Of traps for averting and portfolios for the taking

Somey and Wimal were discussing the latest invitation they had received from Mahinda maama. They were in two minds…

"I think we should accept it…" Wimal suggested.

"But we should be careful," Somey cautioned, "Mahinda maama is not like Satellite, it will be difficult to outsmart him…"

"Why do you think he wants us now?" Wimal asked, "especially when there are hordes of Greens waiting to join him?"

"But look at the Greens who have joined him," Somey pointed out, "they are those the Greens would have been glad to get rid of…"

"So, he wants a decent majority in Parliament to do as he pleases…" Wimal said.

"That maybe one reason," Somey agreed, "but we must also make sure that we are not held responsible for his faults…"

"Why do you say that?" Wimal wanted to know.

"Why, with a strike in the port one day and then a petrol strike the next day, the people are not very happy these days…" Somey said.

"And if we are part of the government, they will blame us for all these problems…" Wimal said.

"Maybe the best option would be to tell Mahinda maama that we will support him without joining his government…" Somey suggested.

"But that would mean no Cabinet portfolios for us…" Wimal pointed out.

"Now, do we really want Cabinet portfolios when there will be about forty ministers?" Somey asked.

"But won't our supporters be disappointed when even the Thondamans and Hakeems who worked against Mahinda maama are in the Cabinet and we who did most of the work to get him elected are left out?" Wimal protested.

"I don't think they will be," Somey said, "although I am not sure whether you are disappointed at not being in the Cabinet…"

"No, no, no," Wimal said, "it is not that I want to be a minister, I get enough attention even now…"

"That is true," Somey said, "but even if we accept cabinet posts we must make sure Mahinda maama doesn't lead us into a trap…"

"What trap is that?" Wimal asked, puzzled.

"We mustn't take on important portfolios…" Somey suggested.

"Why do you say that?" Wimal queried, "if we take over an important portfolio and perform really well, the people will be impressed with us…"

"Ah," Somey said, "you don't realise the dangers of that…"

"And what are these dangers?" Wimal wanted to know.

"Why, if we take over important areas such as health, power and energy, transport or even education, there will always be problems and strikes in these ministries and then Mahinda maama will turn around and blame us for all that…" Somey explained.

"Well," Wimal said, "come to think of it, he has already blamed his own party people for the strike in the port and the petrol strike…"

"That is what we must be careful about…" Somey said.

"So, what do we do then?" Wimal asked.

"Well, we must ask for relatively harmless ministries like cultural affairs, vocational development, science and technology or some similar portfolios…" Somey proposed.

"What do we do about the strikes that we now organise every now and then to embarrass Mahinda maama?" Wimal asked.

"Well, I'm sure our union sahodarayas will ensure that they continue…" Somey said.

"Then, very soon Mahinda maama will be regretting that he didn't form a national government with the Greens instead…" Wimal said.

"Yes," Somey said, "he will be looking at the Greens and at us and saying 'unuth ekai, munuth ekai'…"

Wimal, for once, was lost for words.