The Fifth Column

1st March 1998

Doing politics JR way

"Thaaththa," Bindu Udagedara asked, "what is this fuss about handing over the country to Prabhakaran?"

"Who said so?" Bindu's father Percy wanted to know.

"Why, Satellite has said she will hand over the North and East to Prabhakaran for ten years..."

"Just like that?"

"No of course not; only if he stops all acts of violence..."

"Then, it seems fair enough to me..." Percy said.

"Why do you say that?"

"Because," Percy said "we have anyway handed over that part of the country to him for the past few years..."

"But thaaththa" Bindu said, "everybody is protesting because they say even Satellite was given the country for only six years..."

"Ah" said Percy. "but this is nothing new..."

"Why do you say that?" Bindu wanted to know.

"Why, Bindu in 1970, Satellite's mother was given the country for only five years..."

"And then?"

"But Felix Dias interpreted that to say it was five years from the day the country became a Republic and they ruled for seven years..."

"But didn't the Opposition do anything about it?"

"They did. JR held Satyagrahas everywhere. And in 1975, he resigned his seat in Parliament to protest, saying he was elected for only five years. Of course, he was re-elected in the by-election..."

"Then what happened?"

"JR, of course, sang a different tune when he came to power..."

"How was that?"

"Why, in 1982, instead of holding an election, he held a Referendum..." "And went on for another six years..." Bindu recalled.

"So," said Percy, "this handing over the country for ten years is nothing extra-ordinary..."

"But, thaaththa," Bindu wanted to know, "will Satellite go on for another six years?"

"I don't know about that" Percy said, "but she's learning all the tricks of JRJ..."

"Why do you say that?"

"Why, she's retaining the Executive Presidency; getting Commissions to recommend removal of civic rights; now she's even talking of a Referendum..."

"But she couldn't do one thing that JR also couldn't do" Bindu said.

"What's that?'

"Why, turn a woman into a man..."

"Well, she nearly did that...'Percy observed.

"How is that?"

"Why, don't you remember what Mangala said about Susanthika?" Percy asked.

Bindu couldn't answer that one.

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