Mahinda’s Blitzkreig And Ranil’s Snailkreig

October 24, 2014 | Filed under: Colombo Telegraph,Opinion | Posted by: COLOMBO_TELEGRAPH

By P.Bertie Ranaweerage -

Bertie Ranaweerage

All good hearted people were longing to see an emergence of a powerfulcommon candidate acceptable to all the ethnic groups who can defeat the incumbent President at the next Presidential election. It is tragic that all their hopes are fading away because of Mr. Ranil Wicramasinghe’s desire to sit in President’s chair. The UNP has unofficially confirmed that Ranil would contest the next Presidential election.

The UNP was boasting many a time that it was ready to face any election at any time. But as we are aware it miserably failed at every election held during the last few years. The only occasion they were able to win was the Badulla district largely thanks to the sky rocketing cost of living. My conclusion is the unbearable price of rice made people to vote for the UNP. It is true that Harin Fernando’s charisma made a difference but the price of rice was the decisive factor.

Though Mr. Harin Fernando was able to translate voters’ anger into UNP votes due to his hard work and charismatic leadersahip now the million dollar question is will Ranil be able to do at the Presidential election what Harin managed to do in Badulla.

If we carefully look at what Mahinda did and Ranil did or what the SLFP did and theUNP did during the last week or so it is not difficult to guess who is going to win in the propaganda campaign in the coming weeks if not in the coming couple of months.

Mahinda began his campaign in earnest by going to Jaffna and giving land deeds and gold to the Tamils. As he did during the last Presidential elections he has begun to summon state employees to the Temple Trees. He talked to the employees of the Health sector in the morning and in the afternoon he held a meeting for the employees of the Agriculture sector last week. As he knows the path to the mind lies through the stomach he never hesitates to treat those who are invited to the temple Trees with food together with propaganda material. Now don’t ask me whether he spends his own money or your tax money to fill the invitees’ stomachs in order to pocket their votes.

While government owned electronic media and print media are carrying on an incessant anti Ranil vicious campaign Mahinda supporters have launched an island wide mud slinging poster campaign against Ranil probably throughout the country. In the meantime we can see full page advertisements heaping praise on Mahinda in the newspapers daily.

Twenty four stages of which some are as wide as fifty metres and stands for large TV screens were being constructed at a facility of Sri Lanka Ports Authority by its employees when some UNP MPs made an unannounced visit to that facility according to one of the MPs who joined the’ raid’.

Yesterday the JVP said that all the printing shops in Colombo have been given orders to print election related material of Mahinda and as a result they have refused to accept orders from others.

In the meantime what has the UNP or Ranil been doing? At a small gathering this week, somewhere in Colombo Ranil announced some election promises that he would do when he came to power. After that we heard that all of a sudden he flew to Singapore. There was another news from the UNP that its Committee of Twenty gathered for the third time. And of course there were a few press conferences summoned by the UNP too.

Is this the way the UNP is going to fight mighty Mahinda?

If we go back to the pre-election period in 1994 we can recall that dozens of anti-government tabloids and news letters were published weekly and they were very popular among the people. They played a major role to tilt the balance in Chandrika’s favour.

Another instance the UNP used posters in its favour was the pre-presidential period in 1988. Notwithstanding the threat of the JVP, Mr. R. Premadasa sent people from Colombo to every nook and corner of the country to paste his poster ‘ME KAUDA ? MOKADA KARANNE’ ( Who is this ? What is he doing? ) Premadas probably hoped to go on a second round of poster campaign with his name, intention and picture but he had to limit it to newspaper advertisements due to possible threats from armed JVPers to Premadasa’s men.

During the 1977 pre-election period tens of thousands of posters with cartoons on Bandaranaike family bandyism were pasted across the country which made a huge impact in shifting the public opinion against the SLFP.

Today’s UNP is a far cry from the JR’s UNP and Premadasa’s UNP. One of the reasons is able UNPers are now in Mahinda’s cabinet.

Ranil’s UNP has failed to paste even a single poster on an island –wide scale so for announcing its candidate or condemning Rajapaksa family bandyism.

