Sanaka Samarasinha, the Resident Coordinator of the United Nations (UN) to Fiji, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu has expressed solidarity with the public in Sri Lanka who are engaged in a peaceful protest against the President and his Government.
Samarasinha, who is one of the senior-most Sri Lankans in the UN, has shared a personal statement on the peaceful public protest that is underway at the Galle Face Green in Colombo.
Following is the personal note that was published by Sanaka Samarasinha via his LinkedIn profile:
Sri Lankans & friends of #SriLanka,
It is with an overwhelming sense of patriotism and pride I see how so many of you – even my 87-year-old mother and my 22-year-old niece – stand through rain and shine, united by the singular purpose of saving our beautiful motherland. Your passion and love for this country were never in question. But our history has shown that some understood “country” in the narrowest and most parochial terms. Far too often, spilling out onto the streets through acts of hatred and violence perpetrated in the vilest demonstration of depravity. On the very same streets this time, I see the abiding kindness and compassion of an entire nation, across ethnic, religious, social, gender and age divides.
From barbers, taxi drivers, and accountants to traffic cops, teachers, and students to monks, garment workers, and lawyers to doctors, businesswomen, pensioners, farmers and so many more, I witness generosity, humility, and mutual respect in a scale I have never seen before in this country. Everyone wants to help each other in some way. The empathy is infectious, from people distributing food and water to those offering their umbrellas in the pouring rain or a ride home on the pillion to a stranger on the roadside. And it isn’t just amongst protesters. It is across an entire island. It is palpable everywhere. In markets and shops, bus stands and airports, beaches and junctions. No mask or social distancing or steel barrier can prevent wave after wave of kindred spirits uniting through a collective expression of simple humanity.
My mother told me she didn’t boil milk this Sinhala and Tamil New Year because so many children in the country didn’t have milk to drink. When my daughters asked me why we didn’t boil milk as we traditionally do, I realized the “milk” is already boiling all over our beloved nation. And boil it just before it spills over and a new, prosperous and auspicious era is ushered in for all our people.
I remember when I was 18 some of my friends suggesting I was too much of an idealist. This was at the height of the JVP insurrection and the war in the north. I remember also wondering why it is that young people were dying in droves in both the north and the south while many of the youth of Colombo seemed not to care about the existential issues facing our country, going about our daily lives best we could. Perhaps it was a way of coping with the unspeakable tragedy surrounding us then. We have become older and wiser with time. But our youth are already wiser and they are not willing just to cope. Together, across generations, we can, and must, rebuild this country to live up to the true potential its people always deserved, but never fully achieved.
Fellow Sri Lankans, this is not only a moment to cherish, but a momentum to sustain and nurture, as we move together toward our rightful destiny – devoid of division and hatred, as one island, one country, one people. #unityisstrength
The above views are purely my personal observations of ordinary Sri Lankans during a recent private visit home and are not intended to reflect the views of the UN or any organization or group nor intended to offer support to any particular political party. It is an appreciation of the peaceful and united efforts of all Sri Lankans to find a solution to the unprecedented crisis facing our country. (NewsWire)