{"id":96217,"date":"2019-12-10T14:04:28","date_gmt":"2019-12-10T21:04:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=96217"},"modified":"2019-12-10T14:06:17","modified_gmt":"2019-12-10T21:06:17","slug":"why-gotas-new-face-is-likeablewhy-gotas-new-face-is-likeable","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2019\/12\/10\/why-gotas-new-face-is-likeablewhy-gotas-new-face-is-likeable\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Gota\u2019s new face is likeable"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ravi Nagahawatte Courtesy Daily Mirror<\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Sri Lankan President Gotabaya \nRajapaksa\u2019s Indian tour concluded on a positive note. This was despite \nRajya Sabha MP Vaiko staging a protest opposing the Sri Lankan \npresident\u2019s visit to India. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s striking about the former \nmilitary man turned lawmaker is his show of calmness in the face of \nopposition. There is much talk about Gotabaya being a vegetarian and a \nBuddhist and these factors could be attributed to his composure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gotabaya\u2019s travels in and around India \nmade him realise that there was an arm of hospitality extended to him. \nIndia being concerned about the last stages of the Sri Lankan civil war \nnow wanting close ties with one of the island\u2019s chief defence officials,\n who oversaw military operations that crushed separatist rebels, merits \nnote. It may be that India wishes to look to the future with its \nneighbour, Sri Lanka, at a time when some of the European countries are \nhell-bent on raking war crimes that took place in the island. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only little issue which would not \nhave been to Gota\u2019s liking would have been the many cutouts and posters \nthat decorated the streets; put up to welcome the arrival of the Sri \nLankan president. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n
  • It seems India wishes to look to the future with Sri Lanka at a time when some European countries are raking on war crimes<\/strong><\/li>
  • Gota has also set the example for the need for lawmakers to live like ordinary citizens<\/strong><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
    \n\n\n\n

    Back at home the Sri Lankan President \nhas called for the complete stop of wasteful ways. He has also set the \nexample for the need for lawmakers to live like ordinary citizens. The \npresident used the entrance for ordinary passengers before boarding the \nflight to India. This culture is now catching up in the Rajapaksa clan \nwith Basil Rajapaksa too using the entrance meant for civilians when \nboarding a flight to make a quick visit to USA days ago. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Though the Indian trip for Gotabaya \nseemed a mere courtesy call, he was presented with opportunities to \ndiscuss matters of great importance. One such issue was the existing \nmafia associated with the import of western medicine to Sri Lanka. A \nbusinessman who is reported to have sought an audience with the Sri \nLankan president, while in the flight, had highlighted the fact that \nmedicine of low quality is being imported to the island nation by \ncertain individuals whose sole intention is to make profits. The \npresident was informed that the problem also affected the State \nPharmaceutical Corporation (SPC). The Sri Lankan President had vowed to \nsort out the issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    One key highlight about Gotabaya\u2019s first\n few weeks as president is that he has not been ruthless and not used \nforce; using force being a trait associated with ex-military men. He has\n set the trend by frist disciplining lawmakers and also allowing the \ncountry\u2019s law to take its course. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Brigadier Priyankara Fernando, the \none-time Defence Attache of the Sri Lankan Mission to UK, was charged by\n a London Court for making a threatening gesture during a protest by a \ngroup of LTTE sympathisers in London. Though several monks and \npoliticians have made comments that the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) \nshouldn\u2019t pay the fine, the president has remained silent over the \nissue. This is a positive sign for all law-abiding Sri Lankan citizens. \nIt\u2019s important to note that the LTTE cadres who surrendered to the Army \nwere later tried in courts before being sent to serve their jail terms. \nEven ruthless tiger rebels were given a fair hearing in a court before \nbeing convicted of committing crimes. This is confirmed in Thamilani \nJeyakkumar\u2019s book \u2018Under the shade of sharp sword\u2019 (The book translated \ninto Sinhala by Swaminadan Wimal sold like hotcakes). This is not the \ntime to let emotions  run wild. Giving the law due respect would \nimmensely help in sending a strong message to citizens; especially when a\n nation that\u2019s being rebuilt also has indisciplined lawmakers and \ncitizens. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    In the backdrop of President Gotabaya \nstepping onto a path that encourages diplomacy and decency instead of \nforce, the recent alleged white van abduction raises concerns however. \nBut the secretive manner in which the Swiss Embassy has responded to \ncalls by the Sri Lankan authorities for their employee to cooperate in \ninvestigations and this employee taking so long to arrive at the CID to \ngive her statement raises suspicion as to whether the whole incident is \npolitically motivated by a force in the opposition. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Another sector which is still \nfunctioning smoothly despite a change in Government is the media. Many \nexpected restrictions on the media after the presidential elections. But\n Gotabaya seems to think its wise to allow media institutes to enjoy the\n freedom to report which is anyway tied to the string called \nself-regulation. If Gotabaya doesn\u2019t undermine the law like his brother \nMahinda did it would strengthen the whole foundation on which the \ncountry is to be rebuilt on. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Gotabaya needs time to settle down as a \npolitician. Earlier in his role as Defence Secretary Gotabaya only knew \nof a way of making subordinates stand in attention and take orders. Now \nwe see the first citizen of the country mingling with crowds and \nattempting to shatter that image which suggests he is difficult to \nget-along with. It may be that this is the perception people have of him\n and he has now moved away from that past; willingly or unwillingly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    When NDF candidate Sajith Premadasa was \ndefeated at the last presidential elections people thought that the \ncountry would be isolated in the international scene. But these \nperceptions are slowly being proved to be false with countries like \nIndia, America, Australia, Japan, China and Norway offering support and \nblessings to the new Government. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Just after Gotabaya secured support from\n the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna as its elections candidate, Sri Lanka\u2019s\n total market cap weighted index, the All Share Price Index (ASPI), was \nup 1.2% in response. Business elsewhere too is showing signs of picking \nup after he clinched the presidency with his \u2018development talk\u2019. It \nseems like this stock market friendly lawmaker would now go about \nextending his hand to anyone with potential to join his team whose \nmembers have been set lofty targets that have to be achieved within a \nvery short time.   <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Ravi Nagahawatte Courtesy Daily Mirror Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa\u2019s Indian tour concluded on a positive note. This was despite Rajya Sabha MP Vaiko staging a protest opposing the Sri Lankan president\u2019s visit to India.  What\u2019s striking about the former military man turned lawmaker is his show of calmness in the face of opposition. There […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-96217","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96217","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=96217"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96217\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=96217"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=96217"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=96217"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}