Former strongman’s advice: “Make it a grand show!”

8 April 2015 05:51 am

Organising this year’s May Day celebrations has set a poser to the Blue party now in political no-man’s land, they say.

The veteran trade unionist Alavi who played the lead role in organising the party’s May Days in the past will have nothing to do with this year’s celebrations, a party source said.

According to this source, Alavi considered as a faithful follower of the former strongman has been sidelined and Artful Amare from the Deep South has now been tasked with organising the event.

Amare is said to have suggested to the new party leadership that they go solo this year and further the venue of the rally be a relatively small ground like the Hyde Park.

The former strongman, on hearing about the proposed move to scale down this year’s celebrations, called Amare and told him to turn this year’s May Day rally into a grand show at a spacious ground like the Galle Face Green like in the good old days. “After all, this is going to be the first May Day to be celebrated since our new government taking office. Don’t insult our party by holding the May Day at a small venue hardly befitting the status of our party,” he exhorted Amare.

“Our opposition chief also approved the proposal,” an apologetic Amare told his former Boss.

The former strongman greeted this reply with a loud guffaw. “O! Is that so? They say I am a patron of the party. That is why I thought of giving this bit of advice!” he added.