5th Column
Reds: Lessons learnt and confused
View(s):My dear Anura Kumara and the rathu sahodarayas,
I thought I must write to you because I am a bit confused about what you are saying these days, at a time when everyone seems to be getting ready for the ‘Battle of the Blues’ which will be held in January next year, before the other Battle of the Blues which will be held as usual in March.
Now, I agree that Maithri took us all by surprise when he appeared before us and said he was the ‘common candidate’. It is a credit to those who masterminded that move — Satellite and the Green Man — that they were able to keep it a secret from the prying eyes of the Blue camp.
When that happened a week ago, most people didn’t know what to say. Other than those in Mahinda maama’s camp, most people were quite happy and relieved that they had found someone suitable to challenge Mahinda maama, instead of having to rely on someone whose best days were long past.
Even if they were surprised beyond their imagination, most people have now declared who they would support. Even Champika and his chaps, who were having talks with the Blue camp until the eleventh hour, have said that they prefer to work with Maithri rather than Mahinda maama.
But what I am hearing from you and your rathu sahodarayas is an entirely different story. On the one hand, you say that you will do ‘anything’ to defeat Mahinda maama and what you think are his dictatorial ways. On the other hand, you also say that you will not support any particular candidate!
Now, if you had said you couldn’t support Satellite — because of what she had done in the past — or if you didn’t want to support the Green Man because he entered into a ceasefire with the Tigers, it would have made sense. But when you say you cannot support Maithri, we are quite confused.
There are also rathu sahodarayas who are saying that this whole contest is illegal and that therefore you wouldn’t play any part in it. Then, we have people like Lalkantha sahodaraya who go around saying that even if Maithri wins, he cannot appoint the Green Man as Prime Minister!
Pardon me, Anura Kumara, the way most people see it, if you want defeat Mahinda maama, the simplest way to do so would be to lend your whole-hearted support to the candidate with the best chance of doing that — instead of saying ‘we want Mahinda maama out, but we won’t support anyone’!
We do realise that your decision making with regard to supporting candidates at big contests has not been good. Twenty years ago, you supported Satellite because she promised to do away with what she called the ‘bahubootha viyawasthaawa’. Your Nihal sahodaraya even withdrew from that race.
Satellite never kept her promises and that viyawasthaawa is still with us. Even so, ten years ago, when Mahinda maama made the same promise, you believed him as well. He too hasn’t kept that promise and that is probably why you are now hesitating to support Maithri, though he seems genuine.
Even before all this, the decisions taken by your rathu sahodarayas have not been the best. We all remember the campaigns launched by your party in 1971 and 1989 to gain power in the country which ended in disasters with thousands of youth having to pay with their lives.
Now, don’t get me wrong, Anura Kumara. Since you became the leader of the rathu sahodarayas, we have come to admire and appreciate you for the no-nonsense approach you have to issues and for your very well researched contributions to debates in Parliament which are among the best.
Someone with your political maturity should surely know that when you say Mahinda maama should be defeated but in the same breath say that you won’t support Maithri, you are only confusing voters who must be quite perplexed anyway–and they might stay at home and vote for no one!
So, my dear rathu sahodarayas, when you say you support neither Mahinda maama nor Maithri, you will be only helping Mahinda maama. That is because this will be a very tight race and Maithri won’t win, unless he has all the help he can get, regardless of where it comes from. Is that what you want?
Think about all this, Anura Kumara and let us know what you think. As one of the few parties which have remained ‘clean’ at least in the last few years, we would value your opinion. Unless, of course, you too would like to stay in the opposition for the next six year-or even more!
Yours truly,
Punchi Putha
PS: It is not often that I have a good word for your former colleague, Wimal sahodaraya. I may not agree with what he decides, but at least he has very clearly said ‘Mahinda saranan gachchami’ and stuck to that all these years, hasn’t he?