Why President Mahinda Rajapaksa should be reelected in 2010

There can be several valid reasons why Mahinda Rajapaksa (MR) should be reelected as President of Sri Lanka for another term. The foremost reason is that he provided the strongest political leadership under most difficult conditions, facing formidable challenges both internal and external which no other leader in Sri Lanka had ever done before.

He defeated the LTTE terrorists who got the country involved in a separatist war, which dragged for nearly thirty years costing the country immensely, of course under weak political leaders previously and MR secured peace with honour as promised in the last Presidential Election in November 2005. Same leadership of MR is now ready with a planned program for recovery and speedy development.

It was his long political experience and sheer determination that won the war and secured peace with honour for the country. Having understood various forces and challenges that had surmounted, he with the help of his brother, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, a battle hardened infantry officer, who he appointed as Defence Secretary in his new administration, MR formulated the Grand Strategy for winning the war on terror.

This unique combination of two brothers involved in strategy made all the difference for the country to secure peace. This kind of synergy is indeed rare in history. Now that the country is at peace it is time for recovery and development and MR has put forward a program of work for this. So we should grasp this golden opportunity to utilize his leadership for this just as we did in 2005 to secure peace.

It is clear that MR has all the required attributes of a transformational leader most suitable for the big task ahead. It is precisely for this leadership quality that our country perhaps waited long in search. Finally we have discovered this leadership in MR and it can make all the difference to the process of socio economic development and its momentum.

Therefore, it is for this transformational leadership and not merely winning the war that MR should be reelected for the next six years as the President. He is a brave leader, a calculated risk taker, a strategist and a good builder of coalitions and super teams for achieving desired results under most difficult conditions. He has visions for the country’s development.

Being an amiable leader he can easily win the hearts and minds of people and change there suspicion, distrust and even fear into expectations, ambition and enterprise. With his coalition partners he can energize people, young and old in hither to neglected groups and regions, under a carefully planned management program.

For steady economic development under present changed conditions (peace) the country requires stability foremost and continuity and direction under good governance. MR can provide strong political leadership for this just as much he did for war effort. Gaining peace after thirty years people are sick and tired for experiment in Government by trying out a new man, an ex-Army officer who is completely new to the job, knows nothing of public policy and policy formulation required for speedy socio economic development.

Bernard Dissanayake - Rajagiriya