‘Up next is partaking of meal & engaging in of transactions’

Sunday, 28 September 2014 

According to the Sinhala tradition, the ‘partaking of the meal and engaging in transactions’ take place as part of Sinhala New Year traditions in the month of Bak. But, that tradition took place untimely, on September 25, at Gregory Road in Colombo 07 – at the opening of an office for the presidential election campaign.

The announcer announced “up next is the partaking of the meal and the engaging in of transactions.” Participants looked at each other questioningly. Chief guest, economic development minister Basil Rajapaksa, leaving aside the partaking of the meal, entered an inside room with a smile. Following him with a parcel containing cash in his hands was Access International chairman Sumal Perera. Only then those present understood what it was all about. In ones and twos, they followed suit and went into the room to hand over parcels containing cash they had brought along with them. One of them said after coming out, “giving only, no receiving.”

Several secret agents of son Namal were there to spy on uncle Basil to find out what he was up to while the father was away. They had fulfilled their task to the maximum, Basil came to know, only after websites carried what had happened at that particular function.

Basil blames Dullas for Uva setback!

Sunday, 28 September 2014 

Topmost figures of the Rajapaksa regime are on a post-mortem examination of their setback at the Uva provincial council election and are expressing various opinions.

From among them, economic development minister Basil Rajapaksa says the government spoiled it all due to its having accepted advice from minister Dullas Alahapperuma. According to him, the election for Uva was to take place along with elections for western and southern provincial councils on a single day. Basil says the president was given a dead-rope by Dullas to hold the Uva polls separately as the government secured a 72 per cent of votes at the 2009 election there.

When the president sought Basil’s views regarding that, he said, “our man (Shashindra) has done no service at all at the provincial council. What he did was to collect money at the Devale tills. If we hold the election separately by placing trust on him, we will be in a very difficult spot.” But, the president has accepted what Dullas has said. But, it has now been proven that what Basil has said was the truth.