5th Column

Your Eminence,

I thought I should write to you again this week, only because you have been making some controversial statements over the past few days. Though it can be argued that you are not really revealing anything that we didn’t already know, your words are still generating news headlines.

As you know, these are about the terrorist attacks on Easter Sunday two and a half years ago when 267 people died in 7 different locations around the country. The attacks shocked us then. Its consequences continue to be shocking to this day.

At that time, while it was evident that it was an act of terrorism committed in the name of religion, it was unclear who was the mastermind behind those attacks. No one really believed the theory that it was the brutal handiwork of a handful of terrorists acting on their own initiative.

We had inquiries to try and find out the truth – not one, but several. Cheerio Sirisena, who was the boss at the time, appointed the first committee soon after he returned from Singapore, where he was at the time of the attacks. Like many of Cheerio Sirisena’s other efforts, nothing came out of it.

The Greens were angry with Cheerio Sirisena then, so they appointed their own inquiring committee in Parliament. Many facts which were embarrassing to Sirisena came to light at that inquiry but the aim of that committee seemed to be just that – embarrassing Sirisena – and not getting at the real truth.

Meanwhile, Gota maama and his ‘pohottuwa’ chaps were busy cashing in on the fear that followed the attacks. On the Friday after the Easter Sunday attacks, Gota maama told us that he would be the ‘pohottuwa’ candidate. He was the man who stamped out terrorism once, he can do it again, he said.

Time was running out for Cheerio Sirisena. He was fast approaching the end of his term of office. Cheerio Sirisena fired back with a Commission of Inquiry, with less than two months to go before the end of his term. It wasn’t a very smart move, but Cheerio Sirisena is not well known for smart moves.

In the meantime, Your Eminence, you were asking for an inquiry that will reveal the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth about the attacks. You complained that Cheerio Sirisena and the Greens were dragging their feet. You will agree that your words helped Gota maama at the election.

By the time the third inquiry concluded its sittings and arrived at its findings, Cheerio Sirisena was out of power and out of place, and Gota maama was the boss. The Commission that Cheerio Sirisena appointed found him guilty and recommended that criminal proceedings be commenced against him.

Then we heard you complain that not all of the Commission’s findings were released and that nothing was being done to punish those responsible. Your Eminence has been saying so for some time at each anniversary of the attacks – but nothing has happened. That is why Your Eminence is angry about this.

While Gota maama must have been happy to see your support win him the election, he doesn’t seem to be keen to keep his promises of punishing the culprits. The sad truth, Your Eminence, is that you have been taken for a ride. If it is of any consolation, you are not alone. There are 6.9 million others.

Just the other day Your Eminence told us another story. You said Gota maama told you he cannot act on all the recommendations because it would make him unpopular. You were very annoyed about this and even predicted that those who came to power using the attacks won’t hold on to power for long.

Your Eminence, you shouldn’t be surprised. Just as much as Gota maama and his clan have never forgiven Cheerio Sirisena for ousting Mahinda maama once, they need him now because the 14 MPs he has are important to keep that two-thirds majority and pass the new Constitution next year.

That is why Gota maama won’t upset the apple cart and annoy Cheerio Sirisena too much – though he is treated like a leper and kept out of the Cabinet.

If we think that Gota maama has all the power he now needs with the 20th Amendment, we are wrong. We haven’t seen the new Constitution yet. What if it has a clause saying you need to have a specific name beginning with ‘R’ to run for President? That is not too far-fetched, that is what happens now!

The other day you wondered whether today’s decision makers are also part of the Easter Sunday conspiracy. Those are brave words but you can afford to speak them. Not everyone can. We only hope that those from the other side who make promises now will not let you down again, Your Eminence!

Yours truly,

Punchi Putha

PS: Even if someone does finally get to the bottom of this mystery and finds out who is responsible for the Easter Attacks, I doubt whether it will be of much use, Your Eminence, when we have an AG who burns the midnight oil withdrawing all the indictments filed when the present CJ was AG!