Statement made by the Election Commissioner
Posted on January 30th, 2010

Orpheus Perera

What does this mean? Does it mean that Mahinda won the election by cheating? Or does it mean that the election commissioner is making background for his family to be able to get refugee status in Australia or USA? Or was he is going into a depression because his favourite candidate SF lost the election?

There were Sinhalese guys, adult student in a TAFE trying to get refugee status while the war was in progress, trying to claim the refugee status on similar grounds. I think Sri Lanka was always corrupted and lots of people(mostly in urban areas) are corrupted. Some people even try to use corrupt practices even to get VISA in a developed country(I think they are economic refugees).

Before the election, general opinion was ,that Mahinda and his people don’t have to engage in corrupt practices because the government won the war against terrorist, the biggest obstacle to development was removed and made it possible for people(including Tamils) to live without fear.

To do so he had to fight against the superpowers of the west too.

On the other hand General(who was appointed to that post by the government) decided to contest the president suddenly, because he was unhappy about his promotion and if he won, after 6 years would have decided to have a military government. He had only one promise to bring a change. What was this change? His coalition was not compatible. Policies were not clear.

What happened to the international observers who came to monitor the election?

Who ever who is telling the truth we don’t know for sure. Even election commissioner could have been corrupted. If he migrates to America soon we can say he was corrupted. We will wait and see. Most of Sri Lankans, specially the upper middle class hang on to their parties and say anything to defend their party.

When I visited Sri Lanka what I experience was how Rajapaksha got people rally behind him to eradicate the terrorist. The corruption was at the same level at it was in 1973 and in 1986(As I have experienced and have witnessed). Between the period of 1982 and 1985 I noted that the generation after us were too ambitious and hence corrupted. It is i accepted that the most unfairly treated and innocent generation was the baby boomers(such as myself, my class mates, Sarath and President)

Again, I think the Election Commissioner may be right. But his allegation is not new. Since the time of Mrs. Bandaranaike(as I remember from 1960s) the state media was used to support the existing government. I can remember, members of my family who had the power to vote criticising Mrs. B when her speeches(at opening ceremony or something) were broadcasted. I did not have power over them to say that Mrs. B cannot help it. She was still the prime minister who had to continue in her job until the election. In the west they don’t have any media that is run by the state. So even the ruling party has to pay the media to carry out their campaigns, except few news papers freely support which ever party they like.

Orpheus Perera

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