Polls
and referendums: From whose 'Boodale' is money coming?
"Thaaththa," Bindu Udagedera asked, "what will Satellite
do now?"
"Ah, now she can do what she wants…" Bindu's father
Percy replied.
"Why do you say that, thaaththa?"
"Why,
Bindu, now more than a year has passed since the last election…"
"What is so special about that?"
"Why, Bindu, after a year Satellite can dissolve Parliament
anytime she wants…"
"But
thaaththa," Bindu argued, "she allowed the Greens two
years; shouldn't she allow her own party more than two years…"
"It is not her own party that is the problem, Bindu, it is
the Reds that she can't stand…"
"But
she can't do anything about it because she has even asked them to
leave but they are not doing that…"
"Which is why she might dissolve Parliament…" Percy
suggested.
"But
thaaththa, I thought she was talking of a referendum all these days…"
"Well," Percy pointed out, "there is nothing stopping
her from having a referendum and a general election together…"
"Is that such a good idea?" Bindu wanted to know.
"Why
do you say that, Bindu?"
"Why, thaaththa, if Satellite loses both, she could be in quite
a difficult position…"
"But, Bindu, if any type of elections are called now, it will
be quite difficult for both the Reds and Greens…"
"Why
is that?" Bindu queried.
"Why, the Reds wouldn't know whether to support the blues or
go it alone and Satellite may not want to get together with them
anyway after her experiences over the past one year…"
Percy declared.
"Yes," Bindu agreed, "who would want to sit at the
same table with people who call you a 'bibikkama' in public…"
"And
then," Percy said, "the Greens would be caught totally
unprepared once again because these days, they are only fighting
about the 100-metre rule and trying to get SB released…"
"But thaaththa," Bindu asked, "do you think Satellite
can increase her majority in Parliament if she has an election?"
"Ah,"
Percy said, "don't forget that there are other ways of doing
that…"
"Why do you say that?" Bindu was puzzled.
"Why, Bindu, she could always encourage Greens to cross over
to her side…"
"Yes," Bindu agreed, "all it takes is some insignificant
portfolio and they will switch sides saying they want to support
Satellite's great vision and mission…"
"But don't forget, Bindu," Percy cautioned, "Satellite
does have a vision and mission in what she has been doing in the
recent past…"
"She
does want to develop the country, doesn't she?" Bindu queried.
"Perhaps she does," Percy said, "but she also wants
to remain in power, probably for another six years or more which
is why she is doing all this…"
"But thaaththa," Bindu was puzzled, "didn't she say
that the country and its assets are not anyone's 'boodaley'…"
"Yes,"
Percy recalled, "she said that when the reds opposed her plans
to restructure the petroleum and electricity sectors…"
"But if she said the country is not anyone's property, how
could she hold elections at the rate of almost one every year and
waste such a lot of money?" Bindu wanted to know.
"Don't
forget, Bindu" Percy advised, "she is the daughter of
two prime ministers so she probably considers the country as her
mother's and father's property…"
Bindu didn't argue with that. |
