This is with reference to the picture on the back page of Dec. 30 issue showing Sri Lankan president with Bollywood stars Salman Khan and Jacqueline Fernandez. I would like to share something I came across on Twitter. A friend tweeted an interesting incident that took place on that very occasion. According to my friend, on his arrival various Lankan officials greeted Salman Khan. An MP received him saying, “ Welcome to our country Mr. Shahrukh Khan!”

Anyway, the friend did not say how the bad boy of Bollywood reacted to the MP. I wonder which actor or actress from Bollywood the opposition is eying now to boost their campaign. It is true that these movie stars are crowd pullers but I doubt that their presence will have any impact on the voters’ preferences in the elections scheduled for Jan. 8.

On a serious note, a trend that has emerged during this election is the switching of loyalties. By doing so, politicians have not only let down their respective parties but also disappointed their voters. Sri Lankan expatriate community in the Gulf region hopes that the election will be free and fair sans any kind of violence. Although few ugly incidents have already been reported in the local press, we are still confident that a country with a high literacy rate of 98.1 percent will maintain law and order.