Life Time Exam Number

Whatever the exam maybe, it is customary that each candidate is given a unique identification number.This unique identification number serves two purposes. Firstly it uniquely identifies a candidate. Secondly it gives anonymity for the candidate with regards to evaluation of exam papers and preparation of results. This anonymity is essential to ensuring that an impartial evaluation of performance of a candidate has taken place. Furthermore if the exam number of a student became common knowledge of every one, possibility of fraud, discrimination or favoritism taking place will dramatically increase during the process of exam paper evaluation and preparation of results.

Recently an announcement was made in public media stating that department of examinations has decided to give each student a unique exam number for the entire life time of the student.This means a given student will use the same identical exam number in any exam carried out by the department of examinations. These exams include year five scholarship examination, ordinary level examination and advanced level examination, which mark significant milestones of a student in shaping his or her life. This policy will not uphold the attribute called 'anonymity' expected out of an exam number which is of utmost importance. Although from an administrative perspective this step might make the whole process of conducting an island wide examination more simpler, less error prone and even less time consuming , it will compromise the fairness of evaluating the performance of a candidate and open up the chances of fraud taking place. This is because, the new policy will increase the possibility of knowing some one else s exam number before[and after] the exam by many fold. Some will argue that this possibility is not something introduced by the new policy and is something present currently as well. True, however for each exam a different exam number is currently given to the candidate. This too, is given at most three,four weeks before the exam. Which means to find out some one else s exam number a fraudster will get only a small time window. In terms of the new policy there is virtually no such constraint.

It is essential that 'anonymity' is ensured when it comes to evaluation of the performance of a candidate in any exam and we earnestly hope department of examination will not move forward with it's new policy.

Fear of Failure

failure will destroy you but fear of failure will kill you...!!!

Whether it's an exam, a cricket match, a new job, a new responsibility or a new challenge most of us ask our selves the question 'what if... what if I fail...!!!'. Heartbeat jumps up, a sudden uneasiness possesses us, thoughts of defeat,humiliation, loss of pride seem to rule our mind. In this state of mind decisions we make will mostly be fueled by emotion rather than rational thinking. Obviously such thinking would contribute towards failure than success. When a student starts to study if the mind gets filled with all the negative feelings of failing the exam, envisioning how the society will perceive him as a looser, all the verbal and mental beatings the student will have to undergo from his family, then of course concentrating on the subject matter that needs to be read and absorbed will go haywire. If a batsman keeps on thinking 'I will get dropped from the team,if I get out cheaply... I don't want to get out before making a 50' then obviously part of the
mind is not working on the 'task at hand'. Moreover fear of failure will cause anxiety, stress which will further inhibit our ability to concentrate and perform the 'task at hand' to our full potential.

Fear of failure forces us to think about failing and all the ill-effects it would have on us but not on how to achieve success. Most importantly it prevents us from
'concentrating at the task at hand'. Scoring a half century in a cricket match is not a one off incident. The batsman has to face a lot of balls from different bowlers and concentrate on each ball delivered to him. He needs to know about what shots he can play and what shots he has not mastered yet. A student needs to know what subject matter that needs to be studied, after studying he needs to know which areas he is good at and which areas he is not well versed in so that at the time of the exam a more lucrative selection of questions to answer can be made. The basic thing is that the new challenge is not a random destination you may or may not reach. It's not determined by some divine power, irrespective of whether you work hard or not.There is a journey that you need to make to reach it. Be it an exam, a cricket match, a new responsibility or a new challenge there is always a journey that needs to be made.

It is the journey that matters not the destination...!!!.

