The plot I refer to in my title is the bond scam and the tentacles that are being unearthed. We wait, not breathlessly but a mite apprehensively, to see what next will be revealed. Truth to tell, this cat was shocked and afraid when the bond scam first erupted since she was an ardent fan of yahapaalanaya and of its two leaders. But, being a true blue Sri Lankan national, albeit feline, she is glad it exploded into a big eruption taking down with its flowing lava a bigwig of the government and sad to say the UNP.
The UNP was the Party that when in power, did much for the common people in spite of it being branded non-socialist and capitalist. The socialist regimes so far in our history have had the spoon serving themselves, heaping up the gravy for themselves. Mrs B was an exception but not guiltless, whereas other blue governments did nothing remarkable to improve the lot of the common man. In contrast, DS, John Kots, Dudley, Dahanayake and Wijetunge were all honorable men in a true sense, and Premadasa did much for the poor. We laid bets on our present PM as Mr Clean and Honorable, as biographies of him in the newspapers to celebrate his 40 years in politics, stated. We do hope his clean hands will not be sullied by the bond business.
Rich sayings
This cat does not here mean rich with billions in currency. The term is used with the connotation of being spicy and diabolical too, to be bitterly laughed at by listeners.
The ex-Prez from his Medamulana home probably, since politics is verboten in Buddhist temples and political pronouncements cannot emanate from religious places of worship; offered his services to save the country. From what? Protests and general unrest, probably. It is believed, with reason, that these almost daily protests for the flimsiest of reasons are instigated by a hand that wants to topple the government. If Mahinda Rajapaksa is hauled in acceding to his wish to help the nation, he will rock the boat of government and cause it to sink, with him protected by a life-float to not sink but emerge to right the boat and take it over. According to him the country is in dire straits. Not as dire as when he was boss. At that time, protests were not allowed and people too afraid to publicly air their grievances. Now there is too much freedom and democracy. His actions almost sank the boat of Sri Lanka economically, prestige-wise and among the international community.
Minister Rajitha Senaratne, politely refused the offer of help and assured the Good Samaritan that the government could very well do without his help.
A new angle to the bond scam
Then we had son and heir, yes, Namal Rajapaksa waxing eloquent on the bond issue. “Rs 160 mn penthouse only tip of iceberg,” said he at the Kelaniya Pradeshiya Sabha during a ceremony to recruit organizers and cadres for the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna. Now whose party is this? The breakaway from the UPFA formed and led by G L Peiris, in the face Mahinda Rajapaksa not accepting its mantle of leadership? Namal R alleged that the UNP led government “swindled over 13 billion rupees through the Treasury bond scams and is now trying to find a scapegoat by highlighting the purchase of a 160 million-rupee penthouse.” Now that was a new one on the likes of this feline. More ramifications to the maze of the bond issue is introduced by this attorney-at-law who sat his final exam in princely solitary confinement in an air conditioned room while his co-students sweated away in an examination hall strictly supervised.
So Ravi K is the fall guy for the UNP led government. Can you imagine that twist? Impossible! The ex Finance Minister would not be a fall guy, you can bet your last rupee on that. Also, he and his family seem to like luxury so he could very well have done what was necessary for someone else to rent him a penthouse and then buy it or get that same someone to buy it for him. So he is no scapegoat. On Tuesday, he said that he knew nothing about the lease of the penthouse as it was done by his wife and someone. Is the Sri Lankan populace who eagerly watches and hears the passing caravan, thoththa babas? Donkeys with no horse sense? (Please do not mind the mixed metaphors).
One strong and hard and irrefutable fact is that this feline and many others like her cannot for the world of them believe and of course accept two situations. One is the pot calling the kettle black. You know what this cat means. How thick is the skin to pontificate thus?
Another impossible situation to accept is that a Sri Lankan who has pledged to see to the welfare of his countrymen by asking for their votes and getting into Parliament would live in such luxury as a penthouse whose monthly rent is Rs 1.45 million. Astounding, astonishing, criminal really. So many people have to live in huts and one roomed homes with just a sheet of zinc over their heads. It is OK if they have sheaves of straw or cadjan/woven coconut leaves, since these are long tested materials. Many don’t even have that type of basic covering and sleep in doorways. There must have been the last named in close proximity to Monarch Residences. How does a man, albeit a Minister of State who may have not had all he wanted until politics came his way, be driven in a super luxury vehicle and zoom up to a luxurious penthouse?
Take Ranil W for instance; still living in his old home down Fifth Lane, in spite of it being dug up and obstructed with evil smells emanating from huge caverns dug at his doorstep? No fuss. He and his wife live and operate from this house, no shifting to Temple Trees for them. His increased security vehicles take off and return to his address with only a couple of minutes disruption to the traffic on Fifth Lane. If you are a pedestrian like yours truly there are no obstructions; you just walk along even at the exact moment when his car emerges through his gate. No fuss. Not so when the Rajapaksa brothers held sway. Yours truly once had to clamber down to a dug up drain beside Green Path adjacent to Flower Road when one of them was ferried with horns tooting, siren sounding and arms waving all off the road. This feline protested to the policemen:
“Why can’t I stand at the edge of the road?”
“Nobody must be on the roads till the motorcade passes.”
“I won’t even look at the VVIP passing,” pleaded this cat.
“Get off the road and down,” the policeman growled.
Those were the nasty days my friend, and Ravi K has brought them back.
- Menika