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Satellite's
rhetoric
The
Blues of Attanagalla had their Balamandalaya at the Bandaranaike
pocket borough last week, and as dynasties often seek and find
perpetuation, there was the Clown Prince being the unanimous choice as
president of the Mandalaya.
Not
to be the forgotten offspring of a party perpetuating nepotism,
Satellite quickly intervened and made herself secretary of the same.
The
selections reminded many of the throaty rhetoric of Satellite some
years ago of the need to send politicians on retirement after 60
years. The lady pushing 58, it seems is still keen to remain in the
arena, albeit the rhetoric. As for Clown Prince, we are happy to find
him heading something at long last!
Eating
humble pie
The
marriage between the Blues and the Reds could be dubbed as the biggest
non-event in recent times, but if the agonisingly long talks, doomed
to fail too, did anything to the red caps, it taught them how to eat
humble pie and put up with a woman's whims.
Heavy
brokering by political desperados could not put this marriage
together. So Satellite, known for her mastery in popping in late and
making others wait did the same with the Red brothers who were
dreaming of a union aimed at toppling the Greens.
Having waited for one hour at the Presidential abode for a
final round of talks, they went away in disgust, and had to spend some
three hours at the Galle Face Green, kicking their heels.
And
when they returned, Satellite sent a missive saying she would be late,
and that broke the camel's back and shattered all hope of Wee-Flower's
gang coming into power via the traditional route - hanging on to the
sari-pota. Heck. What an (unholy) alliance!!
Ban
by choice
Speaking
of the Red brothers, there seem to be an official ban by choice, not
to communicate with the Leading rag, and the Leading scribes are
conspicuous by their absence at the Reds' various do's.
A
Blue type, known for his aversion for the formation of any alliance
with the Reds even as a sheer act of political desperation, was heard
telling a scribe that the Reds seem to be going into
'non-communication mode.'
First,
they decide not to talk to the Leading types and then there's
Satellite who yapped with the guys for months only to give the cold
shoulder - the cumulative effect being the Marxist brothers holding
their tongue, be it by choice or Satellite's design.
Clueless
The
dramas enacted during the week were plenty, and then there were the
Blue types throatily advocating media freedom on the international day
of the scribes. It seemed that the need to gain some political mileage
by commemorating Julius Fuchik was foremost in their mind. So the
amnesiac lot thought it fit to forget the shameful attacks on the
media not so long ago by their hooligans, as the same hooligans were
seen protesting on the streets of Colombo - to advocate freedom for
the scribes.
And
while they shouted themselves hoarse, some of the Blues did not know
who the hell Julius Fuchik was and what the connection was all about.
So they drew near to the Blue leaders to check out the slain man's
identity. So much for the advocacy of a scribe's right to his pen!!!
A
right royal mess!
Then
to the parade that was Royal. Press-anna, the man at the helm of
affairs at the council that is Colombo
was seen getting drenched in the downpour to walk a mile for
his alma mater a week
ago.
But
the man who heads an institution that was the first to pledge to rid
the city of the polythene menace seemed to have forgotten the lofty
ideal. And the town-planning expert turned mayor was seen making a
right royal mess out of the parade by having many a street in Colombo
festooned with blue and gold polythene decor. Misdirected zeal or what
folks?
Mixed
Blessings
And
here's the nuttiest of them all. The passing away of the Most
Venerable Madihe Pannaseeha Thero drew massive crowds to the temple.
Knowing what to expect, the temple authorities issued specific
instructions regarding a simple and Buddhist dress code - full white
for all.
And
then there was Ra-kneel dropping by on Thursday eve to pay his last
respects to the prelate, accompanied by Hans the Brat'Scar of
Norwegian fame. And the latter was clad in full black which enraged
the monks who quickly gave him the treatment meted out to all ill-clad
visitors - a white cloth from the shoulders downwards! Hmmm.
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