Outside Politics

9th August 1998

Royal ducking

At a Hilton wedding this week, Anura B in a puckish mood offered his mediatory services to settle the on-going crisis in the Wickremesinghe family over the TNL issue, bringing to bear his limitless experience in turbulent family history.

In proposing the toast, AB also spoke of being, like the bride, a past pupil of St. Bridget's, a venerable institution which has produced the world's first woman prime minister and a woman executive president and he hoped that the next president would be from Royal College.

The thing is when his schoolmate, the party leader, wanted to see him this week, AB ducked the meeting and asked for a rescheduled date.

Blurring picture

The Sinhalese - Muslim MP has been not only stripped of his satellite dish antenna, but also of the vehicles and of all things his daily bread! All because his wife has left the family firm.

So he thought he would telephone the opposition leader and complain only to be told that it was his deputy defence minister who referred to mishaps media persons faced as "occupational hazards."

More of musical chairs

Seating arrangements at last week's SAARC summit came in for much bitter complaining from mostly cabinet ministers.

One of them, a learned one at that, was seen next to the man who Trades. He then got up complaining the seat (one of those flap seats) did no justice to a minister. He then got up and sat elsewhere only to find the governor he got sacked come and sit next to him. He then offered his seat to the educated one, who refused to take it.

Later, at the closing ceremony there was almost a repeat. He was sent by an usherette to the balcony for there was room only for 10 from each country at the Presidentail Secretariat. On the way up he complained to WW, the foreign Sec. "Why are you heaping these indignities on me," he asked. He was promptly found a seat among the ten. Alls well that ends well.

Jungle Telegraph

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