8/10/2019 How to Transform the Presidential Elections a ‘Referendum’ on Rajapaksa

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How to Transform the PresidentialElections a ‘Referendum’ on

Rajapaksa

by Vishwamithra 1984-19/11/2014

“ Never believe that a few caring people can’t change the worl! "or# inee# that’s allwho ever have!$ %&argaret &ea

 'llow me to say it at the very o(tset) No campaign r(n by a gro(p of elite-strategists#cloa*e in s(its an +,ata*ayas’# coope (p in air-conitione rooms in olombo an

smo*ing cigars an sipping cognac an wine will help the .pposition to win theforthcoming resiential lections! hey nee to ma*e this loo* not only li*e a+people’s campaign’# they o(ght to ecentralie the campaign to s(ch an increiblee3tent# each an every voter m(st feel that he or she is irecting this campaign!

“&artin (ther 5ing anno(nce the oor eople’s ampaign at a staff retreat for the,o(thern hristian eaership onference 6,7 in November 19! ,ee*ing a+mile gro(n between riots on the one han an timi s(pplications for :(stice on theother#’ 5ing planne for an initial gro(p of 2#000 poor people to escen on;ashington# <!!# so(thern states an northern cities to meet with government

of=cials to eman :obs# (nemployment ins(rance# a fair minim(m wage# ane(cation for poor a(lts an chilren esigne to improve their self-image an self-esteem> he oor eople’s ampaign was seen by 5ing as the ne3t chapter in thestr(ggle for gen(ine e?(ality!$ 6,o(rce) &artin (ther 5ing @r! an the Alobal "reeom,tr(ggle7

he impening resiential lection battle between the people of ,ri an*a# theaverage voters an the reigning powers is going to ass(me colossal proportions

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before long! he only way to ispel fear from the mins of the voter is to ma*e himconfront it hea-on# from the ay of nominations to the e3act ho(r when the res(lts areeclare! here m(st not be rest in between# none whatsoeverB he fear of loss of a

 :ob# the fear of losing privileges# the fear of +;hite Vans’# the fear of intimiation anassa(lt an even the fear of eath m(st be are an challenge an efeate! henan only then the esire res(lt wo(l be attaine!

Cn other wors# (nleashing of non-violent forces this co(ntry has never seen in thehistory of elections m(st be (nerta*en not by the planners an strategists b(t moreso by the common s(pporters D the party officials or orinary members# waysiebo(ti?(e-*eepers# street venors an container wor*ers an rivers# three-wheelerriers an mo-bi*ers# farmers an teachers# &aha ,angha an priests of otherreligions# soliers of the forces an policemen an women# government cler*s anpeons# cleaning crews an local government wor*ers# Eniversity st(ents anteachers# the employe an the (nemploye# private sector e3ec(tives angovernment officers D in short a massive force of mile-class# lower mile-class an

the poor nee to galvanie themselves an irect the top r(ng of society# professionalsof all wal*s of life# lawyers an octors# engineers an acco(ntants an architects#planners# p(nits an intellect(als to follow this non-violent campaign to convince onean all that this is the +mother of all elections’!

What appears on the outside is a total lie, a total fabrication and a totalfake. The deliberate and willful humiliation of General Sarath Fonseka,once emulated by Government Ministers and their cohorts as a ‘warhero!, firstly by incarceratin" him on flimsy char"es and secondlystoopin" to a new low by refusin" to accept the relief items collected

and sent by the General and his political party for distribution amon"the victims of the #oslanda landslide tra"edy is very apparent. This lieneeds e$posure at the hi"hest and most acute level. %ut it must bee$ecuted by the lower run"s of the voter hierarchy. &ot professionals,not pundits and socalled leaders.

he average g(y on the street an the three-wheeler river# the orinary peon or cler*in the government epartment# the aily train-comm(ter an b(s traveler# them(nane ho(sewife an the hospital attenant m(st be the architects an spearheaof the campaign of e3posing the lie an holing aloft the tr(th!

Take the case of impeachment of e$'hief (ustice, Shirani%andaranayake. )arassin" the )i"h *riest of the (udiciary andthrowin" her to the wolves in the ‘den! called *arliamentary Select'ommittee was no accident nor was it hastily steered Statecraft. +t wasa ploy planned with meticulous care and scrupulous sensitivity to detailto "et rid of a thorny irritant from the lordliest seat in the udicial system.

