Political Interpretation Of PC Elections

By Shyamon Jayasinghe -September 30, 2013 |

Shyamon Jayasinghe

Election Results.’ Analysts’-if they can seriously be called so -argue from a particular vantage point of their personal bias.

Sri Lanka’s famed ‘political analyst,’ Dr Dayan Jayatilleka, has given the following  assessment:

“The biggest losers are the UNP and its leader, Ranil Wickremesinghe, as well as the JVP. In both cases, the issue is the leadership. Neither party has a personality as a national leader, who is capable of retaining, let alone attracting, votes.

The matter is more serious with the UNP because it is the main democratic alternative. The UNP used to be the largest single party in the country. Even when it lost power in 1994 after 17 years in power, and its candidate was the newly widowed Mrs Srima Dissanayake, who faced a formidable opponent in Mrs Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, the UNP succeeded in scoring 43% of the voter base. Today, after 19 years of UPFA rule, the UNP can score only in the mid 20% range. What used to be the base vote of the UNP, namely 40%, is now the size of the gap between the UNP and the government!

There are around one and a half times as many ex-UNPers in the government as those remaining with the UNP in the opposition.

If the UNP were to face a Presidential Election with its present leadership, it will score even less than the 26% average it scored in the two provinces in this election.”

Dayan ends up proposing Karu and Sajith to replace RW.                Read More

Lack of representation at UNHRC, Ministry officials accompany MR

Monday, 30 September 2013

Senior members of the Mahinda Rajapaksa government are currently discussing the failure of the External Affairs Ministry to make proper representations at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) sessions in Geneva.

Government ministers say that Sri Lanka did not have a strong delegation at the UNHRC to counter the various allegations levelled against the country.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay also submitted an oral representation to the Council on Sri Lanka.
Interestingly, the entire External Affairs Ministry high command the Minister to the officials handling UN affairs was in New York last week with President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

As a result, no senior official had been assigned to Geneva where the UNHRC was in session.

According to senior Ministry officials, UN affairs in Geneva must be managed from New York and calling for strong representation at the New York mission.

They have said that New York is key to safeguarding Sri Lanka’s interests.