Meanwhile in a parallel universe called Humility….

Dayasiri the Entertainer makes a personal choice

I came to Parliament because some 130,000 voters who voted for the Elephant, marked an ‘X’ before my name.  They wanted me to represent them, and represent the UNP as well; they didn’t vote for me to cross party lines or represent another party.  But this is not why I resigned my Parliamentary seat. 

See, I know that of all the UNPers who crossed very few got anything worth bragging about.  Maybe if I crossed over with Keheliya and Mahinda Samarasinghe things would have been different.  Things are not rosy in the UNP, but a thuttu-deke ministerial post is even less appealing. 

Wayamba Chief Minister.  Now that’s something.  I have watched Mahipala Herath. He is not interested in cabinet posts.  He is not exactly a Maharajano, but he’s bigger than a Minister, a lesser king but a king nevertheless. I want to be the Mahipala of Wayamba. 

Now I am a lawyer. A politician. A singer.  I haven’t jumped the way Ronnie De Mel has jumped, but I am more athletic than Prof. G.L. Peiris.  There will be all kinds of analyzes about this move, but I think Rasika Jayakody’s observations are the most accurate.  He wrote the following on Facebook:

‘We Sri Lankans need our daily dose of entertainment.  Ananda Sarath Kumara entertained us yesterday. Today Dayasiri, tomorrow Mervin or someone else will entertain us.  Sri Lankan politics is a game of entertainment.  That’s what the people want too and so too their representatives.  Mahinda is an exceptionally skilled politician because he knows how to manage this entertainment business very well.    Dayasiri’s move is not political.  It is a personal choice.  Something like replacing the old toilet bowl at home with a new one.  In any case, very few politicians make political decisions.  It’s always personal choices.  Those who criticize as well as those who applaud need to be pitied.’

I chose Wayamba over Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte. It’s not about Ranil or Mahinda, UNP or SLFP. It is about me.  Dayasiri Jayasekera.  I entertain.  You are entertained.  And in turn I am entertained.  This is Sri Lanka. This is politics.