An official and a gentleman

January is the month for old, often decrepit pensioners to trundle along, or be helped to the relevant Grama Sevaka (GS) office and have that gentleman/lady sign or endorse the duly filled form the pensioner presents avowing s/he is still alive and thus entitled to her/his monthly pension. This friend of Cassandra’s has gone through this ritual several years in succession and each time, she notices how she has aged and progressively found it difficult to fulfill this requirement, living alone with no children to assist her and not wishing to bother any other relative or friend. This time she was too infirm to walk up to the GS and had her three-wheeler driver doing the needful. He obligingly walked up to the GS and enquired. The relevant GS of the area the friend lives in had not come to work as yet, but appealing to another in whose Grama my friends was not resident, had this gentleman accepting the papers to help an old dame. He walked up to my friend and signed the papers. There are such officials in many offices, shining like rare diamonds among careless, non-caring officers. So, we still have very good and helpful people among us, more praiseworthy when steeped in officialdom. Help of the sort mentioned is given by the GS in this.

The storm in a cuppa now a national tornado

Cassandra swiped away the first news she heard on BBC that there had been a party for No 10 workers during a lockdown which was causing a minor furor. Then the Brit PM was accused of attending the party with wifey and that snowballed into many parties attended by him and given by him in June 2020 to celebrate his birthday. It is now a storm in Britain with the police searching No 10 Downing Street to gather more evidence and MI5 drawn in. Goodness, how it has grown to national crisis level and Boris Johnson’s resignation as Prime Minister being loudly called for even by some of his co-Conservative MPs and Parliamentary coalition members.

Who would have thought a mere impromptu, al fresco, bring-your-own-alcohol party for around 50 workers in the PMs office would gather such clashing clouds and even peals of sacking thunder! Johnson of Brexit fame/illfame has had his honey hued hair-thatched-head placed on the block. Will the sword now borne by politicians render his neck asunder and not the usual sword used by the Queen to tap shoulders while conferring national honours? Poor partying Boris Johnson, though not many will sympathise with him because of his more than spitting image resemblance to Trumpy across the Atlantic who kept the US citizens on pins each morning wondering what he would order or do that day when pompous Prez. He was a very kana bona’ manussaya himself with a greater penchant for the girls.

Even on 27 January the consistently raised cry asking that Boris Johnson leave 10 Downing Street and his premiership gets louder and more persistent. He is tenacious but now they are reinforcing the politicos Go Go cry with members of the public narrating how they suffered during lockdowns and how so many died all alone in quarantine etc.

That No 10 party was comparatively small and open air. What I say is how horror struck we are when we see crowds flocking behind, scrambling close around VVIPs as they stroll bearing jasmine filled trays in VIP bo-maluwas and too frequently visiting Mahanayaka Theras.

Cass knows nothing about grand parties of younger ones. Cass adds here with no plus or minus prejudices, that meetings of SJBers show the listeners seated on well distanced chairs.

We partyfy, or at least the very rich, through pandemics and lockdowns, through times when people are dying of hunger. It’s like the Titanic band making music on order as the ship sank. Covid health rules are for simple you and simpler me, my pal.

Warner cum whistle blower

Ex-Director of the Consumer Affairs Authority interviewed by MTV News First channel on Tuesday 25 January made another revelation. He said that as early as June 2021, he had warned of the incorrect mixing of gases in cooking gas cylinders and that pressure would build up within and they would burst. He had put down the warning in letters sent to several VVIPs. “No one took any notice.” Hence the 12 or so deaths, very many injured and houses damaged – most among less privileged. As Cass noted earlier, their lives are expendable. Thushan Gunawardena was labeled ‘whistle blower’ when he exposed the garlic scam. His comment on this when his travel to attend a conference was stopped as he was to emplane – criminals get away; those who expose crimes are punished. Topsy turvy Paradise we live in!

Incidentally Cass’ curiosity on the origin of the term got her this Googled snippet which she passes on. “The term whistle blower attached itself to law enforcement officials in the 19 century because they used a whistle to alert the public or fellow policemen. Sports referees, who use a whistle to indicate an illegal or foul play were also called whistle blowers.”