This cat listened to President Maithripala Sirisena speak at an opening ceremony on Monday 15 May relayed on TV night news. She purred with delight at his words and growled in approval of his tone of sheer disdain; very civil albeit. He questioned where the threatened black flags were, to be hoisted by Wimal Wee and company. He commented on the asking of permission to meet Prime Minister Modi. The President said, with a nonchalant wave of his arm, that he requested the Indian Ambassador to arrange such a meeting. It was not clear as to whether he was referring to the meeting of the three Big Wigs of the JO – MR, GR and GLP or whether the Wansa too wanted to meet the Man from India. We now know that the Big Three met with PM Modi at 11.00 o’clock at night after our President’s dinner in honour of the visitor. Guesses are rife as to what Big Brother had to say to MR. Maybe he asked him about the flag business as announced on his platform at Galle Face Green on May Day and advised him to wait patiently until he could contest a general election again.
What stopped Wimal Wee from hoisting those wretched black flags? Seeing them would perturb anyone ; Big Brother from India would have been mortified and of course annoyed and insulted since he was coming across the Palk Strait solely on a goodwill mission with a strong religious intent. How puerile can you get? But that is one of the second names of MP Wimal Wee. Why did he not threaten to lay himself down at the entrance to the BMIC Hall on a death fast? Lemon puff out of the market? Afraid he would be left there to fulfil his intent?
This cat also loved the way the President, at the same event, dismissed the claim that the JO is very popular judging by a head count at Galle Face Green on 1 May. He said this very calmly, with no malice and thus so much more the veracity of it. Roughly translated from the Sinhala speech he made, the President said that olu gananaawa at a meeting is not an indicator of popularity or unpopularity, of winning or losing. When he said this, this feline nodded her head sagely and had a vision of olu bakkas who are popular at this time of year. Yes, perfectly true. Many of those heads would have been paid a tidy sum, fed and given that which cheers. We saw how many men weaved their way to the Green, swaying somewhat. The President added that during the presidential election his meetings had much less people than the then President’s.
Waiting to impeach in the US
While the Joint Opposition is trying its darnest to bring the yahapalayana government crashing down by destabilizing it with strikes and protest marches, aided and abetted by Padeniya and his merciless doctors, in America, people against Trump are dreaming a dream of impeachment. The numbers against him are increasing. It is reported they are insisting he makes public his tax declarations.
Trump's approval rating has dropped to 40% as noted by an article I read. “The lowest of any newly elected President since Gallup started measuring it. Even before Trump entered White House, the FBI and four congressional committees were investigating a potential collusion between his associates and the Russian government.” “There has been considerable speculation about Trump’s physical and mental health, in part, because few facts are known.” An apt summation of him is: “He doesn’t drink. He doesn’t do drugs. His drug is himself.” This cat adds he is too old to skirt-chase or take advantage of women, thank goodness.
It is known that as the Vietnam War intensified Lyndon B Johnson was exhibiting symptoms of paranoia. People working with him said he was acting erratic. Ronald Reagan showed the strain of the Iran-Contra scandal and aides saw he was increasingly inattentive and inept. He spent his time watching movies and would not come down to the Oval Office. We know now that he was showing early signs of Alzheimer’s that overcame him, diagnosed in 1993, four years after leaving office.
Being the President of the US, also recognized by some as the leader of the world, is utterly burdensome. See how the Prez of USA changes from buoyant good looks to haggardness (Jimmy Carter) and hair turns grey (Obama). Even bumptious Trump has said he did not know his new job would be so heavy with responsibility. He is being heavily criticized; paths to impeachment are sought by Senators and legal eagles; and strikes against him are still prevalent.
A cat’s Cassandra cry
This feline well remembers being at a beach resort with four women friends when elections were held in the US in November 2016. They sat up watching Fox News and for no rational reason were nail biting as the map of the US showed more and more States going red – Republican wins. Known people resident in the States were mostly against Trump and feeling desperate that he won the presidency.
That night while watching and despairing, this cat, Menika, Cassandra-cried and said: “He will not last his full term. He will be impeached.”
She knew nothing about his connection with the Russians, next to nothing of how elections were held in America and its Constitution, but she just blurted out this wild speculation. Maybe, it was to ease the hurt felt that a seasoned politician like Hillary Clinton, admittedly with black marks to her name but yet, the first American woman to contest the presidency, lost to a businessman like Trump against whom so many negatives were piled.
Just wait and see, is what people have to do outside the inner political circles of America.
- Menika