5th Column

Whose face did the missing plaque miss
"Thaaththa", Bindu Udagedera asked, "what is all this fuss about a foundation stone?"
"It is about the foundation stone for the new headquarters of the Blues…"
"But what is all this controversy about it?" Bindu wanted to know.

"Why, Bindu, Satellite was supposed to lay the foundation stone but she never turned up for the event…"
"What happened then?"
"Poor Mahinda had to do the honours but then he found that the plaque for the foundation stone didn't carry his name…"

"But thaaththa, if it was prepared to be opened by Satellite, it would probably have carried her name…" Bindu pointed out.
"But it still carried Mangala's and Maithripala's names…"
"There is always trouble when a Maithripala becomes a second in command in the Blue camp…" Bindu recalled.

"But the real problem came much later…" Percy said.
"Why is that, thaaththa?"
"The plaque suddenly went missing…"
"Who could have taken it away?"
"That is the question everyone is asking…" Percy said.

"May be Satellite herself took it away…" Bindu suggested.
"Why would she do that for?" Percy was puzzled.
"Well, she could secretly have a second opening ceremony at President's House, say in front of the Chief Justice, and years later could say that she did in fact lay the foundation stone just as she said she had a secret ceremony to take her oaths as President…"

"I'm not sure about that," Percy said, "but I would say Mahinda may have taken it away…"
"Why do you say that, thaaththa?"
"Why, he may have taken it to correct it and put his name in place of Satellite's as the person who laid the foundation stone…"
"I think Anura took it away, thaaththa…" Bindu said.
"Why, what would he want to do with it?"

"Why, thaaththa, the plaque carries only three pictures and they are of the three leaders of the Sri Lanka Family Party, the father, the mother and the daughter. I'm sure he feels his picture ought to be there too as the person who nursed the party when it was in opposition for nearly twenty years and when Satellite was hiding in England. So, maybe he took it away to insert his picture…"

"Well," Percy said, "if the plaque has to carry the pictures of all those who have helped the Sri Lanka Family Party to be in power right now, there would be quite a few wanting their picture there…"
"Who are they, thaaththa?"
"Right now, Arumugam would want his picture in it and so would Tilvin and Wimal…" Percy observed.

"And even the Buddhist monks deserve their picture to be in the plaque because they have, by doing nothing, helped the Blues to stay in power…"
"Then, I suppose Karuna deserves his picture to be there too…" Percy said.
"But thaaththa," Bindu said, "if the plaque should have only the picture of the person who helped the Blues most in recent times to stay in power, there can be only one contender for that honour…" Bindu said.

"And who is that?" Percy wanted to know, "are you suggesting they have only Satellite's picture in it?"
"No thaaththa," Bindu said, "they should have only Ranil's picture in it…"
Percy couldn't quite disagree with that suggestion.

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