Blame yourselves, as elders, if you failed to propel your kids to find their way into honest politics to usher a clean administration rather than permit the kith and kin of lost politicians to push their loved ones to the forefront in the absence of others. Sure security was a concern, on which deadwood politicians capitalized. Doors are indeed closed since the next generation found comfort in the jobs on offer that were clean and well-paid. Last generation, consisting of patriotic Sinhalese, Muslims. Malays, Tamil (servicemen in the Forces) and remaining Burghers fought valiantly and defeated terrorism. They served the nation well enabling many to live in a secure zone. It is now your opportunity to serve the nation? Take it with both hands, my friends.

Back in power Ranil’s days are numbered with his ‘Mr.Clean’ image muddied while an overcautious Gota sits in the wings

Who has to undergo the present suffering but you, collectively and singularly? Yet many of you, can take pride, as you are so different to the despicable diaspora that sits abroad, unrecognised in their private counting houses counting pennies they earn which the locals in foreign lands would die of shame in doing assignments for cheap wages. Lamenting as a lost generation, they try to search for away-from- home comforts, by making life miserable for their countrymen in Sri Lanka by showering a fistful of trivial dollars via the black market to their poorer relatives back home to do evil that satisfies the hidden agenda of the diaspora.

Regret, my good friend, great Gunadasa Amarsekera – a hero to me of the past – joined the company of low quality hangers – on of unsavoury politicians –notwithstanding my urgings against. He could have done such an immense service in bringing about genuine reconciliation, the prime need of the hour, after terrorism was eradicated, a cause he served to perfection. A good man misled by those around him with small minds.

Is it lack of options or do you fear throwing dirty linen to a garbage bin with a direct hit? Are you a man or mouse! Options are there for the asking but none prepared to exercise it-so great is the desire to fling the present ruling junta out of reckoning for cheating them of good governance leading to a situation of no virtual governance – only to bring back the other set they flung out less strenuously a few months earlier? Have they cleansed themselves of the filth gathered?

In Sri Lanka losers are often the winners with time; most hate to write off any fearing a come back in a land of swift returns – where overnight complexions change colour. My batch mate Prof. G.L. Pieris would have been the Foreign Minister in a Sirisena administration if not for Ranil’s and Chandrika’s urgings to President Sirisena at a time their words counted. The story goes on – now GL has ousted more qualified/competent/experienced men for the holder of the second fiddle like Dinesh Gunawardane in the joint opposition in a Mahinda Rajapakse administration. If so, where do ordinary people stand with a leadership so fickle that will carry any servile rubbish that will bend and bow to a vacillating leader? None dares to speak out in a chamber of silence: a stare and a glare from the leadership is sufficient to tame the vocal.

It is the same old story with the same unhappy ending that brings weird results that are terrible to bear.

It takes stupid people, a while longer, to realize plundering continues unabated. People will look to change horses – no longer possible midstream – due to failure to exercise the franchise for 4 and1/2 years from the last election, again due to the Supreme Courts unacceptable stoic silence on the 19th amendment case of Dayasri vs. State on a non-ruling made by a bench that included Chief Justice Siripavan; while the country ends in a plight worse for it. Leaders are interested in safeguarding favourites as the bond commission illustrates; than implementing honest policies promised at election time.

People ruled out Ranil, many moons ago, by making him a serial loser; rode to power from a back street, since MR, after defeating terrorism lost his footings by encouraging corruption beyond limits of tolerance benefiting mostly his kinsmen and sycophants. It’s the people that spoilt him – where a simple-minded:ill read man not of great intellectual proportions – carrying brilliant political instincts, became unbalanced by the people raising him to a level of an unaccustomed monarch who would do no wrong.

He lost his head and allowed wrong to go unheeded as he took his countrymen on their words of misplaced wisdom, after heroically saving the country: People with short memories threw him out as they forgot the good he did before the bad overtook the good.They will sure do it again as the bad done is worse by a ruler.

Back in power Ranil’s days are numbered with his ‘Mr.Clean’ image muddied while a overcautious Gota sits in the wings [without stripping himself of US citizenship that makes him disqualify for presidency after the ruling in the Geetha Kumarsinghe case – disqualifies a candidate in being elected to office after contesting an election, which is permissible] with some of MR’s dirty bunch in his home ranch as prime advisors on being a jumbo size tamer by stripping Sirisena of his right to contest for the post of president because of Sirisena’s unacceptability in being a two timer on the political front!

Is Sirisena watching the law to make the two disqualifications of the Rajapakse brothers come in his favour? Are people enthusiastic to vote for a candidate ineligible? President Sirisena will have no option but to face a humiliating defeat – as the gossip-mongers predict – a sure defeat awaits in all his own home district constituencies with/without the UNP assistance or will he honourably pull out of the contest in favour of Gota and wait to watch him get disqualified to hold fresh elections?

Will he hold the Presidential elections first to outdo MR or bide his time to watch the results to make a comeback that never will materialize as a winning candidate or will he do a back room deal with Gota that another candidate other than his disliked MR will be the common SLFP nominee for PM or would he rather watch a contest develop between MR and RW and roll on the carpet giggling making voters look stupid, in finding a short liked winner that will lose his credibility speedily or is the brotherly love too great among the Rajapake family to overcome slights and slurs Gota had suffered since becoming the front runner if deemed eligible? Ironically the man least able to collect votes at a presidential election can manipulate the vote for or against the winner and is good for reckoning as the most credible non – candidate. He is stronger in that role at the election time as the manipulative onlooker.

Note: Much of the minority votes will float into Ranil’s column which compels MR to woo the Sinhala Buddhist vote furiously in the absence of sizeable vote from the minority communities. Can Abraham Sumanthiran with a strong UNP complexion bring votes from the North to the UNP? Will UNP pull the Christian, Catholic and Islamic votes to regain the religious belts?

Will Ranil exit politics on the poor showings at the end of the local government election results, much to MR’s despair? Will Ranil hand the local government stewardship of the UNP to another to overcome a likely defeat? After the local government elections, will the UNP try to regain its foothold with the Sinhala Buddhist voters and persuade Ranil to step aside as at 2015, in 2020 too? Who will be the candidate the UNP will look to within its fold? Are there any for reckoning among the outsiders?

Either proposition will send shivers down MR’s spine? Will the rank and file of the SLFP rise for Gota, knowing well much of the UNP and floating voter is in his pocket? Will it make the North throw its weight with the UNP strongly notwithstanding Sumanthiran’s persuasion?

Will UNP pull the Christian, Catholic and Islamic votes to regain the religious belts? Will Ranil exit politics on the poor showings at the end of the local government election results, much to MR’s despair?

Many middle floating voters and the good governance kids will stay at home at the next elections rather than walk to vote: would rather spoil their votes than cast the ballot in a low poll affair where they were taken for a ride previously? What will the prize MR supporters of the past like Lalith Weeratunga, Mohan Pieris, Ranjit Malcolm and the BJB stalwarts that contributed to his downfall, do at the next elections?

Politics is a game that changes overnight with many glorious uncertainties. There is much time to ponder before the big boys enter the fray but the best indicator presently is the local government elections – if they take place at all. It is a litmus test for Ranil and what impact Gota makes, is worth a watch.