5th Column

My dear Anura sahodaraya,

I thought I should write to you since it is now three months to the day when you got the top job. It is also just over a month since the ‘maalimaawa’ won the other election with a historic mandate that got you a record majority. Much has happened since then. Maybe it is a good time to take stock.

You have told us time and again that you realise the enormity of the challenges before you. Our economy is in shambles and the prices of essential items are still sky high. So, the general feeling is that nothing much has changed in the past two months although you promised us a ‘renaissance’.

We do understand that it is only three months since you got the top job and you had many matters to attend to. First you had to campaign for a general election and appoint a Cabinet, then try to control the price of rice before watching a Speaker being forced to resign. Then you had to meet Modi too.

You may not have done all of this perfectly, but no one expects you to. What the public wants is for you to be sincere and try to do your best. If you then make a mistake, they will excuse you as long you acknowledge what happened and then act in good faith. That is what happened with Ranwala, I feel.

That was your first setback. Importantly, the issue was raised not by the opposition but by those who supported your cause. That must tell you that a majority of those who voted for you are not the hardcore ‘kepuwath dam paata’ type. If you err, first they will question you, then they will leave you.

What was worrying about the Ranwala saga was how some of your team reacted. Nalinda was asked about it and he said, ‘we won’t consider it above our knees’. He should have known better. Namal Karu challenged the opposition to bring a no confidence motion. Finally, you had to do the right thing.

Many expected a quicker resolution to the question that was posed to Ranwala without letting it drag on for days. We also anticipated a more sombre response from your side. Maybe you need to tell your team to look at the issue rather than the person that is being discussed, Anura sahodaraya.

Then there are the soaring prices, first
for eggs, then for coconuts and now for rice. You did get Dudley and his band of rice mill owners and give them an ultimatum after banging your fist on the table. We will have to wait and see whether that approach works or whether rice prices will rise again.

Did it ever occur to you, Anura sahodaraya, that much of these problems stems from the promises the ‘maalimaawa’ made during the election campaign, undertaking to bring prices down in a few days. Some of those who made such promises haven’t stopped doing so. That maybe your biggest issue.

It is not that there has been no progress. Our elected representatives have adopted a simpler lifestyle, beginning with you and Harini. Gone are the days of siren-blaring escorts and back up vehicles. That is a refreshing change. The change in the political culture that you talked about seems to have begun.

Still, we hope you haven’t forgotten the major campaign promise. You promised to ‘catch the thieves’. Instead, catching monkeys is a priority now. A few vehicles have been seized and some are being questioned but nothing major has happened. For now, people are content to wait but not for too long.

We know it is a difficult task. The ‘yahapaalanaya‘ tried to do so some time ago and failed miserably. That led to their downfall. Whatever you do, it must also be done legally and using proper mechanisms. I hope you have the courage, competent people and the necessary laws to do it soon.

On the plus side, you have taken care not to disrupt the economic steps that were being taken. Some mock you for charting the same economic course as Uncle Ranil and going along with the IMF. That may be so and Uncle Ranil will say ‘I told you so’ but if that is the best for the country, so be it.

The same goes for your Indian trip. As usual your every step – literally – was scrutinised. Some said you walked during the welcoming ceremony as if you were late to catch a bus. Others said Modi’s act of putting his arms around your shoulders meant that he was treating you like you were a small child.

Despite all those jibes, Modi did roll out the red carpet for you in style. That maybe because he is keen to work with you, knowing your party’s anti-Indian stance in the past. You told him our land won’t be used against his country. We are now waiting to see what you will tell Xi Jinping!

It has been a hectic three months. You haven’t solved all our issues though some people expect you to. However, we want to see a sense of urgency about keeping your promises be it in ‘catching thieves’ or enacting a new Constitution. You haven’t forgotten those promises, have you, Anura sahodaraya?

Yours truly,

Punchi Putha

PS: You must be busy, but if you can find the time, listen to the speeches made by some of your ministers such as Lal, Sunil, Wasantha, Samantha and Nalin. If you do so, you might begin to wonder whether you should go back to the days when it was just you, Harini and Vijitha in the Cabinet!