Much Ado About A DB9

Well, well, well. These days the Srilankan Blogsphere’s overflowing with talk of an Aston Martin DB9 apparently bring driven by Namal (No one’s really saying the boys name, but we all know its Namal that they are talking about). There’s also info about how much this car is worth and it being James Bonds’ car and that it’s not suitable for Sri Lankan roads. Now that’s a load of rubbish. May be you can’t achieve the full performance of the machine on our bumpy roads, but there’s no question about its suitability. Then the other issue is about the price tag. Now, no one seems to confirm to whom this really belongs to and who paid for this. If it was paid by the government, then there is a case. If it was paid by a private individual, then all the government can do is to charge the due taxes.

If someone gives me DB9 to drive or as a gift, I wouldn’t think twice, I’d grab it at once. Never mind whether it’s going to have implication on my fathers’ image or what. It’s such a fantastic car, no one in his right mind would let go of such an opportunity. I don’t think there’s anything wrong in that. All those who make such a big deal about this car is either trying to make some cheap political mileage or simply envious of the boy.

Also, from another angle, as a citizen of a country (okay, a poor country then), I don’t like to see the Leaders’ son driving around in a cheap Maruti. That’ll be a shame. Even a poor country’s President has to maintain some standards as it reflects on the whole nation. Otherwise the same people who make such a fuss about this car will say that the ‘president is such a stingy man; he’s only given his son a cheap car’! Get the point?

From yet another angle, if I was the King, I want my son to have the best (like most fathers’)! And as the King, if I have the capability to provide the best without breaking the law (so far no one has proved that a law has been violated), why shouldn’t I give my son the Best?