Voters in Sri Lanka, who according to tradition desire to vote only for one of the two main parties, are in a dilemma - to choose between the devil and the deep blue sea.

In one corner you find Ranil & his flock, who would raise their hands for anything their impotent leader says. Neither the flock nor the shepherd exactly know what he is talking about; but they are aware what's in his devious mind. At one point he says that the North and the East should be given to Prabhakaran for five years and declares that he supports the government's so called political solution; and the party even helps the government to draft the treacherous constitutional amendments. At other times, he vociferously condemn the proposals and says that he stands for the country's unitary status. He says that the war must be won and not enough is done by the government. In the same breath, he says that unconditional talks must be held with the most abominable terrorist Prabhakaran. On the one hand he says that a land bridge should be built to link Sri Lanka with South India; on the other hand, he declares that the territorial integrity of the country should be preserved. He flies to India, meet the ultra Hindu leaders and hold "cordial" discussions. He flies to Singapore and hold secret talks with top LTTE businessman -cadre- Gnanakone. Ranil is a baffling character; a self-contradiction; a fake; an ambiguous, incongruous, ambitious paradox. Much need not be said about him; other than the obvious simple truth: if his party comes to power, he will drive the final nail on the coffin of Sri Lanka's sovereignty.

In the other corner is Chandrika, surrounded by the most motley collection of characters. Among them, declaredly, they have vastly contradictory political agendas. Chandrika says that the already proposed constitutional changes must be passed, intact, at any cost. Her Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayaka says that the constitutional changes will be different from what was originally proposed. Chandrika's left hand man, sports minister SB Disanayaka swears that the proposed constitutional changes will be passed - as they are - one way or the other, even if they have to close the judiciary and the national press. Ashraff, who unashamedly calls himself Sri Lanka’s Muslim leader, wants a separate Muslim state. Muslim leader, Fowzie, who brands Ashraff as a fraud, challenges the "Muslim Congress" to fight the election on their own rather than on the PA ticket. Chandrika's new ally Dinesh leader of the MEP, opposed the executive presidency, the devolution of power, the Provincial Councils and swore to protect the unitary status of the country and the interests of the Singhalese and the Buddhists (who he declared are being terribly discriminated and are facing extinction), believes that the proposals will be rejected. But the most noteworthy of all in Chandrika's team is Varatharaja Perumal, who has sworn to fight for an independent Tamil state and is the only person (not even Prabhakaran did it yet) who has already declared "Eelam"! It is quite obvious that the only common denominator of all these vastly different individuals is the insatiable greed for power. For every one of them, everything else is secondary or insignificant. Each person thinks that he/she is smarter than the temporary team-mates who can be bamboozled, betrayed and sacrificed at the correct moment. If this bizarre team succeeds in gaining power, invariably the most cunning individuals will force the others to sell their souls or get kicked out or bumped off. Sri Lankans would not mind such actions much, but they will be shocked to learn that their newly elected government would hastily serve their land of birth on a platter to the separatists.

While the two big adversaries have declared war on all opposition, battering and murdering unsympathetic people, former strong man Sirisena Cooray's Pura Wesi Peramuna promises to resurrect the Premadasa era. He does not realise that this is one political promise Sri Lankans would be glad if not kept! In the mean time, the JVP jackal is ominously sniffing around, at times talking of Tamils' right to self determination and at other times swearing not to divide the country. The incurable sickness of hunger for power have completely overtaken them again. Policies, if any, are relegated to a third place. Sri Lankans are more than amused with the antics of this cult - the gang which took to the bullet, then to the ballet, again to the bullet and now back to the ballet. God only could save them!