{"id":149023,"date":"2015-08-15T03:30:21","date_gmt":"2015-08-14T22:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/?p=149023"},"modified":"2015-08-20T19:46:04","modified_gmt":"2015-08-20T14:16:04","slug":"mahinda-on-the-defence-while-ranil-measures-up-to-the-winning-post","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/mahinda-on-the-defence-while-ranil-measures-up-to-the-winning-post\/","title":{"rendered":"Mahinda On The Defence While Ranil Measures Up To The Winning Post"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Shyamon Jayasinghe<\/span><\/a> \u2013 <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Shyamon<\/a>

Shyamon Jayasinghe<\/p><\/div>\n

Chronically underrated all through his career and with no claims to special charisma Ranil Wickremesinghe<\/span><\/a> seems to have found his spot in the scheme of things and he forges ahead in the electoral struggle with the former President, Mahinda Rajapaksa<\/span><\/a>. The situation bears similarity to Maitripala Sirisena when he confronted his one-time cabinet boss at the Presidential stakes last January. Sirisena<\/span><\/a> had no pretence to this elusive quality that we call charisma. He had as his own driving assets- a shrewd common sense, a good nature and the apparent unsophistication of the child of a farmer family. Sirisena decisively trounced his rival who looked King-like and formidable all the time.<\/span><\/p>\n

The term, \u2018charisma,\u2019 had been introduced by the great sociologist Max Weber many decades ago to indicate the kind of authority that a leader wields sans heredity,legal source or similar socially constructed or externally imposed authority. It is a quality emerging from the nature of the individual himself. Beyond that, what precisely constitutes charisma is the subject of unending debate. Is it \u2018personality\u2019? Cannot be, as that itself begs question and is undefined. It is partly derived from public perception of appearance.<\/p>\n

However, in terms of appearance Ranil Wickremesinghe looks little other than plain honest and straightforward. No hanky panky about him and he demands that he be assessed at his true worth. He wears coat and tie or simply a pair of pants with a belt around and avoids the kapati suite even in temple. He doesn\u2019t dye his hair like Mahinda and wears no Satakaya<\/em>-like symbol around his neck nor gold rings and amulets on his fingers. He is simply Ranil. In public behaviour, Ranil does not carry babies or get old women to worship at his feet. He is simply Ranil.<\/p>\n

I observed the contrasts of the two personalities when recently watching the videos of the popular Derana program, \u201c360,\u201d when first Mahinda Rajapaksa and next Ranil Wickreamesinghe were taken up. Mahinda seemed keen to emanate a sense of majesty; Ranil did not. Mahinda looked heavy before the interviewing young lady and I sensed the latter was a bit pressurised by his domineering presence. She was relieved to get through her prepared questions. On the other hand with Ranil, both were thoroughly relaxed. She kept on pressing the latter and one could observe she was enjoying the show with the Prime Minister.<\/p>\n