There is no treachery in (the government) supplying radio transmission equipment to the Tigers says Professor G. L. Peiris.

What do people think? That Gamini Luxshman has suddenly morphed into someone who does not like radio stations?

There is no guessing who the Professor's speech therapist is, but he has even got rid of his little quirky school master like (didactic?) delivery techniques. He doesn't drag the last syllable in a condescending manner, the way he used to when he first joined the political whirl from what the cliché writers call the groves of academe. ('You see'…. he would say, 'now', he would say, and all the time message was loud and clear. You listen to me you mere mortals, this is god speaking. Well, something like that anyway.)

But his speech therapist might have said that the Professor should be more media savvy. After all the LTTE has got a new radio station, and there is no doubt that the Professor will appear in that channel. Now, when you talk to an audience over here in the good old South of the country, you can sound as if you were god, because in these parts nobody seems to be sure who their god is.

But this is not so in the North East where the LTTE will broadcast from, and when Gamini Lukshman speaks over those airwaves in the near future, he will have to bear in mind that in these parts there is already a declared anointed god. Various writers have from time to time called him Sun God and such, but the fact is that if one speaks like the Pope in the North Eastern radio channel, it will not be quite right by the almighty in these parts - never mind the Pope. Put a mike in front of G. L. Peiris and you generally have to stop him from talking. But he has seen all the sophisticated mikes, which is probably why the LTTE has to be given the most sophisticated system with the mot sophisticated microphones, so that there will be no regression in this whole matter of the natural evolution of G. L. Peiris the politician. He can do the radio ga-ga through the best state-of-the-art microphone you will find this side of Tamilnadu.

In Bangkok, when the peace crusade first began (I mean the peace conference, er, the press conference not the peace process which is of course much bigger than a crusade) all the mikes were turned towards Anton Balasingham, that Eric Solhiem from his own bully pulpit had to remind all the assembled international media that there are two people at the press conference, and to please direct some questions "at Gamini Luxshman too, or Gee Ell', as he is called.

This was like saying that all countries need foreign aid, and you need to send some aid to the United States as well, if you are going to be fair. G. L. Peiris can generally not avoid a mike, and to thrust a mike in front of him in the way that Solhiem did was --- like taking Tigers to Killinochi, a redundancy if ever there was one.

Soon Solhiem knew he had made a mistake, because sometime after that he had to remind Gamini Luxshman constantly that 'that particular question was directed at Dr Balasingham.''

This imagery is irresistible. Anton Balasigham realises the wonders that can be done if you put mike in front of G. L. Peiris. So he goes into his room in Sattahip or the Rose Garden or wherever, and thinks 'there is no harm exploiting the quirks of friends and like minded people.''

So he figures out that G. L. Peiris will never say no to a Radio station, knowing that Tiger radio will not refuse an interview for him anytime. One more radio station is a large investment in the political future of a man who has words words words and words. So what if Balasingham sidled upto G. L at one of those convivial sessions and said "GL how about a radio station.''

How the Minister would have puckered up. The way he did when Solhiem said 'there is another gentlemen at this press conference, please be reminded of that too.'' Solhiem never bargained for this ex lecturer to monopolise the mikes after that first invitation for questions. There is no telling how the LTTE will stop him when he starts talking before the VoT mikes?

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