Mahinda-a meaningful maker of true liberation...

Prasad Gunewardene

A strong sense of joy evokes in the minds of all peace loving citizens today when the first citizen of the country stands before the nation a second time to say - “I, Percy Mahendra Rajapaksa do hereby solemnly declare and affirm, that I will faithfully perform the duties and discharge the functions of the office of Executive President, in accordance with the constitution of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka and the law, and that I will be faithful to the Republic of Sri Lanka and that I will do the best of my ability, to uphold and defend the constitution of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka”.

As President Mahinda Rajapaksa assumes office a second time, realization of peace has dawned in a practical manner. There’s no fear gripping the country and no terror haunts the minds of the people.

All people feel they have truly come home. People have recovered their lost dignity and all are equal unlike before. Today, none could claim dominion over the other on the basis of race or religion.

The President is accepted by all as the leader who truly liberated this nation for all people to be equal citizens. The freedom established by President Rajapaksa is exercised by the people in actuality. Thus- A new star of hope has dawned to the island nation.

In a political journey that spans over four decades, the man called Mahinda Rajapaksa emerged stronger day by day. He is a tough man with a mild heart.

In the little over three and a half decades I’ve known him, he has never wronged anybody. But many have wronged him during that long and arduous journey that took him thirty five years to reach the highest office in this land. Mahinda Rajapaksa is a politician who lost opportunities because of politics.

A lawyer by profession, Mahinda did not continue before the Bar because of his commitment to politics. As a son, he lost opportunity of being with his mother’s mortal remains as he was jailed by the then government of President J R Jayewardene on fabricated criminal charges. Young Mahinda was brought from the Prison to pay last respects to his beloved mother. History records that no other leader has suffered such an agony.

Champion

A glance to the past of the political journey of President Mahinda Rajapaksa clearly manifests that politics presented itself to his young mind at the age of even below 20 as a natural and inevitable pursuit, hailing from a clan that embraced the country’s political process for many decades.

Inspired by the call of the clan to serve the people, Mahinda Rajapaksa entered the Chamber of the monumental old Parliament in 1970 as the youngest MP. From that point, the young Rajapaksa trekked on a path with many thorns in a fearless manner. He has travelled in every nook and corner of his motherland to meet and serve the people.

Mahinda Rajapaksa is not expounded in idealistic terms in the cause for power. He is quite realistic to the belief. From his young days he had the ability to deliver firmly constructed speeches devoid of rhetorical flourishes.

That made him a champion of the momentous changing trends in politics at all levels of the society. Mahinda Rajapaksa’s talent as a politician conferred him an identity at national level to reach the highest position in the land.

The people admired him for his respect for the nation, all languages, all people and all religions in the multi-ethnic country. His loyalty towards his motherland was a hallmark in the success story of Mahinda Rajapaksa. He has inherited a mellifluous smile in a charismatic style that could even convince any opponent to follow his path.

President Rajapaksa, in the footsteps of his illustrious father, the late Don Alwin Rajapaksa, popularly known as the ‘Brave son of Ruhuna’ in the golden days of bygone politics, believes that all authority belongs to the people.

That belief with an unwavering faith in the people was the success pillars of President Rajapaksa who was inspired by the sense of patriotism. He assumed the Presidency in 2005 at a time the country looked poorer without a strong leader to face the threat posed by LTTE terrorism. Within three years, he won the nation back and gifted it to his people.

History, one day will judge President Rajapaksa as the greatest President of Sri Lanka for the manner he gave leadership to win back the lost territory and make Sri Lanka an undivided nation with one people. His mind and knowledge is formed by the victories gained by this nation. The nation stands to salute President Rajapaksa when he takes oath as the nation’s leader for a second term today.

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