In
happy mood
Controversial UNP MP T. Maheswaran was in a happy mood on Thursday.
The reason was it was the birthday of his party leader Ranil Wickremesinghe.
He (Maheswaran) came to the House with a packet of sukiri, the sweet
food item eaten by Hindus on all auspicious days.
And
not only was this enjoyed by his UNP colleagues but also by Chief
Government Whip Jeyaraj Fernandopulle and Agriculture Minister Anura
Dissanayake who also tucked into the little treat.
In
sarong to Parliament
A group of relief workers attached to an NGO from the
USA were visiting Parliament and had come in their tee shirts and
shorts. There was no way they could enter the public galleries of
the August assembly in their casual attire. So other than turning
them away, a solution was found. A hurried search was done and they
were all given a sarong each to wrap around their bodies.
And
then they were allowed to sit and watch the local parliamentarians
in action. Wonder if such clothes are allowed for those who visit
the US legislature.
Not
an NGO basher
And on the subject of NGOs, Finance Minister Sarath Amunugama
was not among the "NGO bashers" in Parliament on Thursday.
He said whenever there was a problem, some people wanted to bash
NGOs. He said there were many doing good work while at the same
time there were some who were giving a bad name to the country.
What
an education!
The rationale behind bringing primary school children
to see the Legislature is difficult to understand. Many come from
many a mile away and are forced to stand for a considerable period
of time waiting to get in to see the inside of the Chambers. And
many also go away without any sort of refreshments despite the long
journey.
No
wonder some of the smaller children were feeling sick and tired
last week, especially after climbing four flights of stairs to get
to the public galleries and then to witness a vicious exchange of
words between UNP MP Bandula Gunawardena and Deputy Power and Energy
Minister Mahindanada Aluthgamage. How their references to each other
as thugs, liars and rogues will help improve the children's educational
standards is a mystery.
Sex
change for scribes
And finally, the Information Department which issues accreditation
cards to media personnel has chosen to turn many a Ms., and Mrs.
into Mr. Hence many female journalists have been referred to as
Mr. That too on IDs where a photo of the journalist is attached.
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