My Dear Green Man,
I thought of writing to you soon after writing to Mahinda maama last week because, no matter what criticism is made against you, no one can blame you for not being in the news, as you so cleverly demonstrated this week.
There you were in Parliament managing to create a rumpus by the mere act of removing your tie! That was in protest against not being able to talk about the General and his many jail sentences. Pardon me, Green Man, but before all this, I couldn't have cared less whether you wore a tie or not but now you seem to have taken your tie to an entirely different dimension!
Why, there is even talk of trying to get you suspended, probably for being inappropriately clad in Parliament. Now, I cannot understand why the Blues would want to give you another round of publicity because they make it sound as if your tie is one of the top priority issues for the unemployed and below-the-poverty-line masses of this country!
Then we also saw you at the forefront of a protest rally against the jailing of the General and if your aim was to demonstrate that you could still draw a decent crowd, perhaps you succeeded although some motorists who were stuck in the traffic chaos that followed may not vote for you again!
This General, he is a very convenient man, isn't he, Green Man? He is there for you when you don't want to run for President because you know you will lose and now he is still there, when you want to stage a protest, make some noise and show everyone that you are doing something against the Blues!
And it wouldn't really be a good idea to have him released, would it? There would be one less issue to thrash the government with, there would be no opportunity to pose for the television cameras in front of Welikada, and you wouldn't be able to become the hero championing his cause anymore.
Besides, if ever he was released, I am sure there would be those in your party itself who would run to the General and beg him to come and join the Greens and take over the party leadership. Now, that is not something you really want at this stage, is it, Green Man?
And if we were to talk about the Greens, Green Man, we saw yet another Green being poached by Mahinda maama this week, didn't we? The Greens' own tuition master has said he will support the Budget and indications are that he will join the Blue ranks very soon, isn't it?
I suppose the 'rebels' in your party will as usual blame you for this and you will blame the tuition master for being a traitor and deserting you after all that you did for him. Then of course, you will also have an inquiry against him and the tuition master will go to courts challenging it — we have seen it all before, Green Man.
But I believe, Green Man, people like the tuition master are leaving the Greens not because they like you less or because they like Mahinda maama more but because they see the prospect of ten years or more in the Opposition and they feel they shouldn't be waiting that long to enjoy the perks of office.
Let us face it, Green Man, if the Greens don't get their act together the tuition master will not be the last to join the Blue ranks. I know the so-called 'rebels' are not helping you to unite the Greens and are only contributing to the exodus but because you are the leader, the buck must stop with you.
As I am sure you will readily concede, there are many issues at this point in time in the country which a clever opposition would have exploited to the maximum and would have made the Blues pay. But because that is not happening, the Blues are getting away with blue murder, or so it seems at times!
You must thank your lucky stars that the Reds are equally hopelessly divided. Had they been united, the people may have even flocked to them because there is indeed now a popular belief that the Greens are a spent force.
I wouldn't pretend to know how to reverse that belief, but what I do know is that the continuing squabble between you and your former boss's son is a major factor in this. I also agree that they are being very stubborn and at times stoop beyond the levels of decency, but you must share part of the blame too.
That is because you seem to be insisting on your pound of flesh by trying to punish anyone who supports your challenger instead of trying to make peace with them, so that all of you could work together once again. Think about it, Green Man, I think the time has come to forgive and forget.
Yours truly,
Punchi Putha
PS-Did you notice that Mahinda mama will try and steal anyone and everyone from under your nose except you? And you do know why that is, don't you?
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