5th Column

My dear Green Man,
I thought I must write to you even though you are in Singapore because everyone is talking about you, your job and how Maithri is treating you, especially after last Sunday’s ‘reshuffle’ that was supposed to put the country back on track but instead made most people lose the little hope that they had.

Green Man, you must surely know that voters at the last election gave you and your party a rude wake up call. What they told you was that they did not like what you and your team – along with the Blues – are doing and that if you don’t change your ways, Mahinda maama will be the winner in two years.

After that, Maithri hinted that he would make a change that ‘would be felt’. We were wondering what that would be. In fact, what he was saying was that he would get rid of you. He asked Karu, but being the gentleman that he is and having once learnt a lesson from Mahinda maama, he politely refused.

That was when you went in front of the cameras and challenged Maithri to show you the door. ‘I am here to stay’ is what you seemed to say. Most people gave you the benefit of the doubt, hoping that you and the Greens would learn some lessons from the recent elections before it is too late.

When they were told there would be a reshuffle, they hoped they would see some fresh, young faces in the Cabinet taking the country in a new direction, instead of the same jokers we have been used to seeing since the ’80s. Unfortunately, the latter are still there, holding on to their jobs and not letting go.

That Vasantha chap, the great grandson of the Father of the Nation, hit the nail on the head when he said that the ‘reshuffle’ was a comedy. All we saw was the two ‘K’s from Kandy and Kegalle, Kiri and Kabir exchange their subjects. They seemed as happy as kids in kindergarten exchanging gifts!

It brought back memories of when there was pressure on Ravi to resign when news of the bond scam broke. Instead of asking Ravi to pack his bags and leave, what you did was to get Ravi and Mangala to merely exchange their subjects. I daresay that was half the reason why you lost the recent election.

We know that you wanted to appoint the Field Marshall to look after law and order. With his ruthless manner and impressive track record, there was every chance that he would have brought the crooks to justice, just as he plotted Velu’s downfall. The Blues- and Maithri – didn’t like that, we heard.

There are many people who are running scared at the thought of the Field Marshall taking over law and order but the fact is, he still hasn’t. Instead, Maithri gave it to you. So, when people complain about not dealing with those who were corrupt, the blame will now fairly and squarely rest with you.

People think that the Cabinet is a joke and the reshuffle is an even greater joke. To add insult to injury, we have been told to await yet another reshuffle where, most probably, the jobs of the Blues will be swapped. So, reshuffles are becoming as bad as a mega teledrama, with an episode each week.

We also heard that the moves to get rid of you are still continuing. Now that Maithri cannot dismiss you just like he dismissed Di Moo, the Blue boys and girls are working on gathering the numbers to try and show that you don’t command the confidence of Parliament, perhaps with Maithri’s blessings.

You shouldn’t be surprised, Green Man. Maithri was with the Blues for four decades and stabbed Mahinda maama in the back overnight, after having ‘aappa’ for dinner. You, more than anyone else should know that there are no permanent friends or enemies in politics, only permanent interests.

In fact, I think it would be in your interests to expect it. What’s more, you may find that more than a few Greens will sign a motion of no-confidence against you. I wouldn’t go so far as to say your days are numbered but some difficult times are ahead. But then, what you are best at is survival, isn’t it?

If I am to be very honest with you, Green Man, I am not sure whether staying in your job is the best thing to do now. With the kind of reshuffle you had last week and nothing new to show thereafter, I don’t see why people should vote for the Greens two years from now. Think about it will, you?

Yours truly,
Punchi Putha
PS: You miscalculated badly when you thought that simply dividing the Blues will be enough for the Greens to win. Now that the people have shown you that will not happen, you need to perform in the next two years, making life easier for people and putting crooks behind bars. But then, they say that politics is too serious a matter to be left to Generals alone – or Field Marshalls, for that matter!