After 40 years of a debilitating civil war, Sri Lankans deserve a peaceful and unperturbed return to a peace time existence and a government focused on bringing some sort of prosperity to their poverty-stricken nation. The recent presidential election that pitted the incumbent president Mahinda Rajapaksa against General Sarath Fonseka could have been a firm basis for that. Instead, it has resulted in accusations of vote-rigging, coup plots and oligarchical goals of Rajapaksa and his family. Aside from the apparent evidence that power is being consolidated into the hands of a group of people related to the president, there seems little evidence to support either of the other charges. However, the ham-fisted behavior of President Rajapaksa since winning the election in a landslide not only adds credence to opposition allegations, it elevates the status of his opponent far beyond what he deserves. Fonseka was arrested soon after the elections were completed. The government has alleged that he was planning a military coup though he has yet be charged with anything. Analysts have voiced doubts about the allegations as there is no history of the Sri Lankan military intervening in the country's politics. Journalists and opposition figures have also been harassed and arrested with no charges, leading at least one observer to remark that the government does not feel bound to act according to the law. The most significant reaction, perhaps, is coming from Rajapaksa supporters who have assailed the treatment of Fonseka as unnecessary provocation of a situation that easily could have been allowed to be put to rest. One Rajapaksa ally called it a “clumsy melodrama” that was “obscuring the clear, conclusive electoral victory handed to Mahinda Rajapaksa by the masses.” Men allied in the prosecution of a vicious war, as were Mahinda Rajapaksa and Sarath Fonseka, no doubt, form strong bonds and share many secrets. So when the falling out comes, it comes in ways bigger than anyone imagined. There are numerous instances of it throughout history. No matter the ultimate outcome, however, President Rajapaksa must turn his focus on the welfare of those he governs. Consolidating power for the sake of entrenching an oligarchy bent on sustaining itself will only impoverish further those already fighting for good, clothing and shelter. __
