He may have been the all-powerful Sports Minister of yesteryear, but the prestigious Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) doesn’t think he is fit and proper to be made one of its members. Ex-Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage has been ‘black-balled’ from becoming a member and entering the hallowed portals of one of the country’s oldest clubs at Maitland Place in Colombo.

In a dramatic turn of events at this week’s Executive Committee meeting of the SSC, the former Minister’s name had come up for membership. His name had been proposed by two former senior Sri Lanka Cricket officials, who are members of the club.

The Executive Committee that consists of past cricketers, lawyers and senior private sector executives grilled the proposer about Mr. Aluthgamage’s track record — not in athletics, but in politics and the string of corruption charges against him. The proposer had argued that the ex-minister had no criminal charges against him and that nothing had yet been proved of his alleged misdemeanors with public funds. “Innocent until proven guilty” was the theme of the argument by the ex-SLC official.

That argument, alas, did not hold with the Ex Co members, or at least the majority of them. The Chairman of the Membership Committee (and Disciplinary Committee to boot), a player in his own rights, abstained. Of the 15-member Ex Co, seven voted to “Black Ball” him, though even one vote is enough to deny him membership.
The application was rejected, but the unkindest cut of it all was when the discussion went to whether the politician could enter the premises to pick up his children who are Juvenile members already. This, too, was over-ruled, and the only concession they have made is that he may come as a guest of another member.

At least, the ex-minister is not Persona non Grata like a film actor who has been thrown out of the club for life after he came as a guest, attacked a security guard and smashed up the phone at the security desk. That actor has a record of beating up people, including ladies – and he is now qualified for politics. He has submitted his nomination papers for the forthcoming election.

The last time the SSC black-balled someone was way back in the days of the legendary F.C. de Saram who, for some reason, ensured that a businessman — who later became a multi-millionaire — was not given membership, said a senior member over his glass of Halmilla arrack.

Courtesy:Sunday Times