Elections to local authorities was to raise the flag of the ruling party to establish its longevity effected with the vote snatching machine in tow -- servile public service, kept press and docile law enforcement authority. Last government held elections periodically to exhibit its manipulated winning streaks. Present government, keeps postponing, not confident of the outcome. The new voting system is an indicator of futuristic
electoral yields.
Local elections this time, is a virtual plebiscite to decide on the future leadership of the SLFP.
The supporters that strayed away, would gather at the polling booths in throngs to display their respective strengths and those who may vote with their mind open may prefer to stay at home as it is a no win situation.
Easy come for Rajapakse supporters: reject the SLFP members elected on their vote that keeps a disliked government in office. But that gets disfigured as votes keep coming from pro government 
sources to enable tactical voting to keep the Sirisena faction secure in a home and
home match.
Kids of Good Governance (2015),that turned the tide at the last election –would rather not get their fingers burnt this time again. Surely they cannot ask for the restoration of an MR government with the same old wicked faces or having deserted the Wickremesinghe regime on principle cannot get back to the fold after watching more nonsense in silence after installing them in office to run amok - a sufficient embarrassment.
The much sought-after floating voters see no new faces on offer among the cosmetic coated dead wood among the MR cronies. There is the time tested Dinesh Gunawardane who fails to make an impact even on an issue close to his hearth, Bandula Gunawardane with his canny ability to lose votes with his charming mannerism and pleasing smile or place reliability on Udaya Gammanpila goes in / out and in /again like a swirling coxswain from the UPFA in a 48-hour period.
Fortunately in Wimal Weerawansa, MR found the voice he needed to revive the popular Sinhala/Buddhist majority opinion of the vanquishing’56 generation; strives to find in the English and Tamil sectors comparable spokesmen.
MR forever orbiting in a closed circuit cannot find a fresh scribe able to speak and write English and be prepared to make a presentation in English to align with His Masters Voice.
Reincarnated Dayan Jayatilleke with his revised views on Sinhala Buddhist opinion is intellectually well equipped: but his lasting powers are limited dubbed a ‘Mola-Karayaya” (Thinking Person) will be placed on a suspect list by Team MR.
"Don’t blame MR for bringing Basil Rajapaksa to the front on a command accepted by the bigwigs without a murmur as their supreme manager. MR needs a skilful administrator able to deliver results on a timetable. Would MR win over or lose more of the votes with Basil at the head table? "
Servile G.L.Pieris will be the preferred choice having served JR, Chandrika, Ranil and Mahinda regimes of varied complexions: shows canine loyalty to any master that finds him a perch. Honest and incorruptible, if required will hand power of his Ministry to a more effective Sajin Vaz Gunawaradane and travel around to see the world. Be good - make him an appointed MP for providing a lavish hospitality tent for the leadership out of office.
Don’t blame MR for bringing Basil Rajapaksa to the front on a command accepted by the bigwigs without a murmur as their supreme manager. MR needs a skilful administrator able to deliver results on a timetable. Would MR win over or lose more of the votes with Basil at the head table?
Critical voters among the floaters, the clean society and idealistic youth will show him the other cheek. Does it matter as the bulk of MRs votes cares not a hoot for corruption and sees a latently more corrupt government in office, as alleged? To the majority of the poor it is price at the market place that matters -- never worse than under the uncaring regime of Wickremesinghe. Corruption begins and ends at the FCID -- becoming more a show-piece. Who cares?
While Tamils and Muslims would vote predominantly against MR, the Sinhala Buddhist vote gets divided between the UNP and MR with Sirisena picking a negligible number in the NCP. Christian/Catholic remains with the UNP. It is home economics that could reverse the given roles.
Local government election would be won and lost on a zonal pattern. In the Badulla district, the battle is between UNP forces and Sirisena forces with MRs old brigade findsing the distance too far to travel having previously helicoptered.
At the time of the local election it’s an empty slate the government has to show. Its touted foreign accolades would lose more than gain votes when counted. For sure government loses heavily on the economic and corruption counts. Undoubtedly MR is singularly the most popular candidate notwithstanding any charge of corruption. No other politician could have won the war and have a brother as effective as
Gotabhaya Rajapaksa.
Gotabhaya, if he could garner a fair minority vote and vanquish his image, as a military man is the best bet. The charmed circle in the party fears him: which improves his image unlike MR, collector of any rubbish. Duminda Silva and Avant Garde incidents are twin albatrosses around his neck -- that lowers him in esteem. Does he show the dynamic leadership the nation desperately seeks by not having the insights to steer clear?
At local authority elections, candidates and local issues take precedent on parochial lines in a revised voting pattern based on a system calibrated by a delimitation commission created to carve polling areas yet to be displayed publicly. Previous allegations were a tilt in favour of the ruling party.Yet many a ruling party did meet their Waterloo as people’s power exceeds any manipulation.
Sirisena is a dead duck electorally with an endangered ‘Hand’ symbol. But is strengthened by the UNP/minority vote that can shore him to safety.
UNP rock bottomed at a 28% vote base -- its worse reading at local government elections. MR’s fraction is on the rise because an ineffective government is in office. To them Duminda Silva is a Good Samaritan; his beneficiaries -- numerically are mind boggling, think he is next to God in the Vatican as their hero is of the Catholic faith. These are the prime MR voters -- an anathema to the children of good governance.
Sirisena was small-minded to make ministers of his defeated candidates and appoint ministers who should spend as much time at the FCID as the MR cronies. On their loosing day, Wickremesinghe and Sirisena might be frog-marched to the FCID on charges of discrimination at their self-created FCID. Have no fear, officers in the Attorney General’s Department; except the truly dedicated, are inept or play sweetheart to any passing politician, would save them -- irrespective of the whip cracked by the AG. They stand above the law as much is passed off as legal misadventure.
MR, in the minds of many peace loving people (except a few giddy Colombo-based women and men with teeny -- weeny minds) is a national hero of a limited duration till the overcoming of terrorism.
Stupid MR should be addressing the international forums on eliminating terrorism rather than chasing voters that dispatched him home twice in succession.
What made him forsake living a celebrated life of an elder statesman than having to waste time to cover tracks of his fallen administration and his
wayward family?
How many votes would be needed from the floating voters, hygienic society and idealist youth to win at the local elections? Who would be with whom as the election nears?
The 19th Amendment circumscribed the exercise of the national franchise until 2020, giving more time for an unpopular government to peak in unpopularity by a compulsive timepiece prescribed. It leads to weak governments, the death knell of a tottering democracy that gives way to separatist tendencies.
Leave it to an enlightened judiciary to do the needful. A no-nonsense judiciary is preferable to a passive Election Commission.
When the local authority results are available, it would demonstrate a wide space left open with time still to unfold, a known entity with a national perspective may enter to give a disciplined leadership mindful of the rumblings that mindless C.V.Wigneswaran makes in the North. There is a ‘Room at the Top’ unoccupied for the national elections.
