|
|
 |
 |
| Sunday, 28 March 2004 |
 |
|
 |
Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
|
Agonies on the Elephant Walk Light Refractions by Lucien Rajakarunanayake The Green Elephant was abuzz with excitement. There was a large crowd in front of the special large screen put up there, watching the televised interview of the Lead Elephant, Ranil Alirajah on private TV, in a three-pronged attack by Sirasa Buddhika, Swarna Shan and TNL Chamuditha. Many were ordering round after round of drinks, as others cheered at how Alirajah was fielding the questions. They had never seen such a performance before. It was a great show from any elephant's point of view. Although he showed signs of being angry at times, especially at the repeated references to Sigiriya by Buddhika, they all felt he did a great job. He avoided direct answers. He fended off some embarrassing questions, made no promises about the future, and kept his focus on his own idea of peace. He was not rattled by recollections of gold bracelets and chains, hoodwinking of the people with the First 100 days programme or the poor performance of the "Yovun Balakaya". "That is the hallmark of a leader. It was good if he did not show annoyance at some questions, but he definitely did not let that Buddhika guy beat him down, like in December 2001. Mind you, he did all this without any rehearsals, too," said Milinda Alivanguva. This caused more than a few suspicious eyebrows to be raised because all of them knew that Alivanguva was well known for his insistence on rehearsals and having the props all right, whatever the message was. "Why talk of rehearsals, when the show was a success," said Malik Alihenduva, the one who is known to control Ranil Alirajah. "That's all very good for the TV screen, but how did you fare when you met the people, asking their own questions?" asked Navin Alipetiya, feeling safe with his position on the National List. "Now let's not spoil a good evening, with all that nonsense. Who cares what the people ask. The main thing is how you perform on TV. Don't you know that elections in the USA are won or lost through TV, and not on what the people ask," said Milinda Alivanguva. "That may be so in the US, but issues over here are not decided on TV in the drawing room. For one thing there aren't enough TV sets to go around all homes, and most homes don't have anything called a drawing room," said Yovun Dalawardhana, a young executive elephant, new to the Green Elephant Circle. "Look, the boss acted in style. He delivered our message of peace, peace and still more peace. He knew what questions to avoid. So why bother about what the people ask us. After all we are only torchbearers for our Alirajah," said Ravi Alikeliya a.k.a Hora Gajamuthu. "I think Navin Alipetiya's question is good. So why not share your experiences on the campaign trail, or the "Manaapa Keliya" with the rest of us who are not directly in the fray" said Kapuvath Kolapaata, a senior member of the Green Elephant. He was too senior a member to be disturbed or opposed. "I will start it", he said. My first question is to you, Ravi Alikeliya. What was your experience? How was it compared to a TV interview?" One could notice a shiver in Ravi Alikeliya's jumbo muscles. "Now that you ask me, I think it was better if I did not go to speak to the people. They were full of questions about what I did to the CWE; why I sold off two parks in Kotte; why I gave special favours to some dealers in rice, and the toughest problem was when they asked me why I did not bring down the price of gas, and also show them a cylinder of Mundo gas. They expected me to be carrying a Mundo cylinder on my shoulder as I canvassed for votes." "So how did you answer those questions?" "I did not dare answer them. It was not as easy as at a TV studio. I had no honest answers to give. But the worst thing was the dogs." "What dogs?" "Wherever I went there were dogs wearing the green T-shirts with my number I had given my supporters, waiting to greet me with their barks. They thought they were pleasing me when in some places I was garlanded with grass. I tell you, we must introduce a law to ban all dogs in this country, or at least the use of dogs in election campaigns." "Very interesting" said Kapuvath Kolapaata. "There you are, come on Jayalath Gajawardhana a.k.a Ali Commiss. Why not tell us your experiences. You must have plenty to tell, having handled, Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and Re-settlement." "Well I first told the people that since the last election, I am now a Professor Emeritus. They were not impressed. I then said I laid the foundation for the peace process. Again they were not impressed. They asked me why I gave road construction contracts to my own family. I tried to explain it was done in keeping with tender procedure, but they were not satisfied. In fact someone said I seemed to be