SOCOND EDITORIAL
| by Nilantha Ilangamuwa
“O, let my land be a land where Liberty
Is crowned with no false patriotic wreath,
But opportunity is real, and life is free,
Equality is in the air we breathe.”( Let America Be America Again - by Langston Hughes )
( November 22, 2014, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) The 48-day-game has started. The ruling tyrant is in a dilemma because the common alliance has refreshed itself with new faces and new hopes.
The tragedy that is Rajapaksa is approaching its endgame. The coming election is his last attempt at survival, therefore he will not hesitate to use every dastardly and underhanded trick at his disposal to retain his power.
This is one of the most significant events in Sri Lankan politics in recent history. At the same time this will be the last opportunity for the natural law gifted to the country to re-engineer the nation and correct its woebegone history. It is an opportunity for every citizen in this nation to play his or her part to achieve the ultimate goal, the restoration of integrity, dignity and humanity.
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"Let Sri Lanka be Sri Lanka again." |
Rajapaksa the tragedy, has proved its degree of internal illness by showing his emotional behaviour moments after the historical announcement made by the general secretary of the ruling party, the Sri Lanka Freedom Party ( SLFP). The general secretary Maithripala Sirisena, a civil servant turned politician, declared his acceptance of being the common candidate from the opposition alliance in the forthcoming presidential election which is scheduled to be held on January 8, 2015.
For the first time in the history of Sri Lanka, the two major political parties, the United National Party ( UNP) and the SLFP have come together under one umbrella to fight against a deteriorated political culture, it’s present architect and his clan.
While responding the situation the incumbent has shown his illiterate loquaciousness. His drunken political vulgarism compared the general secretary of the SLFP with the wife of the opposition leader just because they both have similar names. This is the real tragic face of Rajapaksa, the man who claimed to be the liberator and the protector of the nation. But in reality he is nothing but a plunderer of public resources and eliminator of the basics rights of the citizen in this country.
However the time has arrived. The line has been drawn in the sand and a new dawn promises the nation great hope.
The tyrant and his clan will have to find a way out. He can be choose the way of Marcos of the Philippines or Ben Ali of Tunisia. Perhaps there is possibility that the Idi Amin Dada story will be repeated in the Sri Lankan context. It is all depends on how this golden opportunity is manage and articulated by the alliance and their capacity to convince the public.
However, the opposition has made the correct and comparatively genuine choice. Their choice has every quality necessary to vanguish the disrespectful and nepotistic political culture in Sri Lanka. This is an excellent choice. This is the time for every right thinking individual who wishes to maintain and protect their political dignity to come out and join hands with their long term colleague and the party’s general secretary. This is not a one man game but the work of a team. Each decision taken by the team will rewrite the history of Sri Lanka.
Why is Maithri an excellent choice? He is a politician with conscience and common sense. He is a politician who can take people out onto the streets. He is a politician who knows the real face of the tragedy that is Rajapaksa. He is a politician who can break the ruling alliance and re-establish the SLFP. He is a politician who can break the silence and unveil the deception of the public.
The game ahead; and the alliance will have to face all kind of challenges. But at last the bell will awake the public and lead to a new dawn of political culture in Sri Lanka.
Let Sri Lanka be Sri Lanka again.
