Outside Politics

20th September 1998

Alavi's strike

Trade unionist turned politician, Syed Alavi Mowlana, the Provincial Councils Minister, is still unaware that he was at the centre of a security storm in Jaffna last week.

He did something his Ministerial colleagues would not think of, leave alone doing it.

Sans bodyguards and escorts, he boarded an SLAF flight to Jaffna in his ubiquitous white trouser and shirt.

That by a politician who had undergone heart surgery only two months before.

If senior military officials were surprised at that, they were shocked at what they learnt from local politicians in Jaffna town. They had all known that Mr. Mowlana was arriving to pay his last respects to the slain Jaffna Mayor, Ponniah Sivapalan.

That set a security poser. There were fears that he might become a target. Whilst senior officials chatted with Mr. Mowlana at the Palaly Base, the junior types were in the town sending the word out that the Provincial Councils Minister was not arriving that day. He would be there only the following day, they told all and sundry.

In the meanwhile, the late Mr.Sivapalan's body had arrived at his residence. Mr.Mowlana was swiftly escorted into the residence where he paid his respects and later took a return flight home, all by himself.

In his usual style of playing with words that rhyme, he struck 'I am used to strikes, whether it's trade union or terrorist.'

Even if one of his ministerial colleagues who is used to a large retinue of escorts when he moved around poked fun at the visit. That sure would seem trivial for Mr.Mowlana.

Anura meets Sai

The dethroned Crown Prince is back after yet another audience with the all-powerful Indian holy man.

This time the holy man snapped his fingers and produced a green (UNP ?) emerald like stone embedded in a ring and as if that was not enough a gold chain worth half a million bucks.

On his return he was told that there were published reports that he had praised his all-powerful elder sister for her speech at the recent NAM summit. Alas the report-added, had he said so four years ago he wouldn't in this sorry mess he is in today.

'True' said AB (fondly Ali Baba) "I did praise my sister on her splendid performance".

"But" he added. 'How was I to know she would make such a speech four years ago" as he broke into one of those great guffaws about the great faux pas.

Jungle Telegraph

Editorial/Opinion Contents