Has it been able to publish even a single anti-government tabloid so far? It seems it has failed even to publish their official organ ‘Siyarata’ as far as I know. Though it has a media unit, it has done little to spread its message to the public

While Mahinda has launched a propaganda blitzkrieg in preparation of the election Ranil’s propaganda campaign, if there is one, is nothing but a snailkreig.

If the UNP hopes to beat Mahinda it has to launch an earth shattering propaganda campaign to begin with. It is true that a powerful campaign alone cannot beat the opponent but a propaganda campaign that reverberates in every home in the country, a campaign that stuns the opponents goes a long way.

It is better for Ranil, for the UNP and for the country if Ranil abstains from contesting and support a candidate with a better personality who has a mass appeal as the common candidate at the forthcoming Presidential election for it is not easy to defeat Mahinda as he still enjoys the support of the majority of the Sinhalese. And don’t forget that Thondaman has promised his support to Mahinda which means a good number of upcountry Tamils will vote for the incumbent President. In case Ranil contests and loses it will be the end of Ranil’s political life.

23 Responses to Mahinda’s Blitzkreig And Ranil’s Snailkreig

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Kotte Nagaviharaya Sobitha Thero Should be the common Candidate. If not Sri Lanka will be ruined. Ranil cannot win. This time it is too serious to loose a illegal election illegal candidate and did enough damge to ruin democracy and other indepdendent insitutions.

rohan thilekarathna
October 24, 2014 at 1:42 am
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  Have you seen attempted TV interview after the budget? Even Mervin Silva made a comment for public according to his level. But what RW said… “give me space, let me go, “Ida Denna, Ida Denna”…. He wanted to leave as early as possible… He didn’t make any comment to those interviewers… Wasn’t RW been paid a good salary/allowances from public money to be the ‘Opposition Leader” for the last ~15 years?… RW doesn’t have couple words for people after a budget speech….
  
  AVB
  October 25, 2014 at 1:59 pm
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Absolute RUBBISH from this writer. Ranil can easily WIN 80% of the minority votes without electioneering in the Northern or eastern province minority areas. he would have to campaign in the Eastern province to try and win the Sinhala Buddhist votes in the recently colonized now Sinhala areas such as the Amparai District and the Kantalai/Trinco district. Rajapakse does not have to stoop so low, saying Ranil-Kotiya and pasting posters using the armed forces. First and foremost if the Rajapakses have won the genocidal war using chemical weapons, Cluster/Phosphorus bombs, illegal land mines and half years ago, why are they peeing in their pants of the thought of the LTTE or the Tigers. Why are they seeing or hallucinating that there are Tigers behind every bush and corner? Why all these lies and having a 200,000 armed forces in the NE if they have really won the war having the help of India, US, UK, EU, North Korea, Iran, Libya, Syria, Israel, Cuba and South Africa? if there were NO War Crimes why don’t they issue Visas to the UN, UNHRC and US investigators to visit Sri Lanka nearly 6 years after those crimes were committed? What are they so scared of and covering up? This writer must be a paid Rajapakse crony who has no idea of the Tamil, Muslim and Sinhala electorate. We do not tell the Tamils how to or whom to vote. Just let the Tamil voters go to the voting booth safely and securely without all the threats, fear mongering, intimidation and harassment. Sadly, even the RAW is working against the candidature of Ranil for whatever their reasons are….RAW will never be able to influence the Tamil voters….However much and how hard they try. Donald Gnanakone Tamils For Justice Founder.

Donald J Gnanakone
October 24, 2014 at 3:20 am
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P.Bertie Ranaweerage – RE: Mahinda’s Blitzkreig And Ranil’s Snailkreig Mahinda R whatever he stands for seem to be more street smart than Ranil W. One wonders what the I.Q. of Mahinda is compared to that of Ranil W? The Average i.W. of a Sri Lankan is 79. Singapore and Japan over 106. http://www.photius.com/rankings/national_iq_scores_country_ranks.html What Is the Average IQ? http://psychology.about.com/od/intelligence/f/average-iq.htm Intelligence tests are designed to measure what is known as crystallized and fluid intelligence. Crystallized intelligence involves your knowledge and skills you have acquired throughout your life while fluid intelligence involves your ability to reason, problem-solve, and make sense of abstract information. Rank country I.Q. 28 Guatemala 79 28 Sri Lanka 79 28 Zambia 79 29 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 78 29 Nepal 78 29 Qatar 78

Amarasiri
October 24, 2014 at 5:03 am
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  amara, Did they measure only the Tamils in Sri Lanka?
  
  eusense
  October 24, 2014 at 10:57 pm
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    Nuisance “Did they measure only the Tamils in Sri Lanka?” No, since they included you the average has tipped the bottom.
    
