Comments on: The loud and clear message from the voter turnout and the voters in the North and East https://groundviews.org/2010/01/29/the-loud-and-clear-message-from-the-voter-turnout-and-the-voters-in-the-north-and-east/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-loud-and-clear-message-from-the-voter-turnout-and-the-voters-in-the-north-and-east Journalism for Citizens Mon, 01 Feb 2010 09:39:38 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.1 By: niranjan https://groundviews.org/2010/01/29/the-loud-and-clear-message-from-the-voter-turnout-and-the-voters-in-the-north-and-east/#comment-13993 Mon, 01 Feb 2010 09:39:38 +0000 http://www.groundviews.org/?p=2655#comment-13993 The worst racists on the Sinhala side are with this Government and it seems likely that they will win the Parliamentary elections as well. Who or what is going to stop them from winning the Parliamentary elections?

Dhiraj,

“minorities lost bigtime by supporting Fonseka”- Did they? The only person who lost big time was Fonseka and not the minorities. The TNA and the SLMC have retained their support base in the North and the East. In the Parliamentary election they will likley support Ranil W. The minorities have faith in the UNP under Ranil W and not in the UPFA which comprises of racist individuals.

]]> By: wijayapala https://groundviews.org/2010/01/29/the-loud-and-clear-message-from-the-voter-turnout-and-the-voters-in-the-north-and-east/#comment-13960 Sun, 31 Jan 2010 14:39:55 +0000 http://www.groundviews.org/?p=2655#comment-13960 Dhiraj,

“When I read that it means the TNA and the SLMC actually care about what their constituencies think and act accordingly.”

You misunderstood my argument- it makes no difference at all whom the TNA and SLMC care about, because most voters will choose according to what they personally want. In other words, it made no difference whether TNA/SLMC would have endorsed Mahinda or not, because the minorities still would have voted for Fonseka.

See SomewhatDisgusted’s comments- are you glad that Sinhala communalism has triumphed?

]]> By: SomewhatDisgusted https://groundviews.org/2010/01/29/the-loud-and-clear-message-from-the-voter-turnout-and-the-voters-in-the-north-and-east/#comment-13951 Sun, 31 Jan 2010 06:23:33 +0000 http://www.groundviews.org/?p=2655#comment-13951 @Dhiraj,

“I am glad their communalism was defeated.”

I believe that communalism ought to be defeated and I’m in agreement with you. However, one thing bothers me. Was the communalism of the minorities defeated by the communalism of the majority?

]]> By: Dhiraj https://groundviews.org/2010/01/29/the-loud-and-clear-message-from-the-voter-turnout-and-the-voters-in-the-north-and-east/#comment-13947 Sun, 31 Jan 2010 05:10:06 +0000 http://www.groundviews.org/?p=2655#comment-13947 “It makes little difference if they had a grudge or not. If the minorities really felt they had something to gain with Mahinda, they would have voted against the TNA and SLMC.”

This is what you said “If the minorities really thought that Mahinda represented their interests, the TNA and SLMC would not have sided with Fonseka.”

When I read that it means the TNA and the SLMC actually care about what their constituencies think and act accordingly. I don’t think that is the case; the leadership of the TNA and SLMC are backward, grudge holding individuals who use the ethnic/religious card to gain votes. In anycase, the minorities lost out bigtime by supporting Fonseka. But as I said, I am glad their communalism was defeated.

]]> By: malaselvi https://groundviews.org/2010/01/29/the-loud-and-clear-message-from-the-voter-turnout-and-the-voters-in-the-north-and-east/#comment-13934 Sat, 30 Jan 2010 20:40:36 +0000 http://www.groundviews.org/?p=2655#comment-13934 Author so happy to see that devananda did not bring enough vote for president. Mr.Dougless Devananda is a man who fearlessly stood against tigers. The man who survive almost ten times from terrorist. War was finished with tigers. but their sympathizers and medias are still in large. such as veerakesary and uthayan. Mr.devananda is still fighting with their propaganda machine.
He is true democrat and never intimidate any body. Last twenty odd years tigers intimidate voters for voting or boycotting. every body knew this. T.N.A got bumber loto from tigers.
All these crocodiles never utter a single word against tigers but using every opportunity to blame Dougless and Karuna.
I was expected Mahinda would get between fifteen to thirty five lacs votes,

