Thank you, welcome --- it’s post-takeover politics
There is talk about talk about talk about talks. There are also the coy snapshots.
It has also the media attention of the global networks. There is the sidebar story about the body language and what the concerned parties did during their childhood. There are the talks between Sri Lanka's bitter enemies. Chandrika Kumaratunga and Ranil Wickremesinghe.

Soon they will be looking for mediators. But the mediators are taking off. The mediators were in a neck of the woods where last week, there was very little excitement.

The Wanni.
Velupilali Prabhakaran is like an ingénue these days, when he meets the Norwegians and casually gestures them towards his inner sanctum. He is sanity itself in a safari suit.

This is as opposed to bedlam in a sari -- and utter confusion in a blue blazer. Chandrika Kumaratunga was in a pink sari and Ranil Wickremesinghe in a blue blazer when they met at the President's house this week for talks, according to the newscasters.

Perhaps Prabhakaran should have been wearing pink and Mrs Kumaratunga should have been wearing the safari suit, but that's just a thought. All that can be said is that this politeness is killing us.

This is very genteel, and even the Norwegians cannot keep pace with this reality. Ranil Wickremesinghe says in very subdued tones to his parliamentary group that he told Madam President that she can have it all. The whispered tones are to match his aura of politeness and gentility, but it just does not go down well with at least some of his MPs. Those shooting-in-the air types sit there with a permanent scowl on their face. But Ranil Wickremesinghe goes on undeterred.

The sound track does not even catch what he says -- but that suits the times. This is supposed to be a conspiracy between him and the masses. Ranil Wickremesinghe, a new kind of selfless leader who is willing to hand over the Nobel Peace prize on a platter to his chief opponent, Chandrika Kumaratunga…. In Asia, even mother Teresa didn't come close to this kind of sainthood.

Nobody is coming on to the streets. Ranil Wickremesinghe has made that clear - "nobody is coming onto the streets.'' Kumaratunga has made it clear, nothing unconstitutional here boys, no emergency, no breaching of the ceasefire, even if the ceasefire is illegal. Repeat, even an illegal ceasefire will be honoured in this country.
Everybody is going so much out of the way to say that there is no confrontation, that people wake up in a cold sweat asking "where is the crisis?'' Everybody is talking. Prabhakaran is talking. The President is talking. The Prime Minister is talking. The Norwegians are talking.

Everybody also is engulfed in the spirit of giving. Wickremesinghe wants to "give'' the peace to Chandrika, and Chandrika wants to "grant'' a national government to Ranil. In fact it is all about sharing -- that's why the people are waking up in a cold sweat. Their nightmare has turned out to be a lovefest, a tableau of exceeding sweetness.

Everybody is single minded on assuring that there is no battle ahead. Prabhakaran says there will never be battle. Chandrika says, it is all a constitutional exercise, and the ceasefire will be honoured. War? What war? It's only a bogey she says. Ranil says it is all constitutional. Coming out to the streets? Battle? War? What war? "No war!"all three of them say in unison.
I listen to all of them. And it scares the hell out of me.

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