Thanks and good luck Mr President
Mahinda Rajapaksa officially began his second term as President
yesterday. I remember the day he was sworn-in the first time, five years
ago. There is a marked difference in man, moment and nation. This is as
good a time as any to compare and contrast.
In 2005, Mahinda was a man without a party, without funds, without
big-name backers, without a team, without experience, without coherence
or direction. He was fresh. Young(er). He was a politician and as such
made of promises.
In 2005 it was predicted that he would be brought down by the lack of
numbers in Parliament or at least tripped at every turn. It was
predicted that the so-called 'failed state' would bury him politically.
He had been befriended by yakkhos and as such would not have a clue
about how to handle the LTTE. He would slip and fall when dealing with
the international community. He would be brought to heel. Since he
didn't have any idea about economics and development, the entire country
would be ruined. The economy would collapse. People would starve. The
LTTE would reduce Colombo to rubble. Such were the predictions.
Foreign pressure
In 2010 Mahinda is a man who delivered the undeliverable. He gave the
nation and the people a sense of can-do, a sense of pride and dignity.
He cleared a minefield so the farmer could plough, the engineer build,
the entrepreneur to set up a business, the wanderer to travel. He was
expected to give in the pressure from foreign governments 'politricked'
by LTTE agents or simply did not like the idea of Sri Lanka getting out
of a 30-year war-rut, but trumped all such predictions. Inflation is
under control. The economy is not booming but neither is it anywhere
close to collapse. In fact all signs indicate that things will get
better.
Mahinda did not give in to foreign pressure. He played his cards
carefully, locally and internationally. He kept those who would bite and
pinch and stop the nation in its tracks firmly in their place.
In 2010, Mahinda Rajapaksa is a man who not only leads a party but
the broadest coalition ever and numbers that the 1978 Constitution was
designed to prevent any single political entity from enjoying. He didn't
cut any deals to swell his numbers and his predecessors did. He did not
compromise his agenda to purchase the numbers needed to secure the
political stability so necessary to obtain governability and win the
war. He got people onboard on his terms, not theirs. He brought together
sworn enemies to sit at the same table.
In 2005, Mahinda Rajapaksa barely squeaked through to power. In 2010,
he had a comfortable majority of 1.8 million and even I one factored in
the play of abusing State resources (as alleged) and the relatively
minor acts of election malpractice in certain polling stations, there is
no denying the fact that he won comfortably.
In 2010, Mahinda Rajapaksa is not looking at a lame-duck term,
courtesy the 18th Amendment. In 2010, he is a tried and tested
politician, seasoned, experienced, wiser; he's not fresh, but this
'lack' he has compensated for by a manifest maturity and greater degrees
of self-confidence.
In 2005 he pleaded that he be spared hosannas of praise. He requested
instead constructive criticism. In 2005 he said he was 'custodian' and
not king or owner.
This is 2010. There's been enough hosannas; some deserving and some
utterly sycophantic and in the long run and larger order of things,
against his interest and of course that of the country.
Leader of nation
Today he is the President of Sri Lanka, leader of the nation and all
citizens, including those who did not vote for him. Today, with
unprecedented popularity, very secure politically, armed with a thick 'I
DID' portfolio that everyone knows about, Mahinda Rajapaksa does not
have any enemies. Well, none that can be considered a threat. That some
40 percent plus people did not vote for him might have bothered him at
one point, but he knows that he has a huge cushion and that this is
enough given political realities.
He has shown he can handle pressure. He knows how to win over his
enemies. He knows how to deal with those he cannot win over. He can be
firm to the point of being seen as brutal and unforgiving but in this he
is no worse than the next politician.
Thank you Mr President for what you've given us. All the best Mr
President during your second term.
Let me say it again, Mr President: Watch out for yourself Mr
President! You owe it to the citizenry, the nation and yourself.
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