    Native Vedda
    October 25, 2014 at 2:46 am
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  Amarasiri, “Mahinda’s Blitzkreig And Ranil’s Snailkreig” Ranaweerages’ “Labbaskrieg” What is the IQ of Bertie? Any idea?
  
  Toneykrieg
  October 25, 2014 at 8:45 pm
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It is sad. What Bertie says is correct. I still think Ranil will be an excellent President and a good leader to get back Sri Lanka into a well governed democracy. Need go engage a good PR company to kick start their lack luster campaign

ellakollage Appachi
October 24, 2014 at 5:42 am
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The opposition certainly should be more aggressive and organized, and the UNP as the major opposition party does need to take leadership on this front. And it should expose the terrible crimes of the present regime against the people and the national interest. It however does not follow automatically that Ranil Wickremesinghe should be singled out as nothing but a liability. Nor does it follow that Ranil will loose in a contest with Rajapaksa. Patriotic citizens should recognize Ranil’s decency as a human being, his experience, his intellectual gifts, and the modernity of his mind. He also has an international standing that no other SL politician can claim. Rather than Ranil bashing we should recognize these facts and give them publicity.

Scott
October 24, 2014 at 7:54 am
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  Confrontational Politics is not Ranil’s cup of tea. He has said this from the beginning. It is the media’s responsibility to highlight Corruption and the shortcomings of Governance and it is up to the masses to decide and select who should govern without blaming all and sundry. If you do not have that capacity, stop blaming RW or the Opposition for that matter and why don’t you do your bit without blaming everyone else? I firmly believe as Donald Gnanakone says that Ranil will win the PE much to the surprise of his critics. The poster pasted island wide how Ranil has commenced his election campaign by getting the ban on the LTTE lifted will backfire on them. Any fool will understand of all people Ranil will not do such a foolish thing. This time round the truth will come out as to who had pacts with the LTTE, last time paying them only to kill VP but afford security and comfort to KP, Daya and George Master and their crowd of the LTTE who are now willing to break bread with MR. Very soon the real beneficiary of the LTTE Ban lift will be known as MR for KP to pull the funds out of the frozen LTTE Bank Accounts in lieu for KP’s security and safety. I do not want to speculate anything further till the date of election and the date for nominations are gazetted, lest I jeopardize the surprises in store for the public for the comfortable win of RW as the next President.
  
  gamini
  October 24, 2014 at 7:12 pm
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    gamini, How can one become a Politician without expressing his views and debate on public issues. This is every Politician’s job around the world. Ranil was asked of his views on the Budget by the Media, and he kept numb and avoiding them while keeping silent. What a joker he is. This is not what people expect from an opposition leader who is been paid over 70 million of Tax payer money annually to look after people. First of all why Ranil chose a carrier as a Politician if he cannot talk to people through media. Had Ranil undergone an oral surgery on the day of the Budget speech, not to talk to media. It’s hi time for Ranil to choose another carrier if he cannot talk to Media on Politics and his views.Does he need an interpreter to talk to media. He misses free opportunities he gets to expose to the world, but prefers to have “Black coffee” at President’s house. Ranil has to explain to his voters as to why he stays numb with media. To whom he is so scared……..and why. He should explain. No wonder the puppet arrogant moron joker is loosing all the elections he contest. He should learn from junior Harin Fernando. He let us down.
    
