Who will be the best president for Sri Lanka? Political debates are heating up across the country about qualities, qualifications, leadership skills, and the suitability of these candidates.
by Dr SLM Rifai
Personally, I do not support any political parties or any politicians right now and yet, we wish to see a new political culture in Sri Lanka. we all would like to see a dramatical political change in Sri Lanka. 22 million Sri Lankans are ambitious to see a new political trend in Sri Lanka. Sri Lankans know well that this country has all the potential ingredients to make this nation as one of the most developed nations in Asia and yet, politicians utterly failed to develop the human potentiality and human resource of Sri Lankans. Sri Lanka badly suffers due to lack of honest and skilful political leadership. This coming presidential election is a golden opportunity for 16 million Sri Lankan voters to elect the best candidate for the presidency. Out of 35 candidates, 4 candidates are main contenders in this election.
1) Sajith Premadasa.
2) Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
3) Anura.K. Dissanayake.
4) Mahesh Senanayake.
Who will be the best president for Sri Lanka? Political debates are heating up across the country about qualities, qualifications, leadership skills, and the suitability of these candidates. I do not have any personal grudge about any one of these political leaders. Yet, we must evaluate their service, dedication, political ambitions, qualifications and skills in the greater interest of this country. We must do this beyond our personal likes and dislikes. Who can take this nation forward? Which political party has the most viable and suitable political ideologies to take this nation forward? Which political leaders can bring peace and stability to this nation? Which political leader can save this nation from a financial bankruptcy? Who can save this nation from further communal violence? Who can save this nation from regional and international geopolitical threats? Who can eliminate the suffering of poor and needy in this country? These are some of basic questions that come up into mind when we examine this presidential election.
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| Sajith Premadasa |
Now is high time, to educate people on politics and advise people not to waste their valuable votes. Unfortunately, Sinhalese, Tamil and Muslim communities have been voting in Sri Lanka in communal line for the last 70 years. We have not put the national interest above our community interest. Each Sri Lankan community puts its community interest over the national interest of Sri Lanka. As a result of this narrow mindset, we have not developed any common national political version in Sri Lanka. Today, we live in this commercially motivated world. If Sri Lankan economy gets better each Sri Lankan benefits from that. If GDP goes up in Sri Lanka each one of us benefits from that. If Sri Lankan economy suffers that will affect each Sri Lankan. Money does not discriminate between our race, language and religion. Sinhalese, Tamil and Muslims all communities must share their collective responsibilities to develop this nation. No longer we could marginalise any communities in Sri Lanka. Talents, skills, experience and human potentiality of Tamil and Muslim communities are indispensable to develop this nation. If some Sinhalese think that they can create Sinhalese supremacist government in Sri Lanka, I think they have not learned anything from 30 years of war. How far do you think these politicians will perform on these political values? or issues?
People should not go with mere political rhetoric of these politicians rather we must examine their political manifesto and their history to gauge their ability, skills, experience and political integrity. We have been conned and fooled by politicians for more than 7 decades. People must choose the best among these candidates or they must choose the lesser evil among all these political candidates.We can evaluate the political objectives of these 4 politicians with these political and social values. These are some political values that people must take into consideration before they vote. There are some positives and negatives in each one of these candidates. There is no doubt among all 4 candidates, AKD is the charismatic political leader with his logical rhetoric and clear-cut political vision. He is the best candidate with his political skills, logical approach, political integrity, and above all with his loyalty to this nation. If you ask educated people of Sri Lanka, they will tell you that his political arguments are more solid and more sound than any other candidates. If you bring all these 4 candidates into a public debate on TV, AKD will defeat 3 others easily with his debating skills and political wisdom. No one will doubt his political integrity and honesty. Yet, people do not trust him in politics because of some ideological differences and historical nostalgia of the past. Hypothetically, let us assume that AKD wins this presidential election. Do you think MPs from other parties will support him to run the country? Do you think regional and international geopolitical powers will support him? This could create a political backlash and dichotomy. So, this reason, JVP is not yet ready to rule this country.
Many people from Tamil and Muslim communities write in support of AKD. They want to have an alternative politics in Sri Lanka. For instance, Dr Ameer Ali from Australia writes in support of JVP. He brings some valid arguments in support of JVP. Yet, idealistic politics is different from ground reality. JVP does not have that much ground support among Sinhalese people. People do not have confidence and trust in JVP political leadership yet. It is true that JVP wants to create a just and equal society in Sri Lanka. It is true that they do not support Sinhalese supremacist ideologies at all. It is true that JVP will protect the right of minority communities and yet, JVP has not got the support of most Sinhalese people. Ideally, we all wish JVP win both presidential and general elections. But as for the time being, this would not happen this time. So, why should we waste our votes? This is the counterargument put forward by many Tamils and Muslims in Sri Lanka. This makes sense to some extent. JVP must convince the majority of the Sinhalese public as they have already convinced many Tamils and Muslims. We can expect a large number of Tamils and Muslims to vote for JVP in this coming election.
