5th Column

Velu in the uncommon role of peacemaker
My Dear Velu,
I thought I must write to you not to wish you a happy birthday because this year more than any you would have received many, many wishes from ministers, special envoys, European Commissioners and who knows, even from Presidents!

Instead, I thought I should find out how you are coping with your new found role of peacemaker and advisor to the Sri Lankan government about resolving their conflicts.
Let's face it, Velu, it must be a real change to be urging leaders of the South to come to the negotiating table while still being the leader of a terrorist outfit that is banned in most countries.

And it must be a far cry from those distant days when you were engaged in street fights with Uma in Madras or when you were held in custody by Mr. Gandhi to make sure you signed the Accord, an act for which you took your revenge by killing him.

It must also be quite a transformation for the man who planned and executed so many suicide bombings in Colombo and elsewhere, while still being in the safe haven of the Wanni when your cadres blindly paid with their lives just so you could claim to be the "sole representative" of the people you say you represent.

And just for the record, Velu, you tried to "negotiate"-if you can call it that- with two Sri Lankan leaders, both of whom were naïve enough to trust you. You killed one and tried to kill the other as well and she survived only because she was lucky.

Now suddenly, we are being told that you want peace at all cost and that it is only the bickering between the lady and the gentleman in the South that is preventing this. Almost overnight you have become Gandhian in your pronouncements and the lady and the gentleman are portrayed as warmongering dictators.

We cannot blame you if you consider yourself quite important now because people are writing books about your "elusive mind" and devoting newspaper columns to what you have for breakfast. Who knows, I won't be surprised if I find your name among the nominees for the Nobel Peace Prize next year!

And what's more, now you have the Selalihiniya facilitating your broadcasts to Europe just weeks after Satellite took over the Media Ministry and I am expecting the House by the Lake to issue a special colour poster of yourself for your next birthday, if circumstances remain as they are now.

Why, even Satellite, who was breathing fire and wanting to save the nation from you is suddenly sending you emissaries with little messages, isn't she? But Velu, you know and I know that the more things change the more they remain the same. I suspect everyone knows this but they are willing to forget this for the moment for their own convenience.

But for the moment, what else can we do but sit back and marvel at your good fortune in being able to hoodwink a good part of the country and the rest of the world into believing that you are the saviour of the people you claim to represent. As for the leaders on this side of the "peace" curtain, if they are looking for someone to blame for all this, they should not be looking at you but looking at themselves in the mirror…

Yours truly,
Punchi Putha
PS- Despite all your luck Velu, be careful however when you meet these foreign dignitaries. You wouldn't want to meet a certain person aspiring to be an official from the Commonwealth, would you?

Back to Columns