5th Column

South keeps fighting while Velu bides his time
"Thaaththa," Bindu Udagedera asked, "should we now be prepared for war?"
"Why" Percy, Bindu's father, was surprised, "has anybody declared war again?"
"Not in so many words," Bindu said, "but the Green Man has said he doesn't want the ceasefire anymore…"

"But the ceasefire has held, hasn't it?"
"But thaaththa," Bindu argued, "Satellite has already said that it is an illegal ceasefire anyway so that shouldn't matter much…"

"Even then, the ceasefire has not been violated, has it?" Percy pointed out.
"But thaaththa, if the Green Man doesn't want the ceasefire anymore and Satellite thinks it is illegal, shouldn't there be a war very soon?" Bindu asked.
"Yes," Percy agreed, "but Bindu, this only proves what we suspected all along…"

"And what is that?"
"What matters is not what the Green Man wants or what Satellite thinks, but what Velu himself decides to do for his own benefit…"
"Do we know what he has decided?"

"I don't think anyone does," Percy said, "but he certainly must be enjoying this little fight between Satellite and the Green Man because he knows that the more we fight in the South, the stronger he would be…"
"But he has not made any moves to resume the war which is surprising…" Bindu pointed out.

"It maybe that he is not ready yet or it maybe that he is waiting for the best time…"
"And when is that likely to be?" Bindu queried.
"When this argument over the three ministries leads to the collapse of everything else in the South and neither the Green Man nor Satellite would be able to control events anymore…"

"But thaaththa," Bindu persisted, "Satellite would now have to take a decision, wouldn't she?"
"Why do you say that?"

"Why, thaaththa, the Green Man has said that she would have to either return the three ministries that she took over or negotiate a deal with Velu all over again…"
"Of course," Percy pointed out, "Satellite rarely did what the Green Man wanted her to do…"
"Why do you say that?"

"Why, Bindu, remember how she kept postponing Seeni Bola's appointment as Samurdhi minister for many months…"
"But in this instance she doesn't have much of a choice, does she?" Bindu asked.

"Yes," Percy agreed, "although she may well prefer to strike a deal with Velu than return the ministries to the Green Man…"
"But we must also remember that she has the reds asking for an alliance with blues and pretending to be very patriotic…"

"And", Percy observed, "all the aid donors asking her to settle her squabble with the Green Man…"
"If she really dislikes all these options, there is another option thaaththa…" Bindu suggested.

"And what is that?" Percy wanted to know.
"That is to do what is now fashionable when you find yourself in an uncomfortable position, and Satellite's uncle himself has also done this before…"

"What is that?"
"Why thaaththa," Bindu said, "when the going gets tough, the tough get going…to a private hospital!"
Percy was stumped for an answer.

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