By Harin Fernando MP
I thought of penning this note after two days since our protest against this cursed government. We wanted to know the good and the bad of that protest. In any protest, there could be good and bad. We won’t hesitate to accept such truth.
In fact, I wanted to pen this note, not because of the success of the protest. The whole world saw how successful it was. The military junta of the government, got together with its Police and had put the highest number of barricades in the history of Sri Lanka, to stop us from protesting. We surely know that this government is scared of the people’s power rising against it. But we didn’t expect a fear of this extent against our protest. In fact, this protest was the first of many protests against this demented government.
One of the doctors dear and known to me had updated a status on his Facebook account some days ago. It said that our protest is successful, but the timing wasn’t appropriate, considering the health situation of the country.
We respect opinions of him and many others. That is the nature of our civilized political movement.
However, I have a few comments about it.
It is indeed true that the country is in a dangerous situation. When it comes to health, it is very serious. But, does the government consider it to be so?
When Sri Lanka was on the verge of facing the Covid pandemic, the first to warn about it was us, lead by the Leader of the Opposition. Even then, the government had advertised, asking tourists to visit Sri Lanka because we were free of Covid. That’s how the so called “Responsible Government” behaved. A few months later, dates were announced to hold the parliamentary election. Even then, the daily count of Covid patients were at five hundred a day on an average. Thus, we requested the government to postpone the elections. This government maintained that we are a country that won over Covid. When the buzz was about the 20th amendment being tabled, Covid patients were found from the Parliament too. When we proposed to adjourn the parliament, the government insisted that there is no issue with Covid.
When it was announced that Covid vaccines are being discovered and distributed around the world, we asked them to buy and export them in advance. But the government chose to play with us with pots and concoctions. When the entire world was following science, this government chose to promote fallacies, and cremated thousands of bodies, without any plausible reason. The smoke emitted from the crematorium must have had the cries and pains of “silent killings”.
The current government of this country came to power over the blood and cries of the people. The people who wield the power are none other than a group who would not think twice to do anything bovine.
Hundreds of thousands of farmers in Sri Lanka now have to just watch their paddy fields. Hundreds of thousands of labourers who lost their jobs curse the government which does not listen to their grievances. The younger generation have lost hope on this government and observe the government’s irresponsible actions with pain and anger.
Parts of the country and resources are being sold off during the midnight. Every household in Sri Lanka is weeping because they cannot bear the cost of living.
Is it wrong to have brought such pressure of the affected people to the streets? The farmers in India protested their government’s decision to sell the national resources of the farmers to Adanis when Corona was prevalent in their country. Although Corona is a health issue for us, this government sees it as a fortune. This government does all its crooked activities hiding behind the shadows of Corona. Everyone aware of the reality knows that the people’s fight against a vile governance. which steals from the monies allocated to import vaccines, cannot be fought from being in the parliament alone.
That’s why we brought this struggle to the street.
Personally, I wasn’t in the best of health to attend this kind of a mass protest, and I went on to participate in it, despite a strong NO from my doctors. It hasn’t been even a month since a seriously decisive operation was performed on my heart. My doctors strictly advised me to rest for three months. But we are political animals. I vouch in the name of the Gods above that I am in politics only for the sake of the goodwill of our country. Wherever there’s a struggle, which is for the goodwill of our country, Harin Fernando will be there.
There can’t be one law for us, and a different one for the government. If the government has the right to celebrate its election win with a huge crowd, don’t the teachers have a right to protest on the streets for their rights? If SLPP can convene thousands of people to celebrate its anniversary, why can’t the people of this country ask for their basic rights by protesting on the streets? How can health regulations be different for two separate groups of people?
Therefore, history will decide whether we held that protest for the people alone or not.
When we were struggling in silence, some kept on asking whether we were deep asleep. Now when we brought the struggle to the streets, that same lot is asking as to why we are on the roads protesting.
Some days ago, Sir was saying that it is time to give way for a new force. The people’s collective conscience knows that that force is in the SJB. We want to go on a new journey. That journey will be modern and off the traditional way. It’s a journey which is void of Central Bank scammers, accused of the Easter attack, and people who cut deals. Everyone of us, including my current leader, have a passion to lead our country through a new way.
I reiterate that this is a government carrying the colour of dirtied blood. No carpet can cover the darkened blood stains of their project to come back to power. No matter what, they won’t be spared by God Almighty and the nature. The curse of their sins will not spare them.
Sir had failed by the time one year had passed since his election. Now, daily, every moment, we see that “Sir the Failure” is now gone full m….!
Harin Fernando