 -t the time this sad episode started unravellin", due to the idioticstance adopted by the then nited &ational *arty /&*0 leadership of1anil Wickremesin"he, the avera"e man or woman in the country

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could not relate to the very phenomenon of the ouster of the 'hief ustice from her 'hair. They are only now sufferin" the conse2uence of that process.

,o# when the bigwigs# the leaership of the EN an the rest of the .pposition faileso miserably# how can the orinary voter respon to this nasty t(rn of eventsF Gow

iffic(lt or easy is it going to be# this campaign to be g(ie an act(ally r(n by theorinaryF Gow is one going to plan this an e3ec(te it to an acceptable egreeF 'emocracy that is sal(brio(s in the conte3t of societal e3pectations an yetconstraine so that the f(namental ecencies of h(man behavior are observe#cannot be s(staine witho(t str(ct(res that are essentially integral to the whole! 'nacco(ntability an transparency at the highest level of governance! 'n that isprecisely what the +ommon .pposition’ an its caniate have to promise to bringabo(t (ring the campaign!

Cn this conte3t# not only 'n(ra 5(mara <issanaya*e b(t all the spea*ers of the

@anatha Vim(*thi eram(na 6@V7 are o(tstaning! hey can artic(late reallyprofo(n arg(ments in simple terms the general masses can (nerstan an relate to!hat s*ill was possesse by H remaasa to a great e3tent an to some consierableegree by alith 'th(lathm(ali an Aamini <issanaya*e in the past EN! Now theEN oes not have a single spea*er who is possesse of s(ch oratorical talents! I(t itoes not matter so long as the capabilities of 'n(ra 5(mara# al 5antha# Vi:itha Gerathan Gan(nhetti are available for the +ommon .pposition’!

&a*ing the resiential lections a +referen(m’ on the inc(mbent# as was en(nciatein one of my previo(s col(mns# is pivotal in irecting the propagana onsla(ght

against the c(rrent holer of office! 's was reveale over the last co(ple of ays#political eals by (nscr(p(lo(s elements whose ambitions an lifetime goals areshro(e by a shay past an even shaier present sho(l not be allowe tohoowin* the masses yet again! ,ri an*a oes not belong to +eal-ma*ers’ altho(ghtimely-e3ec(te bargains between politically iverse gro(ps s(ch as the formation ofthe +ommon .pposition’ o efine the emans# challenges an sol(tions at thepresent time!

oncentration of political criticism of the inc(mbent on his strongest points is not onlyvital# it is cr(cial to the campaign of the +ommon .pposition’! ;hat is the inc(mbent’s

strongest pointF .bvio(sly it is the +war-victory’! here are ways an means ofne(traliing the Ha:apa*sa myth of +war-victory’! Iy spelling it o(t here# before thecampaign is la(nche# C o not wish to :eoparie the chances of the +ommon.pposition’! &angala ,amaraweera# the EN &eia <irector wo(l (nerstan thatan C’m s(re he wo(l follow the same logic!

here is a great eal of apprehension among the masses that even if the real res(lt isa victory for the +ommon .pposition’ an its aniate# someone else wo(l beeclare the winner at the eclaration point! his same phenomenon e3iste in the

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hilippines when p(blic o(trage le to the snap elections of 198 an to the ma*ing of the so-calle +eople ower Hevol(tion’ in "ebr(ary 198 that o(ste the then +warlorof the hilippines’# "erinano &arcos! 'ltho(gh &arcos trie his best to hang on topower thro(gh the military might of his close associate# Aeneral "abian Ver# the hiefof the 'rme "orces of the hilippines (ner him b(t he faile! Ct is s(specte that hewas the mastermin of the assassination of former ,enator Ienigno '?(ino# @r!

Gowever# as history was the (nwavering witness# &arcos co(l not withstan thestorms (nleashe by the people’s power!

,(ch is the might of people’s power! et (s ta*e history as o(r mentorBGistory as mentor>,haping its flow an efining its characterJro(cing its offspring# an n(rsing its siblingsJ

 ' great force# (nrelenting an r(thless an ta*ing no prisonershrowing (p ebris that its offspring scavenge an chew&(nch an leave for legacy of meiocrity! he s(preme mentor- events an their

ca(se(rning a leaf after leaf# cascaing its eternal flow thr(’ flaws an follies of &an# fromawn till (s*

 'n whither afterB

he writer can be contacte at vishwamithra1984Kgmail!com

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