I’m voting for Maithri this Thursday. For me it’s pretty simple. I’d like to be ruled by a government, not a family. I’m not related to Rajapaksas so I’d rather take my chance with laws.
Why Maithripala
This is what Maithiripala is promising:
Mahinda Rajapaksa was a ‘pleasant man’ then. I too joined him in the Pada Yatras . This is why I am trying to take away the powers of that seat, so I too can remain a ‘pleasant man’. Any man who attains such limitless power becomes ‘unpleasant’. We will do this in the first 100 days.
I have also put forth a suggestion which the organizations supporting us did not ask for, and that is to reduce the term of the President to four years from six. We will remove the unlimited power of the Executive and share it with the Cabinet, Parliament, Judiciary, the public service and police. (Ceylon Today)
Law and order is the infrastructure that Maithripala promises.
Right now we have to appeal to one family, to the Rajapaksas. If you want to do business, if you want justice, sometimes even if you want to get a kid into school. This isn’t scalable, but it also means that people close to this family have more access to justice and prosperity than the rest of us do. Indeed, they have access to injustice and corruption. That is the nature of a system based on men. The relationship is more important than logic, rules or morality. It’s family rule and family comes first.
A Maithripala government, if it emerges, will initially be another bunch of men (and women). Some of them are douchebags, some of them are dumb, a few are smart. Only a few of them deeply care about good governance, but they all need institutions to share power between themselves. Because they are such an achcharu coalition they have to institute commissions and laws because they can’t trust each other to share power. Checks and balances are a wonderful thing.
Why I’ll vote for Maithripala is because he is the common candidate. He depends on so many different power sources that he has to rule by law in order to exist. He’s not running a family business.
Who Cares
If Maithri wins it’s going to look like a bunch of political jockeying for 100 days. If he pushes half of his reforms through, however, you’ll be rid of the Executive Presidency that holds all the power and be left with something balanced between a weaker Presidency and a stronger Parliament. And guess what, they’re not all related to each other.
When you do business outside of the family is when you start needing contracts, agreements, procedures, etc. Because you can’t trust each other. At that point you can start fixing the judiciary not because it’s the nice thing to do but because these competing power bases actually need laws to deal with each other. Couple this with the Right To Information they’ve pledged to push through and we have a recipe for a functional democracy.
Really, So What?
So what does it mean for the average citizen? Well, you have to ask yourself, am I related to Mahinda Rajapaksa? If you’re not, you can count yourself out of a prominent role in government. Then you have to ask yourself, am I friends with a Rajapaksa? If you’re not, you can count yourself out of a secure role in big business. Then you have to ask yourself, am I like the Rajapaksas? Because if you’re a minority or different, your physical safety isn’t assured. That’s what family governance means. Things work the closer you are to the family and they get ugly further and further out.
Governance by law, on the other hand, means that you can be the son of a farmer and aspire to be Speaker Of Parliament or to control an actually powerful Ministry in your lifetime. It means that you can build a business and not have to pay people off or suck up to them to keep from having your land and assets seized. It means that mobs can’t attack random Muslims or Tamils or Christians because their representatives would have actual power both over the police (through the Constitutional Commission) and within the government as a whole.
Right now there is a class of people that can murder, rape, steal and extort anybody and get away with it because they’re connected. Because loyalty trumps logic. Right now there are a few thousand people that make millions of Rupees colluding with foreign powers while passing the bill to you and me. That is the price of family governance. However much development you see, never forget that the family comes first.
Me, I’m not a Rajapaksa and I want something different. I don’t think Maithripala can create law and order in 100 days, but I think that he is experienced enough, decent enough and checked-and-balanced enough that he has to deliver good governance in order for his government to exist. And he’s only asking for four years. It’s not rule by a family and he needs laws and institutions to stitch his achcharu coalition together, like chili and salt.
If I was a betting man I’d bet on Mahinda Rajapaksa cause he A) truly has done a lot for the country B) is well (and dubiously) funded and C) cheats without awareness that he’s doing anything wrong. But I’m not a betting man. I’m just a voter and I’m voting for a Maithri government. I think there’s more room for me there.
I hope we have a peaceful election. Peace out.
You always back the loosing side – like Ranil.
I’m not trying to back the winning side, I’m trying to vote for the person I like the most.
