5th Column

My dear Harini sahodariya,

I cannot help but write to you this week, because you are the talk of the town. Suddenly, you have become the prime target of the opposition. You are being accused of single-handedly trying to destroy our cultural values. A lot of abuse and hate is being directed at you by your opponents.

Even before all this, you were subjected to intense scrutiny when you became PM, because you were a lady. You may be the third female PM in the country that gave the world its first, but you were the first in this land who got the job on merit, not because they were replacing an assassinated husband.  

Being relatively new to the job, you have slipped up a few times in the year that you have been in the job, so this is not the first time. There was that time when you once referred to China as the ‘Republic of China’ which is Taiwan, China’s arch-rival. That would have ruffled quite a few Chinese feathers.

Then, before the local government polls you told us to ‘shape ekey’ have a quiet word with friends even after campaigning ends, which would be a violation of election law. There was also that time when you answered a question about Chi Chi baby’s rocket, only for Wasantha to dispute it days later.

This time too, the educational reforms you are promoting have the flavour of being half-baked. They may have many positive aspects. Still, many say they have been hurriedly prepared and are being rushed through, with little consultation and even lesser thought on how they would be implemented.

That is also probably the reason why you find yourself in this mess today. Please don’t get me wrong, Harini sahodariya. As PM, we don’t expect you to go through each and every line in each and every textbook. However, there must be a process that ensures each and every line is correct and suitable.

Even if there was such a process, it has failed in this instance. ‘How could such a glaring mistake creep into a textbook?’ is the question we need an answer to. We are glad that you have acknowledged that error. We hope the inquiries – by the Police and the Ministry – will give us answers.

Whatever those answers are, you must own some share of the blame for that lapse. That is because, as minister in charge of the subject, you haven’t ensured a sufficient degree of oversight in the process. That is what some of your illustrious predecessors such as Kannangara or Iriyagolle would have done.

Nevertheless, Harini sahodariya, no one deserves the vile, intensely personal profanities that are being directed at you, most of them from the opposition camp and those aligned with them on social media but also from the ‘usual suspects’ in saffron robes whose language is a disgrace to their calling.

Of course, we expect nothing less from the ‘pohottuwa’ camp. They tell us that our proud 2500-year culture is so fragile, it can be destroyed overnight by a single line in a text book. That too, all because of you, because you are not fit for the job you do as you have not married and did not bear children!

The ‘pohottuwa’ needs consistency. Their members attack you viciously, but one of them, Dolawatte, introduced a bill to decriminalise same gender relations. Then, asked whether you should resign, Namal baby says ‘Yes’. Posed the same question on the same day, Mahinda maama says ‘No’!

Sadder still is the ‘telephone’ party. We recall how you stood by Rohini when she was insulted by Tissakutti in parliament in a very degrading manner. Still, while Sajith speaks of the reforms and tries his best to sound erudite, his minions lash out with ‘below the belt’ personal attacks on your character.

We may have produced the world’s first female PM and produced 3 lady PMs in 76 years whereas Britain, the ‘Mother of all Parliaments’, took over three hundred years to do so. Still, all our lady PMs were targeted by their opponents mercilessly, so you are not the first to face such attacks.

Sirima was mocked despite being a dignified ‘weeping widow’. Satellite had her share of shenanigans but was subjected to insults she did not deserve. So, the attacks on you are not surprising. That is why it was good to see you address the media directly, though you had Vijitha and Nalinda ‘guarding’ you.

Your opponents maybe targeting you also because you are an important factor. You attract a different following, the so-called ‘middle class’ to the ‘maalimaawa’. They must feel that if they can bring you down, those votes will return from the ‘maalimawa’ to the ‘pohottuwa’ or the telephone party.

So, consider this motion of no confidence against you as a blessing in disguise. It is your chance to explain yourself, provided you do so, accepting your mistakes. As the poet said, Harini sahodariya, this is when you need to ‘keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you’!

Yours truly,

Punchi Putha

PS: The fuss about you is a blessing in disguise to others in the ‘maalimawa’ too. There are many issues for which the ‘maalimaawa’ should be taken to task. Everyone has forgotten about them. For instance, no one talks about how Ranwala was allowed to escape scot-free after his accident now!