"Thaaththa,"Bindu Udagedera asked, "why is everyone joining the government?"
"Why,"Percy, Bindu's father asked, "who has crossed over now?"
"Why, first it was Ganeshalingam; now it is Hussain Mohamed, and both are former mayors..."
"And, among the former mayors, only Sirisena Cooray is left in the UNP now..."
"Even he might cross over, if all those charges against him are dropped..."Bindu said.
"Maybe, they feel the UNP is a lost cause after Nalanda's killing...,"Percy suggested.
"But Thaaththa,"Bindu wanted to know, "isn't it a shame for the government to run Ganeshalingam for mayor"?
"Why do you say that?"
"Why, here is a government which always talks of the bribery and corruption of the UNP. And, Ganeshalingam, who was the Treasurer of that "corrupt"UNP until the day he resigned, is now the government's candidate..."
"That is why they say politics is the art of the possible, Bindu,"Percy said.
"And, Hussain Mohamed is no better because his father is still a strongman of the UNP..."Bindu observed.
"You can't say that, Bindu,"Percy said.
"Why?"
"Because, Bindu, in this country, politics and the craving for power are thicker than blood..."
"How can you say that?"
"Why, look at all those family members who are in different political parties in politics..."
"Who are they?"
"The Moonesinghes, Susil and Anil; the Gunewardenas, Dinesh and Indika; the Nanayakkaras, Vasu and Hemakumara and of course who can forget Anura being opposite his mother and sister..."
"Then, Thaaththa,"Bindu asked, "who do you think will win Colombo?"
"They say the UNP has never lost the city since 1956..."
"But now they are asking who this ÔKaru' is because no one has heard about him..."
"And,"Percy said, "everyone has heard so much about Ganeshalingam that they don't want to hear anymore about him..."
"So,"Bindu wanted to know, "who do you think will win?"
"Either way,"Percy said, "I don't think it will make a difference.
Bindu didn't disagree.
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