Jan.28 : Mahinda Rajapakse has won a second term as the Executive President of Sri Lanka, and he has done so handsomely. His rival, Sarath Fonseka, did poorly on donning civilian attire after scoring a stupendous battle victory as military chief when he snuffed out the Eelam war of the Tamil Tigers last year.

Tuesday’s poll, which first promised a close fight between the ex-general and the President, turned out to be an easy win for the latter. Both were close allies till last September when Mr Rajapakse chose to seek re-election two years ahead of the completion of his six-year term. He was hoping to cash in on the support of the majority Sinhalese for ending a war that had bloodied the island nation for 26 years. He was in for a jolt when Gen. Fonseka rebelled. The Opposition parties, fractured and demoralised after a series of poll debacles over the last five years, grabbed the general to challenge Mr Rajapakse in the battle for the presidency. It would have been a cakewalk for Mr Rajapakse if a “traditional” rival, Mr Ranil Wickremesinghe of the United National Party, had contested the election against him, but Gen. Fonseka’s entry split the war votes. Neither could claim total credit for eliminating the Tigers and so there was Mr Rajapakse talking about prosperity and development while Gen. Fonseka attacked the enemy on the planks of corruption and nepotism. It was widely expected that with the majority Sinhala vote equally divided between the two “war heroes”, the minorities — Tamils and Muslims — would play kingmakers. As the results now show, Gen. Fonseka has won the entire north and east, dominated by Tamils and Muslims, apart from Nuwara-Eliya district in the central province which is populated by Tamil workers on tea estates. But this did not add much to his aggregate since the voter turnout was poor in these regions.
The poll result has thrown up some interesting aspects. Sinhala nationalist sentiment has given Mr Rajapakse victory, proving wrong the pundits who had said he would have to share the war votes equally with the former general. And Gen. Fonseka’s promise to bring change has not cut ice with the rural Sinhalese who seemed fairly content with the government’s sops and fertiliser subsidies; besides, they did not seem to think it right to celebrate the fall of the Tigers while rejecting the architect of that victory. The Sinhala masses saw Gen. Fonseka more as a soldier who carried out an assignment spelt out by his Commander-in-Chief, the President.
It is to the credit of Mr Rajapakse that he has not only won a second term but that he has done so decisively, dispelling fears that the margin would be so thin that it would spark violence. But now comes a greater challenge. President Rajapakse will be expected by his people to emerge as a large-hearted statesman keen on taking along all sections, including the Tamils and Muslims who voted against him on Tuesday. In fact, he should pay greater attention to helping the minorities and developing their regions to assuage their apprehensions regarding long-time discrimination and thereby encourage them to embrace his theme of Sri Lankan unity and sovereignty. By doing this, he will not only win greater support within his country but also appreciation abroad. External affairs minister S.M. Krishna has already pledged India’s wholesome support to President Rajapakse.
As for Gen. Fonseka and his team, they should graciously accept the people’s verdict and respond to the President’s invitation to join him in working for the development of Sri Lanka as a peaceful country with a prospering economy. Indulging in disruptive politics, like spreading false and volatile rumours, will get them nowhere, particularly with the Parliament elections just a few months away.