Rajiva Wijesinha

“ Ironically, the American partner for the IDU is the Republican Party, and one would like to think Barack Obama would be horrified at the United States being presented as advocates for regime change on authoritarian lines. But the sad truth is that President Obama has probably no idea as to what is going on in Sri Lanka, and that machines once set in motion tend to take on a life of their own. ”

“ He knows when to cut his losses, and move into another incarnation, the good sport who accepts the democratic will of the people and begins gearing himself up for the next challenge. People will accordingly forget the responsibility he bears for the Fonseka phenomenon, and instead reflect on how much better suited he is to be Leader of the Opposition. ”

“ I would suggest then that, right until the results were declared, Ranil Wickremesinghe thought it possible that the General might win and also that, if he lost narrowly, it would be possible to march in procession the office of the Election Commissioner, claiming that the election had been fraudulent. Whether Ranil would have permitted the General to play the Cory Aquino part, or demanded it for himself, will always however remain a matter for speculation, since the people of Sri Lanka made it so emphatically clear that they wanted continuity and stability. ”