It’s common for any government to put on a good face when an election is near. Often, they achieve this by aligning themselves with media outlets that support them. Besides state-controlled media, we’ve also seen private media backing the government in previous elections, usually in exchange for lucrative deals and positions. But those are old tales, documented extensively in countless newspaper columns. So, let’s turn the page and begin a new chapter.
What’s the new chapter about? It’s about voter groups.
How can voter groups be a new story? They resurface during every election. All parties, not just the ruling one, leverage ethnic groups to win votes. Typically, it’s the ruling party that orchestrates these manoeuvres. But voter groups aren’t a novel concept—they’re a well-known tactic.
Everyone knows the role of polling stations. I’m not suggesting that the story of voter groups is new; rather, this is about people who don’t understand how to properly engage with these groups. Hence, the term “new tune vote group” is used. Think of it this way: a voter group is about leaders gripping the electorate tightly and locking in their support. In the literal sense, a voter group should be a substantial force. The notion of swaying voters with trivial gifts is laughable. It’s a joke not just from the mouth, but from the other side as well. That’s why I thought of starting this story with a “new tune vote group.”
Now, who’s going to lead this group of laughable voters? Who else but our government? The latest offering from the government, aimed at securing votes, is the ‘FD Gang’. The FD Gang is the government’s promise to increase the interest rate on fixed deposits to 10% for bank accounts where the rate has dropped to 6% or 7%.
So, is this promise good? How does it relate to a voter group? Listen to this…
The government is trying to raise the interest rate for citizens over 60 years old. They believe this move will win them votes from the elderly population. There’s even talk that Sri Lanka’s elderly population is larger than its younger one. Meanwhile, the government plans to adjust the fixed deposit interest rate from 7% to 10% for seniors.
But here’s the catch:
The proposal was introduced in Parliament just the other day, amid the heat of the presidential election. The resolution might take a month or two, possibly three, to pass. By then, the presidential election will be over. Everything will be resolved once the interest rate reaches 10% for those over 60. But what will happen to the elderly people who fell for the government’s promise? They’ll have to wait and see if the government delivers.
And our seniors—don’t they see through this? Of course, they do. I wanted to share this curious story about an election tactic. I started by calling this a tale of a “new tune gang.” If it’s a gang, it should grab voters as much as it pushes them. If a voting group is a scam, it must be the work of someone pulling the strings behind the scenes.
Government officials claim to have master plans, yet they can’t even manage a straightforward vote. That’s the truth.
In the end, when people over 60 realize that the government’s FD promise is a sham, they’ll have a good laugh from both sides.