I will vote for Maithri without any hesitation. Way better than the Rajapakse’s plundered our country for personal gain.
Very well! This is one of the most logical rationale I’ve seen so far. I hope most of Sri Lankans are on this mindset when it comes to voting for a proper democracy.
Cheers
Interestingly written and makes sense. Of course some of us don’t need much convincing. Some of us, can see a lot for ourselves. Nevertheless, It’s good to put down what one sees :)
Great Write up. Inspires us all. And most of all , TO THE POINT! will share
Good one
http://indi.ca/2011/09/milinda-moragoda-for-mayor/
Hi India, a very nice post which quite effectively captures what’s wrong with the present system without getting completely tied up in statistics and thus discouraging especially younger people from reading it. I also appreciate your voter guide in YAMU. Small efforts like that can go a long way. Keep up the good work and best of luck mate!
Will Maithri ever get the 2/3 to change the constitution? Or is there a “jilmart” way to circumvent the 2/3 rule? I don’t think the former is going to happen anytime soon.
Well said!
i really like this article, it perfectly explains to people why the current government of sri lanka needs to change. As some one who lives in canada has the freedom of anything and most sri lankans here don’t understand why MY3 is a good change for the country, something my dad explained to me is that farmers always topple and mix the dirt on the ground before planting for the coming harvest because then the soil will be refreshed and nutrients that sink below will be at the top again for the plant to grow. just like that it is time for the sri lanka to get refreshed again. Credit is due to the mahinda for ending the war and building infrastructure but now its time for change because lets be honest people cant eat tarmac or and airports.
Nice one, sadly no mater who you and I vote for, the system is so currput that the outcome of the polls does not depend on who got more votes, but rather who has more power to rig the vote and appear victorious
Clear simple valid pointers.
Well said Indi… here’s to Change!
The only way MR is going to win Soylent, is if you and I and everyone else votes for him. If we reverse the tide, then obviously MY3 will win. We should all be optimistic and vote for whom we feel deserves to win.
HA HA HA
http://indi.ca/2011/09/milinda-moragoda-for-mayor/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milinda_Moragoda
good argument if this was a parliamentary election.
unfortunately it isn’t.
there’s nothing stopping maithripala doing whatever he wants if he becomes president.
and… he has eleven brothers. (true, we haven’t heard much about them. but who knew about gota and basil before 2005?)
so… good luck with that!
Hi Indi, If you’ve read Sirisena’s manifesto you’d see he very clearly states within brackets that he would not change anything in the presidency that needs a referendum. To either change powers vested in the Executive Presidency or to abolish it, according to the SL Constitution its compulsory to hold a referendum. So, don’t you think that, this self promotional promise of abolishing the ExPresidency is a typical political promise???
I think Maithripala would win, though there’s no evidence back this up other than anecdotal evidence and a lot of idle theorizing.
What people need to realize is that even if Sirisena wins it won’t be through a proper mandate because JVP and TNA is gifting him with 10% of votes that would make Sirisena a president with a 40-42% approval.
Once the loose alliance comes ripping off we will have the weakest government we ever see in our entire history. Sirisena can very well beat his master’s record to be the least favorite president we ever had.
The Mahinda I knew was a nice man in in year 2002. In year 2005 one day before the election I met him at temple trees and he was the same nice man.Again I met him at temple trees week before the election and I noticed he has not changed. Last time I met him on some where around January 2014 at president house in Anuradapura but noticed no changed. But now I can see his change through his advertisements .It gives us a clear picture of his mind and he is determine to keep the power by even destroying his owne personality . One time he was regarded as one of the best market ire but now no longer .Unfortunately he has dig his owne grave.
Very nice piece of writing. Arguments well articulated. Hope we have a free and fair election:)
I think the fact that you highlight that these guys are muppets but not a family is significant to the topic of leadership and a clear way fwd for Sri Lanka.
The eventuality will be that they will in-fight amongst each other and not do a darn thing for Sri Lanka.
This zero sum game will only be equal to cheating by many rather than the one family so its not so blatant to us any more.
Of course there is infighting (which was absent with the family) so its fun to watch them get caught out and try to get away…they do/will.
The country also loses out with these guys its just another pig with lipstick.
Samarajiva kid is suffering from usual disease. It’s seasonal. Want proof? Here’s what our ass-TROLLoger said about Fonseka – http://www.thesundayleader.lk/2010/01/10/why-i’m-voting-for-sarath-fonseka/
The side he supports never won.
