[The Admiral]
Dr. De Mel is a national treasure. A brilliant mind. A towering intellect. The kind of genius that comes once in a generation. Maybe once in a century. Maybe never again.
This man knows everything. Literally everything. How to cut defence budgets. How to restructure debt. How to sell national airlines. How to manage cyclone disasters. How to achieve debt sustainability. How to solve economic crises. The man is a solution machine. A walking Wikipedia. A human Google.
When Dr. De Mel speaks, ministers listen. When Dr. De Mel advises, governments follow. When Dr. De Mel researches, truth emerges. Pure truth. Unfiltered truth. Scientific truth.
His Verite Research is legendary. Verite. The French word for truth. How elegant. How sophisticated. How perfectly named. Because Verite delivers truth. Always. Without fail. With scientific precision.
And now, Verite has delivered another masterpiece. Another gem of research brilliance. The mood of the nation survey for February 2026.
The timing is perfect. The country just celebrated Valentine's Day. Not with roses and chocolates.
But with Chicago-style murder near Akuregoda Army camp. Very romantic. Very festive. Very mood-appropriate for national survey.
And we are in middle of February. Verite is in March. Or Maybe April. Time travellers.
And what did this brilliant survey discover. What truth did Verite reveal. What scientific finding emerged from their meticulous research.
The government has 65% approval rating. Yes. 65%. Overwhelming support. Massive popularity. The people love their leaders. The nation approves. Democracy is thriving.
The sample size was 1048 people. Not 1000. Not 1050. Exactly 1048. That precision. That accuracy. That scientific rigor. This is why Dr. De Mel is a genius. This is why Verite is the gold standard.
Now let me paint a picture of how this magnificent research was conducted. How truth was discovered. How science was practiced.
Imagine this. Verite Research calls 1048 people. Invites them to Pelawatta. For a survey. A scientific survey. A truth-seeking mission.
All 1048 show up. Punctual. Enthusiastic. Ready to participate in democracy. Ready to share their honest opinions. Ready to reveal the mood of the nation.
And here is where it gets interesting. Where the research shows its brilliance. Where the methodology shines.
These 1048 people. Every single one. Had voted for Anura in 2024. All of them. 100%. Pure Anura supporters.
Now, some small-minded people might question this. They might ask, how did random sampling select only Anura voters. They might doubt the methodology.
But these people do not understand advanced research techniques.
They do not appreciate scientific sophistication. They do not grasp the genius of Dr. De Mel.
Verite asked these 1048 Anura voters one simple question. Do you approve of Anura's government.
65% said yes. Of course we approve. We voted for him. We support him. We believe in him. Government is doing great.
35% said wait, actually, we are disappointed. We voted for him but now we have concerns. We approve less than before.
Mathematics complete. Research concluded. Results published. 65% approval rating. Scientific truth delivered.
But wait. Some might notice something. Some might observe a tiny detail. Some might point out a small oversight.
The brilliant researchers at Verite, in their dedication to pure science, may have accidentally skipped asking a few people. Just a handful. Just some groups. Nothing major.
They forgot to ask cyclone victims. The families still living in damaged homes. The children still displaced. The parents still waiting for government help. The communities still rebuilding. The thousands watching promises evaporate like morning mist.
But surely these people do not have relevant opinions. They are too busy surviving to care about approval ratings.
They forgot to ask people furious about anti-Buddhist stance. The monks organizing protests. The devotees writing petitions. The majority community feeling ignored. The religious leaders demanding respect.
But religious sentiments do not affect political approval. Obviously.
They forgot to ask people angry about war heroes treatment. Not the controversial cases. The real heroes. The soldiers who sacrificed. The fighters who protected. The ones now watching their service being questioned, their pensions being delayed, their dignity being dismissed.
But military opinions are complicated. Better to skip them.
They forgot to ask fishermen protesting on streets. The ones with empty nets. The ones with dying livelihoods. The ones with no answers. The ones watching their industry collapse while ministers make speeches.
But fishermen are busy with fish. Or lack of fish. No time for surveys.
They forgot to ask Buddhist monks fighting the regime. The saffron-robed protesters. The religious guardians sounding alarms. The spiritual voices being ignored.
But monks are peaceful. They probably approve anyway.
They forgot to ask Easter attack victims waiting for justice. The families who lost loved ones. The survivors still traumatized. The 279 families watching five years pass. Watching investigations stall. Watching promises break. Watching nothing happen.
But justice delayed is not justice denied. Right? Right?
