Damn it Mahinda!!

I was surprised to realize that SLUNA (SRI LANKA UNITED NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF CANADA) which I consider to be the most active representation of Sri Lankans here in Canada and the only one which effectively counters the vile pro-LTTE propaganda spewed out by certain quarters of the Tamil diaspora is actively raising funds for Mahinda's reelection campaign. As an unbiased organization representing the common interests of all Sri Lankan expatriates I figuared they would remain impartial and would want to distance themselves from all the political mudslinging that's going on; but when I thought about it for a bit I realized that re-electing Mahinda makes sense. Well, at least for us here in Canada it does for re-electing Mahinda means that Bandula Jayasekara, Sri Lanka's Consul General here in Toronto, gets to stay.

Bandula is not a career diplomat but he is to date the most effective representation Sri Lanka has had in Canada. With his background in media and politics (he was Editor-in-Chief of the Daily News and a close personal confidant of Laxman Kadiragama) he has done an amazing job at advancing Sri Lanka's diplomatic profile here in Canada. He's eloquent, well opinionated and has a nonchalant approach which goes down well with the media here and as such he's gotten more interviews and media coverage than all the previous diplomats combined. And its not just quantity; his responses are well researched and opinionated. This gentleman is more than capable of holding his own with the news anchors here in Canada. In addition to being a media savvy diplomat he's really made an effort to reach out to the Tamil, Sinhalese and Muslim expatriates. He's made a point to stress over and over that being Tamil does not automatically associate one with the LTTE and that his offices in Toronto are for the benefit of all groups regardless of ethnicity. Canada is home to over 70,000+ Tamil Sri Lankan expatriates and has gained notoriety as an international safe haven for LTTE propaganda. So far Bandula Jayasekara is the only diplomat who has had any degree of success countering the LTTE Terrorist propaganda or reaching out to the Tamil community here in Toronto.

So yes, voting for Mahinda and raising funds for his campaign makes sense to me if it means Bandula gets to stay; but that also means that I'll be indirectly supporting 'pan-dan hora-golayas' as in the likes of Mervyn Silva and advocating the pillage of state coffers via politically motivated investments such as Mihin Air. Crap! DAMN IT MAHINDA!!!