Ten Great Elton John Songs by Ten Different Guitarists

I decided to post a collection of Elton John songs whose main guitar part is played by ten different guitarists. These songs showcase the mix of guitar and piano where you hear how well Elton plays piano with many guitarists. Elton’s lyricist Bernie Taupin wrote the lyrics for six of the songs. We’re beginning with one of Elton’s most popular songs.

Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting - Davey Johnstone (1973)

It opens with Davey Johnstone’s charging guitars. It’s mainly guitars you hear at the start. Elton soon brings in his piano with a glissando just before the chorus. This glissando is repeated at the same spot throughout the song. Davey really rocks powerfully with all the guitars he plays on this song. Elton’s piano playing supports Davey well. Right at the end of the song, his rock & roll piano parts offer a good contrast with Davey’s guitars.

Street Kids - Caleb Quaye (1975)

Caleb Quaye & Davey Johnstone both play rhythm guitars. Davey also plays slide guitar. It opens with a guitar effect and then all the instruments come in including Elton’s piano which is mixed in well. Elton is singing aggressively. There are these strong guitar riffs throughout the song I’m assuming is played by Caleb. Caleb gives us a long creative guitar solo. The solo is so rock sounding yet it seems like he’s taking inspiration from jazz the way he changes notes so fast. This is a hard rocking guitar & piano song.

Earn While You Learn - Tim Renwick (1978)

Though this song appears as a bonus track on 1983’s “Too Low For Zero” album due to being a B-Side from that time, it was recorded during the sessions for the 1978 album “A Single Man”. This instrumental is written solely by Elton. It opens with “Earn While You Learn” (the song title) spoken by someone and then Tim’s guitar riff before being joined by all instruments.

When all instruments come in, we get Elton’s keyboards. Elton’s keyboards include prominent organ and synth parts with his piano underneath everything. At about the two minute mark, Tim plays his riff again with Elton’s piano coming in louder and Tim giving a guitar solo. This happens again later on without another guitar solo. This is powerful melodic instrumental rock. Elton gives good rock piano parts including a glissando in the last quarter of the song.

Two Rooms At The End Of The World - Steve Lukather (1980)

The guitar is played by Toto guitarist Steve Lukather. Steve’s guitar matches well with Elton’s electric piano. The drums drive this song as there are brief moments of just drums and Elton’s vocals. Just before the one minute mark, horns come in. The horns give a musical presence throughout the song. It’s nice how Steve’s guitar doubles with the horns and there is a section of good back and forth between guitar & horns. Elton gives an interesting electric piano solo. During Elton’s solo, the guitar & horns come in and out of it. Bassist Reggie McBride does some slap bass playing making his instrument more noticeable.

Dear John - Richie Zito (1982)

This song features another Toto member which is their late great drummer Jeff Porcaro. The lyrics are written by Gary Osbourne who Elton had written with during this period. This is a rock & roll song featuring guitars by Richie Zito. Richie played guitar in Elton’s band in the brief period in the early 80s when Davey Johnstone wasn’t in the band. There is a piano solo featuring synth flourishes by James Newton Howard. Richie’s guitars give a driving energetic presence.

Runaway Train - Eric Clapton (1992)

Elton & Bernie co-wrote this song with Olle Romo who plays drums on it. Eric plays lead guitar and sings this duet with Elton John. Elton’s piano is low in the mix. The rhythm guitar is played by Elton’s guitarist Davey Johnstone. The song has a guitar opening which is soon taken over by Eric’s aggressive lead guitar part. The singing goes back and forth between Elton and Eric. Eric then plays a guitar solo in the middle of the song which is followed by Elton’s organ solo. Eric adds guitar flourishes to the organ solo. There are other similar organ parts in the song. I’m not sure if Elton is playing them. The last chorus is sung by Elton. Eric brings his signature blues rock sound to this song.

