Mangala or Avamangala? The question is about the vital questions you asked

By Rypvanwinkle

My Dear Mangala,

I thought I should call you Mangala for once, because I am not sure whether to call you Jayamangala or Avamangala because I am not sure whether you are coming or going...from the Cabinet that is!

But still, I thought I must write to you when I heard that you had not turned up to be sworn in as Minister of Irrigation last week.

I am not a great admirer of what you have said and done in the past, Mangala, but I must concede that it is not often that Mahinda maama gets stood up by a would-be minister these days. Just imagine, there Mahinda maama would have been all dressed up in his 'saatakaya', waiting for you to turn up and be sworn in to look after the waterways of the land while he smiled from ear to ear for the television cameras.

In the end, as it turned out, only Chamal aiya made an appearance-and why not too, when he was being handed over all the ports and airports on a platter? So, you taught Mahinda maama a lesson -- that watching World Cup cricket matches while munching 'aappa' doesn't mean much, in the hard-nosed world of politics!

What was admirable about your refusal of a portfolio was that it appears you were insisting on your friend Sripathi being taken back into the fold as well. Well, that ought to teach a lesson or two on loyalties to that other erstwhile colleague of yours -- the Clown Prince who abjectly returned to the Cabinet so he could stare at more Sigiriya frescoes.

But you well know more than I do, Mangala, that Mahinda maama will not be a happy man now. And hell hath no fury like a scorned executive president -- we know that very well now with the experiences of at least three of them, don't we?

Don't forget, Mangala, that not so long ago, a newspaper which supported you was raided and was forced out of business and some financial transactions that you had made during the elections were being publicly queried. There could be more of that in the near future.

Of course, now the question is what next? You have said that you will continue to support the Blues as a backbencher, but there is also some speculation that you might join hands with the Greens -- or what is left of them.

What we can tell you is that what matters to us is not so much who you are with or which colour you support, but the answers to the many issues that you raised when you were sacked from the Cabinet. They were all very important issues and so far, none of them has been addressed satisfactorily. The danger is that while everyone is being kept entertained about your comings and goings from the Cabinet, these issues will be swept under the carpet.

Therefore, Mangala, what we would want you to do regardless of whether you are within the government or out of it, is to keep raising those issues until they are dealt with in a suitable manner.

If you can do that, you would have done enough!
Yours truly,
Punchi Putha

PS: It is ironical, isn't it Mangala, that you who once infamously said that the media is a mafia and that journalists can be bought for a bottle of arrack, have to now rely on the same media and journalists to fight your lone battle against you-know-who? But then, will you remember that the next time you are in power? That is the question most journalists are now asking. We hope you do.