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Saturday, 30 January 2010

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Operation destabilization

The Opposition that accepted the election to be fair has now retracted its position. The NDF candidate, the loser claims that he was denied victory by fraudulent means. The JVP in chorus repeats the same.

They claim that the rigging was not by stuffing ballot boxes and intimidating the voters but by more sophisticated methods. They charge that the Counting Officers entered wrong data to computers to get a desired result.

This is an indictment against the entire public service. Sri Lankan public service has been acclaimed for its efficiency and integrity in conducting elections. No political leader accused them of any fraud before.

All accusations were against candidates and their parties. This is the first time such charges have been brought forward. These claims are preposterous and ridiculous.

It would have been simply impossible to hoodwink the Elections Commissioner, an experienced officer with integrity and carry out such a large scale fraud with the participation of a large number of Counting Officers to get a majority of 1.8 million.

Incidentally, the ground was prepared for these preposterous charges by spreading a rumour through SMS messages and otherwise that the Elections Commissioner was being kept under arrest at Temple Trees while the counting was going on.

It is also part of the disinformation campaign that has been unleashed with the connivance of the foreign press and certain foreign embassies.

It is now apparent that the modus operandi of the Opposition was to organize street protests in the capital coupled with a siege of strategic institutions if the result was a narrow win for President.

The occupation of a city hotel by the NDF candidate and his large retinue of armed personnel on the election night was an attempt to house the headquarters of a coup d’etat there.

The foreign press was kept standing by to feed the world with developments. Actually false information was fed to the world media from the hotel on the election night. They were taken up by the world media and spread world wide. Several governments too have commented on the elections based on these false reports.

It is clear that the Opposition having failed in its attempt to grab power forcibly by creating a situation of anarchy following the elections has now started a campaign to do so following the forthcoming general election. The public should be vigilant about attempts by the Opposition to destabilize the country.

Already the Asian Human Rights Watch has expressed doubts whether Sri Lanka is capable of holding free and fair elections. Such voices would multiply in the near future. Sri Lanka’s detractors would intensify their propaganda in order to influence the outcome of the general election or intervene directly in it.

Sri Lanka is a sovereign nation. It can conduct its affairs, including elections without outside mediation. To invite foreign meddling is to surrender the nation’s sovereignty. Unfortunately, the Opposition seems to be inclined to pawn the country’s sovereignty for political gain.

The President at a meeting with Editors and media Heads the day before yesterday appealed to the media to act responsibly and not use the media to create a situation where the society would be plunged into communal or other clashes. He questioned the practice of certain media institutions that were openly spreading misinformation and inciting hatred and violence.

Instead of attempting to destabilize the country by propagating wild accusations and preparing for street demonstrations and sieges it could use the opportunity that would open up with the dissolution of Parliament to conduct principled politics in order to build up on the base they consolidated during the Presidential election. The retired General is also welcome to do so.

However, there is a real possibility of the discarded politicians trying to stage a Second Edition of the failed attempt to seize power following the general election that is scheduled to be held soon. People’s vigilance and strict enforcement of law and order, however, could thwart it too.

Personal victory for President

The obvious conclusion one can come to on the results of the Presidential Election 2010 is that vast majority of the Sri Lankans are accepting the Mahinda Chintanaya principles laid down in the election manifesto of President Mahinda Rajapaksa. The Mahinda Chintanaya was first put forward as the election manifesto for the 2005 Presidential Elections.

Full Story

The Morning Inspection

Lightning strikes knife and sometimes knife-thrower too

Minister Dulles Alahapperuma in a campaign speech drew from that ancient practice of throwing a piece of iron out into the garden when there was thunder and lightning, a practice that is prevalent even today in many parts of the island. He was speaking of the dilemma faced by the UNP leadership when the presidential election was announced.

Full Story

Ingratitude or Idiocy

Strangely President Rajapakse by dividing the country into just two groups, the one’s that love the country and the other who don’t, overcame the fear of the minority as well as the majority among each other. This is because people had learned to trust him despite all the monstrous garbage bags kept around his feet.

Full Story

Thinking Cap

Oh politics, Thanks but No Thanks!

The elections may be over but the democratic form of governance does not end there. There are other institutions such as the Legislature, Judiciary and media that act as checks to balance the power reposed in the political executive. Let us therefore now work to strengthen those institutions

 

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