They forgot to ask Rathupaswala attack victims waiting for accountability. The women attacked. The families are demanding answers. The people watching no arrests. No charges. No consequences.
But that incident is old news.
People have moved on. Probably.
They forgot to ask women duped by Presidential campaign promises. The ones expecting empowerment. The ones watching the same old politics.
The ones feeling betrayed by reality not matching rhetoric.
But women are emotional. Better to avoid complexity.
They forgot to ask people waiting for Lasantha Wickrematunge justice. For Prageeth Eknaligoda truth. For Wasim Thajudeen answers. For all the disappeared. For all the murdered. For all the families watching decades pass with no justice. No truth. No accountability.
But old murders do not affect new approval ratings. Time heals. Time forgets. Time moves on.
They forgot to ask people waiting for promised tax relief. The ones drowning in tax burden. The ones watching bills increase. The ones remembering campaigns promises about relief that never came.
But tax relief is complicated. Economic realities change. Promises are flexible.
They forgot to ask people waiting for 33% electricity price reduction. The ones promised cheaper bills. The ones paying more. The ones watching promises become excuses become explanations become silence.
But electricity is technical. People do not understand economics. They just complain.
They forgot to ask people waiting to see corruption punished. The health scandal watchers. The 323 container corruption monitors. The coal tender corruption investigators. The double cab corruption protestors. The people watching billions disappear while the government claims cleanliness.
But corruption allegations are just allegations. Innocent until proven guilty. Forever innocence is never proven.
They forgot to ask farmers to protest on the streets. The ones with failed harvests. The ones with no support. The ones with no hope. The ones watching agriculture policy destroy agriculture.
But farmers always complain. Every season. Every government. Professional complainers.
Basically, in their scientific thoroughness, in their dedication to truth, in their commitment to research excellence, Verite may have accidentally forgotten to ask the people of this country. The actual people. The real people. The suffering people. The disappointed people. The angry people. The betrayed people. The waiting people.
Small oversight. These groups are small. Irrelevant. Statistically insignificant. Not part of the 1048. Not part of the sample. Not part of the truth.
But this is the genius of Dr. De Mel. This is the brilliance of Verite Research. They understand that sometimes, to find truth, you must avoid complications. To measure approval, you must ask approvers. To confirm success, you must sample supporters.
Pure science. Pure research. Pure truth.
Verite means truth. And Verite delivered the truth. The truth is that 65% of 1048 Anura voters in Pelawatta approve of the government. Scientific fact. Undeniable reality. Published research.
We should celebrate this. We should praise this. We should honor Dr. De Mel for his contribution to national understanding. We should thank Verite for revealing that 65% of people who voted for Anura and came to Pelawatta for surveys still mostly support him.
This is valuable information. This is important data. This is truly worth knowing.
The opposition should definitely call Verite. They should ask to participate in the next survey.
They should request inclusion in sample selection. They should offer to bring cyclone victims, fishermen, monks, farmers, justice seekers, all of them to Pelawatta for proper surveying.
Then we can have even better research. Even more truth. Even higher approval ratings. Maybe 75%. Maybe 85%. Sky is the limit when research is this scientific.
And the President should absolutely know. President Anura should definitely understand. Dr. De Mel and Verite are giving him pure truth. Unfiltered truth. The truth that 65% of carefully selected Anura voters mostly approve.
What more could a President want. What better news could a leader receive. What greater validation could a government need.
65% approval. From 1048 people. Who voted for him. Who came when called. Who answered when asked.
Perfect research. Perfect methodology. Perfect truth.
Wake up. This is brilliant. This is genius. This is Dr. De Mel showing us how research should be done. How truth should be found. How approval should be measured.
By asking the right people. The right questions. At the right place. At the right time.
And avoiding the wrong people. The complicated questions. The inconvenient truths. The uncomfortable realities.
This is modern research. This is scientific polling. This is a Verite truth.
And if you don't understand this. If you question this. If you doubt this.
Then clearly you don't appreciate scientific sophistication. You don't understand research methodology. You don't respect Dr. De Mel's genius. You don't value Verite truth.
Shame on you. For doubting. For questioning. For thinking critically.
When genius speaks, you listen. When truth emerges, you accept. When 65% appears, you celebrate.
Dr. De Mel has spoken. Verite has revealed. Science has confirmed.
65% approval. Case closed. Truth delivered. Nation understood.
Now everyone can relax. The government is popular. People approve. Democracy works. Research proves it.
What more do you need. What more could you want. What more is there to know.
Wake up. And appreciate the genius. The brilliance. The truth.
Verite style.