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DEBATE: Chula DeSilva responds to H.L.D. Mahindpala's article of last week.

I do not know how much more of this exchange the editor of this newspaper is going to allow, but Mr H. L. D. Mahindapala's rather hilarious way of approaching the debate merits this response.

Let us begin at the beginning. The writer headlines his article "Wickremesinge a Quisling of Evil-lam.'' I think that headline just about shows exactly where and how he has missed the bus.

This exchange is not about Mr Wickremesighe's polices. It's about the fact that he is the leader of the opposition whether one may like it or not.

It's about whether we should encourage or discourage consensus between the prevailing government of the day and the leader of the opposition and the leader of the United National Party, Ranil Wickremesinghe.

Mahindpala is getting all distraught over some dunce cap he wants on my head. Well, he can put on any cap if he wants to if it fits his head, but it does not fit mine, but let us come to that later.

But more important is why he wants to fix this dunce cap onto my head. He says that it is because I said Ranil Wickremesinghe is willing to offer "reasonable support" and not unqualified support to the Rajapakse administration.

He goes onto cite an entire array of examples from history of instance in which, he claims, differences were sunk between political foes when there were important national challenges to surmount. I put it to him that in all of these instances, it was reasonable support that was offered, and not unqualified support in which the opposition ceased to be opposition and folded up its tent and went home.

He does not like the word reasonable, which to me is the best example of what an unreasonable man he is. If the writer knows something about the law for example, he will begin to appreciate the word "reasonable." The test of "reasonableness" is the generally used yardstick in the law, which determines many outcomes when judges are faced with difficult decisions.

For example, did a man take all reasonable precautions to ensure that there was no threat to life and limb of his neighbours from any activity that takes place within his premises? Did he for example ensure that his dogs were properly tethered, and were no risk at all to the postman on his delivery rounds.

If the court is satisfied that the man took all reasonable precautions, one can be quite certain that no court will make an order for damages against the man even if his dog had indeed bitten the postman. For example, if the postman had come into the man's compound, walked over to where the dog is tethered inside its kennel and provoked the dog by aiming stones at it, there is no lawyer in the world that would be able to get a court to make an order for damages against the man for being negligent, for the very simple reason that the man had taken all reasonable precautions to ensure that his dog is tethered.

Of course Mahindapala when he goes looking for meanings of words in malaprop's dictionary will not find that kind of elucidation illuminating. One has to be reasonably knowledgeable about all aspects of life to come to terms with the fact that there are connotations to words other than those that can be found in Mahindpala's malaprop's dictionary.

Therefore, to offer reasonable support is not at all as bad as Mr. Mahindapala makes it out to be. It only means that Ranil Wickremesighe is offering his support to build consensus on the national question and anything connected with the peace process.

What it does not mean is that Ranil Wickremesighe will abdicate his role as the leader of the opposition, and frankly I do not know of anyone who wants him to do so except of course H. L. D. Mahindapala.

Ranil Wickremesinghe does not have to be seen as being in cahoots with Mahinda Rajapakse to offer this kind of unconditional support. Neither does he have to be seen with the President on the same platform on Independence Day or on any other occasion.

Only if Mahindpala pays heed to his own words, 'actions speak louder than words.' Wickremesinghe has not sabotaged the peace process, he has declared his support and he continues to declare his support and participates in the all-party sessions.

So when one analyses Mr Mahindapala's arguments closely, it becomes clearer that he is all froth and no substance. There is no substance in his argument about "reasonable" support; by any reasonable standard offering reasonable support is reasonable - - even though it is unreasonable in Mahindpala's mind. I do no know how long it will take Mahindapala to digest that, but let him chew on it.

Its probably because Mahindpala is abysmally low on substance, that he makes a hobby almost of making all kinds of statements that border on the personal to the effect that I am a joker who should be patting his dunce cap etc etc., It's a simple case of not having any solid arguments, which makes him rely on this kind of personal innuendo. Low on substance, he is high on froth and bubble of his own making.

He goes into paroxysms saying that Ranil Wickremesinghe does not want the CFA amended and that he wants to strengthen it.

It's worth reminding the forgetful Mr Mahindapala that as things stand, it's the Rajapakse administration which negotiated with the LTTE in Geneva and decided that the ceasefire should not be amended. It is hardly fair to start blaming Mr Wickremesighe for something that the Rajapakse government is doing.

But if Mahindapala is looking for consensus, there is consensus for him. He keeps harping on the fact that Wickremesinghe does not want the CFA amended. I am not sure about that.

But if that were the case, Rajapakse also agreed with him in the first round of talks, didn't he? He did not get the ceasefire amended in Geneva, or least his negotiating team did not do that. No matter how you look at it then, the consensus is there, there is some sort of agreement in reality even though the likes of Mahindapala would like to go about placing dunce caps on the heads of anybody who points out that there is some sort of emerging agreement between the two most important political forces in the south of the country, the UNP and the Rajapakse led UPFA.

I might remind him that while he is fond of dunce caps, and is busy placing them on the heads of other people who do not want to or wear them, he might as well on one of these days place one upon his own head where at least it will fit, in every sense of the word. Each man to his own, and may each wear the cap that fits him best.

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