5th Column

"Thaaththa," Bindu Udagedera asked, "what will happen now?"
"Why, what are you talking about?" Bindu's father Percy wanted to know.
"Why thaaththa, what about all these elections especially the polls in Colombo?" Bindu said.
"Well, what about it?" Percy wanted to know, "it's all over now…"
"Do you really think so?" Bindu queried.
"Why not?" Percy said, "the elections have been held and the results declared…"
"But that is not the fashion these days…" Bindu suggested.
"Why do you say that?" Percy asked.
"Why, thaaththa, after the results are declared, you have to go to courts…" Bindu explained.
"I thought they had gone to courts already…"
"Yes, Sirisena seeya had to go to courts even before the election, just after his nomination papers were rejected…" Bindu recalled.
"But that was of no use, was it, because all his petitions were in vain…" Percy observed.
"And that was when he decided to wear spectacles…"
"Or at least he was forced to, because the elephant list was thrown out…"
"And some people seemed pretty adamant that the elephant list should be thrown out and that they should not contest on another list either…"Bindu observed.
"Who was that?" Percy demanded.
"Why, thaaththa, there was Dayananda uncle giving his opinion when that was something for the courts to decide…"
"Well," Percy said, "he hasn't got much of a choice, has he?"
"Why do you say that?"
"Why, he has to work for his retirement, hasn't he?" Percy pointed out.
"But if he continues in this manner he will never get to retire…" Bindu suggested.
"Anyway, not contesting with the elephant is nothing new to Sirisena Seeya…" Percy said.
"Why do you say that?"
"Why, Bindu, don't you remember he once got on a bus when he had a fight with the elephants?"
"Ah, yes" Bindu recalled, "and he lost badly then…"
"But, come to think of it, Vasu Seeya is no better…" Percy declared.
"Why do say that, Thaaththa?" Bindu asked.
"Why, he is also no true blue either…"
"Ah, yes," Bindu agreed, "he was a red to start with and then he broke away from them and started his own version of the red party…"
"And what was even funnier was that even that party split…"
"But thaaththa," Bindu wanted to know, "is it really worthwhile having all these elections and spending all this money fighting each other in court?"
"I suppose that is the price we pay for being democratic…" Percy said.
"But thaaththa, just imagine the money spent by the government and all these candidates, first to print posters and then to employ people to remove them and then also to run all those expensive television commercials and newspaper advertisements…"
"Yes, it could amount to quite a lot of money…" Percy agreed.
"And once all these candidates are elected we can't even get them to clear our garbage properly…" Bindu complained.
"There's some truth in what you say…" Percy conceded.
"So, thaaththa, instead of spending all that money on elections and court cases can't we use that money to have all our garbage cleared?" Bindu suggested.
"No, Bindu, I don't think we can do that…" Percy said.
"Why is that, thaaththa?" Bindu wanted to know.
"Why, Bindu if we completely cleared our garbage, we would not have any politicians left…" Percy said.
Bindu didn't want to disagree with that.