“Thaaththa,” Bindu Udagedera said, “what is this fuss about apologizing all over again?”
“I think it is because one former Tiger wants another former Tiger to apologize...” Bindu’s father Percy explained.
“Who is that, thaaththa?” Bindu wanted to know.
“Why, Bindu,” Percy recalled, “the child soldier who is now a chief minister wants the other Tiger from the east who is now with the Blue party to apologize...”“And what should he apologise for?” Bindu asked.
“Apparently for ordering the killing of hundreds of policemen during the war...” Percy explained.
“But, thaaththa,” Bindu argued, “if he really ordered that killing, shouldn’t he be charged for that offence?”
“I suppose he should,” Percy said, “but then, there must also be a reason for him not being charged, Bindu...”
“But thaaththa,” Bindu said, “if this apologizing becomes a fashion, we will be in for a lot of entertainment...”
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“Why is that, Bindu?” Percy wondered.
“Why, we might see ministers apologizing to us for promises that were not kept...” Bindu suggested.
“And who are these ministers?” Percy inquired.
“Why, thaaththa, we can have the Health Minister apologizing to us for not ending the shortage of drugs in hospitals, the dengue epidemic and the deaths of children after immunization...”
“I suppose he will say that it is all the fault of the former minister...” Percy countered.
“Or we could have the Minister of Education apologizing for messing up admissions to Grade One and distributing the answers along with the question paper at examinations...” Bindu declared.
“Oh, I am sure he too will say that it is all the fault of the former minister...” Percy said.
“Or, we could have the Higher Education Minister apologizing for the chaos created by university students in the campuses and for incidents like Vice-Chancellors being assaulted...” Bindu said.
“I know he will go to jail like he once did, rather than apologize,” Percy observed.
“Or, we could have the Minister of Trade apologize for the rising price of bread instead of blaming it on increasing world market prices...”
“I am not sure that will ever happen...” Percy said.
“Or, how about the Minister from Kelaniya apologizing for tying a man to a tree and for many other misdeeds as well?”
“Even if he does,” Percy pointed out, “he will later deny he ever did that and claim that it was all a performance...”
“If people are apologizing for performances,” Bindu said, “then that sahodaraya who staged a so-called fast unto death but called it off after just three days should also apologize for pretending to be the great patriot that he never was...”
“You can bet even a cabinet portfolio that he will never apologize,” Percy declared.
“And then, thaaththa,” Bindu proposed, “ministers shouldn’t be the only ones saying sorry and apologizing...”
“Why, Bindu,” Percy asked, “who else should do that?”
“Why, thaaththa, the rathu sahodarayas should apologize for the killing of thousands of men and women in the late eighties...” Bindu observed.
“That is unlikely because they will claim that it was all the fault of the Green government at that time...” Percy countered.
“Or,” Bindu persisted, “we should get the Green parliamentarians who voted for the eighteenth amendment to apologize to the people for betraying their trust...”“They might even do that,” Percy said, “because some of them will begin to hold high office when the Cabinet is reshuffled in a few weeks...”
“If we consider the eighteenth amendment,” Bindu remembered, “those who should really apologize are not the Greens who crossed over but the leftists who said they were really opposed to the amendment but then went ahead and voted for it...”
“But they are saying that it was to protect the government from outside forces...” Percy recalled.
“What about the Green Man, thaaththa?” Bindu asked, “shouldn’t he too apologize to all of us and especially to supporters of his own party for losing so many elections at a stretch?”
“I don’t think he should apologize,” Percy protested, “because had he won those elections, we would probably still be fighting a war; so, he has done nothing wrong to apologize...”
“Then,” Bindu suggested, maybe Mahinda maama should apologize...”
“Why, should he do that?” Percy was surprised.
“Why, thaaththa,” Bindu pointed out, “he promised to abolish the office of President and replace it with a Prime Minister, so he should apologize for not doing that and instead extending the number of times anyone could hold the office of President...”
“I think it will be rather optimistic to expect him to apologize for that...” Percy declared.
“But thaaththa,” Bindu inquired, “what about the person who was supposed to apologize in the first instance and ask for a pardon, the General...?”
“He has quite clearly said he will not do that, hasn’t he?” Percy asked.
“But I think he should apologize for something else, thaaththa...” Bindu said.
“And what is that?” Percy demanded.
“Some may feel that, considering what is happening now, he should apologize for winning the war after all...”
Percy didn’t quite know what to say to that. |
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