Visualising Mahinda Chintanaya 2010: The President’s election manifesto
Groundviews was the first website in Sri Lanka to visualise key statements by a Presidential candidate in the public domain. We followed up with a visualisation of Sarath Fonseka’s manifesto. The incumbent Executive’s manifesto was released in English on 14 January. On the website, it is called Mahinda Chinthana – Vision of Future. The cover page it says A Brighter Future and Mahinda Chintana: Vision for the Future. For the purpose of this article, we will call it Mahinda Chintanaya 2010. Whatever one calls this document, the emphasis very clearly is on the future of Sri Lanka, as envisioned by the incumbent.
As with Sarath Fonseka’s manifesto, to avoid allegations of the partial or selective use of content, click here for a raw text dump of the English PDF version of Mahinda Chintanaya 2010.
Mahinda Rajapaksa Manifesto
For easy visual comparison, we reproduce below the visualisation of Sarath Fonseka’s manifesto, which has been analysed in greater detail on Groundviews here.
Sarath Fonseka Manifesto
There is a significant and unsurprising emphasis on country, development and creating / doing new things in the Mahinda Chintanaya 2010. For the incumbent, taking steps, action or measures to ensure various things is important. Programmes in support of various policies and practices, and development also come out quite clearly in the manifesto. As is to be expected from an incumbent seeking reelection, electricity, education, scheme, sector, industry, youth, facilities and other key phrases bring out a wide range of issues covered in the manifesto, which is markedly different to that of Sarath Fonseka, who focusses on a far more limited range of sectors and issues. The quality of largesse by the Executive runs throughout in the frequent use of provide and (will be) established throughout the document.
Interestingly, the manifesto does not have a single mention of human rights, reconciliation or peacebuilding. There are however numerous mentions of peace, for example on Page 61 where it is noted that “…now there is sustainable peace and this is what the people of the north and east expected and so did the rest of the country”. It is understood therefore that peace is largely seen as the absence of war for the incumbent. In 103 pages, democracy is only mentioned twice.
What do you think of the Mahinda Chintanaya 2010 visualisation and what it flags as Mahinda Rajapaksa’s vision for the future of Sri Lanka? How does it compare with that of Sarath Fonseka?
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SF’s manifesto is full with a range of speculation and does not specifically say what he intends doing. In other words he leaves the reader to speculate and make his/her opinion.
Where MR’s manifesto 2010 is concerned he has dwelved deeply into the problems and shown specifically the actions to be taken with facts and figures.
One could say that the 100 page Chinthanaya 2010 as against the 10 page Wichvasaneey Wenasak comes out as the one which could deliver a more WISHVASANEEYA WENASA.
TO HIS CREDIT MR IS THE ONLY CANDIDATE IN THE HISTORY OF ELECTIONEERING IN SRI LANKA WHO HELD ONTO HIS MANIFESTO THOUGHOUT HIS TIME IN OFFICE AND DISCUSSED IT AT ALL FORUMS. That alone is enough to trust the man even though some of his ambitious projects in Mahinda chinthanaya 1 could not be completed but then again he has two more years to complete them.
THE CORRUPTION ALLEGATIONS AGAINST MR HAS NOT BEEN SUBTENTIATED BUT THE ALLEGATIONS AGAINST SF SEEMS TO BE PILING ON DAY BY DAY. Is it a case of the pot calling the kettle black or is SF and clan barking up the wrong tree? only time will tell.
Above all it is development!! I think for the first we have a comprehensive plan for economic growth with clear target of increasing per capita income to US $ 4000. Less on democracy and inadequate on national question. It goes with my earlier argument that Sri Lanka is heading for East Asian type of democracy. On the other hand Sarath Fonseka has produced ‘thorombal’ economic program based totally wrong idea, namely. the elimination of corruption would lead to economic development. There is no positive relationship between the elimination of corruption and economic development. Some studies even suggest corrupt regimes are good for economic development. Ex” Robert Walpole, Park regime in South Korea etc.
MR’s manifesto gives us more of the same- the infrastructure investment where much money is amde by way of commissions by the family. He does not understand that the country is bankrupt internally and externally. MR spends by printing money ( Rs 231 billion in 2008 vide Central Bank Report). If he is re-elected the country will default on foreign debt and pauperise the country through hyper inflation. He is the person who cannot understand economics. He foolishly said our per capita income in dollar terms has doubled in his term of office when t increased by a emre 21% vdie article by Dr uswatte Arachchi in the Island. He will make Sri Lanka another North Korea whcih the Chinese have to bail out.