Dr. Dietmar Doering -The writer is a German investor, tourism promoter and social scientist based in Sri Lanka Courtesy The Island

Sri Lanka ushered a new era with the election of a typical ‘People’s President’ with a convincing mandate at a critical juncture to lead the country’s 21 million people towards economic prosperity.

With 6.9 million plus votes, the clear verdict of the masses reflected the demand for a strong leader, and the election of Gotabaya Rajapaksa as the President effectively drove home the point that the nation clamored for direction and guidance from a resolute presidency to charter a new and meaningful course for a country at crossroads.

With a significantly high voter turnout, the November 16 presidential polls was free, fair and peaceful. This was also confirmed by EU EOM’s (European Union Election Observation Mission) Chief Observer, Ms Marisa Matisa, who commented that “Sri Lanka’s presidential election was largely free of violence and technically well managed”.

The phenomenal peaceful outcome of the presidential stakes, with a near 80% voter participation, was remarkable. The enthusiasm amongst voters to exercise their franchise to elect a headstrong leader with a vision to open new vistas in terms of economic growth and development was clearly visible. The young, old and infirm queued up with confidence to bring about a change the country at large envisaged for a better tomorrow.

Sri Lanka’s wholly impartial and peaceful presidential election was a splendid example to the world, especially to the western hemisphere, which more often than not tend to heap criticism on the country when it comes to honoring democratic processes. It is no secret that the negative and biased western mainstream media tries to paint a negative picture, whenever elections are conducted in Sri Lanka.

This is absolutely unfair and unjustified. Not only this presidential polls, but even many others held previously were also largely violence-free and described as free and fair. After then President Mahinda Rajapaksa lost to Maithripala Sirisena in 2015, the transition of power was smooth. Even before the final results were announced, Mahinda Rajapaksa vacated his official residence in an exemplary move that saw the newly-elected President taking over the mantle of leadership with ease.

In the just concluded presidential election also, the other main contender, Sajith Premadasa conceded defeat and congratulated the President-elect on his victory in the true spirit of lofty democratic traditions.

However, the western media sought to highlight a few marginal and somewhat irrelevant incidents during the election period in a bid to taint the positive scenario. This has been the general pattern when it comes to countries like Sri Lanka, where they highlight some sporadic minor incidents in a bid to give the story a twist and thereby tarnish the country’s image. Unfortunately, it has become the trend to add a frightening dimension to events to portray to the outside world that all’s not well in Sri Lanka.

Even in Europe, election time is not completely devoid of violence. So was it in Germany, where in the last parliamentary polls, some candidates in the fray faced physically harassment with many political party offices and vehicles also set ablaze. The whole electoral process came under threat by rival parties as a result.

In my view, the last two elections in Sri Lanka were significantly more peaceful than many polls conducted in other democracies across the world. With such political maturity and excellence in conducting elections, I would recommend that observers be drawn from Sri Lanka to monitor polls in western countries.

The 2019 Sri Lankan presidential election campaign was fierce, with the candidates putting up a stiff fight with debates, arguments and counter arguments. However, after the results were announced, they shook hands with the President-elect.

Sri Lanka has proven that it’s a matured democracy with a salutary electoral process. The country’s adherence to democratic principles and traditions are laudable. In this positive backdrop, interferences by western envoys should stop.

Unfortunately, questions on alleged human rights violations that crop up largely on information provided by some foreign envoys based in Sri Lanka to their respective governments, are tainting the positive image of the country in the world.

The question of human rights violations is more evident when it comes to weapons being exported to countries like Yemen. Great Britain and Germany are still exporting heavy weapons to Saudi Arabia knowing only too well the destruction they can cause to the lives of civilians as well.

The hypocrisy of western nations is rarely highlighted in their mainstream media. Only social media streams report on alleged human rights violations they commit.

Sri Lanka should seek to quit its dependence on leading global lending agencies such as the World Bank and IMF as the loans they grant influence policies, especially in developing countries.

With Sri Lanka’s enormous potential, a four-fold increase in tourist arrivals will significantly minimize the dependence on foreign funding. According to leading rating agencies, achieving an annual target of 8 million tourists will translate into a 50% plus contribution to the national GDP.

– Dr. Dietmar Doering

(The writer is a German investor, tourism promoter and social scientist based in Sri Lanka)