Off-Beat Poser: “With A king Size Shawarma On A “Gasaa”, Can Gota Dump This Regime ?”
June 24, 2012
By Kusal Perera -
Kusal Perera
A few days ago, I ran into a school pal a few years junior, at a Colombo pub, after almost two decades. His first reaction was that I should stop writing against the Rajapaksas. At least wait till MR is elected again. “You’d then lose the purpose of writing, anyway.” he told me. Not me alone, but the other two with me also perplexed by his straight spat, we got chilled into a foamed larger and sat silent.
But then, this sent us completely off the rocker. “You see, by now Buddhism is over…..There are no Buddhist monks now. They’re ordinary politicians, traders, dealers and confidence tricksters. See how the Maha Nayakas go about with back-up vehicles in front and behind ?….. Temples are tuition or karate centres…….These monks are into everything….sexually molest children, rape, extort money and been proven guilty too…..Only if Lord Buddha was here to see them…!” Looking around and then smiling, he said, “So give Rajapaksas another chance….. They’ll finish this Sinhala mess, JHU and all …… Then….you can write about your secular, inclusive project for Lanka…..with or without ‘Sri’ ….”.
That sounded plain logic, if one wants to gulp them. But politics don’t work so easy and straight, don’t work on whims and fancies of disillusioned minds. Yet there is beneath all what was said, some hard truth. Good reason for the disillusionment of these urban, Sinhala “new” middle class. He comes from beyond Ratnapura, works for the apparel sector, runs about in a “hybrid” car and resides in a compact, luxury apartment in Colombo. His children go to international schools and wife probably shops for designer label stuff and listens to “rap sermons” from Bikkhus in posh and regimented “Ashrams”, most every Sunday.