If You Were Me - Chris Rea (1993)

After so many intense rock songs, we’re now going to something gentle. This is a duet with singer Chris Rea who wrote the song, produced it and played the guitars & keyboards alongside Max Middleton. The song opening is keyboards which includes electric piano. There are subtle guitars. After Elton & Chris sing, Elton’s piano comes in. Chris’ guitar parts are both acoustic & electric. This seems to be a pop song with blues elements. Chris gives a blues vibe with his guitar playing including his solo.

Birds - Rusty Anderson (2001)

I had written a blog post about this song three years ago. This country rocker opens with drumming following the mix of Elton’s piano and Rusty Anderson’s guitar riff. Once Elton starts singing, the guitar stops and we can make out harmonium which Elton plays in addition to his piano. Just before the chorus, David Channing’s dobro (a type of acoustic guitar) comes in which remains for the song. Rusty’s guitar comes in throughout the song including a rocking solo. Elton also provides a piano solo. Rusty concludes the song with good rock guitar playing.

Rock This House - B.B. King (2005)

This song is another duet with a singer-guitarist. Unlike the previous two who are English, the late B.B. King is American, specifically African-American. This song was recorded with the Elton John Band. Davey Johnstone plays the rhythm guitar and B.B. King plays the lead guitar. The song opens with Davey’s guitar riff before all the instruments come in. B.B.’s guitar is in the right speaker. This is a cover song by blues singer Jimmy Rogers which gives off a blues rock vibe. Both B.B. and Elton give solos. They sound like they’re having so much fun rocking this house. I like how there are horn parts in this song.

Take This Dirty Water - Doyle Bramhall II (2013)

This is an americana song primarily in the gospel genre with some country, soul and blues elements. In this song, the guitar has a supportive role. Elton’s piano opens the song. Doyle soon gives his guitar flourishes. Elton sings “in and out of everything” which reflects how Doyle’s guitar keeps coming in and out of the song. Around the three minute mark, Doyle gives a short guitar solo. I like the optimistic feel of this song. Elton sings so soulfully with good gospel sounding backing vocals.

Many of these songs are guitar driven and have a harder rocking sound. They show how great a rock performer Elton John is. In addition to rock there are also elements of pop, blues, gospel, soul and country. Interestingly, the duets all go in a blues direction. The Elton John Band guitarists who played on these songs are Davey Johnstone, Caleb Quaye, Tim Renwick & Richie Zito. Davey is the only guitarist who also plays rhythm guitar on some tracks as he’s Elton’s original and long-time guitarist. I hope to hear more rocking songs like this from Elton in the future.

The Majesty of Sri Lanka

This blog post features a collection of photos of Sri Lanka I selected from the internet. I chose photos that depict the majesty of Sri Lanka. I give the relevant credit below the photos.

I’m starting off with an International Space Station photo from NASA showing Sri Lanka & India from space. This is an impressive view of Sri Lanka you don’t usually see.

"The island nation of Sri Lanka and the brightly-lit southern tip of India" by NASA Johnson is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

A view of the Bible Rock mountain.

"Bible Rock, Sri Lanka" by ubuddhika88 is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

A colourful Sri Lankan beach.

"Beachscape - Southern Coast, Sri Lanka" by whl.travel is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.

A look at the sea.

1392428 © Natalia Pavlova | Dreamstime.com

The Madu Ganga river. It has a strikingly good mix of blue and green.

Photo by Ravi Teja

Green Palm Trees.

ID 173278934 © Andrii Brodiahin | Dreamstime.com

The Royal Botanic Gardens, Peradeniya in Kandy.

"The Royal Botanical Garden Peradeniya Kandy Sri Lanka" by Mal B is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0.

A view of Sri Lanka’s coast from above.

ID 40137647 © Digitalfestival | Dreamstime.com

Colombo’s buildings and trees by the Beira Lake.

ID 37716292 © Saman527 | Dreamstime.com

The Colombo buildings near the sea.

"Srilanka (colombo)" by kakeyzz---- is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.

The lighting effects of Colombo at night.

"Colombo Light Trails" by Nazly is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.

This is a colourful collection of photos featuring trees, mountains, beaches, rivers, gardens and buildings that give a glimpse into what Sri Lanka is like. If you enjoyed this, you might be interested in my previous blog post “Diverse Views of Sri Lanka” featuring photos I took of Sri Lanka.

