Brian Klass, Associate Professor in Global Politics at UCL and author of the book corruptible, tweeted a thread of tweets addressing the issues in Sri Lanka and he pinpointed a serious encounter he had with one of the former president’s sons (unnamed).
The story goes as one day out of blue when he got a text message requesting for a breakfast in a very expensive diner he quoted “posh cafe in London”.
“near the LSE, where I worked. I had cereal at home, because I knew the cafe was expensive. Then, the president’s son arrived.”
“. We chatted. He asked me about democracy and authoritarianism (which intrigued me; why was he asking?). We each had one coffee and one croissant. After an hour, the bill arrived. It was for over £100 (about $140 at the time). I knew immediately that it was the wrong bill.”
“But before I said anything, the president’s son opened his wallet, took out £120 in cash, and plonked it down on the table. I was astonished, but quickly explained it was a mistake, got the waiter’s attention, and got the right bill (it was for around £15). We paid; he left.”
“He had traveled widely previously—and had lived in the UK—so he knew the value of the pound. It was a window into how elites behave in a deeply corrupt country where the average person earns about $3,000 per year.”
