Dilrook Kannangara

Bankrupt political losers of November 2019 are pushing for elections when no country in the world hold elections during the COVID-19 pandemic! They don’t even bother hiding their desperation and greed for power. Sadly, no national politician caught Coronoavirus and as a result, they don’t care for the plight of the nation.

Looks like some aligned to the president have also taken the bait of the other camp that was defeated in November 2019. They too now demand early elections. If the parliamentary election is held within the coming few months it will be political suicide for president Gotabaya who is inexperienced in politics. The country is in a very bad shape as hunger, unemployment, restrictions, sickness and hopelessness grip the entire society. Farmers are unable to sell their products while consumers are unable to buy those products. Restrictions are essential to stop the pandemic.

However, people are adapting very well to the situation. Local new manufacturing is picking up. Sri Lanka’s economy will ferociously rebound within months of ending the pandemic. Learnings and leanings during the pandemic have shown a new path to Sri Lanka – self-sufficiency, import-substitution, new industries, and minimalized consumption. All point to unprecedented prosperity once the pandemic is over. Best to hold the election on the rebound which will take at least another six months.

Wise men do say that only fools rush in. There is a time for elections and it is not now.

The President and the military are doing a great job that was done by various politicians before. They were highly inefficient (to say the least) and there was no national plan on anything. In this desperate situation, the country does not need any hiccups. Let the current governance mechanism continue until the World Health Organisation declares the pandemic is over. Then it is the right time for the election.