President sweeps the polls; Ranil and ‘pretty boys’ kicked out

It is absolutely clear that President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who led the campaign seeking a personal vote of confidence in his administration, has swept the polls in the recent North Central Province and Sabaragamuwa Province elections.

The outstanding figures are convincing: the highest was 59% in Medawachchiya and lowest was 50.5 % in Pelmadulla. These are still early figures but the trend so far indicates that Rajapaksa is averaging over fifty per cent in the polls in which the voter registration was high as 70%.

The election results deliver the following messages: 1) the UNPers must at least now chant anicchavata sankara to Wickremesinghe and bury him with some dignity at Siri Kotha. 2) The same ritual should be carried out to bury the Marxist left led by Somawansa Amarasinghe of the JVP. 3) Prabhakaran can run but he can’t hide. The Clint Eastwood of the Vanni must be yearning for some “porrichchi koli” coated with his favourites seasoning: cyanide powder.

Today’s election results confirm that Mahinda Rajapaksa is not just on a winning streak but has won the consent and confidence of the people to defeat all anti-national forces, ranging from the UNP to its catchers in the media (The Leader papers in particular) and the hired NGO mudalalis marching up and down the streets for peace.

The likes of Kumar Rupesinghe who were marching for peace, after pocketing Rs. 1.1 milion a month, will find their income decreasing after Lt. Gen Sarath Fonseka completes his job. In fact, our soldiers, sailors, airmen, policemen who are paid far less that Rs. 1.1 million, have proved to be dedicated makers of peace putting to shame all the theoreticians flying in and out of seminars held in five-star hotels.

It is also a comprehensive defeat for Prabhakaran. Ranil Wickemesinghe, the best ally of Prabhakaran in the south, as a last ditch attempt threw in figureheads like Maj-Gen (retired) Janaka Perera and pretty boys like Ranjan Ramanayake, to deflect the impact of the war and claim victory for his solution of appeasement. But Janaka Perera was defeated by Lt.-Gen.Sarath Fonseka comprehensively when he announced on the eve of elections that his forces had captured the second biggest town Thunnakai, in Vanni.

The next target is Killinochchi. Janaka Perera who was bad mouthing his No: 2 (Sarath Fonseka) will now have to eat crow. Lt.Gen Fonseka has driven both out of the political scene.

As Prabhakaran retreats into his moholes Janaka Perera will now retreat to Canberra blaming political violence and vote rigging also for his defeat, which, incidentally, was predicted earlier by an independent poll published in the Daily News.

The current trend shows that nothing could have saved Ranil Wickremesinghe, Prabhakaran, Janaka Perera and pretty boy Ramanayake.

Janaka (I-I-I-I-I) Perera over-rated his popularity and organizing skills, misleading his new-found leader, Wickremesinghe. If you listen to Perera, he is the one who won the east and not Maj-Gen. Lucky Algama, defeated the JVP and not Lt. Col. Gamini Hettiaratchi, captured Janaka Pura etc. But now that the people have rubbed his face in the dirt of NCP he should realize that he can’t fool all the people, all the time.

Credit must be given to his role in Jaffna . But he must admit that there are generals who are far superior to him who has saved the nation from the menace of Tiger terrorism in a manner far superior to his tactics.

The election results, which Wickremesinghe said would go his way, have pushed him into a corner from which he cannot get out.

The people have rejected him again making him the worst leader ever to take over the reins of the UNP. Within his party Laskhman Seneviratne and Johnston Fernando are leading yet another revolt demanding reforms. These reforms should begin with throwing out dud leaders like Wickremesinghe. He was buoyed by his “catchers” like , Lasantha Wickrematunga of The Leader paper, who was hoping against hope that Mahinda Rajapaksa would lose.

He wrote: “.....(A)s the campaign moved forward it appeared that the UNP which had at first seemed dead in the water was now gathering momentum not so much because of the efforts of the UNP provincial infrastructure but rather, buoyed up by the people themselves who were successful in uplifting the campaign to frenzying levels. It was as if pent up frustrations of a harried public were bursting forth into a call for change. It was also a message to the UNP members that the people were not interested in their backroom infighting but instead wanted a united face to overcome the challenges ahead.

It also brought into focus another consideration that curiously informs the electoral process of this country. The power of the new. The enchantment of the unknown. It was this mysterious quality that was to help President Rajapaksa in his presidential efforts in 2005. It was this quality that was to sweep Chandrika Kumaratunga into power in 1994.

It is a powerful tool that President Rajapaksa himself has acknowledged on many occasions. After all Rajapaksa himself was in a position to project himself as a new face in 2005 having played the role of rebel within his own government since 1994, an image the media no less helped develop for him.

Meanwhile the UNP was fired up and encouraged by the people rallying around them though it still remains to be seen even as this columnist writes whether such crowds would eventually translate into votes. That we will know shortly today.

Tremendously encouraged by crowd support many UNP stalwarts were reminded of the 1977 campaign when Sirimavo Bandaranaike was routed by a buoyant J.R. Jayewardene led UNP with Ranil Wickremesinghe no less telling party members the people’s response reminded him of the 1977 wave. Whether it will be so in reality this morning will tell.

However as the campaign developed and UNP support grew, the violence intensified and the government feared it would suffer a loss in the provinces feeling more and more insecure as time wore on. This time however the UNP was ready to face fire with fire. He also will be having crow for breakfast as he reads the results pouring in. He has has been barracking for losers from the time he went into politics through his newspaper. Being his master’s voice has not paid any dividends to Lasantha except to get a kick out of writing fictitious and scandalous columns against his critics under pseudonyms.

Wickremesinghe, his master, and he are born losers.

Their anti-national politics have led the nation to where it is now. At least now€” and it is still not too late” they should open their eyes and give up their petty and vindictive politics and put their best foot forward to build the nation by accepting the verdict of the people.

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The election results deliver the following messages: 1) the UNPers must at least now chant anicchavata sankara to Wickremesinghe and bury him with some dignity at Siri Kotha. 2) The same ritual should be carried out to bury the Marxist left led by Somawansa Amarasinghe of the JVP. 3) Prabhakaran can run but he can’t hide. The Clint Eastwood of the Vanni must be yearning for some “porrichchi koli” coated with his favourites seasoning: cyanide powder.

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