Sri Lanka’s Minority Outreach Holds Risks Before Vote

“The new political leadership elected to work with the President next week must be fearless in pursuing accountability for those responsible, no matter how powerful they are, and must put in place a credible plan to prevent torture in the future”. He has also informed the government of Myanmar to inform him on behalf of the Sri Lankan government, if they need more assistance.

The minorities, the Tamils and the Muslims who form almost 25% of Sri Lanka’s population, have embraced the Sirisena government and its policies.

The action followed yesterday’s letter by Sirisena to Rajapaksa in which the SLFP chief had vowed that Rajapaksa will not be made the Prime Minister even if his party won Monday’s parliamentary election. He adds that the Sri Lanka Freedom Party is the only party in the country that boasts of leaders who are intelligent, politically experienced and with much forethought, who could be appointed to the post of Prime Minister. It also includes the Buddhist monks’ party, the Jathika Hela Urumaya, minority parties like the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress, the All Ceylon Makkal Congress (ACMC) and the Tamil Progressive Alliance (TPA). Karunanayake blamed supporters of Rajapaksa for the attack, which party members denied.

Sri Lankan political parties will end their election campaigning on Friday midnight for a parliamentary election on Monday, the Election Secretariat announced. According to the Tamil Guardian, Eknaligoda’s wife said the Rajapaksa regime is connected with the disappearance of her husband, possibly in an attempt to silence his criticism. Many observers were stunned by Sirisena’s victory over Rajapakse, who had been in power for almost a decade and oversaw the crushing of the Tamil Tiger separatist rebels in 2009. “It can not be discounted, but I don’t think it’s likely” says Dr. Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu, Co-Convener of the Center for Monitoring Election Violence in Sri Lanka. While few opinion polls are reliable, an island-wide survey by the Colombo-based Centre for Policy Alternatives this month showed about 40 percent backing Wickremesinghe for prime minister, with 28 percent supporting Rajapaksa. Saravanamuttu says, “The evidence suggests that the UNP will emerge as the single largest party, with Rajapaksa having to settle for the leader of the opposition, as it stands”.

“It is amusing you have started to visit temples around the country along with media coverage following your election loss”, President says Rajapaka’s political behavior and statements however indicate his burning hatred and egoism. However, that scenario is unlikely. Sirisena says that Rajapksa lost January Presidential election as a result of “communal flames” he himself had set alight.

Interestingly, Rajapaksa is contesting from Kurunegala in Sri Lanka’s North-Western Province, as opposed to his traditional bastion in the South. Nationally, Kurunegala is the third-highest electoral district, and importantly for Rajapaksa, it boasts of a majority Sinhala Buddhist population.