5th columns

"Thaaththa," Bindu Udagedera asked, "who is a terrorist?"
"A terrorist is someone who uses tactics of terror usually against unsuspecting members of the public" Bindu's father Percy explained, "but why do you want to know that?"
"Why, thaaththa, everybody is calling everyone else a terrorist these days..." Bindu said.
"Who is calling whom a terrorist?" Percy wanted to know.

"Why, thaaththa," Bindu said, "first, Minister Jeyaraj called that John Holmes chap from the United Nations a terrorist..."
"Ah, yes," Percy said, "but that doesn't mean we should take Jeyaraj seriously..." Percy said, "he is just another minister saying what he is supposed to say to defend the government..."
"But apparently there are terrorists even among ministers..." Bindu observed.
"How could you say that?" Percy was startled.

"Why, thaaththa, there are some ministers who accuse other ministers of being terrorists..."
"Who is that?" Percy inquired.
"Why, our minister from the Hela Urumaya is accusing Minister Tissa Vitharana of being part of a conspiracy hatched by the Tigers..."
"Well," Percy said, "people higher than ministers have been accused of being part of a conspiracy hatched by the Tigers..."
"Who is that, thaaththa?" Bindu wanted to know.

"Why, Bindu, isn't someone accusing someone else of striking a deal with the Tigers to prevent voting in the North and East during the last big election?" Percy recalled.
"That is true," Bindu agreed.
"So, allegations will be made," Percy said, "but what is sad is that Ministers like Tissa Vitharana who are among the few sensible people left in the Cabinet are accused of being terrorists..."
"But thaaththa," Bindu asked, "can people who call others terrorists sit in the same Cabinet with them?"
"In this cabinet, Bindu, anything is possible..." Percy declared.

"Why do you say that, thaaththa?"
"Why Mahinda maama is sitting in the same Cabinet with some of the Greens who crossed over with Karu and they are the people who were his harshest critics at the last big election..." Percy pointed out.
"Is this ability to work with your former enemies related to your intelligence, thaaththa?" Bindu queried.
"I am not so sure about that," Percy said, "but why are you worried about intelligence?" Percy asked.
"Why, thaaththa, even the Supreme Court is worried about intellignce now..." Bindu observed.

"Why is that, Bindu?" Percy wanted to know.
"Why, thaaththa, the Supreme Court has pointed out that intellignece of a child needs to be assessed when he is entering school but that no such assessment is made when someone is entering Parliament..." Bindu recalled.
"I don't think the Supreme Court was thinking about any parliamentarian in particular..." Percy said.
"Maybe not," Bindu agreed, "because even parliamentarians like Mervyn have a doctorate to prove their intelligence..."
"There are better ways of parliamentarians proving their intellignece, Bindu..." Percy declared.
"And what is that, thaaththa?" Bindu wanted to know.

"Why, Bindu, who else but an extremely intelligent person would arrange to get a benz car on a duty free permit, then sell it to someone else and then claim he did nothing wrong because he donated the proceeds to charity?"
"And I wonder what the Supreme Court would say to that..." Bindu said.
Percy wondered too.

Here a terrorist, there a terrorist, everywhere a terrorist