]]> By: samuelj https://groundviews.org/2010/01/29/the-loud-and-clear-message-from-the-voter-turnout-and-the-voters-in-the-north-and-east/#comment-13932 Sat, 30 Jan 2010 18:19:14 +0000 http://www.groundviews.org/?p=2655#comment-13932 Dear acchhariya,
thanks a lot for this piece. You have articulated the thought process of many Tamil voters this time round. You have also give a very good statistical analysis of voter turn out in the pediminantly tamil speaking areas.
I cannot agree with you more on the reasons why more Tamil speaking voters chose to vote SF rather than MR. They made that decision on their own. They would have done that even sans the help of TNA. Therefore the TNA should have acording to my thinking encouraged the voters to vote but not publicly spoken about any discussions or agreements with SF.
I also feel political parties backing certain candidates or politicians crossing over before elections do not make much positive impacts to the candidates or parties. The case of Daglous and Chandrika prove this point among both communities. Voters make their choice based on the campaign more than on parties or individuals.
At the parlimentary elections the pitch is different as winner doesn’t take all. There are seats for all who get a certain persentage of votes. There is a lot of hope for opposition politics therefore.

]]> By: wijayapala https://groundviews.org/2010/01/29/the-loud-and-clear-message-from-the-voter-turnout-and-the-voters-in-the-north-and-east/#comment-13929 Sat, 30 Jan 2010 16:47:01 +0000 http://www.groundviews.org/?p=2655#comment-13929 “Er no, the TNA and the SLMC have a grudge against Mahinda.”

It makes little difference if they had a grudge or not. If the minorities really felt they had something to gain with Mahinda, they would have voted against the TNA and SLMC.

]]> By: Groundtruth https://groundviews.org/2010/01/29/the-loud-and-clear-message-from-the-voter-turnout-and-the-voters-in-the-north-and-east/#comment-13928 Sat, 30 Jan 2010 16:20:14 +0000 http://www.groundviews.org/?p=2655#comment-13928 An interesting and perceptive analysis of the voting pattern in the north and east. And even more of greater interest from social and humanitarian points of view is the reflection on the plight of the Wanni IDPs and older displaced inhabitants for resettlement and livelihood means . It’s not very different in the east too. But there have been not much concrete movement either from government or private sector on any of these essential prerequisites of these displaced people so far except for some makeshift arrangements by religious and UN supported Agencies. This is where as the Author prognosticates there is “room for opposition parties to do credible work”. It has to do with changing the culture of just being in the opposition from one of mainly carrying out rhetoric to doing something more concrete on the ground, also given the present embargo and suspicions on NGOs and INGOs. It is obvious that government has a primary role to play in enabling things to happen even with opposition parties as catalysts-something which requires ipso facto a change of orientation the way central governments work with the opposition to change people’s lives at the ground level. The way the Provincial Council in the east shows without proper devolution of functions, in reality reflects a meaningless yet costly arrangement. A more puposeful and productive devolution to benfit local lives is something that is to be much desired in the future, including possibly local tax collection to fund accountable local development initiatives to supplement funding from the Centre.

]]> By: Ernest https://groundviews.org/2010/01/29/the-loud-and-clear-message-from-the-voter-turnout-and-the-voters-in-the-north-and-east/#comment-13927 Sat, 30 Jan 2010 15:14:13 +0000 http://www.groundviews.org/?p=2655#comment-13927 Mahinda Rajapakse won the election by rigging the election results with the help of Indian computor experts who were hired by Basil Rajapakse. Why the Colombo University was not given the task to conduct the computor process of the election this time? Corrupt Indian Congras Politicians have already won the last election by rigging. This time they helped Rajapakse in order to save thier own skin regarding war crimes on Tamils.

]]> By: balan https://groundviews.org/2010/01/29/the-loud-and-clear-message-from-the-voter-turnout-and-the-voters-in-the-north-and-east/#comment-13913 Sat, 30 Jan 2010 07:39:40 +0000 http://www.groundviews.org/?p=2655#comment-13913 As a tamil from jaffna,,we feel the two candidates are not going to give any kind of solution for tamils.Mahindha lost votes because of EPDP and karuna partnership.EPDP and karuna never represent for community ,they are doing politics for themself only.TNA is the only party emphasizing Tamil’s problem whatever the influence it has over the government.

Sinhalse prefer mahindha for somany reasons,but for tamils,they suffered maximum especially Northeast in his presidency in many ways.that does not mean SF period will good for tamils.Minorities does want MR is clear thing here.Mahindha won kayts because EPDP leader’s home town!

Anyone can gain the support of tamils,only when someone REALLY concerns about solution for tamils,which majority of sinhalse resist,So itz is a contrasting factor that reflects slightly in tis election,i blv

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