Nomination day: Recognition of authentic leadership and policies

The quest for authentic political leadership and policies in the new era of peace begins. The last vestiges of the military option banished for good a few months ago provide the backdrop to that search. What is at stake is the bona fides of candidates as realists endowed with vision, hard work and persistence of proven stewardship. Bragging rights would be irrelevant neither would expediency play a key role. The country's reflexive mood for proven political leadership is patently clear.

As we relinquish the hold on the draconian military option, the election campaign will bring out a platform for everyone to become participants for growth and development - something that people have been yearning for as terrorism died.

A wave of growth spurs everyone to embrace a bolder vision towards greater heights of achievement. The zeal to forge ahead is contagious.

The broadened discourse we will witness in the next five weeks of campaigning would elicit and undercut criticism that often surrounds deep seated rivalries. Notions of caricature and negativism and attempts to devalue leadership would fade away as the voters zero in on the best course of action for the country. A no holds barred endorsement of approval for ushering in the age of hope and magnanimity would succeed.

Transformative phase

The prevalent mood of optimism brought a transformative effect on people. It captured the country's attention to the depth of their capacity to make a decision that would give hopes of a better future. This is something everyone would seek eagerly. Sri Lankans are enamoured with it. No amount of political saber-rattling will ever erase that feeling.

The country said good bye to attempts to cajole us into forced cohabitation with an illegal regime holding people hostage, collecting taxes, ruthlessly killing all dissent and children being turned into soldiers. The human shield trapped to protect psychopaths is now free to roam in their back yards to their hearts' content. Gone are the blind or biased participation of moderators and peace facilitators trying to force hidden agendas on us with help from some unexpected quarters.

Venalities of electioneering

Campaigning sometimes bring out banalities to the fore. Those tactics often boomerang. There is the tendency to up the ante at times. Politicians get smeared on almost on all fronts. Every antic in the book is sought to be fair game as the fevered pitch of electioneering reaches its apex. Those have to be watched by the campaign organizers. The venalities of electioneering with it innuendos and caricature should not be permitted to surface with a vengeance. A little bit of levity done in good humour would suffice. There is no place for the trivial or the ludicrous. In the words of Abraham Lincoln "with malice towards none and charity towards all" should be the theme.

Fulsome international credit

The election has also prompted many western countries to take a closer look at the marked democratic stance Sri Lanka is projecting for everyone to see. The negatively contrived policies aimed at Sri Lanka suddenly disappeared. The US Senate openly evaluated the crucial geo-political position of Sri Lanka as the gateway to the Far East. Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs and former US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Robert Blake appreciated the initiatives taken by the country to expedite the resettlement of Internally Displaced Persons.

Even those who disagreed with the post-war policies of the country have thrown overboard past accusations and become supportive of the emerging trends towards normality and collaboration among all communities. Former ambassador Blake said "The United States welcomes the recent progress by the Government of Sri Lanka to return a majority of these Sri Lankans home and allow increased freedom of movement to those still in camp". A recent report of the United State Senate's Foreign Relations Committee went further and called for a revision of US strategy with regard to Sri Lanka. The fulsome tribute coming our way happened due to major efforts by the Government to force a proper perspective of the illogical stands taken by Western governments-sometimes due to LTTE Diaspora's unceasing lobbying efforts.

Pre-emptive diplomacy

Kudos to the Sri Lankan diplomats in USA for their back-breaking work. They met day in and day out with those State Department officials, Congressmen and Senators in presenting the reality in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka's position prevailed. That was preemptive diplomacy of the highest order. That great victory in foreign relations warding off self-imposed advice from those with hidden agendas is worth all our effort. Real peace would not descend through outside interference but by our own efforts to bring change. The results are encouraging.

The nomination day brings home the truth that there is no quick fix to situations that emerge periodically. Ground realities must be assessed and action initiated.

The electorate is fully aware of those things. That is a sobering thought for all who strive in devious ways to settle national issues disregarding the harsh realities. The humanitarian crisis exaggerated beyond its real depth has now been wiped out of the IDP scene. We await the elections with hope. The people's mandate would be re-assuring.