I’m not an astrologer and I’m not trying to pick who wins. I just support the candidate that I’d like to vote for. Vote for whom you like. We’re not guessing jelly beans in a jar here.
Well said! For those who are not relatives or beneficiaries of the royal family, it truly is time for a change!
Hi Indi,
Intersting read.
Any thoughts on the following post -http://dbsjeyaraj.com/dbsj/archives/35369 as it does highlight some of the issues you raised in your post http://indi.ca/2014/12/maithripala-and-ranil/
Eitherway seems like we are stuck between a rock & a hard place…
we need MS to win to give a point for the masses that the Ass-Trologers are just a insane bunch of opportunists and need to followup the lives of individuals like Sumandasa chap and the other guy Bandara.
This is not about a Presidential election, this will show how this country will head into the next 25 years and a vote for MR will take us another inch closer to communist China and away from the Western democracies and MR will take away even the few liberties that we have now like poor Indi is allowed to sit in front of a computer that is connected to the WWW except for few local independent/regime haters websites.
Imagine poor Indi in front of his computer and access for FB/Twitter/GMAIL/Google/CNN blocked by a govt controlled BIG-FireWALL as happened in PR of China and the masses have to live like slaves monitored my a Junta. (isnt this how the masses in Jaffna have to live after the war)
It will be really really difficult to send this message across the masses with SLRC and ITN was used overboard unethically by the regime to spread vulgar and hate against the CC.
We can see on 9th Jan – are we going ahead with the rest of the world or going back to the stone-age agina.
I vote for one who is not a genius in war. because once such person always try to upheld the value of WAR not PEACE
I tried to distill the charcteristics of the candidates here:
http://jestforkicks.blogspot.com/2015/01/presidental-election-2015-assessing.html
The men who conceived of this plan have done so with the wisdom of Solomon.
Solomon’s wisdom was not given by man.
The Plan must succeed. The waves of change is imminent.
Be a part of it. There is no real progress for our people without change.
Nice post Indi. Ignore the trolls!
GO VOTE PEOPLE!
This is a good one for voter education – a bit long…but highlights a clear diff of a leadership election VS senate majority…we are going for a leadership election where the well liked personally preferred opposition candidate says he will give up everything in 100 days…this is not a leader he is a scapegoat/patsy.
This is a GREAT article, I don’t see anything written here that is half truth like what the govt shows us. It is very rational as you have have clearly acknowledged your choice up front :)
Please make a sinhala version and get through to as many.
We may need a regime-change and cut down corrupt dealings. Curtail excessive powers wested to the position of Executive Presidency, restore judicial independence plus law & order, agreed.
Is the method/path we follow the correct one and timing is appropriate for such change?
Just watched Dr Dayan Jay’s interview, though he sounds a bit biased, there are several valid points to be considered, analysed & evaluated!
As with most of the sirisena voters just another wishful thinking article without an iota of sense of ground realities. ..assumes that chaos is a better out come than stability. .when the country economically stagnates while the govt is dictated by minority tribal politics. ..leading to more social problems….we will see this better outcome. .lol
Some important issues raised in this article as well
https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/tomorrow-perhaps-the-future/
LOL!
What a load of bull! All indices have shown that on average there has been marked improvement on all measurable factors.
It was in the past that we unfathomable problems!
1) Terrorism
2) JVP/Gangster civic right violations – JVP 88-89 and black cats!;various gansters like kalu ajith, dhammika, chintaka, baddagane sanjeewa, this that and the other by name in every major township you can think of, some fighting eachother, killing unarmed citizens in gang related incidents, all lackeys of the then governments
3) lack of any major goal oriented development, pandering to the “gallery ” with “chanda gundu” resulting in a stagnant economy
all these have disappeared in to a distant memory, sometimes too distant that the citizens have forgotten to be grateful!
On this fateful day we need to think about what Milton Friedman said about democracy. Whatever the outcome.
Indi, if u honestly think that Mithree is better than MR u are only fooling ur self. I’m not saying that MR is a role model..but Maithree’s campaign is a rat race…at least MR had the backbone to say no to TNA and Hakiim…do u really think Maithree will get to work on his terms…?
Maithree all the way! Hoping for the best :)