Mr President, Hang Him Or He Will Hang You

By Granville Perera -February 10, 2015

President Rajapaksa’s attempt to re-enter high office through parliament spells doom for the fragile coalition that has evolved after the Presidential elections of 2015. Prime Minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe probably doesn’t command the majority in parliament as is evident from the 114 signatories to the John Amaratungano confidence motion presented by the UPFA. This probably is the beginning of the end of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinge’s short-lived premiership and dissolution of parliament is inevitable. A section of the SLFP and leftist parties of the UPFA would propel Mahinda Rajapaksa to make his bid for the next premiership.

Remember, President Rajapaksa is a street fighter who would not rest until he has finished you off, for being the traitor that he considers you to be, for eating his hoppers and betraying. You may both be rural boys, but the game he would play is no Elle. He knows to play only with fire when you would, at the most consider throwing a pebble.

President Rajapaksa cannot live without the pomp and pageantry of high office that he got used to during the last 10 years. He had 3000 crack commandos guarding him not because he genuinely felt the threat to his life, but like every dictator, this was his form of intimidating everyone around him. From a lovable character to a monster, is what he turned out to be during his two-term presidency, and it is not just for himself that he amassed such brutal power and wealth, but also for his entire family. The greedy Basil Rajapaksa amassed all the wealth for the family, the violent Gotabaya Rajapaksabecame the most feared killer, the playboy Namal Rajapaksa had all the young chicks under his Nil Balakaya to fill his modern day harem and the trigger hungryYoshitha Rajapaksa adorned the naval ribbons, medals, badges and pins which no other mortal could have worn in his rank and the little Chicchi brat who drove around in illegally imported best brand motor vehicles in races where no one else should win. 10 years of such pleasure cannot be given up, not because of a usurper from Polonnaruwa as he considers you to be. What he failed in his attempted coup would be achieved in the next election, unless you ensure that Sri Lanka will not have the repeat of his curse.

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