Ten Great Universal Music Group Songs

The Universal Music Group is one of the world’s leading record labels. I am a fan of Elton John & Bob Seger who are both part of the Universal Music Group. There are many other songs I enjoy that are part of the Universal Music Group. This article is a collection of Universal Music Group songs. It features a 50/50 mix of British & American artists.

Reelin’ In The Years - Steely Dan (1972)

This jazz rock song opens with the incredible guitar playing by Elliott Randall whose guitar is prominent throughout the song. Singer Donald Fagen gives a good piano part with the piano being the main instrument in the verses. The guitar part in the verses is subtle so you almost can’t hear it. This reminds me of Elton John’s 1973 song “Grey Seal” where guitarist Davey Johnstone does not play guitar during the verses. Elliott also plays two intense and powerful guitar solos.

 

Ramblin’ Man - The Allman Brothers Band (1973)

This is a southern rocker written and sung by guitarist Dickey Betts. Chuck Leavell’s piano drives the song with good organ support from Gregg Allman. There are intense guitar parts which come throughout the song. There is a guitar solo a little after the one minute mark. The guitars are played by Dickey and Les Dudek. The last two minutes of the song feature guitar soloing by them.

Still The Same - Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band (1978)

This ballad shows us Bob Seger at his best. Bob does double duty playing piano and acoustic guitars. The song features those two instruments in the intro. The other instruments join in and Bob starts singing. Bob sings from his heart. Bob plays the piano well providing a good selection of musical notes and he gives a moving piano solo. Keyboardist Robyn Robins gives good organ accompaniment.

Promises - Eric Clapton (1978)

This is a country leaning song featuring electric piano. The guitar parts are a mix of acoustic and electric. Eric sings “la la la la .. ” in the chorus. It’s nice how there’s an electric guitar part doubling it which could be played by Eric himself. Eric sings gently on this song. Keyboardist Dick Sims also plays organ in addition to electric piano.

Twisting By The Pool - Dire Straits (1983)

This is a good, fun rock & roll song. Mark Knopfler wrote, sang and played lead guitar on this song. Keyboardist Alan Clark provides a jolly piano part. As this is a rock & roll song, Mark’s guitar solo sounds like one you’d hear in 50s music. There are a few brief drum solos. The backing vocals offer adequate support to Mark.

I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues - Elton John (1983)

It opens with Elton’s warm melodic piano. The other instruments slowly come in, with it becoming a full band song once Elton starts singing. The most prominent instrument alongside Elton’s piano is Davey Johnstone’s guitars. Davey co-wrote the song with Elton and his lyricist Bernie Taupin. This song seems like blues pop to me. Stevie Wonder gives a touching harmonica solo.

That’s All - Genesis (1983)

This is a piano driven rock song. It opens with piano and soft drumming. Phil Collins sings this song and also plays drums on it. The drumming gets more intense close to the one minute mark. There is an organ solo a bit before the halfway mark. There is an interesting guitar solo in the last section of the song. Phil does some subtle singing during the guitar solo.

Dancing On The Ceiling - Lionel Richie (1986)

While Lionel Richie is a soul artist, he has done some songs which went in a rock direction such as this one. I’d classify this as both a pop rock song and a soul song. It opens with cheering, Lionel talking and John Robinson’s drum intro. The piano and guitars give off a rock vibe. There are many glissandos on the piano. A rocking guitar solo is given. This song seems to be influenced by rock & roll music. This is a fun, energetic song.

Alone - Heart (1987)

This is an epic arena rock song. The song opens with a piano with some synth. The verses are slow and the choruses go into intense rock mode with strong guitar and synth parts. Ann Wilson sings powerfully in the choruses. There is a guitar solo three quarters of the way in the song. This is a pure 80s power ballad.

Roll With It - Steve Winwood (1988)

This song has a soul and blues feel. Steve Winwood plays all the instruments on this song except for the horns and some keyboards by Mike Lawler. The main keyboard parts of piano & organ are played by Steve. It opens with drumming, a horn intro and then the lead instrument of piano comes in. Steve sings powerfully. Nice organ parts first appear in the chorus and are used throughout the song. There is a soulful saxophone solo.

