Opposition, UNP and the newly formed UNF Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, (RW) wants to create another first, in addition to the over one-and-a-half dozen electoral defeats suffered in a row.

The whole country expects that as Opposition Leader RW must confront President MR at a Presidential Election (PE) widely expected to be held early next year. Instead, the UNF wants to put forward retired Army Commander and CDS Sarath Fonseka (SF), to contest the PE and if he wins, to make RW the interim PM and also abolish the executive presidency.

If, as expected, the PE is held first and hopefully SF wins, he will then have to hold the General Election (GE) which, in any case, is due next April. This election will have to be held under the PR system and no party will get a two thirds majority needed to change the constitution and the government will have to be formed by the party that commands the majority in the House. It can be the UNF or the UPFA, most probably the latter and if the UPFA forms the government. RW will lose the expected premiership.

If, on the other hand, the GE is held first, MR will still remain president and SF will not come into the picture at all till Nov. 2011 and RW becoming the PM and abolishing the presidency will remain dreams like Shakespeare’s ‘Midsummer Night’s Dream’!

Is the UNF leader as well as others in the alliance unaware of this situation? No, not at all!

They are well aware of it, but in their desire and hurry to defeat MR, they are trying to hoodwink the public into believing that abolishing the executive presidency is child’s play.

JRJ was the shrewdest politician that Sri Lanka has ever had and he saw to it that nobody could easily undo what he had done.

The Punchisingho’s and Babynona’s are not worried about the finer points of democracy; they have more burning problems, like coping with the cost of living. So, instead of trying to fool the people all the time the UNF must come out with solutions to the problems that the people are really grappling with.

Now, the UNF is demanding the holding of either election. Why are they in a hurry? We have four months for the GE and two years for the PE. So why not wait patiently for the D-Day?