5th columns

"Thaaththa," Bindu Udagedera asked, "what should be done about all these bombs exploding every now and then?"
"As we all know," Bindu's father Percy said, "nothing much can be done about it..."
"Why do you say that, thaaththa?" Bindu wanted to know.

"Why, Bindu," Percy said, "it is easy to say that we will destroy the terrorists and regain every inch of lost ground in the North and East but it is much more difficult to do so..."
"But thaaththa," Bindu protested, "Mahinda maama promised us an 'honourable peace'..."
"Mahinda maama made so many promises that even he may have lost count of them..." Percy observed.
"But didn't he say that he would never allow the terrorists to dictate terms to him as they did during Uncle Ranil's rule?" Bindu wanted to know.

"I think he did say that," Percy agreed, "which is why most people in the South voted for him instead of voting for Uncle Ranil..."
"Then thaaththa," Bindu argued, "he should try and put a stop to all these terrorist attacks..."
"I am sure he is trying his best to do that," Percy said, "but he says his hands are tied..."
"How can he say that?" Bindu demanded, "he didn't say so when he was contesting the elections..."
"But now he says that he is being attacked on all sides when he is trying to win the war..." Percy declared.
"What are all these people accusing him of, thaaththa?" Bindu queried.

"Why, some say people are being abducted in broad daylight..." Percy pointed out.
"But we do hear these stories every now and then..." Bindu observed.
"So," Percy explained, "while some people are accusing him of not doing enough to stop the war, there are others like the rathu sahodarayas who are claiming that he is not doing enough to wage war..."
"That is true," Bindu admitted, "and although the rathu sahodarayas helped him to come to power they are now certainly not helping his cause by launching strike after strike almost every day..."

"And others blame Mahinda maama when the Tigers send their rogue airplanes to attack various targets in the South..." Percy noted.
"But he says he is taking every possible precaution against such attacks..." Bindu declared.
"But then, others are blaming him saying that there were irregularities when we bought aircraft to combat them..." Percy said.
"Of course, there will always be people who blame Mahinda maama because he has the top job now..." Bindu said.
"Well," Percy said, "we will have to blame Mahinda maama or one of his siblings because together, they seem to hold all the top jobs in the country..."

"But people are even blaming him for the rising cost of living..." Bindu countered, "because now even the prices of milk food have been increased and the tuition sir is saying he cannot do anything about it..."
"Well," Percy said, "when he was in the green camp the tuition sir used to say that he had all the solutions to the rising cost of living but again, it is Mahinda maama's fault for taking the tuition sir into his camp..."

"Then, thaaththa," Bindu said, "amidst all this, there is Mangala maama acting like a stubborn child and refusing to fall in line..."
"Yes," Percy said, "and Mahinda maama has to do something about that too although it does seem strange how various people get arrested and remanded whenever Mangala maama gets into trouble..."

"But thaaththa," Bindu said, "I still think Mahinda maama will carry on regardless..."
"Why do you say that?" Percy wanted to know, "did someone tell you his horoscope was powerful?"
"I am not so sure about that," Bindu said, "but I don't think he needs to worry as long as Uncle Ranil is in charge of the Greens..."
Percy was not sure whether he could disagree with that.

Attacks, accusations and abductions; Mahinda maama carries on…