The Fifth Column

1st November 1998. 

Remembering Seeya

 

My Dear Seeya,

I thought I must write to you, wherever you are, because it is two years to the day today since you left us. I also thought I must write to you, also just to show you that we haven't forgotten you, despite your absence.

No Seeya, even those who succeeded you don't seem to be able to forget you easily. In fact, even though they haven't put up any statues to remember you, they are using your name quite frequently on radio, TV and the newspapers. Of course, they are not praising you, Seeya, they are only saying that they used computers at a place bearing your name to do some dirty things!

Be that as it may, Seeya, they are also remembering you in many other ways. Every now and then, the Lady at the top refers to you complimenting you on your twelve years of rule. 

The mess you made with the country, she says, is the reason why the poor Lady finds it difficult to govern now!

Of course, Seeya, you shouldn't be upset about that at all. Remember how you dragged on the war in the North without really doing anything about it. 

Then, when you wanted to do something, that chap Rajiv intervened and you couldn't get those Indians out in a hurry? 

Well, the Lady is doing almost the same thing, Seeya. She promised to end the war in a hurry. It's now been four years since that promise but nothing has happened, really. So, though she blames you for everything, she almost always follows your examples also!

You may ask why I say so, Seeya. Well, Seeya, the Lady has retained the Open Economy you so thoughtfully introduced twenty years ago. She has become the Queen of Capitalism, even more so than you, even though someone once called you the Pope of Capitalism.

Then, remember the Executive Presidency you introduced, Seeya? Well, the Good Lady promised to abolish that and even gave a deadline for that. But now she has apparently got a taste of absolute power and doesn't even think of giving it all up!

Of course, there are other little things that the Lady has learnt from you. She has learnt about press censorship from you. Then, she also now knows how to make best use of an Attorney General, thanks to the lessons learnt from you.

And now, it appears that the Lady has also learnt the art of postponing elections from you. We all still remember how you did that Referendum trick of yours some time ago. Now, she doesn't even bother to do that now. All she needs to say is that the ''security situation'' is not good enough for elections!

So, Seeya, you can rest assured that the Lady is continuing all the 'good' work that you did during your time. 

So your policies are being followed more today than the Lady's father's policies, really!

But, Seeya, there's one other thing that I must tell you. If there's one thing that disappoints you, it must be the performance of your nephew. I know you didn't expect him to take over the reins of the greens so soon, but he had to. Even so, he seems to be performing below expectations and it's a pity you couldn't teach him a couple of more tricks before you departed.

Anyway Seeya, we do miss you, we miss your tricks and your various statements from time to time ("The only thing I can't do is to change a man to a woman'' etc.). So, wherever you are, we wish you well!

Yours truly, 

Punchi Putha.

PS: Though we miss you, Seeya, now we do see someone so much like you in a show called the 'Kodivinaya' on TV, of course, the Lady is also shown on this show, but the similarity is less and I won't tell you who looks prettier!

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