Janaki Chandraratna, Perth, Australia

It was with great trepidation that I arrived in Colombo on 27 January as it could have been my last, at least for some time, in case there was a regime change. Generally winning an election for the second time for an incumbent is an onerous task let alone after a war. My thoughts were with the UK election loss of Sir Winston Churchill after the First World War.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Needless to say that I was delighted with the PresidentƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s amazing landslide victory. I was also humbled to learn that his support was mainly from the rural areas despite the economic hardships of the 30 year terrorist war.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

In analysing the results I was saddened that the Tamil Diaspora has once again has been successful in misleading the Tamil community and I believe this would be short lived with the progress in the country. My biggest disappointment however, was with the Colombo voters. In talking to some of my so called Colombian friends, I noted that they voted for the opposition because of the alleged corruption, high rates of taxes, high cost of living, and that they had always voted for the UNP. The threat of terrorism or the future of the country with possible foreign intervention, as in the case of Iraq, was of no concern to these people. The Colombians were the least affected people from the terrorist war or from the cost of living. Except for the general inconvenience caused by road blocks, they do not know what it was like to have a child/husband/father or a relative in the front lines of the armed forces with the threat of death and injury. The basic source of worry for them was the down turn in their potential to make more money or use their influence to better positions. They failed to understand that they should have a stable country free from foreign interference for the future generations to achieve their aspirations.

I was totally amazed and disappointed with these Colombians as they are a part of the educated elite in Sri Lanka and yet ignorant of the big picture issues. Some of these people were totally unaware of the international scene despite the access to the media including the web. They were in fact like ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Frogs in a WellƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢, winging at the slightest inconvenience and driven by short term gain. It was also incredible that they were not keen on the credentials of their preferred candidate (ex-general) or his ability to provide the change they required. These were an extraordinary set of people. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The Colombian phenomenon made me to look into that causes that can underpin this attitude.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Sri Lankans for the most part are patriotic people proud of their heritage. This was one reason for winning the unwinnable terrorist war. The Colombians tend to be more western oriented and their schooling systems with the International Schools, may not promote sufficiently the values of patriotism and national pride. This is a worry as national identity, sovereignty and independence are the foremost values of any country, in particular, in the West. For example it would be difficult to find an American who would not have his/her hand on the chest when reciting the national anthem. I think it is time that we too review the values taught in our schooling system.

Secondly, I was of the view that our media could have done a better and amore responsible job in presenting real issues that of national interest without engaging in an unsubstantiated mudslinging exercise. It was heartening to note from a television interview with the political correspondent to the Island paper, that they check the veracity of news items before publication. This type of ethical behaviour was not displayed as the norm in the general media in recent times. In fact some of the unsubstantiated news items both in the electronic and print media were worse than that of the paparazzi. The media has a great role to play in a democracy to educate people. I hope the media would take the right stand by the country in the future.

The Future

In order the future to be of benefit as that of the past I believe that the Government should address the issues raised during the elections. Among other things, there is a need as already flagged by the President, to amend the constitution to get rid of the preferential voting system. The elected representatives should be held responsible and accountable for their constituencies as in the previous electoral system. There should also be a greater transparency in Govt. transactions, mainly in the contracting systems. Mahinda Chintana II should have short term measurable goals with responsibilities and accountabilities allocated to the respective Ministers and public servants with rewards linked to the performance. On the legal front it is time the Govt. recalls all weapons from the civilians and has strict controls in place for the retention of arms. Since we are a Buddhist country there is no need to secure arms for recreation. These measures with the relevant infra structure developments I believe are achievable with the PresidentƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s resolve to develop this country to be the best in the regionƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

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