I featured a diverse collection of songs I like from the Universal Music Group. Their musical styles are a mix of rock, pop, soul, blues, jazz and country.

Bob Seger Wish List

 

ID 176002280 © Featureflash | Dreamstime.com

I’m a fan of American rock singer Bob Seger. He currently maintains a low profile. I would like to see more activity from him. In this article, I will be providing my wish list of seven topics I would like to see Bob Seger do. There is some overlap in the last three topics.

New Album

I hope Bob Seger will work on a new album, if he isn’t already involved in making one. I’ve been disappointed that he used piano less over the years and want his next album to bring back piano. The ideal new Bob Seger album for me would be an album like his 1978 album “Stranger in Town” with piano on every track. This album’s format should be a back to the 70s approach fusing the musical styles of his classic period with the deeper lyrical themes of his later work.

Bob had written epically long songs in the past which I’d like to see him do again. Examples of epic long Bob Seger songs include “Brave Strangers” (6:20), “Against the Wind” (5:34), “Like a Rock” (5:56), “The Ring” (5:35), “The Fire Inside” (5:56) and “Manhattan” (5:22). He included a good six and a half minute cover of Leonard Cohen’s Democracy on his last album, but as he didn’t write it I’m not counting it as an epic long Bob Seger song.

Interviews 

Bob Seger has done few interviews over the last four years. It would be nice if Bob did more interviews. It’s enjoyable to read or listen to a new Bob Seger interview. Sometimes, you find an interesting story about one of his songs which you hadn’t heard before. It’s a dream of mine to interview Bob Seger for this blog. Bob, if you’re reading this, I’d love to interview you. You or someone associated with you can reach out to me. My email is on my Blogger profile page here.

Autobiography 

Bob Seger has few books written about him. It would be great if he wrote an autobiography. I’d like it to not be celebrity focused like so many rock star biographies. Personal issues can be covered if Bob wants to, but it’d be better to not to be the focus. Topics that would be fun to read are the difficulty of touring in America before he became a rock star, how he wrote & recorded his popular songs, stories from the road, meeting musical heroes of his and more.

Album Guest Appearances

Bob rarely makes guest appearances on other people’s albums. I’d like to see him make appearances on other artists’ albums often. I don’t wish to see him singing merely backing vocals, but singing duets. It would also be good to see him record covers for tribute albums which are albums paying tribute to an artist, recording studio, style of music etc with every track being a cover song by a well-regarded artist.

Unreleased Songs

Bob is reported to have a vast amount of unreleased songs, so I would like to see him release some unreleased songs. When Bob Seger joined iTunes in 2011, he said that he would use iTunes to release unreleased material. Unfortunately, he still hasn’t done it. Last year, there were five playlist Bob Seger EPs released only on music streaming services. They consist of existing Bob Seger songs. I’d like to see EPs consisting of unreleased songs released on both iTunes and music streaming services. One unreleased song I want to hear is “Wonderland” from 2011 that relates to alternate universes. As a fan of both Bob Seger & sci-fi, that sounds like a sci-fi song which excites me.

Dolby Atmos

Music is now getting released in a format beyond stereo which is Dolby Atmos. Dolby Atmos is a form of spatial audio which is released mainly via streaming services. It can be listened via headphones or a full speaker setup giving a surround effect. Atmos adapts itself based on the speaker setup you’re listening to. It would be great to hear Bob Seger in Dolby Atmos. I can think of two Bob Seger songs sounding epic in Dolby Atmos with a full speaker setup. Firstly, “Hollywood Nights” with David Teegarden’s two drums on both back speakers and Bill Payne’s piano going across the front speakers. Secondly, “Beautiful Loser” could have its synth parts giving spatial effects across different speakers.

