Yes, indeed, this continues my new editorial policy of trying to cheer you all up even as, according to the media, we are on the cusp of being blown away by sundry Islamic/Irish/Anarchist/Flat Earth/Nazi (delete as necessary) loonies. I give you, ladies and gentlemen - Ceylon! Yes, yes, I know these days they call it Sri Lanka or some such but we all know, do we not, that it is really Ceylon. Anyway, something quite extraordinary has just happened in Ceylon and I intend to tell you about it - wait - where are you going . . . ?
Up until about a few years ago Ceylon was a raging, murderous, killing ground with Tamil separatists (perhaps with a little help from their Indian friends!) waging a vicious civil war against the Sinhalese majority in pursuit of their political aims. Eventually, the Sinhalese had enough and their army was let off the leash to conduct a ferocious campaign which destroyed the so-called 'Tamil Tigers'. A man called Mahinda Rajapaksa became president and has ruled ever since. Needless to say, in the finest tradition of most politicians everywhere, or at least, everywhere they can get away with it, he rapidly degenerated into an autocratic, corrupt fat-cat whose immediate family and cronies prospered mightily even if no-one else did.
However, there were still some rules and regs existing including the necessity of holding presidential elections. A few weeks ago Rajapaksa duly announced one and assumed that he would be re-elected unopposed. Imagine his surprise when his Minister for Health had the bloody cheek to stand against him! Still, he reckoned, it gives a veneer of respectability to the sham in which, of course, he would be re-elected. The cheeky upstart, Maithripala Sirisena by name, ran on a platform of anti-corruption and a return to proper democratic procedures. He won! The thud you heard the other day was ex-President Rajapaksa's chin hitting the floor!
According to my trusty agents from NightWatch:
Rajapaksa seemed assured of an easy victory in November when he called for snap elections. His six year term of office still had two more years. His loss is the result of his own political miscalculations.
The high voter turnout among Sri Lanka's minorities - especially the Tamils - helped swing the outcome in Sirisena's favor. The election occurred with no major incidents, which surprised some observers because Sri Lankan elections usually feature significant violence and killings. Only one death related to election violence was reported.
But the 'Good News' does not end there. Again, according to NightWatch:
Chinese interests will suffer a setback. Under Rajapaksa, Chinese investments flourished and presence expanded. They made his family and cronies rich. Sirisena has vowed to re-examine relations with China, especially the Chinese project to expand Colombo port, where a Chinese submarine docked without warning last September.
What's not to like about that? Of course, the current Ceylonese parliament is stuffed full with cronies from the old regime but clever President Sirisena has swiftly dissolved it and called for new elections which should sweep them away.
So there you are, feeling better now, are we? Well, let's hear it for plucky little Ceylon - oh, alright then - Sri Lanka!
KGS NightWatch <KGSNightWatch@KGSNightWatch.com>