5th Column
Double-crosser at crossroads
View(s):My dear Udaya,
I thought I must write to you because frankly, we are all confused about what happened to you over the past few weeks, what with all this fuss about leaving the Government and then suddenly re-joining it, after suddenly realising that you had made the ‘wrong’ decision.
Honestly, I am less than impressed with all these cross-overs. These days, we can’t open a newspaper or switch on the television without being told that an unheard of provincial councillor or pradeshiya sabha chairman has pledged support to either Mahinda maama or Maithri. We couldn’t care less!
Yes, it all started with Maithri crossing over, but you have to excuse him because he has a specific purpose. Then there were the other ministers who crossed over with him, although we haven’t seen the numbers that were promised: they either had a change of heart or got cold feet!
I suppose we shouldn’t be surprised about anyone crossing over to any party anymore. After all, we have seen Anura, the Crown Prince, cross over to the Greens and Karu cross over to the Blue side. Even then, some cross-overs, such as the one by Tissa last week, raise eyebrows and cause a shock.
When we were getting over that nasty surprise and thinking that it might just be safe to read the newspapers or watch television once more, you decided to tell us that you had decided to return to the Blue camp after spending a few sleepless nights grappling with your conscience.
Well, it is nice to know that you had one. At least, you didn’t tell us that your mother wanted you to return to the Blues. It is Tissa who is telling us that what convinced him to cross over to the Blues was his mother’s advice. If it was, she certainly took her time telling her son what he should do!
Anyway, Udaya, in a sense your crossover is quite different from all the others that we have seen so far. All of them merely crossed over from one party to another. You, on the other hand, crossed over from the Blues to the Opposition and then returned to the Blues. So, it was really a double cross!
And, it was not as if the two crossovers happened a few years apart. We have seen people like Anura, Karu, SB and GL returning to their original parties after offering some silly explanation to the public. But you, Udaya, decided to ‘jump’ again within a matter of a few days!
You have indeed provided us with an explanation. You say that your conscience didn’t permit you to remain in a group that included the Uncle Ranil and Satellite in it. One might even consider that to be a reasonable explanation, if it weren’t for a small discrepancy in your line of reasoning.
Even though you don’t want to remain in a group that has Uncle Ranil and Satellite in it because you think they could cause considerable harm to our country, you don’t seem to have any issues about remaining in a group that includes Mervyn, Duminda, Johnston, Mahindananda, Muthu and Sajin!
There are other questions that bother us, Udaya. You were one of those who drafted the agreement between your party and Maithri. Why, you even left your hospital bed to attend a media briefing to tell us that you were quitting the Government because the powers of the executive presidency needed to pruned.
Others in your party — and this includes your friend Champika and other respected monks — say they too are puzzled by your departure because you gave them no hint whatsoever about your dissatisfaction. Now, to add insult to injury, you want to steal members from your former party to form your own!
As you know, Udaya, politics in this country has become a very dirty game and there are only very few politicians that still enjoy the trust and confidence of the public. Until a few days ago, you, along with your friend Champika, would have possibly fallen in to that category.
That is why you were able to poll over a hundred thousand preference votes at the provincial elections despite not printing posters. That is why people donated a hundred rupees readily to your campaign. They might still do that for Champika, but I don’t believe they will now do it again for you, Udaya.
Anyway, since you have told us that you have a conscience, we hope you can live with it, Udaya. I only hope you will not cross over to the opposition again. As for me, now I wouldn’t be surprised even if Mahinda maama crosses over to the Green camp and Uncle Ranil joins the Blues!
Yours truly,
Punchi Putha
PS: I suppose one of the benefits of returning to the Blue camp is that all your privileges will be restored and this will most likely include a vehicle and a driver. That is as it should be, because you shouldn’t be driving at all. Just imagine what would happen if you get stuck at a traffic light: you wouldn’t know when to stay and when to go — and that can be quite dangerous, even fatal!