5th Column

My dear Green Man,

I am writing to you to congratulate you on your assumption of office as PM, yet again, for a record fifth time. This time it was special because you had to fight for several weeks against Aiyo Sirisena’s devious plans. What is important, though, is that you eventually got what was rightfully yours.

You must surely be proud of being appointed for a record fifth time because even the lovable Dudley managed it only thrice and the world’s first lady to hold the job, Sirima, did so four times. Of course, that is nothing new because records come naturally to you and you have broken many of them.

For instance, you have been leader of the Greens for almost 25 years and that is a record. Your critics keep reminding us that you hold the record for the most number of elections lost under a party leader and we have now lost count as to how many that is but this is not a time to focus on that.

I don’t know whether you have realised it, Green Man, but under your leadership the Greens have never won a simple majority in Parliament. Whenever you won, be it in 2001 or 2015, that majority eluded you, so you had to govern in coalitions. As we all saw recently, that is far from ideal.

You may have been PM the most number of times, but did you also realise that you have never served a full term of office? It has been your misfortune that, apart from that short stint with Dearly Beloved, you were PM under Blue Presidents, first Satellite and then Aiyo Sirisena, and they both sacked you!

Now, don’t get me wrong, Green Man, it is not all your fault. You have been unlucky too. When you first ran for the top job, you were expected to win against Satellite but an eleventh-hour bomb blast tilted the vote decisively in her favour. Satellite may have lost an eye, but she won an election.

The next time you ran against Mahinda maama after eleven years of Blue party rule and even Satellite was not wholeheartedly supporting him. However, he got Velu to call for a boycott of the election in the North and East. That sealed your fate and even then, he won only with the slightest of margins.

Still, Green Man, you can’t complain about not being given opportunities. The last few years are an example. We expected you to punish the rogues, revive the economy and get rid of the Presidency. What we got instead was the Greens trying to rob the Central Bank. So, people are very angry.

Still, in the weeks that Aiyo Sirisena tried to oust you, many people rallied around you. That is because they believed in justice and the rule of law and didn’t want anyone tampering with the Constitution. That tells us that the ideals which got you into office are still very much alive and well.

Karu did what was right, despite the despicable insults that were hurled at him. Green backbenchers stood by you despite the millions of rupees that were thrown at them – except fellows like Wasantha, who some say descends from DS’s horse rather than from him because of the way he jumps!

Green Man, I hope you don’t make the same mistake that Aiyo Sirisena made. When he won the big election, he thought people voted for him. They didn’t. They voted against Mahinda maama’s family rule and disregard for democracy. Aiyo Sirisena got it wrong and got too big for his sereppu (slippers).

Similarly, when people supported you in recent weeks, they were not really endorsing you. They were only protesting against Aiyo Sirisena’s blatant attempts to abuse the Constitution. So, you shouldn’t entertain the silly idea that the people have forgiven all your sins and given you a new mandate.

What they have given you is yet another chance to make good on the promises you made three years ago. You have one year to do so. If you fail, they will turn on you with a vengeance and, if recent history is anything to go by, one year is plenty of time for the Greens to mess things up in style.

I am worried because the first signs we see suggest that the Greens are heading that way. What were you thinking when you re-appointed Ravi to the Cabinet?  Do you think you are giving the right message to the people who supported you against cronyism, corruption and abuse of power?

I know you have to limit the number of ministers – at least for now – but your choices for ministerial posts show that you prefer old fossils in the Green camp instead of infusing young blood. We see the same old faces while the second tier is languishing, waiting for an opportunity to prove themselves.

We saw Aiyo Sirisena give a stern dressing down to the bigwigs of the Greens soon after you were sworn in. Now we all know that he was doing that to cover-up his blunders and for the benefit of the cameras but still, some of what he said is quite true, so you need to listen carefully to what he said.

I can assure you, the next year will be difficult. Aiyo Sirisena will do everything he can to sabotage what you do – as he has already done by keeping the Police under his purview – and Mahinda maama will be plotting your downfall again. Green Man, your task is simple: perform or perish in the polls.

Yours truly,

Punchi Putha

PS – You owe a debt to Sajith too. He has repaid in kind for what you did 27 years ago: Standing by his father, when he was impeached. Many feel that if he is given the reins in some way, the Greens can win – or else, it maybe curtains for all of you. Think about it, will you, Green Man?