Sri Lanka, Jan. 26 -- Last year, when it became evident that Anura Kumara Dissanayake would emerge as a potential President, there were two questions the National People's Power (NPP) had to address.

Both questions stemmed from the fact that the NPP - and its core constituent party Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)- had been a party of the Opposition throughout its history, rather than a party of the Government. First was to convince the public that an NPP Government is capable of handling the economy, which was in a fragile state due to the economic crisis.

The second question was on foreign policy. Sceptics raised doubts about its diplomatic know-how, due to the alleged lack of experience. Overshadowing this latter concern lay an elitis...