5th Column

My dear Harshana,

I am writing to you because you seem to have somehow stolen the limelight this week by presenting an award to a former prison official who was convicted of murder and later acquitted by the highest court in the land. For many, this was more interesting than even Anura sahodaraya’s visit to China!

You can say you did nothing wrong and there is no need to make such a fuss about this. Legally, you did nothing wrong. In fact, you presented the award not surreptitiously but at a public event. The official concerned published photos of that moment on social media. That is what led to the backlash.

What has happened since then only makes matters worse for you. A prison spokesman is justifying what you did, adding that any criticism of the event amounts to an insult to the judiciary. I hope you are not rushing to file action for contempt of court, Harshana, just like you rushed to the CID!

Then, your colleague and learned friend Sunil says something entirely different. The organisers failed to inform you who the recipients of the awards are, he explains. That raises more questions than providing answers. Does it mean that, had you known who he was, you would have backed out?

We know Sunil is familiar with the ‘I didn’t know’ defence. After all, he admitted that a conman posing as an official accompanied him when he first visited his office and was able to get 17 passports issued to him, using Sunil’s name. “I didn’t know he was not an official,” Sunil said.

This is also not about whether the gentleman who received the award is guilty or not. The highest court cleared that up for us, but many are those who have been acquitted or, as they say, ‘nidos kota nidahas’. For instance, that doesn’t mean you will give awards to Basil, Rohitha or Mahindananda!

Sunil said you will clarify this soon. We hope it won’t be like what you said after making a complaint to the CID when the Parliament website called you a ‘Dr’. You said some wanted to embarrass you and that ‘though the dogs have left, the fleas remain’. Still, even Bimal’s office had called you a ‘Dr’!

This makes us wonder, Harshana, what the next step is. It was you who told us that permission is now needed for ministers to speak to the media. A similar protocol is in place when meeting with foreign envoys and organisations. Maybe the same rule should be applied for award ceremonies now?

In case you haven’t realised it, no one is accusing you of doing something criminal. What is appalling to most people is that the Minister of Justice of a government that promised to establish the rule of law is seen presenting an award to someone convicted of murder – even if he was later acquitted.

Listening to you, Wasantha, Sunil, Nilanthi, Namal Karu and some others in the ‘maalimaawa’, we feel you haven’t still got used to being in government. You seem to be in opposition mode, doing your best to bring down the government. Maybe this is why Uncle Ranil said you were ‘inexperienced’!

We feel sorry for Anura sahodaraya. Whatever pluses he gathers for the government is brought to nought by his colleagues. His successes with the IMF, the state visit to India and now China and his ‘Clean Sri Lanka’ are all forgotten because of the shenanigans of a few of his comrades.

First, it was Ranwala and his qualification saga. That hasn’t ended. The latest is your award drama. Wasantha entertains us with his periodic comedy sketches. We are even confused about ‘Clean Sri Lanka’ when Chathuranga says it hasn’t begun; what was launched was only an awareness campaign!

Remember, Harshana, as Justice Minister, your job is to take the lead in implementing key pledges of the ‘maalimaawa’ government, that of bringing the criminals and the corrupt to justice. That is why it looks odd when your priorities are your ‘Dr’ title and giving awards to controversial people.

As the minister handling the subject of justice, your focus should also be on keeping your promises, such as changing the PTA and the Online Safety Act. We haven’t heard a word about these from you. People are beginning to wonder whether, once in government, your thinking has changed.

As an experienced lawyer, you know my learned friend, that the Justice Minister must be like Caeser’s wife, above all suspicion. I know you are familiar with the words, ‘Justice must not only done, Justice must also be seen to be done”. This time however, the Justice Minister was seen to be done!

It is early days of this government, so it is not too late to redeem yourself. Instead of saying ‘I didn’t know’ and offering explanations, you can apologise and say you made a mistake. We know you make mistakes. You called the Speaker ‘Swamini’ (‘Your Honour’) in Parliament. We forgave you for that!

Yours truly,

Punchi Putha

PS: Harshana, now is the time to draw on all the resources available. You can ask Vasudeva maama for advice. Then, few people remember that you were once a young heartthrob prancing about the bushes in a movie. Now is the time to harness those acting skills. Isn’t politics all about acting?