{"id":36552,"date":"2014-12-24T04:07:38","date_gmt":"2014-12-24T09:07:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=36552"},"modified":"2014-12-24T04:07:38","modified_gmt":"2014-12-24T09:07:38","slug":"betrayal-after-dinner-makes-sri-lanka-election-race-between-rajapaksa-and-sirisena-personal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=36552","title":{"rendered":"Betrayal After Dinner Makes Sri Lanka Election Race Between Rajapaksa and Sirisena Personal"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Bloomberg News <\/strong><\/p>\n

Crispy rice pancakes and spicy salad, both traditional Sri Lankan dishes, were on the menu the night of Nov. 19 when President Mahinda Rajapaksa dined with long-time ally and cabinet member Maithripala Sirisena.<\/p>\n

Two days later, Sirisena vowed to end Rajapaksa\u2019s decade-long rule in a Jan. 8 presidential election. <\/p>\n

The betrayal shook up the island nation, which has undergone a growth spurt since Rajapaksa oversaw the end of a 26-year civil war in 2009.<\/p>\n

\u201cCan you trust a person of that nature and hand over the responsibilities of president?\u201d Rajapaksa, 69, asked at a Dec. 14 campaign rally in the tea-growing central highlands, referring to Sirisena\u2019s defection.<\/p>\n

Sirisena, 63, has been unapologetic. \u201cOne family is creating a soft dictatorship,\u201d he told reporters in Colombo last month, referring to the Rajapaksas. \u201cThere\u2019s corruption, injustice and rule of law has broken down. We\u2019ve taken a decision to change the situation.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The clash among former associates has turned a probable walkover into a competitive race, threatening the stability that has prompted the island\u2019s $67 billion economy to expand about 7 percent per year on average since the war\u2019s end. A Sirisena victory also risks disrupting Sri Lanka\u2019s growing ties with China, its largest investor and second-biggest trade partner.
\nPhotographer: Buddhika Weerasinghe\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Sri Lanka’s opposition Presidential Candidate Maithripala Sirisena speaks to voters… Read More<\/p>\n

\u201cA Sirisena administration would immediately run into big problems between its disparate alliance partners,\u201d Sasha Riser-Kositsky, an analyst at Eurasia Group in Washington, said by e-mail. \u201cI expect significant political instability should the \u2018anybody but Rajapaksa\u2019 coalition succeed in ousting him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rising Stocks<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sirisena heads an alliance that includes four parties that currently control about a third of the 225-member parliament, a number that keeps changing due to defections. The biggest among them, the United National Party, is led by two-time prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, who encouraged privatizations and improved ties with the U.S. during his rule.<\/p>\n

No reliable polls have been published so far in the campaign. Rajapaksa, who\u2019s running for an unprecedented third term, won the last presidential election in 2010 by 18 percentage points. He called the vote two years ahead of schedule after seeing support wane in recent by-elections.<\/p>\n

Rajapaksa\u2019s woes have come even as inflation is the slowest in five years and the benchmark Colombo All-Share Index (CSEALL) has risen 24 percent this year, putting it among the world\u2019s best performers. To boost his popularity, he has cut fuel and electricity prices while increasing state employees\u2019 wages, raising pensions and paying farmers more for their crops.<\/p>\n

Singing Politician<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sirisena has also promised to boost salaries for state employees and allowances for pensioners, as well as to cut taxes on key food items. He hasn\u2019t indicated how he\u2019d fund these other than by \u201cstopping mega-corruption and wastage.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mostly, though, Sirisena is banking on frustration with Rajapaksa to propel him to victory.<\/p>\n

\u201cAn incumbent win still appears to be the most likely outcome, in which case, policy is likely to continue pretty much as before,\u201d economists at Capital Economics Ltd., including Gareth Leather in London, wrote in a research report today. An opposition victory would be \u201cloaded with uncertainty,\u201d they wrote.<\/p>\n

