5th Column

South observes stony silence over NE rift
My Dear Velu,
I thought I must write to you after hearing that there was a tiny dispute among your ranks with that Karuna chap in the East. Needless to say Velu, this turn of events has caught all of us by total surprise and most of us, including the leading Blues and Greens don't know what to do about it.

Velu, don't get me wrong. In the South at least, we have always been divided and what the Blues put together, the Greens always destroy and of course, what the Greens put together, the Blues always destroyed. Very soon I suppose, the Reds will destroy what either of them put together.

But Velu, for some twenty years now you have succeeded in ruling the Tigers with an iron fist and no one dared to oppose you openly. Of course there has been the odd protestor every now and then but they have been promptly despatched to the cemetery, haven't they?

Now, what strikes me as odd about all this is not Karuna's defiance. What is really unusual is what the South is saying to all this. Just imagine, for the first time in twenty years they find their enemy deeply divided and you would expect them to explore the old British policy of 'divide and rule' and try to gain the upper hand. Instead, what do they do? They are running scared that the ceasefire will be violated and holding bodhi poojas to prevent war from breaking out between the North and the East!

Remember Velu, when Satellite and the Green Man were fighting you smartly said that the South should put its own house in order first and then you will deal with whoever emerges as the real leader? Now, I would have expected a similar statement from either Satellite or the Green Man but then what we hear now is a deafening silence.

But of course, you do know that this is not because they love you so much but only because they have a general election looming before them and they don't want anything -not even an opportunity to beat the Tigers at their own game-to upset their chances of winning at the polls!

Velu, I did hear that you were willing to pardon Karuna if he apologised but that is not quite your style, is it? And what would you do with him after pardoning him? If you haven't identified a job for him yet maybe you could make him the president of the Thamil Eelam Cricket Board-that is where governments put their former friends who have now become embarrassments…

But how you and Karuna would resolve this dispute is another matter. Perhaps with the cricket season now on, this is best done with a third umpire and I could suggest a few very impartial people such as the General from Kandy who has no job now or even Seeni Bola and Mahinda W who must be used to settling disputes between rowdy youngsters…

Whatever happens, we await the outcome with great anticipation and hope that you won't let us down…

Yours truly,
Punchi Putha
PS-Pardon me if I am wrong and I know that you are now a person who hates violence but I can't resist asking whether Karuna will join that long list of people who had differences of opinion with you, people like Uma, Appapillai and Rajiv?

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