5th Column

My dear Uncle Ranil,

I thought I must write to you after seeing and hearing you, so soon after the last big election. Maybe I should have written to you earlier to offer you my commiserations about the outcome of that election but I really didn’t expect to see you bounce back and be so much in the public eye again so soon.

Uncle Ranil, I am not sure what your thoughts are about your performance at the big election. Many feel you did better than expected. Most people expected you to finish third but they didn’t expect you to poll more than half the votes that Sajith did. So, maybe we should congratulate you instead.

During that election campaign, you told us to vote for you because you ‘saved’ the country from economic ruin. Now, the story doing the rounds is that you saved the country twice: first, from economic disaster after Gota maama left in a hurry and then again, from young Sajith taking over!

In fact, some suspect that, being the shrewd operator that you are, you always knew that you will not win the big race. You must have also known that even the slightest chance of Sajith making it ahead of Anura sahodaraya would be ruined if you contested. Is that why decided to run, Uncle Ranil?

After the big election, most people thought that you would retire graciously. It was said that you will not be contesting the next election which is due in less than a couple of weeks. Nor will you be on the National List from your party, they said. These statements gave a lot of people a lot of hope.

Then, there was that sudden announcement from your office saying you wanted to make a ‘special statement’. Many thought the day had come at last and that you wanted to announce that after fifty years in politics, you wished to finally retire. What else could you possibly have to say, they asked.

Instead, you gave us all a lecture about who we should send to the next Parliament. There will be a dearth of ‘experienced’ parliamentarians, you warned. You are correct about that, Uncle Ranil but the big question is what are they experienced in, and has that experience served our country well?

We remember what happened four years ago. At that election, the Green Party was reduced to just one seat, that too on the National List. You were in a difficult situation. You had said yourself that no one who was a defeated candidate should be accommodated on the National List from the Green Party.

That seat was kept vacant for ten months. Whenever there was talk of filling it, there were too many aspirants. Finally, under the guise of preventing further party disputes over that seat, you stepped in. The rest is history. Within a year you were in the top job before we could even say ‘Gota go home’.

That is why we feel a sense of déjà vu when you say you won’t be contesting the election and that you are not on the National List. I fully expect you to be in the next Parliament. Your new party with the ‘gas cylinder’ symbol will get some seats on the National List. You are sure to be included there, later.

If anyone had any doubts about whether you would retire or not, you have now put them to rest. You have taken to the campaign trail, addressing rallies in support of candidates contesting under the ‘gas cylinder’ symbol. It is the clearest sign yet that you are not ready to be written into history so soon.

In doing so, you have ensured that you are always in the news, making controversial statements. You have implied that something is not quite right in the way Anura sahodaraya is dealing with the IMF. You have also criticised him for trying to reduce the privileges extended to former Presidents.

You took on Harini, too, over the salary hike for public servants. When Harini said due processes had to be followed, you offered to teach her the Constitution and she cheekily asked whether it was about postponing elections. You are doing your best, but is it really helping your candidates, Uncle Ranil?

Doing all this, you will surely not stay at home, watch Netflix, and read a book after November 14. You will follow a trend set by Mahinda maama and Aiyo Sirisena and be in the next Parliament. I am certain you will also try to get your old job back and become the Leader of the Opposition!

Both Green leaders who had the top job and retired, JR and DB, left gracefully and were hardly heard of after they left office. You are the exception. In any event, you may not be allowed to. You have been made a respondent in the Siddhalepa IGP case. More summons will follow about the bond scam.

You have said that ‘politics is not a sprint; it is a marathon’. If you are still in it to ensure that Sajith is eliminated, I think he is doing a pretty good job of it himself. If you want to make the Green Party great again, that will take too long. Remember, Uncle Ranil, even marathons do come to an end.

Yours truly,

Punchi Putha

PS: Rajitha says you can make a comeback as your services will be needed when the next economic crisis hits. He even wants laws changed to get you back. Isn’t it better to go when people ask why you are leaving, Uncle Ranil, than wait till they ask why you aren’t leaving? That applies to Rajitha too!