As for SP and his leadership skills, he is the youngest candidate among all these 4 candidates. He is educated in the school of economics in London. He hails from a political family and his father did a great job for this country. If a housewife (late Mrs. S. Bandaranayake) could become a charismatic Sri Lankan PM, why not SP becomes a dynamic president? If only he could team up with some excellent advisors, experts, and civil servants, he could create a new political culture in Sri Lanka. Still, UNP has some solid grass root support among all communities in Sri Lanka.
Yet, it would be a daunting task for SP to compete with GR. This is not because of the charismatic leadership skills of GR rather due to the popularism of Rajapaksa family and the victory euphoria of 30 years of war. Rajapaksa family still reaps the benefits of war victory in Sri Lanka. It has been over 10 years now since war ended in Sri Lanka and yet, this war victory created an immense nationalistic feeling among Sinhalese community in Sri Lanka. For this reason, Rajapaksa family still enjoys public support for their politics. I do not know this happens for the goodness of Sri Lanka or bad luck of Sri Lanka. I think that over 60% or 65% of Sinhalese support GR right now. We all know positive and negative aspects of Rajapaksa family politics and yet, over 65% Sinhalese public are politically married to Rajapaksa families in politics. GR does not have any previous political experience or skills except he was working as a defence secretary under Mahinda. Yet, he earns public support because of his family popularity and Sinhalese nationalism.
Some political analysts predict that GR will get around 46% votes and SP will get around 43%. Unless UNP do some dealing with JVP to get their second preference votes for SP, it is likely GR will win this election. It is imperative for UNP to make a deal with JVP. UNP must not depend on minority vote bank to win this election. As it has been predicted the result of this election is going to be a tight one. So, UNP must make some compromise with JVP to make a deal. It will not be detrimental for JVP too. It could increase its vote bank and popularity if it can work with the incoming president. JVP too must not miss this golden opportunity. Former army chief Mahesh Senanayake’s political party sounds good. Yet, I do not think any hasty political move can win a presidential election in Sri Lanka. Moreover, his political party and JVP are identical in many issues. He looks an honest and patriotic public servant who dedicated 38 years of his life for public service in the army and yet, I do not think that people will vote him in a large number in this election. Party politics needs some time to get grass-root supports.
I do not like to segregate the politics in Sri Lanka in any communal line. Sri Lankan politics cannot be read exclusively on any communal lines. The Sri Lankan constitution, political mechanism, the political ethos, and the political culture are created to serve entire Sri Lankan communities without any racial, religious or ethnical discriminations. All Sri Lankans are equal in their political and legal rights. The Sri Lankan constitution guarantees this equal right for its citizens. We expect this ideal politics in Sri Lanka. Sri Lankan politicians from presidents to local councillors are elected to serve people without any discrimination based on religion, race or language. Yet, party politics culture has already destroyed this political ideal in Sri Lanka. Each party intentionally or unintentionally favours their supporters in jobs, employment and nominations. Sometimes, less qualified people are appointed for some executive posts with party political influences. Unfortunately, talented people are marginalised in Sri Lanka due to this political incorrectness. We inherited the British public administrative system. Graduates are appointed to government jobs through different examinations and interviews as we see in many western countries. Yet, in Sri Lanka, politicians influence interviewing panels to select their party supporters. As a result of this political interference, many qualified graduates have been marginalised in Sri Lanka. Highly talented graduates are missed out in many executive posts with this kind of political influence. Likewise, politicians interfere in each government departments, schools, colleges, universities and foreign employment services. All these racial and discriminative attitudes are detrimental to the development of this nation.
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| Rally for President |
Who should we support in this election? It is a personal voice of each person to vote for anyone he or she likes. In western democratic countries husbands and wives are voting for different political parties without any quarrel. Yet, in our country, politics is a family business or tribal business. We should change this mentality. People must have free will to choose their own candidates. Today in this modern world, like many other subjects, politics has been commercialised. Unlike in the past, today, world leaders and politicians make official visits country to country not just to make diplomatic relationship rather with geopolitical objectives. In other word, with some commercial objectives in mind. In this competitive world of international trade and business, each country tries to get maximum benefits from other countries.
The so-called trade war is nothing but, a political struggle between some political leaders to get maximum benefits from trade and international businesses. So, among all these candidates who can bring more investments to Sri Lanka? who can initiate sustainable development program? Who can attract international and regional companies to invest in Sri Lanka? who can develop a modern educational revolution in Sri Lanka? who can compete for international business market in this digital and globalised world? who can develop viable foreign policies that benefit Sri Lankans? Who can protect Sri Lankan ecology and environment from destructions and natural disasters? After all, who can create a fair and just society in Sri Lanka? People must be educated in these political values to make up their minds in voting. Modern technology plays a greater role in educating people in politics. Thankfully, we notice a rapid development of political awareness among public in Sri Lanka today. Despite all cultural and religious differences, people are united in Sri Lanka to challenge the corruption and deception in politics.
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