Clear mandate to President

The United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) registered a landslide victory at last weekend's Southern Provincial Council (SPC) elections. The masses have once again given a clear mandate to the Mahinda Chintana and the Government led by President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Having suffered yet another defeat and being rejected by people in toto, the United National Party (UNP) and the People's Liberation Front (JVP) are coming out with various theories to analyse the SPC election result. Such election analysis would only help those defeated Opposition parties to gain some consolation.

But the fact remains that the UPFA has retained power in the Southern Provincial Council with a two thirds majority. At the same time, the UNP has lost its standard vote base, which has deteriorated drastically. The UNP's vote base has decreased from 38% to 25% as the Southerners have flatly rejected Ranil Wickremesinghe and his party's unpatriotic policies.

The UNP which polled 4.7 million votes at the last Presidential elections could secure only 2.6 million votes at the PC polls held sofar. Even the JVP fared poorly in their traditional stronghold of Tissamaharama, where they polled only 22,459, compared to 32,828 votes they obtained at the 2006 Local Government elections.

However, UNP and JVP leaders are coming out with different election analyses to satisfy themselves and also to keep their party supporters intact. It seems that the UNP and JVP leaders are living in a fools' paradise. What these opportunistic politicians should remember is that the masses could not be fooled easily.

Having lost 23 elections under the weak leadership of Ranil Wickremesinghe, the UNP should seriously think whether the party has a future with such a leader. It is important to find out how the UNP's vote base has eroded during the past four years. The UNP polled 517,000 (37%) of the votes from the South at the 2005 Presidential elections. But at last week's SPC elections, the UNP could attract only 297,000 votes (25%). Within the last four years, the UNP has lost 220,000 votes (12%) from its Southern vote base.

In contrast, the UPFA has increased its Southern share of votes by eight per cent. At the last Presidential elections, UPFA polled 60% and it has now gone up to 68%, an endorsement by the people in the South of President Rajapaksa's relentless efforts to liberate the country from the clutches of terror and guide it towards economic prosperity.

On the other hand, the JVP has been defeated in their stronghold. The number of seats they had in the SPC has been reduced by three fourths. They now have just one seat from each of the three districts. At the last Presidential elections, the UPFA, contesting together with the JVP polled 829,562 votes from the Southern Province. Even though the JVP contested separately at the last SPC elections and received about 72,000 votes, the UPFA still managed to secure nearly 805,000. In other words, the UPFA's vote base has increased by over 60,000 even after deducting the 72,000 votes - the JVP's share.

The UNP, without boasting and playing the numbers game to cover up their leader's shortcomings, must make their own evaluation on the fast fading popularity of the party. What has happened to the UNP after losing all eight Provincial Council elections held so far?

The UNP polled 4.7 million votes from these provinces at the last Presidential elections. Exactly four years later, it has now gone down to just 2.6 million votes. That means over two million voters have weaned away from the UNP within four years. Never in the history of Sri Lankan politics a party has suffered such a severe blow.

Fearing that he would lose a Presidential election for a record third successive time, the Opposition Leader is now exploring possibilities of fielding a common candidate. He has brought nothing but disgrace to the UNP as the most unsuccessful leader the party ever had. Any sensible leader with some self respect and shame would have stepped down after losing the 1999 Presidential election. Even after a decade, Wickremesinghe has still been unable to find that winning formula.

Whoever the UNP or a possible common Opposition candidate would be, there is hardly any contest for President Rajapaksa, as the entire nation would salute a true leader of our times.

If not for the great statesmanship of the President, Sri Lanka would never have been able to eradicate terrorism. He gave the correct political leadership and backed the Security Forces to the hilt, giving the necessary morale and logistical support.

Any other leader would have bowed down to the immense pressure he had to face, both locally and internationally, during the humanitarian operations. But President Rajapaksa has been a tower of strength to Sri Lanka's relentless battle against terrorism.

The opportunistic Opposition politicians who try to regain power at any cost are making a desperate attempt to project different pictures. But they can't take people for a ride. They cannot fool the masses who are rallying round the President under the Lion flag.

Irrespective of their political, social, ethnic or religious affiliations, the President has treated everybody alike. It is due to his determined effort that the Security Forces were able to rescue more than half a million people who were forcibly being held as a human shield. Most of them have already been resettled and the rest too would soon be able to get back to their original villages to resume normal life.

Having liberated the country and those innocent civilians from the clutches of the LTTE terror, the President is now aiming at ushering economic prosperity too. The civilians, who were rescued from the East and resettled, have already commenced contributing to the national economy.

It is the duty of all right thinking people to show their gratitude for the People's President by entrusting the task of leading our nation for another six-year term.