If you concentrate on the journey, plan out the journey, the destination will take care of it self. Furthermore you can be satisfied that you gave it the best shot possible whether the destination was a failure or a success. The journey is made up of a sequence of steps. To make a successful journey, each step of the journey should be planned and thoughtfully sailed through.In the case of a cricketer it will be about concentrating on the next incoming ball. Reminding yourself of the weapons in the bowlers armory and matching those with the stuff you have. For a student it will be about making sure that you spend quality time at studying, plus may be working on past questions posted by the examiner and so on. It is essential that concentration be laid on the 'task at hand' at each step of the journey with presence of mind. This will also help to ease the mental burden. If you are stuck with a big responsibility rather than fretting over what would happen if you fail you need to ask yourself what do you need to do to make it a success. Break up the big things to smaller pieces and concentrate on each smaller piece which is much easier and finish the smaller piece to the best of your ability.

Some people say dream positively...but it's nothing but a mirage...!!!

When fear of failure hits you some people revert to envisioning the benefits and rewards that one will receive by succeeding. A project manager might think of all the bonus increments, promotions that he will get due to pulling off a difficult assignment when the clouds of fear set on his mind. That will take the focus away and give you a false sense of happiness. But it should be emphasized that it is just a mirage. It's like going to see a movie after stressful day just to take the mind off work. You can build castles in the sand but they will be nothing but sand castles if a proper plan of execution is not there. It is critical that you identify the journey you need to make. Day-dreaming will give you a false sense of relief. However this day dreaming can quickly turn into an addiction consuming valuable time and effort which could otherwise be invested more fruitfully. You can live in a fantasy world for a temporary period envisioning all the glory and enjoyment that success could bring. But it is nothing but a fantasy world if you don't have a proper journey planned out. Sooner or later you would have to face the reality and the bitter truth. This would prove extremely difficult for people living in dream worlds. Following verse in 'IF' by Rudyard Kipling sums this up perfectly.

If you can dream - but not make dreams your master
If you can think - but not make thoughts your aim
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same.
....
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it
And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son !!!

Whether it's success or failure that you meet in your final destination the fact is, it's the journey that mattered. Failure teaches you many things. If you meet failure you can look back at the journey you made and identify the mistakes, improvements that need to be made on your next journey. Because you have thoughtfully made each step of the journey it will be easy to correct the mistakes if any. During your journey you would have discovered and learned more about your self. The strengths, weaknesses, mistakes are visible because you made the journey with the presence of mind and not in an agitated state fueled by fear of failure.

Not fearing about failure does not mean you should not have your contingencies planned out. If we finally meet failure having a 'plan B' would never heart. Thinking about the worst case scenarios and having plans to meet those should never be undermined. However it should be noted that such planning is different from 'fear of failure'. It is not driven through fear. It is driven through reason and logic. It is driven through the realization that failure can be a probable out come in which case we need to be prepared for it.

Although it is simple logic to deduce that 'fear of failure' will undermine your chances to succeed, how does one avoid it. 'Fear of failure' can develop to a sort of involuntary action. For example when a person accidentally touches a heated object, involuntary action that has been automated into humans is to immediately retract the hand. 'Fear of failure' can develop into such involuntary action that is hard coded into your body and soul. Whenever one starts on a new challenge involuntarily thoughts of failure can cloud your mind. So how does one get rid of such involuntary behaviour. The most important thing is to have self awareness. You need to monitor our self in challenging situations. Observe what takes place when you fear of failure. Does your heartbeat jump up or do you breath uneasily or does your train of thoughts suddenly go berserk. From such signals you should deduce that 'fear of failure' is setting on your mind. Training yourself to be aware of such things is the first step that should be mastered. Then you have the option of waiting until such fear fades away to continue what ever you were doing. Another option would be to tell yourself that it will be what it will be at the end, but what you should concentrate is on the journey.. Making sure that you focus on the next step that needs to be made and make that next step in a conscious manner not fueled by 'fear of failure'.

