True, I never understood what one meant by ‘figurehead’, because it didn’t mean anything. What do you mean by a ‘figurehead’ within this context? Some one who would have left after winning the election? Well, what happened I think was this – the UNP looked around, it saw that it didn’t have a proper ‘head’ to run, so they had to find some ‘head’ which could pose a challenge to MR. So they found SF, asked him to contest, perhaps believing that after his victory, he would abolish the Executive Presidency, and 1) leave SL and return to his children in the US and live happily ever after, or 2) accept the post of Bribery Commissioner (as Ranil wanted him to), enabling Ranil to be the Executive PM! May be this was the kind of scenario that you thought might have happened if a ‘figurehead’ ran for Presidency…? But surely, whether SF was a figurehead or not, all knew that he wasn’t going to do either (1) or (2) above! So the characterization of SF as a ‘figurehead’ isn’t that useful in the final analysis, L.

Today, the ‘figurehead’ is about to lose his ‘head’ – which is quite saddening. But that’s a different topic altogether. Thanks, L.

I read this post but it is unclear as to whether you have understood that Sarath Fonseka was put forth by the UNP as a “figurehead”. Please clarify. Thanks.

The highest priority objective for him is settling a personal vendetta. This may be an acceptable (still not right) attitude in war but not in civil society. As he says, literally within 48 hours he will destroy his opponents leaving no opposition. Then he will sideline the coalition that pulled votes for him. Why would he need them now? There won’t be another election until he dies or a social uprising over throws him with mass casualties.

If people are that foolish, then they truly deserve what will come about. I am willing to collectively receive this punishment long as everyone else realises what a silly bunch they were! I come from a disciplinary back ground. I can take military rule, so bring it on!! We need harsh lessons to appreciate the value of liberty and freedom. It’s the only lesson worth sacrificing your life trying to learn. Who knows, I may even have to lug in trenches with these same idiots (after they realise) trying to win back our rights with home made weapons one day… Sigh! Deal with it when I wake up to that nightmare…

I’ve always felt uncomfortable with such high praise, and I do not think I deserve it. But anyway – thank you! (‘blessed’? – oh c’mon, you can’t be serious!).

Where will you find my articles in the future, you ask me. If I do write, some of them will certainly be on Groundviews, thanks to Sanjana. But I hope I get to write more positive pieces as well; and for this, I hope our politicians will do positive things in the future – MR , SF or anyone else…!

All the best, Kalana

u have no idea what u have done! your report stands out like NO OTHER!!! this is the beauty of exellent writing, reporting, journalism, investigation and thinking outside the box! and u have interpreted it very attractively. im blessed to have read this!!! where can i your writings in the future?

Good day to you.

Looking at the profile of both candidates, there cannot be any doubt that MR stamps his mark as an experienced and astute politician. Who can forget the radically racial statements SF mad when he was the army commander? What did MR do as the President and CIC? Even if we are to go with the argument that SF was either wholly or partly responsible for the misery of the IDPs, what was MR as President and CIC doing? I would agree that both are the obverse and reverse of the same coin but as President, MR is answerable and not SF.

Yes, SF has entered the arena with a full force of animosity towards the Rajapakse brothers. It is quite obvious. However, whether this is good or bad is debatable. Put it this way. There can be nor certainty that SF would fulfill his pledges. There is only hope hanging on a thin line that he would keep his promises. This, at least, talks of the future but there cannot be any doubt of who and what MR is? He went on a roller coaster when every sane person was cautioning him to move the country into an era of peace and reconciliation. Alas, he was flying in the clouds and screwed-up the wonderful opportunity to become a statesman – but rather he wanted to remain as a politician, as he had done in his forty-years political life.

Perhaps he may have acted more wisely had he known of a formidable opponent, and someone within his inner circle, was readying himself to challenge him. Even all those he tried to resolve in a hurried manner was after the whole world knew of the challenge that would come his way.

Let me say this: Prabhakaran was ruthless in his endeavours and the people had to go through untold suffering and we need not and could not expect him to turn over as an angel. However, the President pursued this war with one largely highlighted commitment – to free the people from the clutches of the LTTE. The people were bombed. Many died for want of food and medicine and finally when they ran to freedom or when they were freed – MR just locked them up in internment camps with guns pointing at them. MR lied to them and treated those citizens like garbage. This is even worst than what Brutus did to Caesar. How on earth is one supposed to trust this man? To put it frankly, it is not that the hope is SF should or would win – rather MR should or would lose. Hard it may seem but for one who is such a duplicity – hoping and trusting that he would truly unite the races is absolutely far-fetched.

Thanks. Re. your point about the ‘crap’ about weeding out the LTTE, wasn’t it Fonseka who said that that should be the policy? Why was he so disgruntled when he heard MR say that the Army is too powerful and that further recruitment would have a damaging effect? Why was Fonseka so upset when GR and MR did not want to give him too much power in terms of command responsibility over the Armed Forces? Did Fonseka want so much authority and power simply to release the innocent civilians in the North? I seriously don’t think so, and he certainly doesn’t have the moral right, now, to claim that MR has taken too much time to release the civilians. The APRC, I agree, was somewhat hilarious; in that it took so much time for it to come out with an ‘interim proposal’ which talked about the need to implement 13A as a start. But what does Fonseka promise us? While he is silent on the issue, he is pretty vague when he says that he would begin a reconciliation process. Isn’t it a reinventing of the same wheel? And going by the manifesto put out by the two, MR’s is far more clear and specific on the issue. In a sense, what many have forgotten is that whatever one might say about grand solutions to the conflict, if we cannot begin with 13A, we will never begin anything in the first place. A majority, at this moment, I do not think readily support anything that goes way beyond 13A. To talk of anything beyond 13A is therefore unrealistic – and that is why Fonseka, by once saying that going beyond 13A is necessary and then being silent about it, causes alot of confusion in many of us. And what has been the position of his main legal-man in the camp, Sarath N Silva? Silva thinks that it’s difficult to implement 13A – as he said just before leaving office, whereas before that, I think, he mumbled ’13 plus’ (whatever that means). So you would see how utterly confused the Opposition camp is on this matter. MR, on the other hand, has been more specific on what he can give (even though I agree, that he has been foot-dragging since May-2009). However, he has reached a point (may be thanks to Fonseka’s entry into politics, as you would put it), where he has to deliver now. We can never imagine what politicians would do when they come to power. But if it’s a choice between MR’s clarity vs. SF’s incoherence and confusion, I would go with the former.

We actually could have gone deeper in to both parties activities – we all know that Rajapakse is no saint, nor the best governor one could dream of. However, given the two options, I totally agree that he would be a man with a better mission than SF and the people around him. At least we see some development after the disastrous time we had under Chandrika K.