by Rajan Philips-December 20, 2014
The second week after nominations saw stark contrasts developing in the campaigns of the incumbent President and the common opposition candidate. President Rajapaksa, the acclaimed populist of the ordinary people, took to wooing the business community in Colombo that has traditionally been the bulwark and money baggers for the UNP. Last Wednesday, in what was a show and tell Momentum Forum, a so called "synchronized President" addressed a captive audience of 2,000 business leaders assembled in four hotels. The joint opposition response came on Friday in the more substantial and traditional form of a political manifesto. The Manifesto is a reasonably substantial document that can provide an effective platform for a cohesive opposition campaign.