Outside Politics

1st March 1998

Mayor fumes

The Mayor from the salubrious climes of the hill country was furious.

The water tank at his official residence had sprung a bad leak.

All he has to do is call a plumber, one would say. But he has called top cops and defence top brass instead.

The story goes that the local top cop was in a spiritful mood and wanted to test whether his pistol would fire.

He aimed it at a lorry that was parked near the Mayoral residence and pulled the trigger. And that hit the Mayor's water tank.

They all say his Lordship's tank was a wrong target. But how could one get the right target after so much fun and frolic at a party.

RAW wrongs excused

These are days when even the Mossad, known for its efficiency as a spy service, is making mistakes. So RAW briefings being wrong can be excused.

Therefore why blame the genial Indian High Commissioner, Shiv Shankar Menon, if he has not yet received a full update of the political scene in Sri Lanka.

The other day he met the ever-friendly Anura Bandaranaike, UNP MP and asked him whether there were moves for him to take up his mother's position as Prime Minister.

"Leave alone that, my sister does not even speak to me," declared Anura.

Emulating Preme

President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, sure, is taking many a leaf from those good things followed by President Ranasinghe Premadasa.

Yesterday she was at a Presidential Mobile Service at Polonnaruwa. That was not all.

There was many a thing reminiscent of the late Mr. Premadasa when arrangements were being made early last month for the visit of Prince Charles.

Jungle Telegraph

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