5th Column

My dear Sajith, Anura, Champika, the Field Marshall and Aiyo Sirisena,

I thought I should write to you this week after hearing that Uncle Ranil had extended an invitation to all of you to join him in an ‘all-party government’. He has been saying this for some time. He repeated this in Parliament on Wednesday. Most of you met with him this week to discuss this issue.

From what I hear, none of you had been very eager to respond to Uncle Ranil’s invitation. That is understandable. Some of you resent him getting the top job without being elected by the people, even to Parliament. Some of you don’t trust him. You may also not wish to board a sinking ship.

If you are unhappy with Uncle Ranil now, the blame for that rests on you too. For several months, when the ‘aragalaya’ was gathering momentum, all of you failed to get together and come up with an alternative in the event Gota maama was forced to leave. Instead, you were fighting with each other.

The question of a successor was raised earlier. When you and those at the ‘aragalaya’ wanted Gota maama to resign, ‘Deal Dasa’ who shares a name with Gota maama asked, “Do you want Basil to be the boss?” What he hinted was that ‘pohottuwa’ chaps in Parliament will choose the next leader.

That is exactly what happened. Fortunately for you, Basil had left Parliament by that time. If not, he would have been the boss today. Some say that even though he is not there, Uncle Ranil has to dance to his tune. It is a ‘Udin Ranil, Yatin Basil’ government (Apparently Ranil, but really Basil), they say.

Sajith, are you regretting your decision not to accept the PM’s job when Gota maama offered it to you? You said you did so on principle. That is to be admired. We hear you singing the same tune again, saying neither you nor your party will not accept any ministries in Uncle Ranil’s government.

Uncle Ranil is not good at winning elections or leading a political party to victory but we have seen that he is very good at manipulating events to his advantage. The recent election in Parliament proves that. Sajith, if you and your party don’t join him, he will ensure that those who are with you, join him.

Sajith, don’t forget that those who are with you once knew Uncle Ranil as their leader. It won’t be difficult for him to win them over especially when he has the power to distribute ministries as and when he wants. Besides, Harin and Manusha are already with him and playing the brokers’ role!

Anura, you face a slightly different decision. Your policies are very different to Uncle Ranil’s, so you can cite that and stay away. However, I am not sure whether it will help your prospects. Already, people are blaming you for always criticising but never being willing to accept responsibility.

We remember how you joined Satellite’s Cabinet nearly twenty years ago. Ironically, that was to defeat Uncle Ranil’s government. The wheel has now turned full circle now. Think carefully about your next step. You don’t want to remain the ‘seeyata thunai’ or ‘three percent’ party, do you?

Champika, we know you have your own agenda. You speak of laying down conditions to join Uncle Ranil. First you were with Mahinda maama. Then, you were with Aiyo Sirisena. Next, you were with Sajith. Now, you are on your own. What will you do if Uncle Ranil agrees to your demands?

Field Marshall, many people have a lot of respect for you for your role in ending the war, especially after it became clear that it was you who did most of the work. You have now called for the people to take to the streets once again on Tuesday. Many ask whether you want to make Dinesh the next boss!

Aiyo Sirisena, I am sure you see an opportunity here to resurrect the Blue party. The ‘pohottuwa’ chaps are so unpopular, they are not seen in public. A few of them want to join you. You could make the Blue party great again but Uncle Ranil is already poaching your men, offering Cabinet posts.

Still, Aiyo Sirisena, I won’t discuss principled politics with you, because you won the top job beating Mahinda maama with Uncle Ranil’s help but a few years later replaced Uncle Ranil with Mahinda maama. Now, the tables have turned: If it suits him, Uncle Ranil might even appoint you as PM!

All of you have a task ahead. That is to keep Uncle Ranil on the straight and narrow. Almost all of his predecessors—except our other ‘accidental’ President, DB—got drunk with power when they had his job. If his crackdown on the ‘aragalaya’ is anything to go by, he too may be heading in that direction.

How you go about that task is up to you. Uncle Ranil is a master manipulator, so some may feel it is better to join his government and contribute but be critical at the same time. Others may want to stay away. It is vital that all of you stay united but that didn’t happen at the recent election in Parliament!

I hope all of you realise that your duty is to the nation at this critical time–and not about what ministry you can get or what will get you elected at the next election. We have had a government that has failed all of us miserably. Now, we can’t afford to have an opposition that fails us too.

Yours truly,

Punchi Putha

PS- Sajith, you have watched from the sidelines for almost two decades while Uncle Ranil was your leader in the Green Party but there appears to be a lesson that you haven’t learnt from him. For Uncle Ranil, every crisis is an opportunity. Unfortunately for you, every opportunity seems to be a crisis!