LEST WE FORGET

The world moves on, but often with short memories;  horrors caused by the previous regime, are forgotten and become ancient history. It is no surprise that the prophets of doom  and those who pose as paragons of virtue today, were  the rulers of yesterday. We have one advising the new IGP not to give into political pressure, when everyone with an IQ over zero is more than well aware of how political interference at the highest level was the order of the day, by him and his family, during their tenure of office. The old adage that birds of a feather flock together was proved right when another dictator of similar fame, President Yoweni  Museveni of Uganda  sent an invitation to the former ruler to attend his swearing-in ceremony, which was enacted after illegal constitutional amendments were made by him to extend his rule.

I urge the government to go on exposing the horrors of that time in myriad spheres they were committed in while keeping the people informed of all that this government has achieved

The government is being criticized for paying for his flight at his request. But it has been one of the privileges granted to former Presidents. Although he didn’t grant former President Chandrika these and other privileges, which she was entitled to, this government adheres strictly to the rules set out for good governance in a democracy. But this should have been revealed to the people in a statement by the Foreign Ministry, which would have resulted in bouquets and not brickbats for the government on its gesture. His request for his hotel accommodation to be paid was turned down however, as he could well afford to pay for this, judging by facts now being revealed even by those, who were with him at the time. Loans obtained by the former regime have pushed the country into a debt trap, plus unwise investments, all done  merely for personal glory with no thought about the nation or the people. Mattala Airport has suffered a loss of Rs.4,478 million, the Puttalam   Power Plant, Rs.75,000 million and many other such projects like the Hambantota harbour have also caused great financial loss to the nation. I visited the luxurious Palace in KKs with suites, for the ex-president and the former first lady, which is another white elephant. Have people forgotten the floating market which began to sink without any rain, roads carpeted at great expense, the carpets rolled away after the rains, highways built without proper planning?  Then we have that other expert on finance who said that a family can live on Rs.2,500. He never fails to put his oar in, to make himself heard and in the public eye about things he fails to comprehend. Fortunately, people have no faith in him, his statements or his arithmetic.

Unfortunately, there are those grumblers among us, who have forgotten the messing up of the economy, the destruction of national unity and morale, the dividing of  ethnic and religious communities, by inciting one against the other

Unfortunately, there are those grumblers among us, who have forgotten the messing up of the economy, the destruction of national unity and morale, the dividing of  ethnic and religious communities, by inciting one against the other, all of which brought nothing but suffering and destruction in its wake, making us a pariah state in the eyes of the world. They want the government to perform miracles overnight. But we now have freedom, to say and write as we wish without the fear of white vans and being murdered like Lasantha. We, at long last have an independent judiciary, which is the base of good governance and democracy. 

While the former ruler is invited to attend swearing in ceremonies of dictators, our Prime Minister is invited to address international conventions with several thousands of delegates which will bring us more investment and an increase in tourism. The President, Prime Minister and the Government they head, are working round the clock to reduce the suffering of the people. One mustn’t forget that they are carrying on their shoulders a heavy load of debt and extravagant expenditure incurred  by the former regime. We must have the patience to wait till the fruit of their hard work comes forth. But they too, must see that all those who robbed the country and milked it dry are punished. The people want to see all those who did wrong punished with no exception, that is the wish of one and all. For someone on the one hand, to shed crocodile tears while visiting those affected and then try to make a joke of their suffering, by saying that the FCID will now try to find out who brought the water, is in the worst possible bad taste.

I would like to ask those grumblers whether they want a return to those years when only the ruling family  and their cohorts benefited, when we had the most rampant corruption ever, when friends and relatives were included in delegations  on jaunts abroad, all at state expense. I urge the government to go on exposing the horrors of that time in myriad spheres they were committed in while keeping the people informed of all that this government has achieved. There needs to be much more media exposure of the good work done by this government.We also have far too many holidays, which are certainly not a boost to the economy or an incentive for investment. These must be cut down and people must be encouraged and disciplined to work harder with those at the top setting a good example.

‘The clock of life is wound but once,and no-one has the power to tell just when the hands will stop, at late or early hour. Now is the only time you own. Live, love, toil with will. 
Place no faith in time. For the clock may soon be still.’