Masses won't fall prey to Opposition's machinations

Politics has become the talk of the town - in most conversations and social gatherings today, be it in urban areas or far-flung places countrywide.

From the day President Mahinda Rajapaksa signed the proclamation to conduct a presidential election after completing only four of his second six-year term, politics has become the focal point among family members, business circles, office mates or even in wayside boutiques.

Although 19 candidates have entered the Presidential race, the prime focus is on President Mahinda Rajapaksa and the UNP-led common Opposition candidate, Maithripala Sirisena who is now playing a role akin to Sarath Fonseka.

The main Opposition UNP, along with the JVP, backed Fonseka at the last Presidential election to challenge President Rajapaksa. Fonseka, as the Commander who provided the leadership to the Army was much respected at the time for his role in the battle against terrorism. However, he marched from hero to zero in contesting President Rajapaksa at the 2010 January election.

Maithripala too is contesting under the same symbol - the Swan like Fonseka at the 2010 poll at which he suffered a humiliating defeat. If one were to compare Fonseka and Maithripala, the former was a war hero in the people's mind. But the masses had their grave reservations about his ability as a politician and rejected him in toto.

By contrast, Maithripala's popularity is far from what Fonseka commanded in the lead up to the 2010 Presidential election. Maithripala was never considered a national figure in the UPFA government despite being a Cabinet minister and the SLFP General Secretary. Compared to most of his fellow senior colleagues in the Cabinet, Maithripala is sans a nation-wide image and his popularity mainly confined to his native Polonnaruwa district.

Although Maithripala is now trying to take the credit for the pictorial warnings on cigarette packs, it was Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva, Maithripala's predecessor in the Health Ministry who was keen on pictorial warnings on tobacco products.

Maithripala has done precious little, save to clash with government doctors and Health Ministry officials, causing untold hardships to poor patients. His unending battles with ministry officials created drug shortages in government hospitals, despite the Government allocating huge sums of money on free health facilities.

Had Maithripala been an adept minister in handling his officials and health sector employees, with enough and more opportunities and funds to do so, the health sector would have been better off today. His predecessor Minister Nimal Siripala was a shining example in that respect.

Maithripala talks big of his humble beginnings, projecting himself as a son of a poor farmer, then how is it that a son of a poor farmer family with 12 members, enjoy such a luxurious lifestyle? Is this the good governance the joint Opposition is gloating about? It's time the Government initiates an investigation on the huge wealth the Sirisena family holds by way of star class hotels and other business ventures. If the sons of the so-called poor farmer had an iota of respect for paddy farmers, they would never have monopolised the rice industry.

Thanks to Maithripala's political clout, his brother engaged in a lucrative rice industry and monopolised it, buying the paddy harvest from farmers at ridiculously cheap rates. He exploited poor farmers who were heavily in debt and robbed them of their paddy harvest. The Sirisena rice mafia precluded other buyers going to the area to purchase paddy at much higher prices.

Maithripala is holding froth as if he had descended from the seventh heaven and pontificates on good governance. But he fails to realise that the biggest damage could be inflicted by the power-hungry people around him.

Former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga is talking through her hat and levelling various baseless allegations against President Rajapaksa and his UPFA Government. She alleges that the President has a Bandaranaike-phobia. But even a kindergarten child knows that it is the other way about.

In point of fact, from the day Chandrika nominated Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa as the Prime Minister it is she who is suffering from a Rajapaksa-phobia. Her anger reached boiling point after terrorism was wiped out by President Rajapaksa's and his victory at the 2010 Presidential election for a second term in office.

Since then, Chandrika has been conspiring for a regime change and mustered the support of a few Western countries. Hence, the unholy alliance ganged up with the LTTE rump. The Tiger cohorts are going hammer and tongs to get rid of the political leadership which vanquished terrorism and the LTTE leaders.

Hence, the joint Opposition's agenda is crystal clear. The stakeholders of the joint Opposition who support Maithripala have irreconcilable differences but nevertheless, united to beat President Rajapaksa whom they consider the common enemy for a variety of reasons best known to them.

The UNP knows for certain that it could never regain power as long as President Rajapaksa contests an election. Moreover, the JVP is fighting shy to expose its real vote base which could be no more than the 273,000 polled by its founder leader Rohana Wijeweera at the 1982 presidential election. Anura Kumara Dissanayake's unwillingness to contest the polls is understandable as the JVP knows only too well that it is unable to better that achievement even after 32 years.

In this scenario, it is no surprise that Tiger sympathisers such as Mano Ganeshan and other disgruntled elements are supporting the common candidate as President Rajapaksa would never tolerate them. The Jathika Hela Urumaya failed in its attempts to push President Rajapaksa to an extremist racist corner as the President treats all communities alike.

To cap it all, Chandrika Bandaranaike's Rajapaksa-phobia has heightened as she feels that her successor would sail smoothly towards a record third term in office. She is under a delusion that only the Bandaranaikes, Senanayakes and Jayewardenes could govern the country. Mangala Samaraweera, a slave of the Horagolla walawwa, does not want a Rajapaksa to better Chandrika's 11-year term in office.

Hence, it is no surprise that these vicious elements have come under one umbrella to achieve their narrow political ends. They are well supported by the Western godfathers of so-called human rights who were in the land of nod when the LTTE butchered tens of thousands of hapless civilians including children.

Lavish funds are flowing in from the West and the LTTE rump to wreak vengeance against President Rajapaksa for getting rid of Velupillai Prabhakaran and his goons. Maithripala is merely a puppet in this entire drama which is staged by the former President. It is incredible that a retired former President could descend to such a low ebb and conspire against a leader of her own party. Former Presidents J.R. Jayewardene, R. Premadasa and D.B. Wijetunga must be turning in their graves at what is going on at present.

UNP General Secretary Tissa Attanayake who joined the Government to extend support to President Rajapaksa has divulged several vital facts on how the UNP and the joint Opposition secured a deal from the TNA, the former Tiger proxy party, to woo support for Maithripala. The joint Opposition has blindly given in to the TNA's three main conditions, including the merger of the Northern and the Eastern provinces and a separate self-governing body for the Tamils in the North.

Hence, the two main contenders at the forthcoming Presidential election could be categorised as those who love the country and those who don't - those who wish to protect the country's hard-earned peace and those who want to capture power at any cost.

There is no doubt, whatsoever, that the masses would not fall prey to the Opposition's machinations. This is precisely why President Rajapaksa received an overwhelming response from the beginning of his election campaign. Those who prefer the LTTE rump robbing the country of its hard-earned peace should vote for Maithripala. They would resort to anything and everything to bring Maithripala to power to achieve their narrow political goals which President Rajapaksa would never accede to.