Susil, a turning point? - Uniting ‘Green-Thinkers’, ‘Jubilee Hoot’

After vacating his Ministry, Susil Premajayantha took a three-wheeler to return home

Electronic Media knew Susil Premajayantha was buying Veggies at Delkanda. “I was asked by a journalist on vegetable prices and I said the government’s agriculture policy has been a failure. I was removed for speaking on behalf of the people,” SLPP leadership has been ungrateful to the senior party man who served the Colombo district/Western Province over his decades-long political journey, covering Kotte MC, PC Member, Chief Minister, Deputy Minister, and Cabinet Minister holding several portfolios before he was ‘relegated to the Bench’ in his own lexicon. 

However, he should be thankful to the SLPP for he managed to scrape through by a thin margin ending up 11th in the ‘Manape’ (Preferential) list obtaining just 50,000 votes compared to the new comer netting over 300,000 and four others over 100,000. If not for the unprecedented swing towards Gotabaya during his peak popularity in August 2020, [which has now dropped to rock bottom] Susil Premajayantha would have quipped, “it is a blessing in disguise” on his way home from the Colombo district counting centre on August 6, 2020 itself, rather than hanging around in a government in which, “… not qualified to be even sanitary workers held key positions …” and to get abruptly kicked out of it. 

It’s not a well scripted drama in front of rolling cameras, as some pohottu boot-lickers attempted to convince us. True, Susil belongs to that rare breed with no corruption charges, but was he so penniless, not being able to go home in a four-wheeler? It’s all a comic story, like the Gampaha district’s SJB man’s drama of loading the gas cylinder by himself and driving off, telling the TV crew that he will have to spend the whole day in a queue. Some believe the boy carried the cylinder from kitchen and also took it back after the driver reversed his luxury vehicle, [for which the poor tax payer had pay his Rs. 30 million duty], back to garage. The other vociferous dissents, and a few SLFPers who now shed crocodile tears for ‘suffering masses,’ after being left out of the Cabinet had been deprived of the opportunity to sing praśasti in King’s court in adoration of Gota, like many vandibattas are doing. 

Uniting the ‘green thinkers’ or fix Sajith?

Maithri Gunaratne PC and Co., who walked all the way from deep South, destination Sirikotha to take over the ‘Mahagedara,’ chase away Ranil and install Sajith, [enduring Kurundu polu, stoning Buddha statue in Sirikotha and holidaying in Remand prison] was talking to the ‘Asian Mirror,’ saying that there does not appear to be any big distinction between Sajith and Ranil. He even raised suspicions if the SJB was handled by the Rajapaksas. Keerthi-Maithri and Azath, the three ex-Governors, were joined by Shiral, on a visit to Sirikotha a week ago. 
Their latest mission, after being overlooked by Sajith in assigning responsible positions in the SJB, appears to be, “Unite— Green-thinkers under Ranil” [in search of a common candidate?]

The Hoot

PM, Sir John Kotalawala was invited by Peradeniya students in 1955 for a talk at the Arts theatre.  During his address, the junior undergrads greeted him with hoots. The then student unions were dominated by ‘Trots and Commies;’ [the LSSPers as -Trotskyites & Communists, ‘commies’]. Two years later came Bandaranaike’s turn; there was some decency, no hooting but a loud and boisterous laughter. PM opened his address,’ Ladies and gentlemen….’, a shout interrupted, “Hey, what about others?” a bigger guffaw lasted longer. Prime Minister good-naturedly waited for the amusement to die down, and recommenced, “Ladies, Gentlemen [pointed his finger at the corner from where the noise came] and those in between…,” loud applause. NM, Colvin and other Marxist Parliamentarians who opposed the Sinhala only bill in 1956 and determinedly protested and voted against it along with minority parties, were hooted by a combined ‘SLFP/UNP Choir’ as they were being escorted to a police bus.
 Somaweera Chandrasiri, the yester-year’s controversial Moratuwa MP [1947/52-LSSP and 60/71 -SLFP] was a clever exponent of the art of Hitiwana Kavi –(stand up poet; where he can create a spontaneous verse). According to Sinhala tutor/politico, turned U-Tuber, Sannasgala, responded with the following verse when he was hooted at a propaganda meeting in Moratuwa.   

‘Kollan upan-noth Nariyan hata Dawa; Upathin unta urumai Ae Nari Hoova

Kollani ada diney maa hata Hoo keeva; Ammata kiyala Makawagan Hoova’
[sorry, an English translation will not do justice] The hooting at his final meeting in 1965 helped him to win by a huge margin of 57% of the total vote.
In 1970, Dudley Senanayake was returning from Dedigama after conceding a 2/3rds to Sirimavo.  At Borella, UF/SLFP supporters who lined up from the roundabout to ‘Woodlands,’ his home, hooted the great man, for him to get off the car and caution the crowd saying, “thamunansela hoo kiyagath the thamuntamai.”  This was followed by Senanayake supporters at on April 15, 1973, by hooting at R Premadasa, when he arrived to pay his last respects to his mentor. Weeks before RP wrote vituperative open letters in newspapers highly critical of Dudley. [Writer was there to witness the ugly event].  

Artist and sportsmen not Spared 

Duleep Mendis, the legendary batsman and former captain of the Sri Lanka cricket team was having a bad patch; his inclusion against a foreign team as number three became controversial in the 1980s.  After being out for a duck, the dashing batsman was hooted right along from crease, back to the dressing room at his own grounds, SSC. [unfortunately, the writer had to witness the ugly event, too].  Sunil Edirisinghe, the singer with an exotic voice, whose accent is different from the common, got the same treatment, as Sannasgala says, while receiving an award at Colombo University in 1990s.

Arhants during Buddha’s time experienced worse humiliating, not by laymen, but by Bikkunis who preferred Ven. Ananda to sermonize them. Led by bikkhuni Thulla Tissa, a group chased away Arhant Maha Kassapa thera and hooted at him as he was leaving the Nunnery. When the news reached Jetawanaramaya, old dussila bikku, Subhadara took pleasure in spreading the story. President Gotabaya had made quite a few silly and hasty decisions, but he is different, that he chose to stay at his own house in Mirihana; made drastic cuts in security men and vehicles. Only two instead of five in front, and only one back up instead of three plus an Ambulance, bomb disposal unit and even a fire brigade used by his predecessors including Maithri. He would have de-toured to avoid a gathering or a queue on the way; or used a Bell helicopter. Gota had the tenacity to order the car to a halt and he lowered the shutter perhaps to talk to the people struggling near the post installed in 1887 to commemorate Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee.
“Many indeed are the owls who know no song unlike their own hooting” --Khalil Gibran: ‘The Son of Man Jesus’ (1928).