President Rajapaksa, the undisputed choice

The next Presidential election is due to be held only in November, 2016. With almost two-and-a-half-years to go for the Presidential election, the Opposition has already begun talking about it and many politicians waxing eloquent about a common candidate to contest.

Although a common candidate in particular has not been identified several Opposition politicians and a civil society leader seem to be daydreaming of becoming the so-called common candidate.

The Opposition has become vociferous about Presidential and general elections well ahead of their schedules to boost the sagging morale to retain their dejected party supporters. Deeply cognisant that the next Presidential election and the parliamentary general election are due only in 2016, the Opposition is trying to focus the attention of its supporters on the elections to cover their ignominy of losing 29 successive elections. The main Opposition - the UNP, is functioning like a ship without a captain, not knowing in which direction it should head. In the absence of their leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, several aspiring UNP seniors are daydreaming of grabbing the party leadership.

Nevertheless, Wickremesinghe will not permit anyone to oust him during his lifetime and, moreover, declared that he would contest the next Presidential election on the UNP ticket. With the bitter experience of supporting the candidature of Sarath Fonseka without fielding its leader Wickremesinghe at the 2010 Presidential election, the UNP would never repeat the same mistake.

Wickremesinghe, himself, is at sixes and sevens of contesting on the UNP ticket for the next Presidential election as the overambitious former deputy leader and Hambantota district parliamentarian Sajith Premadasa too is determined to grab the opportunity. Hence, the country's main Opposition, even in its wildest dreams, would never support anybody outside the UNP.

On the other hand, the JVP and Fonseka-led Democratic Party (DP) are dead against supporting anybody outside their parties at the next Presidential election. Having failed to win the 2010 Presidential election even with the support of the UNP and the JVP, Fonseka would no doubt prefer to go solo. The new JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake is also unlikely to forego his chance to contest by going after a common candidate. He would invariably prove that he is a better leader than his predecessor Somawansa Amarasinghe.

Although the JVP had discussed the matter with the TNA, an alliance would never materialise among the Opposition parties as they would not agree on a common candidate. However, the TNA would prefer to retain its identity and show their strength by fielding its own candidate, preferably a moderate Tamil to secure a more floating vote of their community.

Even if the UNP, JVP and DP were to team up, it would be unable to challenge President Mahinda Rajapaksa's unprecedented popularity at the next Presidential election. Despite the support of the UNP and the JVP, Fonseka cut a sorry figure at the 2010 Presidential election.

Fonseka suffered a humiliating defeat at the 2010 Presidential election barely seven months after the Security Forces defeated the LTTE in the humanitarian operation during which he was the Army chief.

Although he was popular military leader at the time, the masses had their reservations about him as a statesman and ensured that power did not go into the wrong hands. According to unconfirmed reports, former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga is planning to seek a third term. Given her dismal track record as a former Head of State for two successive terms, there would be hardly any takers to field her as a common candidate.

It would be a futile exercise even if a religious or civil society leader attempts to bring all these Opposition political parties under one umbrella as the party leaders in the Opposition in their lust for power would try to outshine one another to become the so-called common candidate. In this scenario, finding a common Opposition candidate would be only a myth and would never materialise.

In contrast, the ruling UPFA has won plaudits all round due to President Rajapaksa's soaring popularity. There are more than a dozen political parties in the UPFA of which the main coalition partner is the SLFP. Apart from the UPFA's constituent parties, the breakaway groups of almost all Opposition political parties are also supporting the President to the hilt.

These politicians have either joined the SLFP or are functioning as the constituent parties of the UPFA. Even the former LTTE leaders who had given up arms and joined mainstream politics in different camps are extending their fullest support to the President.

A large number of popular leaders of the UNP and JVP had obtained SLFP membership or joined the UPFA as constituent parties. In this backdrop, almost all political parties are represented in the UPFA. That was precisely why President Rajapaksa recently said that the Opposition is too within the Government. Almost a half of the Cabinet Ministers are former UNP stalwarts who had crossed over as they had been impressed by the President's political sagacity.

Even the JVP's most popular leader - Wimal Weerawansa left the party in disgust and formed the NFF which now supports the President. Former LTTE deputy leader Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan quit the terror outfit and reposed faith in democracy under the President's leadership. The severest critics in the Opposition such as Dayasiri Jayasekera had quit the UNP to support the President and is now serving as the Chief Minister of the North Western Province.

Veteran leftist leaders in the Cabinet such as Vasudeva Nanayakkara, D.E.W. Gunasekera and Tissa Vitharana had pledged their utmost support to the President.President Rajapaksa has been hailed as an illustrious leader by all communities and the main political parties of the Muslims and Tamils have reposed implicit faith in him. Moreover, EPDP leader Minister Douglas Devananda was vociferous against LTTE terror, along with the TULF leader T. Anandasangaree.

Minister Rauf Hakeem who leads the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress and Minister Arumugam Thondaman who heads the Ceylon Workers Congress make the UPFA a multi-ethnic and multi-religious party for all Sri Lankans to live in peace and harmony. Even the acting leader of the UNP Karu Jayasuriya had at one time served as a Cabinet Minister. In point of fact, he was one of the foremost politicians to join UPFA with 17 other senior UNP leaders.

Never in Sri Lanka's history had it witnessed a coalition party lasting for over a decade, treating all communities alike. All previous coalitions in political history had shattered after a few years. Nevertheless, the UPFA is making a fruitful journey, adding more and more partners.

The key to its success is President Rajapaksa's charismatic leadership. Senior leaders of almost all political parties had been impressed by his undaunted leadership that is taking Sri Lanka towards new economic horizons.Hence, it is evident that President Rajapaksa is the most suitable common candidate to contest the next Presidential election as well. He commands the respect and support of parties both in the Government and in the Opposition. This outstanding trait makes him the most qualified and sought-after common candidate to contest the next Presidential election.

Is there a single political leader who could match his popularity and win the affection of the masses, let alone defeat him at an election? The people-friendly policies envisioned in the Mahinda Chintana have made him the undisputed choice of the masses.

Bankrupt politicians in the Opposition need not waste time looking for a so-called common candidate but rather repose their trust in a popular President with a proven track record.