Emergency

It's the office rush hour. Sun is slowly but surely disappearing making way for darkness to swallow the city. The roads are jam packed with vehicles of various models, sizes and colors all trying to get ahead of the rest. Drivers seem to have lost their senses, blowing their horns, turning the vehicle this way and then the other way only managing to move ahead by a foot or two. The entire vehicle fleet has come to a stand still. Then movement is detected far ahead and everybody waits impatiently until it reaches their vehicle. Engines roar and the slightest delay to join the movement is treated by a deafening horn by the driver behind. Just as speed begins to spread it wings, a bus slams down on it's breaks with a thundering sound and stops blocking half the road. The car behind it narrowly avoids collision and the prolonged blowing of the horn indicates it's distress. A man appears in front of the bus. His right hand firmly holding on to his shirt pocket. His left hand pointed towards the incoming vehicles begging them to stop and let him cross the road. He waves his left hand in agony but none of the vehicles speeding past the unblocked part of the road seem to mind. With his right hand still holding on to his shirt pocket the man takes advantage of the slightest delay of a car and makes a step forward. The car is forced to stop and he quickly makes his way to the island between the two way road. The man again starts waving his left hand to the vehicles approaching from the other side and this time almost threatens to cross the road by placing his foot on the road. His frantic efforts get more exaggerated by each passing second and his agony seems to aggravate further. Finally he manages to stop an approaching vehicle and steps to the middle of the road. His right hand is still placed tightly on top of the shirt pocket and his left hand busily trying to patrol traffic to no avail. Is he suffering from a heart attack ? Why is he trying to cross the road like a mad man ? Is he trying to commit suicide ? Finally the speeding vehicles oblige and he crosses the road and runs in to a near by shop. The shop seems to be a bit different from the rest. It has steel bars all over. Must be a pawning shop. May be he is desperately in need of money and is trying to pawn jewelery. Alas the large sign board above the shop reads 'Arrack'.

Light travels faster than sound

How true.............

Patriotism

Nationality.

What does it signify?

Literally it means a person has been born in a particular country. But is that all that is there to a persons nationality. Whenever we hear a person say that he is Indian, American or British it seems to represent much more than their nationality. If someone says he is American, first thing that our mind concludes is that he has been born in America. Secondly we tend to think of the American culture and society. We also tend to think about the political and economic power, natural riches, scientific and technological breakthroughs and quality of life prevalent in America. Recent events that captured the worlds eye like the 9/11 attacks or the election of first black president in Barack Obama tend to cross our minds as well. Simply put, in the eyes of the listener nationality of someone else represents a holistic view the listener has of the political, social and economical conditions that were and are prevalent in the country of interest. However all of that is the perception of the listener. More importantly however, when someone says he is Indian or American you can feel the amount of honour and pride that is radiating out from that statement. It is as if being an American or an Indian has been the greatest single achievement in their whole lives. For them their nationality is something they are extremely proud of, something they cherish very dearly and something they intend to honour and protect with their very lives.

Sri Lankan.

What does it signify? What does it mean to be Sri Lankan?

Until very recently whenever somebody said I’m Sri Lankan, the first response anybody listening gave was to ask ‘You are in the middle of a war isn’t it?’ Their immediate conclusion was that Sri Lanka was amidst a bitter war. However they were also quick to acknowledge the beautiful beaches and other natural marvels mother lanka has been blessed with. That was the perception of the listener. More importantly whenever someone says I’m Sri Lankan what does it signify for the person who is making that statement (us)? Do we represent the same kind of pride, honour and respect towards our motherland when we are saying I’m Sri Lankan? The answer is NO. On the contrary many who are living abroad don’t like to say they are Sri Lankan. If they are in England they try to behave as British and if they are in America they try to be die hard Americans. If they fail in this quest they will be more than happy to pretend they are Indians. The same is with most people in living in Sri Lanka. They don’t give the honour and respect our motherland duly deserves. For them ‘Sri Lankan’ is merely their nationality. It represents the geographical location they were born in. It is nothing but a point in the world map for them.

The perception others have on our country is their own mind set. With the three decade long war finally coming to an end with the eradication of terrorism this is definitely going to change. People will associate our country with the natural beauties it posses and other positive aspects. But what about the perception we have on our own country. Why do many of us equate ‘being Sri Lankan’ as ‘being born in Sri Lanka’ and nothing else. What are the reasons for this general perception among Sri Lankan citizens?

