Two separate, seemingly innocuous incidents last week have shaken the political establishment to the core. The incidents where motorists showed their displeasure at being held up, showed that ordinary people could no longer be bullied into submission by power-hungry, vain politicians who put their safety and security above everyone else’s. Post Easter Sunday tragedy where 260 innocent people paid with their lives due to political incompetence and negligence, it is becoming increasingly clear that the man and woman on the street is in no mood to either forgive or forget, and is now demanding equal protection for all, be they VVIPs or Punchi Singho from Mahiyanganaya. The two incidents that went viral on social media, had taken place at the Alexandra roundabout on Horton Place in Colombo 7 and at an intersection in Borella. Angry motorists who had been kept waiting for a politician to travel, spontaneously decided to vent their anger and send a clear signal that their patience was fast running out by continuously honking, much to the discomfort of the helpless traffic police. In a comedy of errors, it has been reported that the police are now looking for those who made the din! This spontaneous expression of resistance of the people quickly snowballed into an online campaign which sent alarm bells ringing in the corridors of power. As a consequence, in less than 48 hours, the President himself issued a directive to the Police that no roads should be closed in future when politicians travel. The power of social media was plain to see. Not one to miss a beat in a hurry, former President Mahinda Rajapaksa was quick to pounce on the opportunity and pronounce that the honking protest was an indication that the Government was unpopular. He should know, because whenever he or his siblings used to travel when in power, roads were on lockdown. Not only that, even many parts of the city including Fort, Galle Road from Colpetty to Galle Face, parts of Bauddhaloka Mawatha, etc. in Colombo were permanently closed, even six years after the war. The ordinary people resented that then, just as much as they do the newly-introduced road closures. For all intents and purposes, the evolving scenario is about people venting their anger at politicians in general who have failed the nation and its people for seven decades. They are reminding those in power that their security should take precedence over politicians; and that is how it is supposed to be. The recent events have led to a new discourse on how the so called “servants of the people” became their masters. The honking is to remind politicians, whoever they might be, of this conveniently forgotten reality. People are slowly but surely beginning to realise the enormous power they hold in booking errant, arrogant politicians; especially at a time when elections are around the corner. This emerging reality was publicly recognised by the new kid on the political block – businessman Dhammika Perera – who is now being widely speculated to be a wildcard presidential candidate. He stated during a media interview that politicians could no longer play the games they used to as the people were well informed now. When Perera was confronted about his presidential ambitions, the unassuming casino king was non-committal, further adding to the rising speculation. For the time being however, he is making all the right noises, and if he does decide to run, he may well be the beneficiary of public apathy against mainstream political party candidates. Whatever Perera’s intentions may be, Sri Lanka seems ready for its own Macron (42), Trudeau (47), Arden (38) or even a Trump, and other potential runners out there will do well to seize the moment. This country, with all its natural resources, has languished in the doldrums on the economic front due to the absence of visionary leadership to create a sustainable economy built on manageable debt. Sri Lanka is yet to see a visionary leader who could unite the main political factions and most importantly put the country before self-preservation. The bitter truth is that every president who served a full first term lost the plot thereafter, and only focused on staying in power, while the economy bore the collateral damage. Sadly, we see the same scenario unfolding yet again. History repeats at regular intervals in this country and voters never seemed to have learnt. That is until now. Today, there is a palpable sense of guilt among voters for having let the country down by putting their party first. There is now growing awareness on the responsibility thrust on the people to ensure that the next leader is a person fit for the job. With Sri Lanka being dragged into a geopolitical cold war between the Chinese and the Americans, sharp, strong leadership is the need of the hour. A docile, fractured leadership will be cannon fodder for the big guns and the country simply does not deserve such a misfortune after everything it has endured over the past few decades. The current Prime Minister is good at planning 10 years ahead, but lacks survival skills to ensure those plans see the light of day. Sri Lanka's mounting public debt is currently estimated to be around 90% of the GDP while loss-making state enterprises account for around 1.5% of the GDP. To add to the woes, many sovereign bonds will be due in the next three years. Therefore, if the next leadership does not get its act together, tough times will be here to stay. People have come to realise that the time has come to think out of the box. They deserve a break from the self-serving leadership on both sides of the political divide that has let them down at every turn. The scavenging politics we see today is the last thing this country needs. This is why there is new hope in the small but effective people's resistance movement that is beginning to take shape. The tide is certainly turning and if those in power and those trying to replace them do not take note, the beginning of the end for them all is close at hand.