Patron Chandrika’s lament over ‘no-invite’ to SLFP’s annual Ball SUNDAY PUNCH 2
Former twice-elected President -- and co-patron of the party her father SWRD founded --Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunge got her garters in a twist this week when she found to her dismay that she had not been invited as the Belle of the Ball to the annual SLFP convention which was held this Tuesday at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium where President Sirisena held court alone.
She dashed a letter to SLFP General Secretary Prof. Rohana Lakshman Piyadasa, complaining that the Gampaha District Secretaries were informed and posters had been distributed among them but she had been left in the lurch not informed of this yearly get together.
“All SLFP members have been invited except me and SLFP Kelaniya Organiser Thilak Waragoda. All of them were invited to be present on November 30 at 4.00 p.m.,” she said in the letter. "I learn that MP Alagiyawanna had advised the organisers not to invite me and Kelaniya Organiser to the annual convention. Rathanasena Ketawalage, who was my adviser in my political activities, had received a poster on November 30 when he went to the SLFP Headquarters for some other work. But no one had informed me about an SLFP annual convention until now,”
Take heart Chandrika. The gods work in mysterious ways. Count your lucky stars that in the present circumstances, someone somewhere forgot to paste the stamp on the envelope when he or she dropped it into the postbox. Perhaps it was a blessing in disguise. Unless of course, your wish is to be judged by the company you keep.