The answer is lack of Patriotism.

A country that has a written history dating back almost 2500 years and archeological evidence that proves of thriving civilizations dating back much further should be an ideal cradle for people who are extremely proud of their heritage and respect the same. Especially considering the fact that marvels such as reservoirs (Parakrama Samudraya), Stupas ( Ruwanvalimahaseya) and ancient constructions like Sigiriya still stand proudly on this soil unhindered by the passage of time. Folklore of ancestors who time and time again fought valiantly to protect the independence of their motherland and legendary kings and leaders who’s bravery and unquenched thirst to serve their country and people (may it be via constructing dams, reservoirs, temples or preserving knowledge) was unmatched is surely more than enough to fuel patriotism. But alas, given all of this, Sri Lankans today fall way behind when it comes to patriotism towards their motherland.

So why do we still lack Patriotism.

Colonialism of Sri Lanka dates back to 1505 with the arrival of the Portuguese. Then it was the Dutch and finally the British. Initial rule of these invaders were confined to the coastal area but gradually spread inwards. Finally in 1818 with the signing of the ‘Kanda uda rata givisuma’ the entire country became under the rule of the British (It should be noted that no foreign power ever completely conquered Sri Lanka. Even in 1818 it was a in a signed treaty that the country was handed over to the British mainly to avoid the ruthless reign of the then King). One fundamental strategy followed by colonialists was to spread their way of life. They were the most ruthless virus ever to tread on this planet. Viruses infect a living organism and multiply making exact copies of themselves. Sooner or later the original organism loses its identity and becomes a virus itself. Having achieved its objective virus moves on to another organism. Colonialists were no more different. Once they settled in Sri Lanka their strategy was to spread their way of life. Any locals who supported them were promptly rewarded with money, designations and acceptance to their elite society. Any locals who opposed them were quickly suppressed. Initially the entire population of Sri Lanka were suppressed by the invaders in the way of heavy duties, taxes, restrictions to the then known way of life (e.g. Following of Buddhism). The few who worked for the colonialists were looked after very well. They were awarded new designations, their kith and kin sent to schools and universities in more affluent countries. The only thing expected of them was to serve the colonialists and follow their way of life. Slowly but surely with the advent of churches, school systems and missionaries the way of life of the colonialists crept in to Sri Lanka. The virus was spreading at full speed

This strategy of the colonialists prompted a change in the mind set of people which is much evident today as well. As theory of evolution suggests it’s the survival of the fittest and the level of fitness is defined by how well a given organism adapts to its surrounding environment. Organisms that are most adapted will continue to evolve and multiply. In this scenario the environment had been set up by the British. Anybody who supported them looked down on the Sri Lankan heritage and promptly followed the way of the British survived and thrived. Others were expelled. To survive people had to adapt to the way of the colonialists and follow their way of life. However we are supposed to be humans who are able to exercise a sound level of wisdom and judgment in making decisions rather than be driven by the animal instincts of survival. Such wisdom and judgments formed the basis of many a rebellion against the colonial rule. One such rebellion surfaced immediately after the signing of the treaty in 1821. But all of these were ruthlessly neutralized by the colonialists. Entire villages were destroyed. Not only those who took part in the rebellions but their entire families were murdered. This included women, children as well. Most notably in the 1848 uprising famously known as ‘uva wellassa kerralla’ the entire south eastern part of Sri Lanka was burned to ground. No living thing was spared. To this day the undeveloped nature of that part in Sri Lanka bears testimony to that. Likewise anyone who opposed were promptly eradicated and anyone who supported were nourished. Repetition of this process left the country with a set of people who were more British than British themselves. Of course there were many leaders who identified this and worked tirelessly towards protecting the Sri Lankan identity. ‘Anagarika Dharmapala’ stands as a prime example in this regard