Reissued CDs

Most of Bob Seger’s early albums unfortunately haven’t been reissued on CD. I’d like to see CD reissues of his early material with the two albums I most want to hear being “Back in ‘72” (1973) and “Seven” (1974). Also, there is a great opportunity to release super deluxe editions of his popular albums. These super deluxe editions would include outtakes, demos and alternate takes from the album sessions. There would be a big booklet featuring lots of photos and information on the making of the album. It would also include a blu-ray audio disc containing a higher quality stereo mix as well as a Dolby Atmos mix of the album. There could be 45th anniversary super deluxe releases of “Stranger in Town” in 2023 & “Against the Wind” in 2025 and 50th anniversary super deluxe releases of “Beautiful Loser” in 2025 & “Night Moves” in 2026.

That is my wish list of what I’d like to see Bob Seger do. If you’re a Bob Seger fan, I’d be interested to hear what you’d like to see him do. Hopefully, Bob Seger will do something that will excite his fans soon.

Elton John & Cat Stevens's Duet Honey Man

Elton John and Cat Stevens are two English singers who were among the most popular global artists of the 1970s. In 1970, they recorded a duet called “Honey Man”. The song remained unreleased until the 21st Century. The song is written by Cat Stevens and Ken Cumberbatch. I’m embedding the song below. Below that, I’ll give my thoughts on this song.

It opens with Elton’s powerful piano notes. Cat soon sings with bass and congas. The congas add a nice touch to the song. Elton then sings with Cat soon joining him. Elton brings more rock than usual into a Cat Stevens song with his piano playing. A little after the one minute mark, horns come in which add to the song. There is a piano solo with horn interjections. Elton and Cat sing the chorus intensely. Elton and Cat sound quite different, yet Elton sings some notes like Cat towards the end of the song. They sing well together.

This is a very good pop rock song. It’s melodic with great instrumentation. I wish this song had been released in 1970. Although it was recorded before they became worldwide superstars, due to their mutual popularity in the 1970s, it could have been a big hit. Feel free to give your thoughts on this song.

An Overview & Evaluation of the Senate of Ceylon

Sri Lanka when it was previously known as Ceylon had a Senate. The Senate of Ceylon began in 1947 (one year prior to Ceylon’s independence from Britain) and was part of Ceylon’s Parliament. Parliament initially consisted of two houses with the House of Representatives as the Lower House and the Senate as the Upper House. There were 30 members of the Senate with half of them elected by the House of Representatives and the other half nominated by the Governor-General (a representative of the British Monarch) who was acting on the Prime Minister’s advice. In this article, I will be having a look at how the Senate functioned and discuss the idea of having a Senate again in the context of Sri Lanka’s current problems.

The Senate was established via the Soulbury Constitution, Ceylon’s first constitution. I will be having a look at some sections in the Ceylon (Constitution) Order in Council, 1946 related to the Senate. The conditions of the Senate that I refer to come from the period of its establishment. It is possible there had been changes made to them during the duration of the Senate. The Senate was a permanent body unaffected when Parliament was dissolved. A Senator should have been at least 35 years old who served a six year term and a third of Senators were required to retire every other year. The Senate was required at its first meeting to elect two members to serve as President and Deputy-President of the Senate. 

According to the 1956 book “Ceylon and Her Citizens” by I.D.S. & Marguerite I. Weerawardena, the Senate did not have much power. The authors point out that the Senate could share its perspectives, ask questions and be critical of the government. However, unlike the House of Representatives, it could not be an obstacle to the Cabinet. The House of Representatives could do this by declining to provide money requested by the government or by declining to pass laws the government brings. The Senate was incapable of doing these things as the House had the power to override the Senate’s decisions.

After a bill was passed by the House, it got sent to the Senate. The Senate could pass the bill or reject it. If the bill was passed, it would be sent to the Governor-General who usually approved it making it an Act of Parliament. If the Senate rejected the bill, that gave it power to delay the bill by approximately one year until it got sent to the Governor-General as long as the bill got passed a second time by the House. If the bill was related to financial matters, the Senate could only delay the bill by one month. 

