My dear Ranwala sahodaraya,

I am writing to you after you gave us a timely reminder of your presence in public life, causing much embarrassment to the ‘maalimaawa’ chaps almost exactly a year after you first did so. Some say we should declare a ‘Ranwala Day’ every year. Others argue it is more like an annual ‘Ranwala curse’. 

By this time last year, you were forced to resign. That is after you couldn’t produce evidence to prove you had a PhD even though you had used the title ‘Dr.’ in your election campaign. Even when Harini sahodariya proposed you for Speaker, she called you ‘Dr.’. At that time, you didn’t think of objecting.

Some ‘maalimaawa’ types attempted to make a virtue out of a necessity by saying you did the right thing by resigning. At first, you didn’t. You allowed the controversy about your degree to drag on for many days. You resigned after public pressure mounted, and then too only as Speaker, not as an MP.

Even when resigning, you didn’t fully own up to your dishonesty. You said you never made a false claim about your qualifications, had difficulty in obtaining the necessary documentation but would do so “very soon” and was only resigning to avoid embarrassing the government. That was a year ago!

Poor Nalinda was asked about it by the media. He obviously trusted you then and dismissed the issue saying ‘it is not a matter we consider above the knee level’ and that you would prove your innocence ‘soon'. After all, you who had protested about SAITM saying it was a ‘fake degree shop’. How ironic!

Fast forward exactly a year and we find that you have been involved in a serious accident. Instead of submitting yourself to routine Police inquiries which include on-the-spot tests for driving under the influence of alcohol, you go hospital hopping, starting from Kiribathgoda and ending up in Colombo.

Again, the story became public. Pressure mounted. The Police arrested you, took samples for testing much, much later and released you on bail. There is a sense of déjà vu, Ranwala sahodaraya, similar to last year: doing your best to evade the issue and giving in to scrutiny only when it is inevitable.

Many questions have arisen. The most important is why the law was not applied to you as it would be applied to any other citizen. Would any other driver be allowed to go from hospital to hospital and delay his tests for many, many hours? Remember, the ‘maalimaawa’ promised equality before the law.

Equality before the rule of law was cited when Uncle Ranil was put in the dock recently.  Equality before the rule of law will be what is cited when it is said that World Cup winning Captain Cool needs to be arrested. For all that to be fair, equality before the law should apply to you too, don’t you think?

Some of your old colleagues in the ‘maalimaawa’ camp have tried to help you. Their defence is worse than the offence, adding insult to the injuries suffered by the accident victims. Ananda Wije says there were no breathalyser test kits. Lal says ‘Ranwala is a good man, pity those who don’t know him’! 

Now, disciplinary action is to be taken against some senior Police officers at Sapugaskanda, where the accident occurred. On Friday, we were told samples obtained from you- albeit belatedly- did not show any alcohol. Suddenly, this seems to becoming the fault of the Police. You could go scot-free, again!

Ranwala sahodaraya, what you or your ‘maalimaawa’ colleagues don’t seem to realise is, this is not about whether you were intoxicated at the time of the accident or not. It is also not about whether you were at fault in the accident or not. It is simply and only about applying the rule of the law to you too.

It is about you being honest and transparent. Remember, no one needs a PhD to be the Speaker or an MP but you had to resign because you lied about your qualifications. Likewise, you going from hospital to hospital and not submitting to testing at the earliest opportunity, makes you look culpable.

These actions, with memories about your PhD debacle being fresh in the minds of most people, means that they will assume you are guilty until proven innocent. Even if your samples are now negative, they will say the tests have been done too late. That is the ‘golden hole’ you have dug for yourself.

We remember Anura sahodaraya being asked about how he would deal with wrongdoers during last year’s election campaign. He proudly recalled how his party dealt with an MP, Polgampola, accused of smuggling someone into Japan. He was sacked even before the incident became public knowledge.

The promise of clean politics played a big role in the two-thirds majority won by the ‘maalimaawa’, a party which had just three per cent before. Breaking that promise puts you in the same category as the ‘pohottuwa’ which practised politics with impunity. It puts you at risk of being at three per cent again. 

Ranwala sahodaraya, accidents involving politicians always haunt them. Just ask Champika. Nalinda, when asked about you last week took it above knee level, saying that if you have been dishonest about your degree, the party will make a decision. It is a year too late to do so but it is better late than never.

The Sinhala saying, of having to cut with an axe what could have been clipped with the fingertips, fits the ‘maalimaawa’. If your degree issue was the end of the bright beginning for the ‘maalimaawa’, this could be the beginning of the end. So, for the sake of the government and Anura sahodaraya, go!   

Yours truly,

Punchi Putha

PS- ‘Maalimaawa’ voters didn’t expect economic miracles or efficient government. They wanted clean governance where all were equal before the law. To lose that trust once maybe regarded as misfortune, to lose it twice looks like carelessness; and the losers will be the ‘maalimaawa’ itself!