Thank You Mahinda

UPDATE: Sigh. Mahinda has not been that graceful in defeat beyond his initial statements. There are now reports that he tried to stage a coup rather than give up power and now he’s saying that he lost because of LTTE/minorities, which seems to be the same thing to him. All of this is dividing and damaging the country and making him look like, well, a sore loser.

It also makes me look like a dumbass for thanking him, but read on.

I woke up to find that Maithripala Sirisena has won the 2015 Presidential election. The incumbent Mahinda Rajapaksa has conceded gracefully and left Temple Trees. Before we get to Maithri’s 100 Days and congratulating him and his achcharu coalition, I must thank former President Mahinda Rajapaksa. I am truly grateful to him, as I’m sure are most Sri Lankans, for everything he has done for us and our future. My prayers are with him and his family, for their safety and well being. They must forever have a respected and honored place in our country and, if possible, in our hearts.

I am 32 years old. Mahinda Rajapaksa has shown me things I never thought possible. He ended a war that I thought would never end. He rebuilt Colombo and showed us physical development I never dreamed of. For all of his faults, he has won me over as a citizen. I think he has been a good President, in my opinion Sri Lanka’s best (low bar), especially because he is the first President to lose an election and gracefully leave.

I have always been reluctant to call Mahinda a dictator because I never thought he was. As much as he messed with Parliament, with the Judiciary, he was always close with the people and he rose and fell by the vote. He was elected to power, he marshalled popular support to win the war and, in the end, he was brave enough to face election for a third time. Most importantly, and something we’ve never seen from an incumbent, he was brave enough to gracefully lose.

He has truly been a great Sri Lankan leader and, though I voted for his opponent, I think he deserves something we haven’t really afforded our leaders in the past. A comfortable, honored and secure position as the respected and beloved ex-President of Sri Lanka.

I’m actually getting choked up. I’m so glad he lost because I do want a different kind of peacetime country than he can provide. I do, however, actually have a great affection and respect for the man. I won’t deny that I used to really dislike him, but I guess I’ve gotten used to his face. I will honestly miss him.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa was the leader Sri Lanka needed and he was strong enough to realize when he wasn’t needed. My thoughts and prayers are with him and his family. May they forever be safe and respected in Sri Lanka. Jaya Wewa.

UPDATE:

Mahinda In Retirement

Oh Mahinda, why couldn’t you just take the peoples respect and return it? For all of his public statements and show of leaving with dignity, he had this to say when he returned home to Medamulana:

Post by Newsfirst.lk.

Essentially, ‘I didn’t really lose, I won Hambantota and they won the North, East, Colombo and others, so who cares’. Well, you were running for President of the whole country and you did lose and you should care. I’d say this is a rather shameful statement from a former head of state, and one that promotes division with the country. Not a good start to your retirement Mahinda, hanging out your window and dividing the country.

67 Comments

  1. I do think Mahinda has not be unifying in retirement. His statement hanging out of a window in Medamulana was divisive and not cool. I’ve added an update above.

  2. His Excellency President Rajapaksha is the one & Only President of the people’s hearts. He won the War & gifted us a beautiful , Clean Classy Country.Not only me , we all looked forward for his 2020 plans.We love his family so much.Please Become The President again.We cannot believe that you are not there any more !!!

  3. obe kotas awsa neta. awsan yai oba sitnawnam eya wenas kargata utteya. manda yatth; maa obata dun chandayata oba aniwaryenma waga kiwa utu bevini. eyata watinakak eti bevini. obata iwth wannata kisidu aitiyak nomette ebevini.

  6. So basically you actually have no evidence that he did what you say he did? That coup thing is a pretty serious allegation and all you have going for it is “what Rajitha said.”

    Nice.

  7. Also, he’s not retiring. He’ll be back. I expect him to try and get some power at the General Elections. Sirisena needs to expose Rajapakses dealings before the elections otherwise, he may very well get a seat. There’s talk of Rajapakse even vying for the position of PM after April.

  8. Those rice eating cattle of deep south who voted Muthuhettigama, Anarkali, Geetha K as their representatives and law makers have done the same this time around in voting for the Medamulana rogue for his Sinhala Buddhist dramas.

    There will be no democracy for Sri Lankans if they are Eelamists of Arya Singhalese if this rogue is left in politics after the genocides, white vans, looting the national coffers, making the judiciary a joke etc and his cronies like Wimale, Ratharan, Johnie, Mahindananda etc.

  9. @Nuff (http://indi.ca/2015/01/thank-you-mahinda/comment-page-1/#comment-401930),

    I like how you assume a lot about me and call me the brat.
    We can argue for eons and I will still believe he’s one form of terrorist. I’ve been on the receiving end of some of his antics, thank you very much.

    @indi, “Thank you Mahinda” is an appropriate title if you’re referring to Deshapriya.
    Hollywood has Chuck Norris, Tollywood has Rajani Kanth, we have Mahinda Deshapriya.

  10. shane (http://indi.ca/2015/01/thank-you-mahinda/comment-page-1/#comment-402039),

    “Without his Great Leadership we wont be able to talk freely right now.”

    I really don’t think any of us were able to talk freely :) You can ask Faraz Shaukatally or Frederica Jansz that. I’d also say you could ask Lasantha Wickrematunge, Prageeth Ekneligoda and numerous others but, unfortunately, they have all either been murdered or are missing.

  11. I don’t agree with most of this article. In fact, I think it’s both naive and uninformed. However, I take my hat off to you for your updated version. It’s easy to be right, but it takes a great man to be wrong. Especially in public. Bravo!

  13. This is further to what I have written sometime back.

    For all who have written that MR is so good and he has gracefully left after realizing his defeat: keep your eyes peeled and prick your ears, now it has become an open secret how MR has left and the plans he had to retain his position at the cost of another genocide, for which he and his clan made a name. More to come in the due course – stay tuned to the electronic media of Sri Lanka. Now they are liberated from the grips of the Hitler of Asia and the truth can now be heard. You all will be amazed at the crimes MR, his family and clan have done in the recent past in Sri Lanka. Don’t be biased but be sensible, MR didn’t win the war single-handedly. It was a collective effort of many valiant people who fought, directed and died for safeguarding Sri Lanka. MR only saw the progress from an air-conditioned room. Do you all think this to be a great feat as claimed by him? Farcical! If he had not been defeated at this stage, a battle greater than that fought to dispel the LTTE would become necessary in the future to oust him. Thank God for saving the nation from dictator the most heinous!

  14. mcfs – hats off to your fitting comment on Rasika Beneragama who actually deserves what you have suggested!
    With all what has now been revealed of the ‘saint’, ‘savior’, ‘the proud father’, still there are so many like Rasika who have been brainwashed by this monster so a to fall at his feet and give themselves to him to do whatever he wishes.

  16. Pingback: අහෝ… එට්ටු මෛත්‍රී — ස්වාධීන කොමිෂන් සභාවලට පෙණේ පුම්බයි! – Vikalpa

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