‘I told you so’

Given the total failure of the Yahalpana government and Ranil Wickremesinghe’s appalling inability to bring wrong doers of his Bond (and earlier scams) to book, the disenchanted population can hardly be blamed for turning to a perceived strongman in Gotabhaya Rajapaksa.

What could NOT be seen at the time was that the OTHER Rajapaksas had not learned any lessons from their earlier defeat and surged back into power greedier and more rapacious than ever before.

The blame game is played endlessly but what surprises many of us is that Ranil Wickremesinghe still has the audacity to talk, talk, talk, after having suffered one of the most crushing rejections of any politician in Sri Lanka. Does he not know that he is as much to blame for the present impasse as the Rajapaksas themselves? Does he not know that most voters despise his self-serving behaviour of failing to take action against corruption after having promised to do so? Having messed up his own tenure of office he now pontificates without any sense of shame and imagines he has the admiration of the voters.

But to get to the present goings on. I voted for GR myself. His first two months in office justified my vote. But then I think family pressure on him was too strong. My view may be howled down by my friends who voted for Sajith Premadasa. (No person who understands politics voted for RW!)

I voted for whom I perceived to be a strong President and I saw Sajith Premadasa as a future President in waiting AFTER GR had stabilsed the country. Of course, I was foolishly optimistic —-as were thousands of cleverer and more knowledgeable voters.

The phrase, “I TOLD YOU SO” has been flung at me so often I am sick and tired of hearing it. Who could imagine that a country which is 90% literate would end up having one of the most uneducated Parliaments in the world?

The peaceful uprising of the population as well as the sense of unity that now pervades Sri Lanka is perhaps the greatest good that has come out of our greatest electoral mistake.

Criticism of the role of the Sangha in politics is also being widely talked about.

Our next leader MUST ensure this unity continues among ALL of us Sri Lankans. The vexatious question now being asked is WHO is going to be the next leader. Since everyone is still at loggerheads we cannot just expect things to magically fall into place after the resignations of the Rajapakses. So, WHAT is going to happen? WHO is going to rule from President’s House and Temple Trees?

The JVP’s disclosures of corruption were shocking indeed. What can be done about them? Is there any authority that can bring the thieves of our country’s resources to book?

RW could have done so during his last term of office and it was criminal of him not to have done so.

I imagine I will be forced to face a few more months of the “I Told You So” attacks of my near and dear. Is this really Sri Lanka?

‘GAG’