    Lasantha
    October 26, 2014 at 1:45 am
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The UNP is paying the penalty for getting a set of nincompoops as their leaders. I do not think that VP decimated the able top of the UNP.It appears to be a home and home affair viz Ratana’s speech. To me Ranil and Mahinda are two sides of the same coin.Ranil had Batalanda.His period 2001-2002 was as corrupt and disorganised. Ranil sabotaged the effort of Hamuduruwo.Ranil also sabotaged the possible change in the Constitution in 2000. The idiot screwed Fonseka,He played out all the able juniors in the UNP. He brought all the corrupt, who are now with the Govt- Mervy Jhonston, What future does this country have with this lot? Ranil Tissa, Daya and the rest does not know whether tail is in front or rear.

Adrian Perera
October 24, 2014 at 4:43 pm
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  Adrian, You are absolutely right. People have either forgotten or do not know about Ranil’s involvement in Batalanda. As you pointed out, the corruption during his term as Prime Minister was no different(and his band of thieves and mouth pieces including Kiriella). Not to forget, Ranil almost gave away 1/3 of the country to the Tigers. All people see is the corruption and the nepotism of the current regime. No one seems to remember the times of Sirima, JR, Premadasa, Chandrika and Ranil. If anyone votes for Ranil, its because they are tired of Rajapaksa and not because Ranil is better. As I always say, every politician has a conscious when they are in the opposition.
  
  Rajiv
  October 25, 2014 at 6:53 am
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Bertie Ranaweerage, Please do not be disappointed as Ranil has asked the working committee of the UNP to name you as the Presidential candidate. Bloody JOKER?

gamini
October 24, 2014 at 7:17 pm
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This Writer concludes that the Upcountry tamil votes are in MRs pocket, which is not correct, as the electioneering methods of this Regime will turn it around by Jany.,2015. This is easily predictible.

punchinilame
October 25, 2014 at 1:42 am
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Why is Ranil leaving Sri Lanka and hobnobing the world, at a time when he should be in the country electioneering? He either goes to the UK or Singapore at crucial moments. It will be interesting if some investigating journalist finds out how many times Ranil has left the country and for how long. On anther matter, just because Thondaman had indicated to MR that the upcountry Tamils will vote for him, it does not necessarily follow that they will vote for MR. Those days are over. The upcountry Tamils are not idiots, that their votes can be taken for granted just because Thondaman says so. They too feel the rising cost of living and how much they are under paid when compared to other industries.

Leon
October 25, 2014 at 3:54 am
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This is an unfair comment by the writer. Though he admits there are quite number of anti government news papers and other media outlets it has not translated it effect on the ground. How it can make a difference when UNP and JVP come with these proposals only at an election. The government has to balance such requests to all people. JVP and UNP though they ask 10,000 increase to public servants, do not bother to address issues of other sectors of the economy. People know this is ‘election gundu’ which was prevalent from early elections when UNP was famous of promising free two measures of rice. When people come to temple trees for talks what harm in offering them refreshments. Is it only for the rich??? UNP has not changed a bit in their policy except attacking the government. The flawed policies of UNP during the war will cost them dearly if they do not make those structural changes soon.

Nawaz Dawood
October 25, 2014 at 4:51 pm
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Sri Lanka is no different to supposedly rich nations like the US, Australia and some others in the west. Forty per cent of Americans live below the poverty line. Some pensioners and poor Australians are afraid to put a light switch on or turn on the gas heater. To quote India’s PM recent speech “……all we have is Rape and Shit. The list goes on. Think again fellow Sri Lankans!. You could be the envy of at least one third of the world’s people living in foreign lands.

L. Perera
October 25, 2014 at 5:00 pm
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  “Forty per cent of Americans live below the poverty line. Some pensioners and poor Australians are afraid to put a light switch on or turn on the gas heater.” What a load of bollocks !!!!!!!!!!
  
