5th Column

My dear Mahinda maama,
I thought I must write to you after seeing you come out of the shadows at Nugegoda on Friday, saying that you want to topple the government and become the boss again. There are a few questions about that, of course, but it was good to see you doing what you do best – battling for the opposition!

I am not sure whether you realised this, Mahinda maama, but had you not called for early elections, your second term of office would have ended only on Friday, the same day that you addressed the Nugegoda rally. I suppose you have no one to blame but Sumaney- and yourself, for believing him.

You must be surely thanking the ‘yahapaalanaya’ chaps – including Maithri and the Green Man – for the position that you are in now. They seem to be unable to get anything right and, after two years in power, they have very little to show for it, so much so that some people want you back at the top!

What is interesting is that, speaking at Nugegoda, you reserved your harshest criticism for Maithri – and not the Greens or the Green Man. So, I suppose all that talk about ‘reconciliation’, not in the country but among the Blues themselves, amounts to nothing and you will go your separate ways?

You accused Maithri of promising to abolish the Executive Presidency during his election campaign but trying to run again for President. We too are puzzled by that, Mahinda maama but haven’t you forgotten that you too did just that? And just to put the record straight, so did good old Satellite!

Maithri promised to abolish the presidency, after he took his oaths, a few days later at the Dalada Maligawa and even a few months ago at Sobhitha hamuduruwo’s funeral but now he is singing a different tune. Who knows, like you, he might even amend the Constitution to run for a third time!

Mahinda maama, do you realise that even if you did ‘topple’ Maithri from his pedestal, you can’t still be the boss? You’ve been the boss twice and, as the Constitution stands now, you can’t do it again. Be careful about what you say, or else, you will help topple Maithri and the Green Man will take over!

All this talk about ‘toppling’ Maithri is puzzling for us, Mahinda maama, because only a few weeks ago you were telling us that you were willing to be his Prime Minister. Have you forgotten that this is someone who made an ‘address to the nation’ to tell us that he will never appoint you as his PM?

He may have been just your Health Minister and he is not as charming or charismatic as you are, but I don’t think you should underestimate Maithri, Mahinda maama. He has the knack of doing the right thing at the right time, which is why he left your team two years ago – and went on to become the boss.

Why, only the other day he was appointing a special commission into the infamous Central Bank bond sale. I don’t think even James Bond can solve this problems with our bonds but I suspect Maithri was up to his old tricks, killing several birds with one stone. Let me explain why, Mahinda maama.

When the commission gets going, the Greens will be running for cover and your chaps will be doing the same, because it will be inquiring into not only what happened under Mahendran but also into what went on under Cabraal. So beware, Mahinda maama, Maithri might be smarter than you think!

What also worries me, Mahinda maama, are the people around you. I think many agree that you did what nobody else did by ending the war. They are grateful for that. After that however, those around you started behaving as if they were a law unto themselves. They did whatever was best for them.

As far as we could see at Nugegoda, these are the people still around you, except of course, the treacherous few who have now joined Maithri. Why, even Wimal was there, even if not in person, at least on the screen! So, do you really think people will trust you again with the same scoundrels?

We wish you well, Mahinda maama, but I must tell you that most people are very disappointed. They were disappointed with you, so they sent you home. They are disappointed that yahapaalanaya is not what it was meant to be. Now, they are even more disappointed because they have no alternative!

Yours truly,
Punchi Putha
PS: We heard you say at Nugegoda that when you return to power, you will be returning all the money that has been stolen from the government’s coffers. Many people are asking whether that would include what was stolen during your time? What would you say to that, Mahinda maama?