The year 2020 was always going to be an interesting one, not only here in Sri Lanka given the way the political winds have been blowing, but also on the international front with climate change wreaking havoc across the planet and the prospect of another, more deadly Middle East conflict looming. But all that apart, there is an altogether different development that has got Sri Lankans to sit up and take notice or rather, be entertained. It involves what seemed like a routine post-election political arrest of a vocal Opposition member of Parliament, which has now taken an altogether different twist even after the MP concerned has been bailed out on the initial and only charge of possessing an unlicensed firearm. Actor turned politician Ranjan Ramanayake, like all those who have ventured on that path, loves to hog the limelight. At the end of the day, that's what they live for. The former hit TV series host of The Apprentice, Donald Trump is a living example. Ramanayake shot to fame with his series of films titled “One Shot” where he takes on the main role of destroying an assortment of bad guys. He thrived in what seemed a combined role of Terminator, Rambo, Chuck Norris, and Hulk all rolled into one, and our man is the inevitable hero. The entertainment-starved public lapped up the celluloid action and fondly nicknamed him “One Shot”, and now they seem to be absorbing the real-life action with equal gusto. For “One Shot” Ramanayake, a bachelor, there is little to distinguish between the roles he plays on screen and as a lawmaker. To him, its one and the same thing. Anything and everything is about making a show of it and now he has got the whole country tuned in to his show. Ramanayake & newfound claim to fame that has rocked the very foundations of the State is his apparent kink to record each and every telephone conversation on his mobile phone. In this modern age, all it takes to do this is downloading a mobile application that will do the needful automatically until the app is manually stopped. The fact of the matter is that Ramanayake did what he did very consciously as he took the extraordinary step of backing up all these conversations on external hard drives and CDs, which is why the practice seems more a kink than a habit. The caller list is nothing short of bombshell material with every strata of society from policemen to judges, from grama sevakas to presidents, corporate bosses to state sector bigwigs all making it to Ramanayake's backup drives. One can feel for them and the shudders they must be experiencing these days at the prospect of being featured on national media or even a visit from the khaki tribe. Whether the exposure happened by design is hard to say at this stage, but Ramanayake's post-event nonchalance is certainly a giveaway. The manner in which the contents have become public is another. The can of worms that Ramanayake has opened will no doubt have profound implications for many who are still holding high positions, including the leader of his own party. For the Government, it is caught between a rock and a hard place as there is no halfway house with the content, much of which is already in the public domain. As tempting as it may seem to politically capitalise on the content of the recovered drives, there is a very real threat that it can all boomerang on the Government depending on whose conversations are selected for political purposes and whose is not. There is also more to deal with such as the accusations gaining momentum that the whole saga is a pretext to politically victimise individuals and to purge the Police and judiciary of unhelpful elements, while also having to deal with the perception that it is nothing but a tactic to divert the attention of the people from real issues such as the soaring cost of living and non-fulfilment of election pledges. While it is despicable that Ramanayake had the gumption to call sitting judges and discuss pending cases with them, the law must take its course with regard to their conduct without political involvement, as independent institutions are in place to handle such situations. No room should be allowed for parties with vested interests to subjugate the judiciary, the Attorney General's Department which is already taking heavy flak over its seemingly politically driven agenda, and interfering with the Police based on Ramanayake's purported discussions with some errant judges. Ramanayake's actions amount to downright, first-degree interference with the judiciary and should rightfully be condemned in the harshest manner possible. The Bar Association of Sri Lanka and the Judges' Association have already done so and called for a proper investigation. For the record however, there is no evidence to suggest as at date, that any of these individuals acted on Ramanayake's unsolicited advice. In the event, following due process, it is found that there have been flawed judicial decisions delivered under Ramanayake's influence, there is recourse to the law such as revision, judicial review, etc. For the most part, Ramanayake was only a state minister acting as a lone wolf in pursuit of the limelight which he has now got in abundance. For whatever reason, it is becoming increasingly clear that Ramanayake seems to have pre-empted what is happening now. Somebody somewhere seems to have taken his bait. He has killed many a bird in one shot with his explosive CDs and only time will tell who his target is, who else will fall victim, and where it will all end. The actor turned politician must surely be tickled pink, deriving great satisfaction from the carnage he has unleashed among the many unsuspecting individuals who have been unfortunate enough to pick up his calls. For his party, the already beleaguered United National Party (UNP), this probably is the last thing they dreamed of having to deal with and understandably has been very quick to distance itself from its maverick MP. Luckily for the UNP, Ramanayake has also turned his guns on the party and castigated its leaders, both Ranil Wickremesinghe and Sajith Premadasa, making it easy for the party to ditch him. Keeping all this in mind, it is important that the Government does not get carried away and lose focus of its core objectives. This is all the more important if it is to maintain its momentum going into the general election campaign where the hunter could easily become the hunted as Ramanayake's material may well turn out to be a double-edged sword. It must quickly learn what the UNP learnt the hard way – that today & voters are mature, unforgiving, and impatient with the delivery of promises. In simple terms, deliver what was promised and forget the side shows, they don't win elections. In the meantime, let the show go on.