  srilal
  October 25, 2014 at 7:32 pm
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I think upto now UNP has not done their duty to the society as the main opposition party. For instance it was JVP who brought up the Geneva Sri Lankan office renovation scandal and gave it much publicity to the country. UNP keeps arguing in the Parliament, but none is been communicated to the General public. When questioned by the media and by keeping silent on the budget, Ranil gives the opinion as to his silent approval on it. I wonder why Ranil stays silent when questioned about the budget by the Media. It does not make sense.Same what happened when CJ Shirani Bandaranayake was impeached. Ranil preferred to stay in Venice and ride Gondolas than coming out strong on the illegal verdict on her. Ranil should know what people expect from his as an opposition leader while making over 70 Million Rupees of Taxpayer money. I think Ranil should decide if he could stay up to the peoples expectations or just put up the shutters and leave UNP for a capable guys like Harin or Harsha or even Ranjan Ramanayake. Ranil either should act like a Politician, the one who could take up the challenge as people expect or simply be a “Sleeping Beauty”. He cannot do both. Next Presidential elections will decide Ranil’s fate and UNP party. Finally for the next presidential election, Ranil’s winning strategy should be to form a united front with the help from Ven.Sobitha Thero, Chandrika Bandaranaike, DP- Gen.SF, JVP, TNA etc,under one camp while the election manifesto should be to abolish corrupt Executive Presidency, re-introduce 17th Amendment and to form a government that is transparent and answerable to all communities. It’s time for Ranil to stop been a “Sleeping beauty” and “Black Coffee” and put his acts together. His show time is now. Let’s see his acts and Package.

Lasantha
October 25, 2014 at 6:27 pm
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Mr.Bertie Ranaweerage, There’s one question that we CT readers are curious and confused of. That is why Ranil always dodge Media, reporters and journalists where ever he goes. Ranil did dodge the media when media questioned him about this year’s Budget and he did same during last year too. Why he stay numb. He just kept silent and avoids media and journalists where ever he sees them. Why…… I don’t know first of all why Ranil selected to be a Politician if he cannot communicate with Media and talk to people. He cannot restrict his speeches only to Parliament. He behaves much different when he goes to Royal Thomian Cricket matches or may be when he goes for “Black Coffee Breaks” at Araliya Gaha medura. Why does he behave like this. I guess if you Mr.Ranaweerage or Mr.Ranil himself or any other UNP MP or any other CT reader could answer this question. Thank you.

Saman
October 25, 2014 at 7:13 pm
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Saman! My view is Ranil now does not talk on things he is unfamiliar with.He has now learnt his lessons. That is a good decision. Do you remember what he said on how “Pasdun Rata” got its name at an election meeting at Agalawatta years ago? He said “Pasdun Rata’ gave soil to other areas of the country and that is why this area is called “Pasdun Rata”. But the truth is it is called Pasdun Rata or ‘Pas Yodun Rata’ because from one end to the other end of ‘Pasdun Rata There are five Yoduns. ( A term used in the past to identify a certain length). To the best of my knowledge since then he abstained from speaking on unfamiliar topics. It could be the very reason why Ranil did not say anything about the budget. I am sorry if my comment hurts UNPers.

punchisingho
October 25, 2014 at 11:06 pm
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  Punchisingho, I appreciate your answer. But my point is Ranil may not have known the meaning of “Pasdun Rata” and he was humiliated. But after all he is a Politician who should know how to face criticism, when some UNP MPs and supporters who even get death threats from ruling thugs. So why Ranil the leader of UNP is so feared and shy to face media. I wonder why. Also Ranil would surely understood what Pres.Rajapakse said during his budget speech to say something to the Media. After all he is the opposition party leader and both media and people would like to know his views on the Budget. But Ranil kept silence and he let down the UNP party, it’s members and it’s supporters in front of the world. Ranil embarrassed both the UNP and us UNP supporters. What is Ranil hoping to achieve by staying silent. I wonder what. Is this the way Ranil planning to defeat Pres.Rajapakse during next presidential elections. He is dreaming. My dog does a better service than Ranil who is been paid 77 Million rupees of Tax payer money every year just to keep silence. Whom he planning to humiliate. I wonder who. What kind of joker. My foot. Enough is enough with Ranil’s jokes. We UNPers are utter frustrated with an arrogant moron who does not listen or change his attitude

Bertie Ranaweerage

Saturday, October 25, 2014

Mahinda’s Blitzkreig And Ranil’s Snailkreig

23 Responses to Mahinda’s Blitzkreig And Ranil’s Snailkreig

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