Mervyn Silva was taking his oaths as Deputy Minister of Media at a nationally-televised ceremony at the Presidential Secretariat on Friday.
As he walked towards the President, hands clasped in greeting, he paused for a while. Then he loosened his cuffs, pulled the sleeves of his shirt up and showed his wrist. He whispered a few words. He showed an abrasion on his wrist, once used to place a saline drip and said he had worked tirelessly for the party. Then he placed his signature before he received his letter of appointment.
Later, when the swearing in was over, NFF's Wimal Weerawansa was to remark to President Rajapaksa that the talking point in the media would be about Mervyn's appointment and not the swearing in of the new Cabinet. "I want him to be the talking point. Let them talk more about it," replied Rajapaksa.
Silva, it turns out, is not all gung ho when it comes to some issues. Last week, it was the death anniversary of his beloved mother. Besides praying for her soul and giving alms, he wanted to do more good deeds. That was to earn more merit.
He walked to "Kandy," a clothing shop in Kiribathgoda town, one day when his mother's seventh-day alms giving was under way. He ordered the security to close the doors immediately.
He then made an announcement. Any customer who was inside could buy any item in the shop. He placed a ceiling of Rs 700,000. He said he was doing so in memory of his mother and this was one of the ways in which he was commemorating the seventh-day alms giving. There was a mad scramble.
There were only a handful of shoppers inside. Yet they seized the opportunity. The shop owner said Mervyn Silva had done the same act in a branch shop as well.
In Kiribathgoda, the Deputy Minister's bill came to only Rs 380,000.
There were two types of customers. Some praised Mervyn to high heavens for his philanthropy and good heartedness. There were others who thought otherwise. Neverthless, all customers availed themselves of the golden opportunity.
One wag said, he should have done that at a wine store. Only because Mervyn had ordered all of them to be shut down for a few days.
Seafood bait for Ranil
The best way to a man's heart is through his stomach, they say; so what better way to be on the good books of the leader as he mulls over whom to appoint on the National List.
Last Saturday, three prospective UNP National List hopefuls took Party Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe to dinner at the Lagoon restaurant of the five-star Cinnamon Grand for a seafood fiesta; while party lawyers were preparing to grill and roast their leader for overlooking them on the National List.
The trio had their way eventually - all nominated to Parliament on the National List while party seniors and loyal lawyers were left to sulk.
Champika's billboard blackout
Former Environment Minister Champika Ranawaka used some bill boards and posters during his polls campaign in the Colombo district.
However, unlike other politicos, when the polls were over, he deployed a team to go around removing them. Some of his men were in a hurry.
They not only brought down the bill boards, some placed on lamp posts just in front of lights, but also cracked the bulbs. Some parts of Wijerama in the Nugegoda area are in darkness.
Residents had the lights installed there to prevent criminals from snatching chains of women. With the lights broken, two such incidents have already occurred.
The man who indirectly caused the blackout has the power now to restore the lights. Residents are waiting expectantly.
No takers for top CID posts
Police Chief Mahinda Balasuriya sent out a circular, calling upon his men to apply if they wished to take up top posts in the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). There was no response.
Recently, Mr. Balasuriya removed some of the senior and experienced men in the CID. He posted officers hand picked by him.
Daya Samaraweera, the DIG who was to take over, has declined the offer. Hence, the post has now been given to a temporary DIG, Jayantha Gunatilleke.
Among those who have been moved out now are: D.D. Ranasinghe SSP, Deputy Director; Wimal Samarawickrema SSP (in charge of illicit immigration), G.K. Nanayakkara ASP (head of Interpol local branch); Shani Abeysekera ASP (in charge of homicide); P. Ampavila ASP (in charge of terrorism financing); R.A. Karunaratne, ASP; and Woman ASP S.A. Jayasundera.
Among the new appointees picked by the Police Chief to the CID are K.K. Silva SP from the Operations Headquarters Colombo, T.B. Dissanayake SP from Kelaniya division, D.A.J. Karawita SP from Special Branch, C.C. Galappathi from Negombo division, B.P. Chandrasiri from Nugegoda division, S.R. Nagahamulla from Kegalle division, M.A. Amaraweera ASP from Mannar division, E.J.S. Saram ASP from Bandarawela, A.M. Panamaldeniya ASP from Attanagalla and S. Keerthipala ASP from Western Province (intelligence).
Police circles are also buzzing with reports that Police Chief Balasuriya had made his own personal choices for a team of Police officers to visit South Korea. Applications had not been called for. Nor had heads of police divisions been consulted on the matter. A team of DIGs, SPs and a Chief Inspector are now on a two-week junket in South Korea.
Off-the-record diplomat
"I am a new-school diplomat, nothing off the record, nothing that cannot be asked from me. We all have our jobs and should all have fun."
Those are the words of journalist-turned-diplomat Bandula Jayasekera. Just a week ago, he assumed office as Deputy Permanent Representative at the United Nations becoming number two to Dr.Palitha Kohona. Jayasekera was earlier Sri Lanka's consul in Toronto.
His remarks were quoted in the Inner City Press, a news agency that operates at the UN. They were among the invitees to a reception Dr. Kohona accorded in his 38th floor New York apartment to Jayasekera.
Of course, Jayasekera has not said which school, either in Sri Lanka or abroad, that teaches journalists to say, "there is nothing off the record." Naturally, a lot of things are going to be asked from Jayasekera.
Even if he could not answer some of them in Canada, he may match up with his boss Kohona this time. |
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