few jabs for the camera at 90-pound weakling opponents, a ceremonial
dance around the ring. Then the hugely popular leader would declare
victory.
Instead, this has turned into a slugfest royale.
The difference has been the emergence of an unexpected challenger, fellow national hero and former army commander
In an even more unexpected development, the
battlefield commander with limited political experience has done far
better than expected. Tapping into a desire for change in the
Sinhalese-majority nation, he has turned the spotlight on the economy,
corruption and good governance, areas where the president is more
vulnerable.
“That’s what’s made it a real race,” said
And in the tradition of a good street brawl, marquess of Queensberry rules quickly fell by the wayside.
Behind the slogan “A brighter future,” Rajapaksa has
hammered away at Fonseka’s lack of political experience, claimed the
retired general’s supporters are stockpiling weapons and warned that
his opponent will bring about a military dictatorship. Former army
subordinates have come out saying he had affairs and that he owes
Fonseka has slugged back at Rajapaksa, 64, on
corruption, vote-rigging, nepotism — several family members, including
three brothers, are in the government — and the economy, promising if
elected to reduce the president’s power.
There are a score of other candidates, but none is viewed as a serious contender.
This has been
most violent election in a decade, analysts said, replete with two
bombings, four murders, 12 shootings and 137 injured, included among
594 complaints received by the People’s Action for Free and Fair
Elections, an independent monitoring group.
“The unfortunate choice before many voters is
whether to close their nose and vote for the government or shut their
eyes and vote for the opposition,” said an editorial in this week’s
For voters who don’t respond to name-calling, the
candidates offer visions of wealth and glory. Fonseka, under the slogan
“Believable Change,” promised every civil servant a
Rajapaksa has promised to build roads, schools and other infrastructure toward elevating
Critics charge the president with taking advantage of government machinery. His image is on a new
main state-owned television channels devoted 98.5 percent of their news
coverage to Rajapaksa, according to Reporters Without Borders, a
But Fonseka has also relied heavily on media
imagery, including an advertisement showing him shirtless, revealing
the wounds he suffered in a 2006 Tamil Tiger assassination attempt.
Amid all the mud-slinging, some fear that the important issues facing
after decades of violence — including corruption, bad governance, human
rights, internally displaced people and reconciliation between
Sinhalese and minority Tamils — will be ignored.
“The people of the north have faced many hardships,” said
54, a Tamil working in a children’s home in the city of Jaffna. “We
want peace. There is the fear that our next president won’t fulfill
their promises.”
Both candidates have taken credit for the army’s
victory over the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, a militant group
that pioneered the suicide vest in its brutal campaign for a homeland
for marginalized Tamils, who are concentrated in the island’s north and
east.
In an ironic twist, Tamils, who account for about 18
percent of the island’s 21 million people, including an estimated
100,000 civilians still reportedly in internment camps, may have an
inordinate role in deciding the outcome. With the Sinhalese support
split, Tamils could provide the swing votes.
Rajapaksa has banked on the appeal of his patriotism
message, especially among rural voters who account for 70 percent of
the population, in a nation where no incumbent has ever lost. “People
support
Fonseka has earned support from divergent opposition groups, some with bad blood going back decades.
“Their argument is, they came together for regime change,” said Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu, executive director with
The in-your-face nature of the race was seen at a
Rajapaksa rally Saturday in the town of Piliyandala. As his supporters
entered the public grounds where the gathering was held, they were
greeted by a large billboard showing Fonseka’s image and, countering
Rajapaksa’s claim that he was the patriot, the general’s slogan: “True
Patriot.”
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