having very tender feelings for family and friends in giving contracts. They next asked me why I sent poor quality rice to Jaffna. In keeping with the discipline of the Green Elephant I could not explain that I was only trying to help my friend Ravi Alikeliya. As for me, I hope we can either ban elections in this country, or have elections where the candidate does not have to go canvassing for votes." With that Jayalath Gajawardhana moved to the rear prevent any further questions. The next question went to Nelson Alikalabala from the Raja Rata. "How is the response from the people there?" "I will be very frank, I don't know why on earth there has do be so many paddy cultivators in the Raja Rata. All my talk of restoring peace, and the need to strengthen our leader to continue the peace process was lost, with demands for an increase in the fertilizer subsidy. I wish I carried enough money to give to all those people as an advance on the increase in the fertilizer subsidy after we are elected. Then they were others wanting to know how we will give them Rs. 15 per kilo of paddy when we could never give them even the Rs. 13.50/- that was our earlier promise. "Just like what Ravi Alikeliya said about dogs, I think we must take immediate steps when elected, to abolish paddy cultivation, and give them all imported rice for their meals. Then they won't be harassing us anymore about fertilizer subsidies or a guaranteed price for paddy." Even before he was asked for his comments Sakala Banda Dahajaraava from Hanguranketha, said his problem was about Samurdhi. "These people think that I have Samurdhi payments in my pocket, the way they keep demanding that I restore the full Samurdhi payment, and also that I give back the Samurdhi payments to those it was taken away. It was impossible for me to explain that I had no Samurdhi money to give them. I think the best thing to do when we are elected is to do away with Samurdhi altogether. At least then it won't be an issue." "So meeting the people is not as easy as facing three interviewers with all the spotlights on you," said Navin Alipetiya. "That is why I preferred the National List." Even before Kapuvath Kolapaata could pick on any other elephant for his views, there were many voices heard. "We were not bothered with dogs in green T-shirts or demands for fertilizer subsidies. Our problem was to answer questions about why we could not even cause a dent in the unemployment problem. How to answer, when we knew nothing serious was done? "Where is Mahinda Gajarekiyaava, the job elephant" asked several members, but he was not to be found. They said he may be sweating it out at Kalutara, with Rosy Senanayake's story of 40,000 jobs in Malaysia, assuring all the unemployed in the Kalutara District they will get jobs in Malaysia. That was when Karu Alivaligaya, the Deputy Leader of the Green Herd spoke. "I am more worried about looks like the unseen had of fate that is at work, against us," he said. "Why, why, what unseen hand", many of those around him asked. "See what happened at Ambalangoda, our own supporters jeered and hooted our Hanguranketha Sakala Banda Dahajaraava when he spoke. "Those were JVP members who had infiltrated our ranks" said Sakala Banda. "Then at Ratgama, the stage on which you were addressing the meeting collapsed, and you were almost buried under broken planks," said Alivaligaya. "That is also JVP sabotage" said Sakala Banda. This makes me worry even more. How on earth can the JVP infiltrate our ranks and hoot speakers at our own meetings and even sabotage the construction of our own platforms?" There was silence all round. Karu Alivaligaya spoke again. "What about that huge branch of that Sacred Bo Tree breaking, just after our Leader spoke at Beliatta? It even killed one man, who must have been one of our supporters. This is very worrying to me. And then at Hatton, when our supporters lit crackers to greet the leader of our pack, it caused a fire in the dry bush, and the local firefighters, police and the public had to spend much time to douse it. According to the conventional wisdom of our people, these are considered signs of things to come. It looks as if even the gods are angry with us, although they had no need for fertilizer subsidies, Samurdhi or a solution to unemployment." Soon there was a rapid flow of members out of the Green Elephant. Meanwhile, at the "Bulath Heppuva" where the local "Betels" were meeting, there was not much noise. Two groups were busy reading two betel leaf manifestos, to try and decide which one was correct. After some time, one member said, "Who cares what is correct. People are not moved by manifestos. They are struck by reality, and it looks as if we have greeted them in the proper manner with betel leaves, instead of all the trumpeting of the elephants." |
|
News | Business | Features
| Editorial | Security Produced by Lake House |