A high percentage of people during the colonialisation period became self centric. What mattered to them was their own survival and well being. As long as their families were fed and the future was secured they were content. Not for them did the independence or freedom matter. Not for them did it ever occur that all the sacrifices made by their ancestors to protect this land have gone a waste. This was the mindset of the people during colonialisation. It is true that there were movements towards gaining independence of Sri Lanka post 1848. But if you really look at it the driving force behind these movements was the craving for power by the people belonging to local high society. By now a new set of people who had been nurtured by the colonialists themselves had appeared. These people who formed the local high society mainly comprising of lawyers and other professionals now believed that they are capable of ruling ‘like the British’. Moreover they wanted to rule Sri Lanka themselves so they could enjoy more power. This was the driving force behind movement towards independence in the 1900’s. The purpose of gaining independence ideally should have been to rebuild the lost ‘Sri Lankan’ identity. The colonialisation virus had achieved its ulterior motive. It had been successful in generating a replica of itself in the form of these so called local leaders (there were many exceptions to this breed of leaders. Some of them worked alongside the British in masquerade always striving to rebuild and resurrect the true ‘Sri Lankan’ identity. E.g. First Prime Minister Mr. D.S Senanayake). In the end Sri Lanka gained its independence without much hassle. The skin color of the rulers might have changed but the policies and strategies that were employed continued without much difference. Regaining of independence marked a clear juncture in our history where we could have made a clear difference to the future of our country. If the right policies were drawn up and the correct decisions were made Sri Lanka could have avoided many a crisis it had to face during the latter years. Moreover we could have changed the mindset of people and bring them out of their self centric mind sets. However this was not the case. It took us another 24 years to truly declare ourselves as independent by stating that we no longer serve the Queen of England

This mindset still continues today in our society. People are content as long as their families are fed and the future is secured. They are so self centered that to them what matters is the well being of themselves. On one hand this is the human nature! Survival is the most basic of necessities of any living being. It takes absolute priority over everything. This mind set was pretty evident during the past years where we were in the middle of a raging war. Some sections of the society (the most elite) believed that it is OK to give L.T.T.E a separate state within Sri Lanka. Their justification was ‘so that we could live our lives peacefully’. Some even said that this war could not be won. Some even argued why we should fight with the L.T.T.E in the first place, for them these terrorists were freedom fighters and it was the SL government which was doing the wrong thing. Given a choice between their own well being and the freedom of the country these people would unquestionably choose the former. This epitomizes the mindset of some Sri Lankans very Cleary. So much for being ‘Sri Lankan’!

On top of being self centered a lot of people have been trained through generations to look down upon their own heritage. To them anything foreign is supreme and anything local is something to think twice of. In the eyes of some locals, Sri Lankans are a race that isn’t capable of achieving anything. When Tsunami hit Sri Lanka in 2004 the southern railway system was badly damaged. Since it was the British who built the railways some pundits lamented that local engineers might never be able to re-build it and we should seek foreign consultancy. It is these very pundits who mocked inventions by local engineers so much so that many of them left Sri Lanka or sold their innovations to foreign countries. Such scenarios provide ample evidence into the mindset of many a Sri Lankan with regards to the perception they have on Sri Lanka. Although most Sri Lankans fall into this category we have been blessed with people who thought otherwise. This is the very reason why we are still able to call our island nation Sri Lanka

It is true that survival and physical well being is a fundamental necessity. However as aforesaid we are supposed to be humans who are considered the most intelligent of all species. When making decisions or choices we should not only care about ourselves but our country as well. We should respect our country and be proud of it. This might have been the thinking of some Sri Lankans throughout their lives. We salute you! But it’s time to spread the thinking and vision across every citizen. We should remember that it is such thinking that has bought us where we are and it is the very reason we are able to freely breathe and live in a country called Sri Lanka. Our ancestors have toiled hard and fought to protect this island. They have contributed towards making lives of everyone more prosperous by working tirelessly towards giving free education, maintaining free health care, constructing reservoirs, dams etc. Recent victory of the armed forces against L.T.T.E is a prime example of the people who continue to honor this tradition. Our country is blessed with natural resources that many other countries put together don’t have. It’s time we appreciate all of this and start thinking like true ‘Sri Lankans’

