People of Sri Lanka have spoken and they have spoken very clearly by making Mahinda Rajapakse the next president with a clear majority over Sarath Fonseka. They have proven all political pundits who predicted a very close race wrong !!!(on the assumption these pundits would not refer to a 58% over 40% as a close race). It was Abraham Lincoln who said ‘to sin by silence when they should protest makes cowards of men’. People of Sri Lanka realizing the magnitude of importance of this particular presidential election flocked to polling stations in their numbers on 26th January. The high voter turn around almost 75 % stands as the highest in recent times. Apart from Jaffna where the voter turnaround was 25% in all other areas it was between 75 – 80 %. This is a clear indication that the voters are becoming more and more alert as to what is happening around them and are starting to exercise sound judgment in making a decision as to whom to vote for. Moreover they are putting aside petty differences and personal agendas secondary and realizing the fact that as a Sri Lankan citizen their utmost duty and responsibility is to safeguard the longevity and the security of the country. Simply put ‘there has to be a country that you could breathe easily for anything else to bear fruit’ seems to be the common belief of all.
It is interesting to analyze the results.
The election results map bears remarkable resemblance to the map of ‘Elam’. Nor thern and Eastern provinces were entirely won by Fonseka whilst all other districts (apart from NuwaraEliya) were won by Mahinda Rajapakse. Fonseka won the Northern Province by a very huge margin and the Eastern Province by a considerable margin as well. Mahinda Rajapakse won by a heavy margin in down south areas and he did relatively better in Colombo, Kandy, Badulla districts as well. In general terms in all districts Mahinda Rajapakse has bettered his position compared to that of 2005 and even managed to win several districts he lost in 2005. People have responded in generosity towards a man who stood firm and never backed away from the decision of eliminating terrorism from this country. They have put their faith in a man who has confidence in himself as much as he has confidence in the common man of this country.
General belief in Sri Lanka prior to this election was that without the support of parties that represent minorities a president can’t be elected. These parties such as Muslim Congress, TNA have been baptized as ‘King Makers’. It was believed that the majority Sinhalese vote will be divided among the two main candidates making the vote of the minorities the deciding factor. However placing his trust whole heartedly in his people, Mahinda Rajapakse went into this election without the support of almost all minority parties. Results show that the common man has obliged. For the first time ever this election shows that the majority Sinhalese can elect a President for this country. It is no secret why the majority Sinhalese voted for Mahinda Rajapkse. They sought the sovereignty of Sri Lanka !!!.
But why did the Northern and Eastern people voted for Sarath Fonseka. The government has initiated many development projects in Northern and Eastern Provinces. But in spite of these efforts people have voted against the current regime. May be after ending the war people expected a more rapid development drive from the government. Especially those in Jaffna expected security constraints to be relaxed and development initiatives to be driven at a faster rate. But this reason alone would not swing such a high percentage of votes (almost 80%) towards Sarath Fonseka. The true reason seems to be the so called agreement between TNA and Sarath Fonseka. For 30 years these people have been brain washed by the likes of L.T.T.E and TNA that Sinhalese people have invaded the land that is rightfully theirs and are brutal savages. They have promised these people that they will be granted the ‘Promised Land’ in due time after defeating the Sri Lankan Army. For generations this was the belief that these people have been bought up in. The fact that TNA has managed to deliver this ‘Promised Land’ through a political agreement seems to be the most motivating factor for them. Moreover many of them would have casted vote because they were told to do so by their so called community leaders who are still chasing mirages of dividing this country.
However as they begin enjoy their new found freedom and as they begin to interact with the surrounding world and most importantly as proper education commences in these areas, the minds of these people will seek self control. They will understand that their own kith and kin have been living peacefully with Sinhalese people in areas like Colombo without any problem and they are enjoying a very healthy and prosperous life style. They will understand that organizations like L.T.T.E and TNA have betrayed them. It is the responsibility of the new government and the new president to see to this. Northern and Eastern provinces should not be deprived of development and other basic facilities. These should be provided as soon as possible and the environment setup to facilitate living a normal life style for everybody. It is only then that true democracy will prevail as people would exercise their vote according to their wish rather than to the tune of somebody else. The low voter turnaround of 25% is not that alarming considering the fact that a proper population count has not been conducted in the Northern Province for so many years. Many people in voting lists might have migrated to foreign countries or to other parts of the island.
People of Sri Lanka have responded. Now it’s the time of the newly elected president and the new government which would be elected in due time to respond back by laying the foundation for a better Sri Lanka. There is no more terrorism to deal with. Sure there will be unseen forces working tirelessly behind the scenes to divide this country and spread separatism and discrimination among the people. The government and the president should keep a close eye on these forces. However the very fact that the war is over would provide limitless opportunities, resources and new avenues that were blocked for almost 30 years. This is an opportunity that can’t be wasted. This is an opportunity that is before our very own eyes and is real. We should use this opportunity to lay the foundations to a better and more prosperous Sri Lanka. President and the Government should take immediate steps towards this not wasting any time.
Opportunities like this are very rare in history. You don’t get chances to shape the future of a country every day. Sri Lanka has the resources, the man power to go the journey to a better tomorrow. People have made the correct decision in choosing a President to take them there. It’s up to the President and the Government to take the initiative.
No comments:
Post a Comment