Dr. Nihal Jayawickrama wrote an article worth reading called “The Abolition Of The Senate”. The article gives the story behind the abolition of the Senate in 1971. I am not going to discuss the abolition of the Senate, but I found it interesting how he said in his article: “The Senate was one of the five constitutional safeguards that were included in the 1946 Constitution in order to remove the fear of “domination and oppression” by a “permanent and unassailable majority” which existed especially in the minds of Ceylon’s ethnic and religious minorities.” This makes me think if the Senate was beneficial for minorities.  

I wonder if the Senate could have been helpful for this decade with the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna’s (SLPP) disastrous governance. It’s possible that if the Senate existed now, the SLPP could also have received a two-thirds majority in the Senate like they did at the last Parliamentary election. Section 10.3 of the Ceylon (Constitution) Order in Council, 1946, mentioned that the Governor-General should work to appoint public servants with valuable service or respected professionals. This is referring to the 15 Senators appointed by the Governor-General. I wonder if the Senate in the present context could bring in individuals of suitable quality who don’t usually contest elections. If it was working as expected, it would provide a much needed improvement to governance. Due to the limited functions of the Senate as mentioned above, it seems unlikely it would have been able to protect independent institutions from interference by politicians such as the Rajapaksas. 

The SLPP have been acting so shamelessly. They continue to pander to the Rajapaksas, wanting them to make a comeback. If the Senate was functioning properly with a majority not with the SLPP, they could be standing for justice. The Senate may have been able to delay the passage of the 20th Amendment by one year. They could have provided the necessary work of an opposition which has been lacking by the opposition party, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB). Something to think about is whether the Senate could have prevented the devastating economic crisis Sri Lanka is facing right now. Of course, if the Senate had not been abolished in 1971, Sri Lanka’s history is likely to have been quite different. The present state may not be anything like it is right now. 

As I wasn’t alive during the Senate of Ceylon and due to the limited amount of information I was able to find on the Senate, this is only a snapshot view of the topic rather than a detailed analysis. I have been thinking if it would be beneficial for Sri Lanka to have a Senate again. I’d be interested in hearing from those who were alive during the Senate of Ceylon of how it functioned and your thoughts on if the Senate would be beneficial to Sri Lanka’s present state. 

Thoughts on Gotabaya Rajapaksa's Resignation & Aftermath

 

As Sri Lanka is currently going through an unbearable economic crisis, starting in March there was a massive call for Gotabaya Rajapaksa to resign from the presidency and the ruling Rajapaksa family as a whole to vacate their government posts. Gotabaya was adamantly against resigning, but the protests resulted in him eventually resigning on the 14th of July following him leaving Sri Lanka to the Maldives and then Singapore. Gotabaya Rajapaksa was the most incompetent unqualified leader Sri Lanka ever had who ruined the country and its economy. I am going to give my personal views on Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s resignation and its aftermath.

I wanted Gotabaya to resign and I didn’t think he would do it when the protests began. Throughout the protests, Gotabaya kept deciding to do things that went against his nature such as talking of restoring the 19th Amendment and admitting his organic fertiliser policy was a mistake. I saw these statements as desperate attempts by him to stay in power. It seemed to me that eventually he would have nowhere to go except by resigning. There was the whole fiasco of him leaving Sri Lanka to the Maldives & Singapore and taking time to send his resignation letter. These protests made the impossible possible as Gotabaya Rajapaksa finally resigned as President.  

Opposition politician Ranil Wickremesinghe had become Prime Minister in May following the resignation of Gotabaya's brother Mahinda as Prime Minister. He had been the Acting President since Gotabaya left Sri Lanka. Soon after this, the process of electing a new President occurred in Parliament. The Presidential candidates were expected to be Ranil Wickremesinghe, leader of the United National Party (UNP), Anura Kumara Dissanayake, leader of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), Sajith Premadasa, leader of the UNP breakaway party Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) and Dullas Alahapperuma of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP). 

While I’m not a fan of Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, I was hopeful he would do the right thing to secure the Presidency for Sri Lanka during this difficult time. I’m so displeased with him for backing out of the Presidential race to support SLPP candidate Dullas Alahapperuma. In my view, the negative qualities of Ranil does not make Dullas a good candidate. SLPP is the party of the Rajapaksas and Dullas has been staunchly pro-Rajapaksas. He once held the lion only flag at a political protest in 2015 which implies racism. Incidentally, this protest was against the summoning of Gotabaya Rajapaksa by the Bribery Commission. 

