Unpopular
Permanently Fighting Alliance and Useless and Neglected Force
"Thaaththa," Bindu Udagedera asked, "what is all
this fighting between the Blues and the Reds?"
"Who said they are fighting?" Bindu's father Percy wanted
to know.
"Why, thaaththa, the Reds are once again saying they will leave
the government…"
"Ah,"
Percy said, "they say that almost every day but they never
do it…"
"But thaaththa, they have now gone even further than just threatening
to leave…"
"Why, what have they done now?"
"Why,
they have threatened to support a no-confidence motion against a
Blue Chief Minister in the Western Province…"
"But they haven't done that yet, have they?" Percy asked.
"No, they haven't but they are about to…" Bindu
explained.
"Ah, that is all propaganda, Bindu…" Percy suggested.
"Why
do you say that, thaaththa?"
"Why, the state television and newspapers are saying that all
these stories about these rifts in the government being a creation
of the media mafia…"
"But surely, thaaththa, we can't believe what they say…"
Bindu argued.
"Why
not?" Percy wanted to know.
"Why, thaaththa, even the media minister no longer controls
the state media…"
"How could you say that?"
"Why, Satellite has appointed the finance minister to deal
with the government owned television stations and newspapers…"
"Ah, that explains the media mafia story then…"
Percy said.
"Why
is that?"
"Why, it must be the fFinance minister's media mafia that the
media minister is worried about now…"
"But thaaththa, what amazes me is what the Greens are doing
in the middle of all this…"
"What is that?" Percy queried.
"Why,
thaaththa, just look at what is going on in the government; the
Reds are fighting the Blues, the Blues are fighting among themselves
to control the media, no one is fighting with the Tigers but the
Reds wants us to fight with the Tigers…"
"So, what is wrong with all that?" Percy demanded, "it
is a sign that we are a healthy democracy…"
"But thaaththa we lack something that a healthy democracy always
has…" Bindu said.
"What
is that?"
"Why, we lack a healthy opposition which is able to exploit
the weaknesses of the government because the Greens don't seem to
be able to that…"
"Of course we do have an opposition that is exploiting what
is going on…" Percy said.
"How can you say that?" Bindu
"Why, Bindu, we are such a healthy democracy that we have an
opposition within the government that is cleverly exploiting the
weaknesses of the government…"
"You are referring to the Reds of course…" Bindu
said.
"Yes,"
Percy agreed, "I suppose they see themselves as the opposition
within the government…"
"Then, why do they call it the United Peoples' Freedom Alliance
or the UPFA, thaaththa?" Bindu was puzzled.
"No,
Bindu," Percy explained, "It is called the UPFA because
it has now become the Unpopular Permanently Fighting Alliance…"
"Then why do call the Greens the United National Front or the
UNF?"
"It is called the UNF because it has now become a Useless and
Neglected Force…"
Bindu didn't disagree. |
