Sri Lanka It's Happening

January 1, 2005

The new year has arrived in battered and bruised Sri Lanka bringing with it hopes of a new start. It's everyone's wish that we should now strive to build a better Sri Lanka. As for me I have my doubts.

The tragedy that struck Sri Lankan on boxing day is perhaps the worst natural disaster in recorded history. What makes it worse is that none of the 225 members of Sri Lanka's parliament perished because of it. They have not even contributed their salaries to the relief measures. They can afford it since many of them have millions in bank vaults, mostly ill gotten gains.

Between then and now they have done little more than appear on television (the government MP have at their disposal the state media mafia, funded by the public and used for the benefit of the party in power) and make promises. They have done nothing for the victims.

The survivors are being helped by volunteers both individual and organized. In the meantime, the president has breathed a public sigh of relief that the threat of resumption of war has receded with the waves. She forgot to mention that it was her own party members that were trying to push the LTTE towards war again.

In some parts of the country visiting politicians have been chased away (as they should have been). In the northern province when the prime minister visited we was welcomed but his companions, the war mongering JVP was jeered. In the midst of all this I recieved a SPAM mail from a JVP sympathizer attempting to whitewash their actions. The fact that their actions need to be whitewashed speaks for itself.

As the LTTE leader Prabakaran said some time ago, the Sinhala people of the south have a very short memory, they do not remember any incident for longer than 15 days. So by that argument the tsunami victims will be forgotten by the 10th of January. Let's hope that it does not happen.

Posted by raditha at January 1, 2005 5:43 AM