Hell hath no fury like a woman’s scorned: Denied Nobel glory for CBK

While savouring President Rajapakse’s victory, I couldn’t help noticing certain news items popping up about the retiring President CBK. She had apparently snatched five bullet-proof vehicles, five Defender jeeps and plus more vehicles for her entourage. Wait there’s more, before leaving she hurriedly issued cheques to the tune of 200 million Rupees to various organizations and a cultural fund. And more, her new official residence will be the former Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadiragamar’s official residence on Wijerama Mawatha, Colombo 7 and her new office is in the Ranaviru Seva Authority at Torrington Place. But wait, how can she live without staff? So she handpicked 49 for just that. If you thought all these are outrageous, this was in spite of receiving a gift - a half acre land from Sri Jayawardanepura to build a new residence, from her own cabinet for services rendered to the nation and in addition to the usual complement of security, accommodation and staff granted to retiring Presidents.

Flash! Enter our new President, he ordered the relevant banks to stop payment for the 200 million Rupee cheques. Hail our new President, magnificent action!

Question, was she ever aware that she was swindling the state? I say this is woman’s scorn – seeking vengeance for dispatching her to a marginal personality in our politics. But I suspect her vendetta began months ago when she saw her overzealous efforts to thrust a questionable Tsunami deal with the LTTE falter and maligning her attempts to flatter herself. The Nobel Peace prize was in her grasps, so she heard from the Norwegian trouble-shooter. When the Supreme Court blocked it she didn’t give up her dream of receiving such accolades and expected her successor Mahinda (supposing he wins the Presidency) to continue her vain efforts so she can claim the glory for herself along with Prabha. Perhaps it was like an aspiring actor dreaming about an Oscar!

Candidate Rajapakse figured he has no time for such childish fantasy, he saw far more serious issues that needed his attention should he get elected. He chose not to pay any attention to her demands that he carry out her ill-timed, ill-conceived scam with the terrorists.

Well, the scorn of this woman took a turn to the worse – she began global tours of goodbyes to fellow leaders at state expense, just when the Presidential election campaign began for Rajapakse. She ignored and stayed out as though she didn’t know that man at all. Perhaps she thought the world wasn’t noticing her gambit.

To aid her cause she brought her beloved brother Anura, who in 1994 campaigning against her remarked vividly about her anatomy to the electorate. Anura had other plans – to become Prime Minister as though it is succession to the throne after her. The Bandaranikes were seen openly critical of Rajapakse’s stance on the ethnic issue and seems pretty livid at him for not towing with CBK’s agenda. By the wayonly morons weren’t aware that they were conspiring with the opposition to defeat Rajapakse.

For President Rajapakse and all those who voted for him, it was a major relief when the final vote was counted – the victory was achieved despite CBK's best efforts to see Rajapakse defeated.

In 1994, I vouched and voted for her. I believed she was the ‘Joan of Arc’ that we desperately needed after the ravages of the UNP after eighteen years. I was misled and cheated by her gloated promises of nation building - I don’t think I was the only one felt that way. Fed-up, I left for Canada to begin a new life and now I get vote for Tories in January '06.

Reflecting on her achievements after twelve years, there is hardly anything that we can look back and say she was an awesome leader who made a difference to ordinary people. Fortunately I have the statistics to prove that the economy or the networth of the masses barely improved, many more died in the battlefield and then there was chaos in her governance - how could we miss that! People didn’t trust her any more, she was becoming a disillusioned tyrant like her mother was. Glad she is gone - alas, that's my thought but I hear now she wants Kadir's seat in the parliament to screw Rajapakse again, when will this end?

Please tell me if we need to define a new meaning for "woman's scorn"?

People, our best hope lies with Rajapakse to bring peace and should there be peace any time soon, I wonder if she plans to claim the Nobel Peace prize retroactively.