Sirisena grew up in a rice-growing family and studied political science in what was then the Soviet Union. He spends his spare time composing and singing viridu, a traditional Sri Lankan music genre in which lyrics are spoken more than sung.<\/p>\n

As a teenager, Sirisena joined the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, which is now headed by Rajapaksa. He\u2019d been a member of parliament since 1989, and over the last decade under Rajapaksa has served as minister of both agriculture and health.<\/p>\n

Rajapaksa Dominance<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sirisena quit his cabinet post when he announced his candidacy on Nov. 21 in a press briefing with leading opposition parties. Rajapaksa revoked his party membership the same day and fired him as general secretary.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere had been talk that Sirisena had ambitions to be prime minister, and perhaps he realized he couldn\u2019t get it from this regime,\u201d Sanjeewa Fernando, a strategist at CT CLSA Securities in Colombo, said by phone.<\/p>\n

In his manifesto, Sirisena promises to abolish the country\u2019s \u201cautocratic\u201d executive presidency and end \u201cunprecedented\u201d corruption. He plans to review the nation\u2019s ties with China and infrastructure projects it\u2019s funded, saying they \u201cendanger\u201d Sri Lanka\u2019s economic security.<\/p>\n

Sirisena and other presidential opponents have accused Rajapaksa of nepotism and pressuring the judiciary. The president denies any wrongdoing.<\/p>\n

\u2018Abuse of Power\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

Rajapaksa holds Sri Lanka\u2019s defense and finance portfolios as well as ports, highways and aviation. His brother Basil Rajapaksa is minister of economic development. Another sibling, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, is the defense secretary, and the president\u2019s son Namal is a member of parliament.<\/p>\n

Rajapaksa in 2010 oversaw constitutional changes that gave him increased powers in appointing senior judges and police. They also scrapped term limits, allowing him to run again.<\/p>\n

\u201cPreviously the abuse of power was tolerated, but now it\u2019s a theme of public conversation,\u201d Jayadeva Uyangoda, a political science professor at the University of Colombo, said by phone. \u201cRajapaksa hasn\u2019t come up with anything new in this campaign. That\u2019s a problem when you\u2019ve been in power so long. At this moment, the balance is in favor of Sirisena.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the 2010 election, Rajapaksa won about 60 percent of votes for the biggest majority in 16 years. It came shortly after the end of the civil war, which killed as many as 40,000 people. His political alliance went on to win 64 percent of parliamentary seats in a separate election a few months later.
\nKim Jong-Il Admirers<\/p>\n

Sirisena faces a challenge keeping the opposition bloc united. It includes two parties that were formerly with Rajapaksa who have since switched sides. Others that may join are still on the fence, including a Communist group that saluted North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il after his death in 2011.<\/p>\n

While some voters like J. Lalitha, a 55-year-old housewife in Colombo, said Sirisena is just being used by opposition parties, others applauded his move to turn on Rajapaksa.<\/p>\n

\u201cMore than changing sides, it was a turning point,\u201d said G.M. Ajith, 56, a poet in Colombo. \u201cPeople who do revolutionary things take drastic decisions.\u201d <\/p>\n

Courtesy:Bloomberg.com<\/em><\/p>\n

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By Bloomberg News Crispy rice pancakes and spicy salad, both traditional Sri Lankan dishes, were on the menu the night of Nov. 19 when President Mahinda Rajapaksa dined with long-time ally and cabinet member Maithripala Sirisena. Two days later, Sirisena vowed to end Rajapaksa\u2019s decade-long rule in a Jan. 8 presidential election. The betrayal shook …<\/p>\n

Continue reading ‘Betrayal After Dinner Makes Sri Lanka Election Race Between Rajapaksa and Sirisena Personal’ »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[12],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36552"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=36552"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36552\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36553,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36552\/revisions\/36553"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=36552"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=36552"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=36552"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}