5th Column

JJ could learn a lesson from his junior
My Dear Jay Jay
I thought I must write to you because you seem to be in the news for all the wrong reasons these days. But then, when I come to think of it, whenever you were in the news it was for the wrong reasons but you being the political animal that you are would say that there is no such thing as bad publicity!

But Jay Jay, whatever others may say, I thought that your attempted visit to the North was a brilliant exercise in public relations. Why, you even managed to look genuinely scared when all those young Tigers surrounded your vehicle!

And here we have pundits querying how dare they prevent a Minister from visiting that part of the country with only a ceasefire and some interim proposals being bandied about. What would happen if more powers were to be handed over to them, they ask?

But that was never the idea, was it, Jay Jay? Here you were, accused by all of being a Tiger yourself with many trips to the North while you were still in the Opposition and a ceasefire was only a distant dream. And no matter what you said, no one really believed you when you said you had no links with Velu's boys. But now, with this single incident, everyone has forgotten all that and is willing to accept you when you say that you are not on their side!

But whatever your intentions, many would still say that it was wrong for the Terror Boys to prevent you from attending that event. Here we are, agreeing to ceasefires and interim administrations and doling out money to rebuild the region and then they turn around and say we will take all that but this is our region and so you have no right to be here because 'your' Army is till in 'our' area!

It just maybe Velu has learnt this pot-calling-the-kettle-black strategy from the British High Commission in Colombo. I say so, Jay Jay, because the Brits have begun fingerprinting Visa applicants in Colombo like common criminals-and they say they have "selected" Sri Lanka for this "privilege" and our government doesn't even utter a word of protest! Maybe we should insist that their Visa officers-who were recently found to be selling Visas for money- be fingerprinted before they come here because we don't want British criminals crowding our already overcrowded criminal world, do we?

Anyway, Jay Jay, we are sure that you will make many more visits to Jaffna despite the difficulties you encountered last week. After all, you are the Minister of Rehabilitation, though these days you may be hearing people tell you that rehabilitation, like charity, begins at home…

Yours truly,
Punchi Putha

PS-Jay Jay, the trick of survival now is to learn from the younger generation. So, when you next visit Jaffna, take Junior along. That way, when they refuse you entry, he can ask, "Do you know who we are?" and proceed to bash up a few Tigers and they may even end up in hospital.

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