/p>\n

\u2018I won\u2019t say it now. This is in my acceptance speech!\u2019\u00a0 Maithri winked.<\/p>\n

And they embraced.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[…]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":105560,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,46,8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-134765","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-colombotelegraph","category-constitutional-reforms","category-editorial"],"yoast_head":"\nMahinda And Maithripala Compare Headaches - Colombo Telegraph<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/mahinda-and-maithripala-compare-headaches\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Mahinda And Maithripala Compare Headaches - Colombo Telegraph\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"[…]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/mahinda-and-maithripala-compare-headaches\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Colombo Telegraph\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2014-12-12T18:52:32+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2014-12-16T08:19:21+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Malinda-Seneviratne-150x150.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"130\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"135\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"COLOMBO TELEGRAPH\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"COLOMBO TELEGRAPH\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/mahinda-and-maithripala-compare-headaches\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/mahinda-and-maithripala-compare-headaches\/\",\"name\":\"Mahinda And Maithripala Compare Headaches - 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