Satellite
kept everyone guessing till D-day
"Thaaththa", Bindu Udagedara asked, "what has Satellite
done now?"
"Why, Bindu," Bindu's father Percy said, "she has
dissolved Parliament and called for elections..."
"But
is that the correct thing to do?" Bindu wanted to know.
"What is more correct than calling for democratic elections?"
Percy demanded.
"But thaaththa," Bindu argued, "when it concerns
her, she wants to stay on for another year by taking oaths secretly
but when it is about the poor MPs, she asks them to get re-elected
every two years..."
"It
is the price we pay for being a five-star democracy, Bindu..."
Percy said.
"I think she is risking the country's interests by trying to
take a short cut to power..." Bindu said.
"If
she is," Percy said, "the Greens have only themselves
to blame..."
"Why do you say that?"
"Whatever her faults," Percy pointed out, "Satellite
has proved beyond doubt that she is a clever politician..."
"How
can you be so sure of that?" Bindu demanded.
"Why, after she took over those three ministries, she played
all her cards really well..."
"What do you mean by that?'
"Why, she kept this Mano-Malik comedy going, just to give the
Greens some hope of a settlement at a time when they could have
tabled an impeachment against her to prevent a dissolution..."
"Trying
to impeach her just to prevent a dissolution wouldn't be very ethical,
thaaththa..." Bindu said, "it is what someone like Junius
would have done..."
"Satellite herself has done what Junius would have done..."
"What is that?" Bindu wanted to know.
"Why
she has appointed her own ministers to a Green cabinet..."
Percy said.
"I don't think the Greens are really bothered about that..."
Bindu said.
"Why do you say that?"
"Why, thaaththa, one of their own ministers have resigned which
shows that they are not very interested in remaining in the Cabinet..."
"I am not so sure about that..." Percy observed.
"Why
is that?"
"I think he has resigned just to become popular because he
gains nothing by being a minister of a subject which the people
understand very little about..." Percy said, "I don't
think he would have resigned, for instance, if he was the Media
minister..."
"But thaaththa" Bindu said, "Satellite has appointed
a reasonable man as the Media minister..."
"But
the state media is still behaving in an unreasonable way..."
Percy pointed out, "and that is not in Satellite's best interest
either..."
"Why do you say that?"
"Don't forget," Percy recalled, "that at the last
general election too Satellite had the support of the entire state
media but she lost the election..."
"Which
just shows," Bindu said, "that as someone once said you
can't fool all the people all the time..."
"I am not so sure about that..." Percy said.
"Why do you say that, thaaththa?" Bindu wanted to know.
"Why, Bindu, Satellite has called for elections on the second
of April..."
"But, thaaththa that is not April Fools' Day, it is the day
after..."
"Don't forget," Percy advised, "that Satellite is
also usually late..."
Bindu couldn't figure out who was fooling whom. |
