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Devananda ups the ante : Colombo ignites
By Rajpal Abeynayake
Devananda had brought in a new boatload of smuggled weapons into Colombo. One is the weapon of “catch the Tiger trying to kill me –and make sure he is guilty.’’ The second is “stay in a government that desperately wants peace – but act as if the Tigers are fit to be eaten alive.’’ The third is “no matter what happens, just get lucky and don’t die.’’

But Devanda’s real strength is getting the mickey out of the establishment. For instance, he had rocked the Tiger establishment in their Wanni lair. Prabhkaran, turning almost uncle (avuncular let us say) now with his fondness for his son’s kakrate and his wife’s new yearning for an agriculture degree, is suddenly turned demon and suicide bomber revisited – all because of Devananda.

As if that was not enough, Devananda gruffly wakes up the sleeping peace lover lobby, grabs them by the scruff of their necks as it were and almost demands something which is: “ Say something you sleeping devils.’’ And the poor Peace council devils, all they can manage is “the Tigers should appreciate the fact that during the first two years of the ceasefire signed by the former UNP government they too assassinated forty or fifty intelligence operatives in the military which the government could do nothing about.’’

So the Tiger should appreciate the fact that they killed eh?? I think the writer meant the Tigers should be appreciated for the fact that they killed. He made a Freudian slip there – appreciate, appreciated, what’s in a few letters give or take?

The Tigers should appreciate the fact that they killed 50-or 60 intelligence operatives, duh? Why not be a little more unctuous, go the whole hog and say that they should be thanked profusely and should be given the ticker tape for the fact that they killed almost 50 intelligence operatives and say “chuck your Prabhakaran you are my man.’’ So in the end Devananda takes all the hypocrisies of the Sri Lankan establishment and holds them all up for display and for that the man has to be given the award for No-cant-do.

Devananda also wakes up the Colombo and international business and entrepreneurship review committees in such a way that they are seen to be pissing in their pants while simultaneously doing the most complicated business analysis in their lifetimes. Wimal Weerewansa himself is like an apologist for the Tigers even though he still does not qualify as businessman.

He says businessmen do not have to worry please because this is an attack on Devananda and will in no way lend to a war. So he can now read the mind of the Tiger – must have talked to Prabhakaran. Interesting to discover that the two are on talking terms. Never though I’d live to see the day.

The analysts are screaming all over the place saying that the “we told you so the Tigers are gong to strike’’ - - and one strike in Colombo and it is a strike but fifty strikes in other areas amount to a no show. The Beeb as usual excels in these maters and proclaims that the peace has been shattered by one loud bomb blast in Colombo. Devandnda does not get honourable mention it a bomb gong off in Colombo -- in a police station at that which means as far as the Beeb is concerned all hell ahs broken loose.

Its time for stocks to take a plunge, for investors to start flying off their handle and flying off to capitals where they came form -- its oh what a lovely war again in Colombo says the Beeb. But then the LTTE expressly denies the bomb blast, which perhaps has the Beeb not knowing whether to laugh or to cry.
Oh to be so let down by Prabhakran.

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