Mathugama tea boy, the next ‘Divaina’ editor?

 Wednesday, 25 February 2015 

In the event of the Upali Newspapers management deciding to remove the ailing ‘Daily Divaina’ editor Merril Perera or ‘Sunday Divaina’ editor Anura Solomon, who has earned the wrath of the prime minister, the most ‘qualified’ person to succeed them is the young gentleman Saman Gamage, ‘Mathugama tea boy’ to his colleagues and the darling of their chairman Nimal Welgama, say sources at ‘Divaina.’

Brought out from a jungle in Mathugama to make tea for the gentlemen of ‘Divaina’, Saman Gamage has now become the most powerful person in the newspaper owing to the love and support of the chairman. He is so powerful that sub editors cannot change even a letter in articles written by him. What he writes is not suitable for publication in any paper, leaving alone in a national newspaper, but they are published without any change because he is the unofficial chairman of Upali Newspapers. That becomes very clear when one reads the article titled ‘Welikada Vedikawe Rangana Sinhala Koti Nadagama’ which he wrote for last Sunday’s issue. In actual fact, if such articles are published in national newspapers, such newspapers do not need an editor. But, ‘Divaina’ editors say as an excuse that since they are too busy to read each and every article, some are published as they are. That is no excuse at all.

However, ‘Divaina’ sources say that Welgama has told Saman in a moment of emotion, “If a tea boy in India could become prime minister of that country, Saman, why cannot you become editor of Divaina?” Taking the boss’s advice to heart, Saman is writing every trash that comes to his mind. Reading his articles confirms the fact that he does not know the existence of the word ‘quality.’ What Keerthi Warnakulasuriya says is true, that when tea boys become journalists, such things should be expected.

Some time ago, lawyer Pradeep Gunawardena withdrew a case he had filed against Saman at the request of several senior journalists at ‘Divaina’. But, Saman now says Pradeep had done so, as he knew he would lose the case. Now, Pradeep cannot do anything about it. He is repenting about his folly. Now, ‘Go Rights’ lawyers have complained to police against Saman. In a few days time, Nimal will throw money in order to save his darling. We will keep a watch to see whether ‘Go Rights’ case will suffer the same fate that of Pradeep’s case.