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| Sunday, 24 February 2002 |
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By the way: Mystery of the missing portrait at "Temple Trees" by Gamarala Politics has been so serious and boring these many months that it is an unmitigated pleasure to turn to some light relief. Such as that provided the other day when the office of the present Prime Minister and that of his predecessor began to trade insults over some items that have allegedly gone missing. Valuable items such as historic paintings have previously gone missing from palatial mansions and not all of them recovered nor guilty persons, if any, called to account. It appears that a portrait of the present Prime Minister which once hung at "Temple trees" has vanished along with some other portraits. In the case of Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe's portrait, the culprit is entitled, I submit, to some leniency. It was obviously the work of one of his admirers who wanted to have possession of it instead of it being exposed to the desert air of "Temple Trees", as it were. How many of his admirers would have had the opportunity of viewing it at "Temple trees". To be sure not many more will see it in its new place of hanging. But the few who do will gloat over the priceless possession whereas at "Temple Trees" it probably went unviewed by those who did not care much anyway. But the case of the antique furniture made out of valuable timber which has been spirited away is another matter altogether. As we know there are many collectors of antiques (even instant antiques). Filthy lucre rather than the pleasure of owning a genuine antique profit motive was the compelling force. I should bid good-bye to them particularly as no one seems to know when they were spirited away. But the office of the present leader of the Opposition or rather its spokesman has a couple of charges to make. He said some items, including an air conditioner was missing when Mr. Wickremanayake moved into the former Opposition Leader's residence. Personally I don't think Mr. Senarath, the Opposition Leader's Media Secretary has much to grouse about. A mere air conditioner as against a PM's portrait and valuable antiques is a bad bargain under any reckoning. Except of course the principle of the thing. A theft is a theft by any other name. Not to mention our penchant for pilfering where we can. |
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