This is the time to take this message to each and every Sri Lankan. The war is over. This provides an environment where we can force a mindset change of the people. There is no longer a need to fear for ones lives. Everybody can live happily and pursue their dreams. We have a reached a critical milestone where the actions we take now can have profound implications on the future of motherlanka. Steps should be taken make it clear to everyone that they are able lead a life without fear because of the many sacrifices made by patriotic people who risked their lives to guard the sovereignty of this country. Many of them made the supreme sacrifice. The many benefits and natural resources utilized by everyone has been made possible because of ‘true Sri Lankans’ who dedicated their entire lives towards betterment of society and betterment of Sri Lanka as a whole.

So next time we say we are ‘Sri Lankan’; we should take pride in making that statement and honour our motherland. We should appreciate the sacrifices made by ‘true Sri Lankans’ both present and past in protecting and working towards the betterment of motherlanka. We should be proud of the rich heritage and natural marvels we are blessed with and above all we should represent the ‘Sri Lankan Identity’. Most importantly we should move away from being so self centered and being only bothered about how to feed ourselves and protect ourselves to thinking how to move forward as a country and as a nation.

Long live mother Sri Lanka!!

Last mile matters …..!!!!

I’m sick of seeing it happen over and over and over again. Sri Lankan cricket team coming so close to the finishing line but being unable to take that extra step and go the last mile. It happened in 2003 world cup semi-final, 2007 world cup final , 2009 T20 world championship final and now in 2010 T20 world championship semi-final. In all of these events Sri Lankan team had done all the hard work (been lucky in some circumstances) reached an important milestone and just failed miserably to be counted when it really mattered. I can understand them putting up a good fight and being worthy loosers. But in each of these situations (may be apart from 2003 semi- final loss to Australia) our cricketers have simply failed to be counted. They have failed even to pose a threat to the opposition.

Why ?

More importantly why is it becoming a bad habit ?

Have they lost that spark, that extra bit of flare, that extra bit of thirst to show up and perform under presurre and deliver the goods when the stakes are high. It seems like at these key events all life and energy of our cricketers is just lost !!!. May be they are too overwhelmed by the situation that they try to be different. They try to deviate from the normal behaviour, normal way of playing and in doing so perish. It’s such a heart breaking scene. To see a Sri Lankan cricket team which in the past has been famed for taking risks, introducing novel way of playing cricket, perish so sheepishly as they have done in recent times at world stage. Do they lack their self belief ? Do they expect (or more correctly pray or hope) that just things would go their way and they would be handed a win on a silver platter instead of trying to make things happen ?

I firmly believe that as a cricketer one should have a fair idea and a good self assesment of what he can do. Then he should be able a asses a particular game situation (irrespective of whether it’s a final or a semi final) so that he can do the best to take his team in to a better position. I mean if you have never hit a six in your carrier to a a ball pitched just outside of good length chances are that you would not be able to do the same in a final or semi-final. In the same manner if you are suseptible to giving slip catches early in your innings the chances are that in a final or a semi-final you will have the same weakness. However if you have hit sixes with your eyes closed to a full toss just outside the legstump then you should not have thoughts crossing your mind ‘oh my god.. this is the final what if I mistime it..?’. It is such self doubt that will fail you when it most matters.

I think the best thing for Sri Lankan cricket team is to take each game as a final when going into a tournament and give it their absolute best. If this approach is a bit extreme then they should treat each of the last several games as a final (from the super six stage or quarter final stage). They will win some games very easily and loose some along the way. But it is important to treat each and every game as a final. In this way their mentality will not change when the actual big moment comes and they would at least have mentally gone through ‘few’ final matches. So any hickups or self doubts will not hinder them.

They should remember that ‘failure will destory you, but fear of failure will kill you’.

People have spoken.........!!!!

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.