Please, Do not vote this 25th.

Do not vote this 25th.

If you absolutely have to, vote for an opposition party.

Why?

Well it’s because of a few simple reasons. The government is powerful enough as it is, some may say even too powerful. They have already swept away any credible opposition and clamped down on freedom of expression. This administration has not been overally better in terms of morality or fairness than any other administration that we have had in this country since the times of JR.

The government "is itching to declare success ahead of an important regional election on April 25th" - The Economist, and we know it is true. Concrete victory in the war before the elections would doubtless ensure them a landslide victory. And this is where we have to remember what happened the last time a government in Sri Lanka won an election like that;

JRs administration had so much power that they simply swept aside any opposition and the much derided 'Executive Presidency' was initiated. This measure has had a lot of opposition over time but could not be brought down because of the fact that it was written in the constitution by a government that the public voted in with an overwhelming majority. And every single president who came into power after him has always gained office through promises to abolish this scourge on the political system but have always avoided doing so, why? Simply because it favours those in power. It allows them to virtually do whatever they wish. Imagine a man unaccountable to the law itself? And is deemed so by nothing less that the law itself? if a person with no political awareness whatsoever heard about this he would say this man would turn out to be the biggest criminal in the whole nation. And reality has shown us that it is far from untrue. Crime becomes effectively written into law, for crimes conducted by one who cannot be held accountable for them are essentially allowed. This was nothing less than a desecration of justice.

JR also abolished the prevalent system of voting. that of smaller 'seat' based voting where citizens voted in candidates who they genuinely felt would serve them in some way and did not vote in candidates who they felt did not do anything worthwhile during their time period in office. Candidates catering to a smaller demographic were thus forced to include some measure of integrity into their activities and were to an extent answerable to the public of their individual seats if they were not.

This system was expanded and people were made to vote for candidates on a district level and on a provincial level. Creating disconnect between the candidates and contestants and leaving their voting decision susceptible to campaigning and promotions rather than their actual personal knowledge of the person being elected. This also pushed out smaller, less financially able candidates due to the vast resources required for a district wide campaign effectively ensuring that only the existing members of parliament through their amassed wealth, and rich individuals with political connections could enter into the fray with a hope of winning. It created barriers for smaller more idealistically motivated candidates to enter the political arena. So not only did they make it impossible for people to vote in individuals who they thought could do some genuine work, as in people they knew more closely, they also effectively made it impossible for such people to contest in the first place, ensuring a cycle of similar minded individuals continuously maintaining control of the political power of the country.

The impacts of JRs administration were vast and many, and not long after he came into power, the country was plunged into chaos and a quarter century of devastating violence befell us.

Now, i understand that people will be grateful to Mahida's government if he wins the war, regardless of the humanitarian atrocities that it enacted during its course. But the same gratefulness and overwhelming support that was extended to JR, if it is extended to Mahinda as well, would end up being abused and used for more consolidation of undemocratic power, more restrictions of the freedoms that we still enjoy.

If you are a blind eyed freak who thinks that the current government is the best thing since heaven, i would not be able to reason with you, because you are disillusioned, and hypnotized. But if you are a rational individual capable of looking at events objectively please, i beg of you think of the balance of power. Don’t let your emotions get the better of you. Make sure that even if you want the government to have a majority, do not let them have too much of a majority because power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts more than anything else.

IF you want them to take power let them, current public sentiment may well achieve that. But take no part of it yourself, or you will be blamed for God knows what comes our way afterwards. Voting is power, you are effectively handing it over, thinking of your own preference is not enough, and you need to understand the macro picture. So if you want to vote, vote, but vote for the opposition at least. And ensure that those who are in power do not get too drunk with it.