5th Column

My dear Patali Champika,

I thought of writing to you when I heard the news that you had resigned from the ‘urumaya’ of the ‘jathika’ type. The announcement came as something of a surprise although we always knew that you were not one to be content with being just a partner in a coalition for the rest of your political life.

The news of your resignation was also lost in the headlines that are generally dominated by the coronavirus these days, what with all the good work done by Gota maama during the early days of the pandemic being lost by Pavithra throwing pots of water into rivers and drinking ‘peni’ as a cure.

I must say, Patali, that the change we have seen in you over the years has been remarkable. When we first heard of you, it was as a firebrand, stoking the flames of nationalism in the name of the majority community. Just to ensure we got the message, your party even had the name ‘sihala’ attached to it.

That changed quickly though, even if it was only by name, becoming ‘jathika’ instead. With that title, someone came up with the bright idea of getting Buddhist monks to run for Parliament. Given the climate in the country at the time with the war at its peak, it was a political masterstroke.

Maybe you took a leaf out of SWRD’s book, using patriotism to appeal to the majority. Your slogans tied in well with Mahinda maama’s at a time when he too was struggling to make a name for himself in the Blue party with Satellite trying her best to clip his wings. So, you joined his bandwagon.

Your party was successful at the next election and the people elected no less than nine monks to Parliament. For a fledgling party trying to make its mark on a national scale, it was a significant achievement. What’s more, it gave a whole new meaning to the term ‘manthree hamuduruwo’!

Then, your star was on the rise. Soon, one of the monks resigned and not only were you in Parliament, you were also fast-tracked into the Cabinet by Mahinda maama who was probably impressed by your background as a professional, but was also keen on ensuring that he had the support of your party.

You continued to support Mahinda maama and were rewarded with the prestigious ministry managing the country’s power supplies. I think that is where your relationship with Mahinda maama began to sour. You didn’t always do what you were asked to do and a few years later, you were out of favour.

Five years ago, you were one of those who took that leap of faith, believing that Cheerio Sirisena will change the political system and get rid of an office where all the power was concentrated in one individual. Instead, he betrayed the faith placed in him and hoodwinked millions, including you.

Your sidekick, the garrulous Gammanpila who was always dwarfed by your shadow also initially supported Sirisena but reverted to Mahinda maama awhile later. He had to suffer for a few years while Cheerio Sirisena was the boss, but today, he is a minister while you are languishing in the opposition.

Obviously, you believe that you are destined for greater things, but to make any real progress you also need to be in an established party, not just the leader of a coalition partner. Otherwise you will end your days like Vasu or Dinesh, always a minister but with zero chance of making it to the top.

Unfortunately for you, the Greens have all but been annihilated from the game and the telephone chaps have become the next best thing. You are now with them, but also being with the ‘urumaya’ could be a ‘karumaya’ for you. Is that why you decided to make a clean break from the ‘urumaya’?

We hope your reason to leave the ‘urumaya’ is not the same reason that countless others – such as SB, the late Thonda, Rauff and Rishard for example – have changed parties from time to time. You don’t want to be classed with them and be known by your initials as ‘Pa Cha’ Ranawaka, do you?

Whatever the reason, I hope you realise that the task before you and the telephone chaps will not be easy. Their team appear to be making the same mistake that the Greens did – believing that being the major opposition party will be enough to guarantee a victory at the next big election in five years.

You should also realise that you and Sajith will need to work together for many more years if the telephone party is to succeed. It will be interesting to see how that works out because both of you are ambitious people and are about the same age. We hope one doesn’t try to outdo the other.

You have come a long way from being the young man spouting fiery nationalistic rhetoric to becoming a more mellowed politician who is able to accommodate all races and religions on the same platform. Yet, we get the feeling that your journey has only begun – you still have a long way to go.

Yours truly,

Punchi Putha

PS: The powers that be have recognised your value. That is why the wheels of justice are turning fast in the case where you were allegedly involved in an accident. Justice seems to be working in a funny way in Paradise – all ruling party accused are acquitted and all opposition party accused are charged!