“Thaaththa,” Bindu Udagedera asked, “what is all this fuss about the Greens electing a new leader?”
“Why, Bindu,” Bindu’s father Percy wanted to know, “who is making a fuss about it?”
“Why, thaaththa,” Bindu said, “everyone in the Green party is excited about it…”
“How can you say that??” Percy wanted to know.
“Why, thaaththa,” Bindu explained, “everyday on the television, someone is saying something about it…”
“Well,” Percy said, “they are entitled to their opinions, of course…”
“But thaaththa,” Bindu pointed out, “now they have even appointed a committee to study the matter…”
“But,” Percy asked, “haven’t they appointed so many committees earlier also, for this same purpose?”
“Yes, they have,” Bindu conceded.
“So, what is different this time?” Percy wanted to know.
“Well,” Bindu observed, “this time, the pressure on Uncle Ranil to do something is greater than before?”
“That may be so,” Percy said, “but that doesn’t always mean that he will do something about it…”
“Then, thaaththa,” Bindu said, “there is another reason as well…”
“And what reason is that?” Percy inquired.
“Now, unlike before, there is a challenger to Uncle Ranil as well…” Bindu declared.
“And who would that be?” Percy wondered.
“Why, thaaththa, Uncle Sajith says he is willing to take on Uncle Ranil’s job…” Bindu recalled.
“He may be willing to take it on,” Percy said, “but are the Greens willing to give it to him?”
“That is the big question…” Bindu said, “and that is what this committee is supposed to find out…”
“And how would they do that?” Percy asked.
“I think they are in the process of finding out the views of all concerned in the Green Party…” Bindu recalled.
“But, Bindu,” Percy asked, “why is there such a mighty hurry to reform the Green party?”
“Why, thaaththa,” Bindu was surprised, “they want to make changes in the party so that they won’t suffer any more election defeats…”
“And why do they want to do that now?” Percy was not impressed.
“Because,” Bindu said, “they have lost more than a dozen elections in a row now and I suppose they don’t want to lose any more elections in the future…”
“But still,” Percy persisted, “what is this hurry to elect a new leader?”
“Why, thaaththa,” Bindu said, “I suppose they believe that the sooner they elect a new leader, the better it is for the party…”
“But, Bindu,” Percy observed, “there are no more elections because we have had all the possible elections over the past two years and there will be no more major elections for the next six years at least…”
“But,” Bindu said, “I think they want to give whoever they elect as their leader a decent length of time to re-organize the party…”
“But, Bindu,” Percy pointed out, “shouldn’t they be concentrating on something else other than electing a new leader now?”
“And what would that be, thaaththa?” Bindu wanted to know.
“Why,” Percy asked, “shouldn’t they be worrying about why they lost all these elections and what could be done about that instead of blaming it all on Uncle Ranil?”
“Well, they seem to think that Uncle Ranil is one reason why they lost all those elections…” Bindu suggested.
“Then, the solution is simple,” Percy said, “replace Uncle Ranil and they should win the next election…”
“I am not so sure whether it will happen that way,” Bindu admitted.
“So,” Percy said, “you think there will be a new leader as a result of all this?”
“No one is sure about that, thaaththa…” Bindu conceded.
“And why is that?” Percy demanded.
“That is because,” Bindu explained, “Uncle Ranil has survived so many attempts to remove him from the party leadership…”
“So,” Percy said, “he could always do it again…”
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“But this time, Uncle Sajith appears to be serious about challenging Uncle Ranil…” Bindu pointed out.
“Why, has he said so?” Percy queried.
“Well,” Bindu said, “not in so many words, but he had said something that probably means that…”
“And what exactly has he said?” Percy asked.
“Well,” Bindu said, “he has said that the next leadership of the Greens would be from the Hambantota district…”
“Ah,” Percy said, “that could mean many things, Bindu…”
“Why do you say that, thaaththa?” Bindu wanted to know.
“Why, Bindu,” Percy pointed out, “he has not said that the next leader would be him, he has only said that it would be from the Hambantota district…”
“But thaaththa,” Bindu said, puzzled, “there is no other green leader from Hambantota who is capable of challenging Uncle Ranil…”
“That is true, Bindu,” Percy agreed, “but don’t forget that even Mahinda maama is from the Hambantota district…”
“But thaaththa,” Bindu argued, “he is only the leader of the Blues and not the Greens…”
“But, Bindu,” Percy said, “if a few more Greens leave the party in disgust after all this, the majority of the Greens will be with Mahinda maama and then he will automatically be the leader of the Greens as well…”
Bindu didn’t quite know what to say to that. |
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