President Rajapaksa - the obvious choice

Rex Wijewardene

As ‘D’ day draws closer to the 2010 Presidential Election, the most crucial since the dawn of Independence in the country. The voters are in a tense situation, caught between the devil and the deep blue sea.

For whom the bells toll whether for the incumbent President M.R., or the Rtd. General Sarath Fonseka, only time will prove. I presume they were inspired by the poet, when he stated.” There is a tide in the affairs of men taken at the flood leads on to fortune” on such a stormy sea they are a float, hoping the tide will turn in their favour. In the political arena M.R. is poles apart from S.F. He is proven material in Sri Lankan Politics, which spans a period of over 40 years and could fight his own battle.

As for S.F., he is a Sorry Figure, a square peg in a round hole. He loans on heavily on bankrupt and unscrupulous politicians with no patriotic sense the likes of R.W. the chief Architect of the Infamous C.F.A., Mangala, Rauff, Somawansa and Mano to spoon feed him in his election campaign. These men have conspired with foreign forces, to crush the Rajapaksa Regime since its the last straw, that they got to hand on to, if they are to survive in the Political Arena.

The General started his election campaign on the wrong foot, by putting his foot in his mouth. He dropped a bomb shell when he stated. That Gotabhaya Rajapaksa has instructed Brigadier S. de Silva of the 58th Division of the Army in Mullaitivu, that the LTTE cadres must be killed and not allowed to surrender.

He put the icing on the cake, when he entered into a shady deal with the proxies of dead LTTE, the T.N.A., which would eat into his vote bank. His mouthing reflects, how shallow is his political vision in his Swan Lake is. When we look at the other side of the picture, many flaws in the present Regime does surface.

Its composed of many a corrupt politician, like a non-Cabinet Minister with a criminal track record. Bribery and corruption is rampant. The C.O.L is sky rocketing, State funds are misused and lawlessness ragers in the country, to name a few. The silver lining is the pivotal role, played by M.R., as Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces to crush the ruthless terrorist out fit the LTTE when his predecessors failed miserably.

He did not batter an eye lid, to the pressure brought upon him, in the final phase of the war, from Western powers and traitors within our shores, to call for a ceasefire, which would have been disastrous. Whatever glory the General achieved, it was under his command and that of the Defence Secretary.