5th Column

My dear Chathurika,
I thought of writing to you when I heard that you had written a book about your father. I am told it is called ‘Janaadhipathi thaaththa’ or ‘Father who is President’. Well, congratulations, but all these years we didn’t know that we had a budding Dickens or Martin Wickramasinghe in our midst!

Already, some people doubt whether you really wrote that book because you were not known for your literary talents until now. It is not uncommon for leaders and other celebrities to have their books written by ghost writers – but you would have told us if that is what really happened, wouldn’t you?
I was also intrigued by the title of your book, Chathurika. I am not sure why you chose to call it ‘Janaadhipathi thaaththa’. Is it because we had someone else – and you know who – being called ‘Aaadambarakaara thaaththa’ (Proud father) and ‘Appachchi’ and you wanted a similar title?

It was also interesting to see that you had invited the children of former Presidents for the book launch. The daughter of William Gopallawa was there, as was Dulanjalee. I suppose Satellite’s children couldn’t attend because they were overseas but why did you forget to invite Namal?

In the book, you paint a picture of your father as a very principled man. You describe him as an honest politician although many will say that such persons don’t exist. So, while we admire him for his courage in taking on Mahinda maama two years ago, I hope you can also ask him a few questions.
Your father promised us a clean government and said he would get rid of those responsible for corruption. If so, can you ask Janaadhipathi thaaththa why he allowed corrupt people who lost at the election to sneak back in to Parliament through the National List and made some of them ministers?

Your father was elected on the votes of the Green party. The Blue party voted mostly for Mahinda maama. If so, can you ask Janaadhipathi thaaththa why he insists on controlling the Blue party when the majority of Blue party MPs don’t want him as their boss and have formed a separate group?

Your father promised he would punish culprits in the previous government, regardless of who they were. If so, can you ask Janaadhipathi thaaththa why the only people to be punished until now are Lalith and Pelpita? Is it because punishing others would affect his popularity within the Blue party?

Your father promised us an efficient government with a Cabinet of thirty ministers. If so, can you ask Janaadhipathi thaaththa why we now have almost a hundred ministers of one type or another who go about contradicting and attacking each other in public while no work gets done at all?
Your father was Minister of Health. We hoped our health system would flourish when he became the boss. If so, can you ask Janaadhipathi thaaththa why the GMOA is always on strike and all medical schools are at a standstill over a private medical school issue which has not been settled for so long?

Your father promised transparency in everything that he did. If so, can you ask Janaadhipathi thaaththa why he is allowing someone ridiculed by one of his own Cabinet ministers to continue as the boss of Sri Lanka Cricket, especially after we keep losing game after game and everyone blames him?

Your father claimed that Mahinda maama was a dictator and promised to be democratic in everything that he did. If so, can you ask Janaadhipathi thaaththa why local government and provincial council elections have been postponed? Is it because he fears that his Blue party will come third at the polls?

Your father promised to abolish the Executive Presidency. That was the reason why people voted for him. If so, can you ask Janaadhipathi thaaththa why many of his ministers are saying that he is the Blue party candidate at the next elections – and why he maintains a deafening silence about that?

Chathurika, we know that having a ‘Janaadhipathi thaaththa’ is not easy. You have said that you are not interested in politics and that you only believe in silently serving the people. The ‘Janaadhipathi puthaala’ we have had have not done very well either, so you can say the same about young Daham?

Yours truly,
Punchi Putha
PS: At the end of your book, you say that your Janaadhipathi thaaththa, the man who began his journey with only the clothes he had in a bag, will forsake all his powers and leave with clean hands and nothing else. That is encouraging but what you haven’t told us is whether that will be in a couple of years – as he promised – or much later. Wouldn’t you want to let us in on that little secret, Chathurika?