What is important about Wickramabahu Karunaratne is not whether he leans to the left or the right but that he is a democrat.

If either of the other two get in that may be the last election we will have.

With the collapse of World Marxism it is meaningless for “Someone” to say that Bahu is “extreme left.” Bahu is no doubt a committed Marxist, and he, himself, may be disappointed at our not taking Marxism seriously. But that’s his personal business. It’s like religion, in that respect. What matters is that he’s honest, educated and intelligent. The West will certainly welcome such a man. As I write it looks as though Gordon Brown’s Government in the U.K. and Canada are determined that Sri Lanka should NOT be allowed to host the Commonwealth Conference. I’m sure they’ll be quite happy with Bahu; not because he’s a stooge of the West but because he has not transgressed the common human decencies that the Liberal West holds so dear. For instance, he will never invite the Burmese dictator here.

But he has two great handicaps:
He’s being IGNORED by commentators from Sri Lanka who feed the World Media – e.g. search the Internet and discussion is in terms of a two CANDIDATE election (never mind equine vocabulary). Also, few realise that his doctorate is not in some esoteric and non-practical discipline like Philosophy, but in Engineering.
Secondly, for some people, like “Someone”, Marxism is regarded as something so dirty that any “religious” person should have no truck with a person infected by it.

Let’s keep clear of such religiosity and vote Bahu ‘cos he’s the one person who can straddle the ethnic divide. He’s been sincere and consistent for forty years in this. (I hasten to add that I have never met him.) He is most unlikely to win, but giving him the “First Preference” will send a powerful message to all chauvinists. After that, toss a coin and give the Second Preference to “Tweedledum or Tweedledee” just to satisfy yourself that you voted for “one of the main candidates”.

As I see it, the incumbent has an edge because of his incumbency and already hold the reins of power when compared with the dark war horse ridden by the serial loser and his affiliates.The consequence of that for the voter is the same as for the fish; to be fried,grilled or stewed,or rot.The last would be the preferred and the most viable under the circumstances and so Presidency will continue.as willed by the Old Fox……….