My Dear Mahinda maama,

I thought I must write to you now that you have achieved a new landmark for our country, eliminating terrorism that has been the scourge of this nation for the past three decades.

We all rejoiced in this event, Mahinda maama, and no one grudges the credit that is due to you. What was so special about it was the courage of your convictions and that no amount of distractions could deter you.
Especially during the last days of the war when the Milibands, Moons and Pillays were knocking on your door and demanding that you call off hostilities, you had the strength to say ‘no’ to them and we are grateful for that.

But now that the war is over, Mahinda maama, you must be careful about what you do next. The so-called ‘international community’, which didn’t quite like the way you went about the business of finishing the war without listening to what they had to say, is now waiting to point fingers at you and blame you.

That is why it is important that you get your act together not only in re-settling and rehabilitating all those who were displaced because of the war but also in bringing about a political settlement to the grievances of all communities.

Honestly, Mahinda maama, we are all confused about this ‘political solution’. We have heard quite a few stirring speeches from you since the end of the war where you have said there are no ‘minorities’ any more in this country. You have also assured the country that there will be a ‘home-grown’ solution to the political issues because you will not be dictated to by anyone as to what that solution should be.

All that is well and good Mahinda maama, but on one side, we hear Uncle Tissa saying that the 13th Amendment and a bit more would be offered as a means of devolving power. On the other hand, we have the Wimals and the Champikas-who are also part and parcel of the same grand coalition that you head- saying where the 13th Amendment belongs is in the dustbin of history.

So, just imagine the confusion among the communities that are seriously affected by all this chaos. I am sure they too would like to rebuild their lives now that the war is over, and they would be hoping for a fair deal from you. I sincerely hope you can deliver because we do not for a moment want you to win the war and lose the peace.

The Greens have said they are willing to support you on any steps you would take to ensure a meaningful political solution. All I can say is that for all their shortcomings, the Greens still command many more votes than all the Wimals, Champikas and Somawansas put together, so you should listen to what they say too. After all, they even helped you a great deal in all the recent elections that were conducted in the provinces!

I also think it is now time to call a halt to the celebrations and begin rebuilding the country in earnest. I heard you say that when we celebrate, we should be careful not to hurt anyone’s feelings and I think that is what will happen if the celebrations continue for too long, especially when hundreds of thousands are still in ‘camps’ with barely the basic necessities at their disposal.

While you think about all that, Mahinda maama, I hear you declined all those honorary degrees the universities were queuing up to confer on you. We have one such doctor who is now in the dock for allegedly swindling billions from unsuspecting people and another whose hobby is to go about threatening and bashing people, so it is no wonder that you didn’t want to be called ‘Doctor Mahinda’!

Yours truly,
Punchi Putha

PS-And talking of doctors, Mahinda maama, the man who is supposed to be in charge of them is making a mess of it and as a result we now have not only dengue to deal with but swine fever as well.

Remember, you won the war because you had the correct men leading the troops, so maybe you should apply the same principle to the war on these diseases as well!