5th Column
Curtains or rebirth for thoththa babaa?
View(s):My dear Tissa,
I thought I must write to you, now that you are out on bail and I wouldn’t need to send this letter to Welikada anymore. It must have been a hectic few weeks for you, MP one week, minister the next week and remand prisoner a few weeks later! At least, they didn’t confiscate your passport!
I heard you say that what happened to you was only an act of political revenge. Yes, there are many people who question this ‘yahapaalanaya’ strategy of letting worse criminals roam free while putting you behind bars when all you did was to display a letter with some ‘forged’ signatures on it.
Here you are, telling us that you found that letter in a file on your table when you assumed office — and you thought it was genuine! And, why should we disbelieve you have been the general secretary of a political party for ten years and a minister, although for possibly the shortest time on record.
You went around the country, sharing the platform with Mahinda maama and displaying this document for all to see and calling it a ‘hora givisuma’, though you forgot to tells us that it was no more than just a document lying on your table. It is no wonder that they call you ‘thoththa babaa’!
Tissa, you are in good company: Prison is a place where many of our leaders have been to. Mahinda maama was there, Di Moo has been there, the General was sent there and even Maithri spent some time there. Ranil hasn’t been there — and maybe that is why he has never had the top job!
You would have realised when you were behind bars, Tissa, that only a few people visited you. Even though you have been with the Greens for more than twenty five years, there were more Blues visiting you than Greens. Why, even Mahinda maama and Nimal visited you, didn’t they?
Of course, there may be another reason why more Blues visited you than the Greens. Some of them may have wanted to check out the conditions at Welikada because at least a few more in the Blue camp would have to spend some time there, as more and more corruption charges are investigated.
Anyway, I don’t think you should be worried about people not visiting you. Now that he has lost the election, only a few people visit Mahinda maama too. And, Maithri would tell you that those Blues who are now falling at his feet never visited him during the days when he defected from the party!
Of course, Tissa, you did do a lot of good for the Greens. Some will say that you were instrumental in bringing Ranil and Sajith together — and that is true. The only problem was that you didn’t know you were being used by Mahinda maama to ensure that Ranil would be his rival at the elections!
People tell me that the luck turned for the Greens after their performance at the Uva elections, but I knew that they would win, the moment I heard you had crossed over! Maybe the Blues took you because there is no one else in our country who can explain election defeats better than you do!
We heard you telling us that you are still in the Green party. I think you need to be a bit more realistic than that, Tissa. I don’t think they really want you back. Maithri will also not allow you to join the Blues either, after everything you have said about him during the campaign.
In a sense, Tissa, you remind me of Anura, the late Crown Prince. That chap, despite being the son of two Prime Ministers had to spend many years in the opposition. Then, just when his party was about to come into power, he crossed over to the Greens, his sister returned and she became Prime Minister!
Of course, it must hurt you that after so many years in the opposition and with only a few weeks to go for the election, you crossed over to the losing side. If you hadn’t, you would have been a minister today. If you are looking at someone to blame for that, I guess it would be that Sumanadasa chap!
But I don’t think you should be too disappointed that Tissa. Being a minister in this ‘yahapaalanaya’ government is not fun: You don’t get the ‘usual’ perks such as foreign trips, commissions and dozens of personal staff. Why, you can’t even have six vehicles and dozens of policemen escorting you!
Anyway Tissa, I am sure you must be pondering your future these days. Now that a general election is around the corner you must be thinking of contesting, but that would be a real challenge because even at the last elections, you crept in through the National List. Retirement, maybe? Think about it, Tissa.
Yours truly,
Punchi Putha
PS: If you are really in need of a party to contest the elections, Tissa, there is another option. I hear that Wimal sahodaraya, Vasu sahodaraya, Dinesh and ’100-rupee’ Udaya are forming a party and that their slogan would be to ask for a ‘Mahindaagamanaya’, again. And what better person to respond to a ‘Mahindaagamanaya’ than a Tissa, don’t you think?