Making his debut last Tuesday at a joint services parade outside the Presidential Secretariat, he shook his head and bolted away from his position. To many, it seemed reminiscent of baby elephants moving to the rhythms of Baby Elephant Walk in John Wayne's spectacular film Hatari..

It began when three-year old Kandula, trained only for eight months, heard the shells explode. He raised his head to see media personnel disembarking from a dais. In between explosions, he heard footsteps of horses from the Police Mounted Division. Turning to the other side, his mahout explained later, Kandula saw his image on a reflector used by Rupavahini camera crew that cloudy day.

Kandula darted across the parade ground to the porch, below the flight of steps to the main entrance of the Presidential Secretariat, the former Parliament building.

Trying to enter the premises, for a while he found himself trapped between the two walls of the metal detector used for security checks. He shook and the device broke.
Veteran foreign correspondent Amal Jayasinghe reported to AFP news agency that Kandula's conduct came as the ruling UNP, whose symbol is the elephant, boycotted the ceremony.

But the postscript to the event came at a tea party at the end of the ceremonies. Those taking part saw Army Commander, Lt. Gen. Lionel Balagalle, explain to President Kumaratunga, somewhat apologetically, that Kandula had been restless on his very first appearance.

"That's not surprising to me. These are days when all elephants have become restless," she shot back.

Unwelcome intrusion
It was not only the mascot of the Army's Sinha Regiment that caused a mild stir at ceremonies to mark President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga's eighth year in office last Tuesday. There was a cellular phone too.

The three Service Commanders and Police Chief T.E. Anandarajah, all in ceremonial uniform, stood behind President Kumaratunga as she delivered her latest address to the nation, broadcast live countrywide.

Special invitees including those from the diplomatic community were in the conference hall of the Presidential Secretariat, once the well of Parliament, as she spoke.

Suddenly a phone began to vibrate in one of Mr. Anandarajah's pockets and then began to ring. Unruffled, the Police Chief quietly pulled out the cellular phone and knocked it off.

American connections
Now that the Sri Lanka-US relationship is at its coziest, and likely to become even cozier shortly, it is not surprising that "Sri Lanka watchers" found direct and indirect Sri Lanka connections in the recent US mid-term elections.

The most direct link was in the state of Virginia, where a Sri Lanka-born American, Dr. D.C. Amarasinghe, ran for a seat in the US House of Representatives and lost. He was a candidate of the Green (environmentalist) Party. He contested a veteran Republican sitting member. Congressman Shrock, in a traditionally conservative area and, says the local wisdom, was "shrocked". He received 20,589 votes to Shrock's 103,821.

A regional newspaper, the "Virginia-Pilot", gave him a bit of a boost during the election campaign when it reported that "the trained surgeon has been known to offer free and discounted medical care for people who lack insurance and can't pay." Compassion alone could not deliver. A creditable candidate would need $ 2 million to unseat Shrock, said the newspaper, but Amarasinghe was able to raise only between $ 5,000 and $ 10,000.

An indirect Sri Lanka connection was noted in the neighbouring state of Maryland, where Chris van Hollen, a vocal and highly respected liberal from the Democratic Party scored two major victories. First, he knocked off a member of the Kennedy clan who wanted to be the Democratic candidate. Then, he easily defeated the sitting Republican Congresswoman who had held her seat for 16 years. Van Hollen knows Sri Lanka well and spent his formative years in Colombo.

His father, Chris van Hollen Sr. was the US ambassador to Sri Lanka in the seventies. The senior Van Hollen and his wife, Eliza, are both retired State Department professionals. They maintain a close interest in Sri Lanka, and have a large circle of Sri Lankan friends. Many Sri Lankans are said to have voted for the son because of their regard for his parents.

Closer to New York, there was still another indirect connection in the election for a Senator from New Jersey. The sitting Senator, Robert Toricelli, a Democrat, pulled out of the race just a few weeks before the election, because he feared that he would be defeated, and thus the slim Democratic majority in the US Senate would be lost. The Democrats won the Senate race in New Jersey with a substitute candidate, but lost their Senate majority, anyhow.

Before he entered the Senate, Toricelli was a Congressman for several years, and as a member of the House of Foreign Relations Committee took a very keen interest in Sri Lankan affairs.

For many years, he was Sri Lanka's closest friend in the committee, and was quick on his feet, rebutting claims made by pro-LTTE groups. His commitment to Sri Lanka's cause, says knowledgeable sources, was very much the work of a distinguished Sri Lankan surgeon, Dr. Jeeva Ganepola, and his wife, Manel, who have lived in New Jersey for many years.

Back to Top

Back to Columns

Copyright © 2001 Wijeya Newspapers Ltd. All rights reserved.
Webmaster