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Leave problems in President’s hands

In the face of the usual misuse of democracy by critics and opponents, President Mahinda Rajapaksa has shown all Sri Lankans and the world that problems can be solved by correct action at the correct time and in the correct manner in consultation with the correct people and that he is the correct person to be entrusted with the problems of the country.

Democracy has been abused and misinterpreted in our country since Independence with even the most undemocratic organizations citing democratic principles to cover actions which are contrary to the desires of the empowering powers, the people. The President decided to use rather than abuse his executive presidential powers in the interests of the country and its people.

He very correctly ignored the pressures of local and international individuals and organizations who tried to use the cover of pseudo democracy and partisan big power mantrams under various names and labels to achieve their ends.

Real democracy or the majority peoples desires were often blocked by protests and demonstrations by a fractional percentage of people led by power hungry politicians, highly exaggerated and blown up by sensation hunting sections of the media. The people have in no uncertain terms almost unanimously approved of his actions and continue to express their confidence that he is their only hope for sorting out the problems facing the country.

With his non vacillating leadership and control of Cabinet and his officials, the hope of a better future lies in the President’s hands and is expected to be so by the people. A study of the actions and incidents of over 60 years of democratic leadership by 12 leaders we have had, will show that this is the first time that a leader has used powers and achieved results mandated by the people and approved by the people.

The people are not concerned about trivialities and unimportant technicalities often raised by opponents but on final results and benefits to the country.

All attempts specially by the UNP and the JVP to sideline the President’s and Defense Secretary’s great contribution to the victories have not only been rejected but ridiculed by the people and is now being acknowledged locally and internationally.

The continuing confidence expressed is a mandate for the President to continue the good work and handle the massive short term and long term problems ahead including the financial problems caused mainly by the global economic crisis, the cost of living also due to global factors which the people understand and appreciate and the long term affects of global warming and sea level rise and other environmental problems.

This real “people’s voice” mandate not only empowers the President but also orders all the people including politicians and officials to respect the decision of the people and leave their problems in the hands of the President.

Those who use the “mantram” of democracy as interpreted by them to project themselves and their interests should compare the manner in which leaders whom they follow used democratic principles with the manner in which President Rajapaksa used his powers. Taking the essential interpretation of the principle of democracy as the will of the people and mandate or empowerment by the people, a close look at the past is interesting and enlightening.

People’s mandate

The D.S. Senanayake government was given no people’s mandate to disenfranchise the Tamils of Indian origin nor to chop and change language issues in Parliament.

S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike’s government had a mandate to make Sinhalese the official language but never got a people’s mandate for a change of his mandated policy or a pact with the Federal Party. Dudley Senanayake’s government did not get a people’s mandate to sign a secret pact with the Federal Party.

J.R. Jayewardene’s government did not get a people’s mandate to appoint a commission and disenfranchise opposition leaders and to unleash a government sponsored campaign of terror against defeated opponents nor to introduce the open economic system.

Did he get a people’s mandate to subordinate our national integrity by an agreement with India and invite the Indian Peace Keeping Force into our country? What mandate did he get to give patronage to the organized attempt at ethnic cleansing by murder arson and brutalizing Tamils in 1983?

Ranil Wickremesinghe’s government got no people’s mandate to sign a ceasefire agreement with the LTTE nor to subordinate the interests of our country to the dictates of Norwegian and other foreign powers thereby giving the LTTE an opportunity to smuggle in the massive arms and weaponry used to murder our people and cause the death and destruction we have seen by passing even normal customs checks.

The JVP’s citing democratic principles and policies and attempting to criticize the President’s principles in this line is a joke fit for cartoonists.

Thanks to some of our own leaders their murder of innocent people for the offence of using their democratic right to attend their work places and oppose their terrorism anti social campaigns, killing and abusing the dead bodies of their murder victims are swept under the carpet giving the JVP leaders and new opportunity to attempt misleading and rousing up youth against democracy itself. Democracy in our country has been interpreted as the right to form a government by virtue of holding a majority in Parliament.

It had little to do with constitutions and election promises official declarations and manifests. Once installed in power, a government can take decisions as they please either with the support of the Government MPs or even backed by sections of the Opposition and such decisions could even be contrary to election promises and manifestos. People had no say and would generally bow down to any decision. Electing a government was like issuing a blank cheque with or without funds.

The Mahinda Chintanaya

President Mahinda Rajapaksa, is in my opinion as one who has followed politics of this country since 1945, the first leader whether as empowered Prime Minister or Executive President who issued a carefully worded manifesto, fought the elections on such manifesto, and conducted the affairs of his Government in accordance with his promises to the people.

The Mahinda Chintanaya is not just a dead document but a live declaration of intentions and as such it can stand up to sudden unexpected changes in the country which require adjustments, without violating the essence of promises made to the voters.

It is such as change in our politics that the only criticisms levelled against it by the opposition relates to minor matters like time frames, sudden

unforeseen events and unexpected events. Like vultures they looked forward to set backs and changes in timings, paying no heed to the great manner in which the President and his government could face up to such events and meet the challenges.

This policy of the UNP has not changed and Ranil Wickremesinghe continues his criticism of the President’s decision to defeat the LTTE before talks on Tamil problems.

He does not still realize that the LTTE dominated Tamil opinion and that the TNA which he still supports was not democratically representative of the Tamil people but was only a mouthpiece of Prabhakaran in Parliament and elsewhere and he continues his recognition of the LTTE and pro-LTTE politicians as the representatives of all Tamils.

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