By Nadira Gunatilleke
Colombo, May 17 (Daily News): Our Motherland is now at a crucial juncture. We have already walked some distance towards hell but we still have a chance to walk back to safety. But unfortunately, it seems no one is willing to walk back except the ordinary people who are suffering for about three months without gas, fuel, electricity, medicines etc.
We have to accept the bitter truth no matter who gets hurt. Who does not have gas, fuel, electricity and other essential items? It is the ordinary people. Who are these ordinary people? They are the people who suffer at their homes, offices, factories, agricultural lands etc. The school going children of these ordinary people also suffer and maybe more than their parents. It is because they fear for their lives and for the lives of their parents. They saw blood, pieces of human bodies, fire, two legged beasts with swords in the hands of those roaming around hunting for their mothers, fathers, uncles and aunts.
Who has gas, fuel, electricity and all the other essential items? It is the 225. Only they have all these things? NO. This is the most important part of this whole issue. There are several other individuals and groups who have gas, fuel, electricity and all the other comforts but hiding this fact from the ordinary people to mislead them and get their support towards evil agendas. The ordinary people are only a tool for them to reach their destination.
It is very interesting to point out these individuals and groups who have plenty of gas cylinders, thousands of litres of fuel, all round electricity and all the other comforts in the midst of these extremely difficult times. Let us point out the individuals first. They are some religious leaders of all existing religions in Sri Lanka. Even if they do not have those essential items, they get fed without any problem because the devotees of various religions donate everything. This is all right. No one opposes providing them all the comforts so that they can live a comfortable life sans any problems. We honour our religious leaders. But the problem is some of them do not support the solution and they only add fuel to the burning fire. They do not feel the hardships of the ordinary people and only pretend to feel it. This is the bitter pill we have had to swallow during the past 74 years. But now a section of the ordinary people have understood this and that is why they demand them using social media to shut up and wait until the country recovers from the current crisis.
Bitter Truth
The other set of individuals are the trade union leaders. They have all the comforts and there is no shortage whatsoever for them. They have never experienced any shortage in this country since 1948. At this moment it is the same. Mother Lanka is very fortunate if all ordinary people, especially employees understand this bitter truth. Those trade union leaders lead a luxurious life and they only visit Five Star hotels for meals. They use modern vehicles. They have all the wealth. The majority of them are well connected to foreign countries and they receive dollars without any shortage. Some of their families are living abroad in countries like Australia, Switzerland, The Netherlands, etc. All of them own properties worth millions of rupees and businesses etc. here in Sri Lanka.
Some of them own large tea and rubber estates etc. Their bank accounts have billions of rupees and not millions. It is essential to check and find out those facts using scientific and official methods if anyone is still unwilling to believe these hard facts and figures.
The funniest part is none of them is working at least part time for any State or private institution. Their entire time is spent on ‘misleading employees and the general public’ using various tactics. Drinking plain tea in a small petti kade with a group of employees is one of their tactics.
The other group is all types of public figures and celebrities. They have all the comforts at their homes. They need some fun and a way to spend their free time. They receive gas, fuel, milk powder etc. through their VIP contacts. They just need to drop a text message or give a telephone call to one of their friends who are VIPs. Then the gas, fuel etc. arrive at their door steps in seconds. They never help ordinary people. They just want some publicity to be more popular than others. That is all. This is the reality that the majority of ordinary people do not understand.
No need for hard evidence. Anyone who has an iota of intelligence can understand the bitter truth only by observing the incidents that took place here in Sri Lanka during the past few weeks. No Religious Leader, politician, trade union leader or a celebrity cared for the ordinary people. They just wanted to change the Government and chase away the rulers in order to bring in their friendly rulers. That was all they needed and still that is all they want. Nothing else at all. Did they distribute anything like gas cylinders, fuel cans, small generators, milk powder packets, cement bags etc among the ordinary people? Did religious leaders ask ordinary people to stop donating things for religious institutions at this difficult time? No. They did not. This is because they do not care for the ordinary people, They only care about empowering the politicians of their choice. This is what they did during the past 74 years. After innocent poor people get killed and all of their hard earned properties are destroyed, some religious dignitaries address the public over television and appeal to be calm and peaceful. They did so during the past 74 years after every ugly act of violence which killed innocent poor people. If anyone tells the people to be violent during for 363 days and tell them not to on the 364th day he is not honest.
How come some politicians were attacked and certain politicians were not attacked when they visited Galle Face after the May 9th attack? Ordinary people hate all politicians no matter whether they are included in the 225 or not. They hate politicians. This is what the ordinary people say whenever we meet them or when we travel by a three-wheeler, train or bus. They say this whenever we meet them whether it be to a shop, dispensary, bank etc. Ordinary people are out there everywhere in the country. Usually they do not have time to protest and especially they do not send their ‘Representative’ anywhere to protest on their behalf.
Constitutional Changes
The other most important factor is that the ordinary people do not demand any Amendments to the current Constitution or any new Constitution. They are not interested in Constitutional changes at all. What they demand is gas, fuel, electricity, medicine etc. Then who is trying to change the Constitution before providing essentials to the people? Why are they trying to do so? Why? If any organization thinks that it is the most powerful organization in this country and they represent people’s wishes, it is an utter lie. The bitter truth is the ordinary people of this country hate all types of ‘organizations’ by now. During conversations with the ordinary people they describe the nakedness of those organizations which try to give fashionable clothes to the people who are about to die from hunger and diseases.
Then how come only selected politicians belonging to selected political parties got attacked after the May 9 th incident? Why were the politicians belonging to some other political parties not attacked? Why? No need for interpretations. They will judge by themselves if they were born before 1973 and remember things for more than two weeks’ time, especially the period 1988/1989.
Unfortunately the ‘Chit’ arrived on May 6th and everything that followed after the ‘Chit’ in 1988 and 1989 arrived once again for the second time on May 9th and thereafter as usual. But unfortunately, only the unbiased people of Sri Lanka who were born after 1973 understood what actually happened on May 9th and after. No Sri Lankan born in the 80s and thereafter understood it because they were not aware of what happened in Sri Lanka in 1988/1989 and did not see, hear and smell what took place in this country during that period.
It will be too late for them when they understand the reality. By that time, they may be having grown up children themselves without a country to live. Then it will be too late for all and for everything. It is very interesting and comfortable to promote violence through social media until the violence reaches you and your loved ones one day, somehow, somewhere.
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