“Pussy cat, pussy cat, where have you been? I’ve been to London to visit the Queen,” Bindu Udagedera was saying.
“Why are you singing nursery rhymes, Bindu?” His father Percy asked.
“I want to know why there is such a fuss about a visit to London, thaaththa,” Bindu said.
“Ah, that is because Mahinda maama had to return from London without addressing the students at Oxford…” Percy explained.
“Why did that happen, thaaththa?” Bindu wanted to know.
“Apparently they were worried about ‘security risks’, Bindu,” Percy said.
“But thaaththa,” Bindu said, “I thought Britain was a free country where there were no threats from terrorists…”
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“Yes, we all thought so,” Percy agreed, “but it now looks as if they too are threatened by terrorists…”
“But thaaththa,” Bindu asked, “if they knew that there was such a threat why didn’t they inform Mahinda maama in the first instance?”
“Why, Bindu,” Percy inquired, “what difference would that make?”
“Why, thaaththa,” Bindu said, “had he known that there was such a threat, Mahinda maama could have kept away from London and avoided all this embarrassment not to mention the expenses involved in taking a plane load of people there…”
“I am not sure whether Mahinda maama was aware of the threats or not,” Percy said, “but he was certainly very keen to give that lecture…”
“So, what made him change his mind, then?” Bindu wanted to know.
“I don’t think he changed his mind at all, Bindu…” Percy suggested.
“What happened then, for the lecture to be called off?” Bindu was curious.
“I believe the local Police called it off…” Percy recalled.
“But thaaththa,” Bindu argued, “isn’t Britain supposed to be one of those places where they value freedom of speech so much?”
“Yes,” Percy said, “and that is why they frequently lecture us on how important it is to protect that freedom…”
“So,” Bindu observed, “that freedom of expression no longer exists in that country, then?”
“Well,” Percy declared, “you can’t exactly say it does not exist either…”
“Why do you say that, thaaththa?” Bindu demanded.
“Why, Bindu, when Mahinda maama arrived at the Heathrow Airport, there were protestors shouting slogans and demonstrating against him, so they were allowed to express their opinions…” Percy pointed out.
“But thaaththa,” Bindu persisted, “didn’t the British Police see that as a security risk and want to call that off as well?”
“Obviously they didn’t, which is why those protests went ahead…” Percy recalled.
“But, thaaththa,” Bindu protested, “isn’t that an insult to Mahinda maama?”
“I suppose it is an insult not only to Mahinda maama,” Percy said, “but also to our country …”
“Yes,” Bindu said, “just imagine what it would have been like if the Queen was invited here for some event and that event had to be cancelled and she had to return home…”
“I suppose one could say this incident was similar to that…” Percy conceded.
“But thaaththa, if Mahinda maama knew about all this beforehand I am sure he would have succeeded in delivering that speech…” Bindu said.
“Why do you say that, Bindu?” Percy was puzzled.
“Why, thaaththa, he would have taken precautions to ensure that the speech would be delivered as scheduled, regardless of whether there were protests or not…” Bindu declared.
“And how would he do that?” Percy wondered.
“Why, thaaththa,” Bindu proposed, “he would have taken Uncle Mervyn with him and Uncle Mervyn would have tied all the protestors to trees and the speech would have been delivered without any fuss…”
“How can you be so sure about that, Bindu?” Percy was not convinced.
“Why, thaaththa,” Bindu explained, “why else would Mahinda maama appoint him as the Minister of Public Co-ordination and Public Affairs…”
“I suppose that too would have been possible…” Percy agreed.
“But thaaththa,” Bindu wanted to know, “now that this speech has been cancelled, what have we done about it?”
“What do you mean by that?” Percy asked.
“Have we protested to Britain in the strongest possible terms, for instance?” Bindu demanded.
“Of course not,” Percy said, “although Mahinda maama was given a rousing welcome at the airport when he returned, which was on a grander scale than when he came back after the war was over…”
“But thaaththa,” Bindu said, “that is only a welcome, what about protesting against what happened in London?”
“Ah, well,” Percy said, “a group of government MPs have assaulted an Opposition MP saying he was at the protests, when he says he was not even in that country at the time…”
“And that is all?” Bindu was disappointed. |
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