Remember the old time journalist H.L.D. Mahindapala? In the years of late D.R. Wijewardene and his son Ranjit, venerated names in the media industry, at the Lake House, he won a name and fame. That is for fairness and credibility.

Today the man with the jaded white beard spectacles which are magnifying glasses, he is up for sale to anyone who can pay a price for him. Mahindapala gave up life in Sri Lanka and is now, like the infamous Kumar Gunaratnam, a citizen of Australia.

When RanasinghePremadasa was the President, he returned to Colombo to work as hack writer. He was at the Lake House as Editor of the Sunday Observer. Every Sunday he sang praise for Premadasa and plastered everyone who opposed him. When he was killed by the LTTE, Mahindapala vanished to Australia.

Now, Mahindapala is selling his soul to the Rajapaksa Government. There is nothing wrong with that. However, he is plundering the tax payer’s money. In March this year President Rajapaksa made him a member of the Sri Lanka delegation that went to Geneva for the United Nations Human Rights Council. He was given a ticket all the way from Melbourne to Geneva to be a cheer leader for the Sri Lanka delegation. He got all the allowances and stayed comfortably in a luxury hotel. All with the taxpayer’s money.

Today we reveal how he wanted the Sri Lankan taxpayers money to purchase all his medicine. He had a fight with Ambassador Tamara Kunanayakam. He said he would leave Geneva immediately if all his medicine was not purchased for him immediately. Delegation members were shocked. Miss Kunanayakam was later forced by other higher ups in Geneva to pay government funds and buy Mahindapala’s medicine. It was after Mahindapala threatened to telephone President Rajapaaksa.

So when Mahindapala writes something for Sri Lankan media now, the question they ask is how much money he got from the Government. What a true patriot he is. He is an Australian citizen but you cannot find a better Sri Lankan patriot like him. On Sri Lanka delegation member was angry and remarked he is no different from a prostitute. He is selling himself to make money.