The JVP candidate Anura Kumara Dissanayake has made good critiques of the Rajapaksas, but I disagree with the communist ideology of his party the JVP. I don’t think the JVP would be a suitable party to be in government due to their inward looking economic policies including criticism of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The JVP’s violent past is also concerning. 

Ranil Wickremesinghe is very hated in Sri Lanka. I personally do not think Ranil is of the same league as the Rajapaksas. I think he is neither terrible as most people believe nor brilliant as his small minority of supporters believe. My view is that he is somewhere in between. I think Ranil does have a desire to improve Sri Lanka. I do think the other candidate Dullas Alahapperuma is in the same league as the Rajapaksas. Ranil Wickremesinghe ended up being elected President by Parliament. Even though most people don’t want him, I think he is the least objectionable of the three candidates. 

Unfortunately, if most of the key Sri Lankan political figures became President, you could list major reasons why they shouldn’t be leading the country. This is an example of what’s wrong with Sri Lankan politics. I wish that Parliament was able to elect a President who wasn’t so deeply unpopular & controversial, of a better quality and didn’t harbour Presidential ambitions. I would have liked it if Dr. Harsha de Silva of the SJB could have been elected President by Parliament. 

It’s sad that the SLPP are involved in the two leading candidates as Dullas is SLPP, Ranil consists of SLPP support with Dinesh Gunawardena as the new Prime Minister. Dinesh is the leader of the party Mahajana Eksath Peramuna (MEP) which is part of the SLPP alliance, so he is de facto SLPP. The SLPP damaged Sri Lanka with their inward looking nationalism. I would prefer a UNP-SJB combination instead of an UNP-SLPP or SLPP-SJB combination. It’s a pity Ranil & Sajith couldn’t come together for the sake of the country.

I am greatly distressed by the violence carried out by the military and police against protesters and journalists on early morning Friday 22nd July at Galle Face. I fully condemn this inappropriate conduct. Ranil is wrong to have used the security forces in this way. The State of Emergency he declared needs to be revoked and the crackdown on protesters must stop. The protesters in fact agreed to withdraw from the area on that Friday afternoon. Ranil must not continue down this path. It’s imperative that he does not be the terrible President most people believe him to be. Gotabaya had been militarising governance which was disrespectful to the traditions of governance. Ranil should demilitarise governance and work on restoring the state of law in Sri Lanka.

I am of the view that the Executive Presidency needs to be abolished as I believe it contributed to much of Sri Lanka’s problems. I am especially concerned as the Executive Presidency currently consists of the strengthened powers brought in by the draconian 20th Amendment during Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s presidency. I think that the Executive Presidency should be replaced by a ceremonial apolitical President. Sri Lankan parliamentarians are sadly of such a bad quality right now. A general election needs to be held over the next year to elect suitable representatives for Sri Lanka and the right leaders. We need to change Parliament for the better. It’s disheartening to see all the corruption, bribery, lies and deceit that goes on. 

It’s an impressive achievement that the protests and activism was able to get Mahinda Rajapaksa and Gotabaya Rajapaksa to resign as Prime Minister and President as well as the Rajapaksas no longer being part of the government. It’s unfortunate that we were unable to transfer to suitable leadership that people have confidence in. Getting rid of the Rajapksas was the easy part. The more difficult task ahead is ending the queues, getting the economy functioning properly without the suffering & hardship, securing the IMF program, abolishing the Executive Presidency and holding a General Election. 

I don’t know what’s going to happen going forward. There’s a risk of things getting worse. I however choose not to be cynical about Sri Lanka and its future. I believe we can go forward. We need to push Parliament to abolish the Executive Presidency. This government definitely won’t be the good government we need, but the current activism can help make that dream a reality one day. May Gotabaya’s resignation be the start of a path to better things for Sri Lanka.