| by Pearl Thevanayagam
(October 23, 2014, Bradford UK, Sri Lanka Guardian) Honourable Minister Dr Mervyn Silva is off my list for the time being and now it is Sajin Vaas Gunawardena who is the focus of my attention. Please do not get me wrong and I still treasure this minister since he is more sincere to the President than all his ministers put together and he never fails to get the media on his side. The President could not have chosen a better person as PR minister than our Mervyn. May he be blessed with long life and serve the country as only a true Buddhist patriot can?
Mervyn is the only non-racist politician I have ever known since he is oblivious to the fact that there are indigenous Tamils, Muslims, Malays or Burghers other than Buddhists. He is such an innocent politician whose enclave is Kelaniya. He will sacrifice his life for Kelaniyites and is all for temperance as the good Lord Buddha preached. I have an affinity with Mervyn since I lived for 10 years in Enderamulla which comes under Kelaniya Pradeshiya Sabha.
His grief was genuine behind his Ray Ban sunglasses as he placed his arms across his heart and shed copious tears at Kanatte. My invitation for dinner still stands if the honourable minister would honour me with his attendance and I promise to cater to his dietary needs with military precision when I save enough money to come to my blessed isle.
Mervyn will close one eye for his drug dealings and his manhandling dissenters of the President and tying them to trees since he has the interest of the nation at heart. But he vowed to speak to the media anytime day or night even at the expense of forfeiting his rights to the marital bed. If his weeping at Kanatte cemetery allocating a place for his demise next to H.R. Jothipala would not melt the rock hard what else would? We need to cherish this minister come hell or high water.
Now Sajin is a different kettle of fish and how he survives begs belief. If there is anyone who hunts with the hounds and kills hares or foxes Sajin is the man. He has the President, Kshenuka and EAM Minister Prof. G. L. Peiris eating out of his hand. I did not know him from Adam until he slapped UK High Commissioner Dr Chris Nonis on the cheek and then pleaded ignorant that he ever did so.
Tales abound both Sajin and UK High Commissioner Dr Chris Nonis (he has still not been served with notice to resign) were inebriated at the time and it is not a cardinal sin to imbibe a little at a party particularly when you have the diplomatic privilege of the choicest duty-free liquor flowing like the Niagara Falls.
Accusations that Dr Pakiyasothi Saravanamutthu of CPA and his acolyte Sanjana Hatthotuwa, a self-promoting editor of Groundviews, are squandering foreign funds pale into insignificance compared to Sajin saga. What is a bit of partying at Paradise Road with choice imported liquor and sea food specialities when you have to churn drivels of long-winded essays on peace-brokering to appease their funders in the West and duplicating or triplicating expenses. The lure of foreign service is more to do with the perks and privileges rather than promoting diplomatic ties with countries our latter-day diplomats sans career service qualifications are assigned with.
I was hosted by a former journalist turned dis-information officer in Europe a few years ago and was enthralled by the perks he was given; sauna and unlimited duty-free liquor in the cellar not to mention duty free vehicle to take home at the end of his sojourn.
Ms Kumaratunga was inspired by the US in this novel concept of getting gullible journos to act as ambassadors to counter war time atrocities which successive governments committed against minorities.
Kshenuka’s dancing with Namal baby with Tourette’s syndrome and Prasad Samarasinghe, ex media military spokesperson at UK High Commission circa 2008, is her prerogative given that she has to shoulder the massive burden of managing the EAM and she needs this relaxation when faced with unwarranted criticism from jealous counterparts who have been summarily relieved of their duties for their inefficacy in warding off war crimes accusations.
It is pure jealousy on the part of Tamara Kunanaykam whom GLP described as a maniac to go viral on the media that Kshenuka had dealings with the LTTE. Even the President is keeping mum on Tamara whose hospitality he once enjoyed in Paris while still an MP.
That Kshenuka flirted with the LTTE is irrelevant since she is presumed to be our Mata Hari assigned with the task of milking out LTTE funds secreted in Swiss banks. But the LTTE are made of sterner stuff and Kshenuka would be lucky if she got even one percent of the stashed funds for our President since Swiss bank regulations are tighter than a rat’s arse. KP is biding his time at the expense of the government which hopes to get its hands on some stash of LTTE funds. Hope springs eternal in human breast so they say.
There is something rotten to the core when EAM Prof. G.L. Peiris comes to the defence of Kshenuka. GLP has a history of bed-hopping as and when it suits him and it would bode well for the President to keep him at arm’s length.
There is honour among thieves and patriotic thieves are better than bed-hopping politicians.
(The writer has been a journalist for 25 years and worked in national newspapers as sub-editor, news reporter and news editor. She was Colombo Correspondent for Times of India and has contributed to Wall Street Journal where she was on work experience from The Graduate School of Journalism, UC Berkeley, California. Currently residing in UK she is also co-founder of EJN (Exiled Journalists Network) UK in 2005 the membership of which is 200 from 40 countries. She can be reached at pearltheva@hotmail.com)
