Jamila Husain 
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A cyclone that left testing our President!
Dear Mr President,
When you and your government won the elections last year, both local and international circles were stunned by the sheer magnitude of the victory. A map of Sri Lanka painted almost entirely in the NPP’s maroon colour sent a clear message from the people that they were exhausted by a corrupt system that enriched those in power while draining taxpayers to their last rupee. Your two-thirds majority was not just a political feat; it was a plea from the nation for something drastically different.
I am sure the scale of your triumph surprised you as well. It was evident in your voice when you and I spoke just hours before you were officially announced as the winner of the Presidential Election. You called it a victory of the people, a responsibility not to be taken lightly. You spoke of change, of hope, and of taking Sri Lanka to greater heights.
One year later, although progress has been slower than many had hoped for, the people still held confidence in you. But just as patience was wearing thin, the unthinkable struck, a natural calamity of historic proportions. Cyclone Ditwah took the lives of over 1,000 Sri Lankans and left more than a million severely affected. Homes were destroyed, livelihoods shattered, and childhoods traumatised forever. And all while your administration had been warned well in advance.
From November 12, reputable international agencies issued alerts of a looming storm. Your government was advised to act. Yet somehow, vital information never reached you or your Cabinet. What made it more alarming was that despite Sri Lanka repeatedly falling victim to extreme weather events over the years, your government had failed to appoint a dedicated Minister for Disaster Management, a glaring oversight exposed at the worst possible time.
What made it even more disappointing was what your ministers were focused on. While a deadly cyclone was forming within our vicinity and red alerts were being issued, too many in your Cabinet were preoccupied with meaningless petty fights in Parliament and pointless arguments with an opposition that the public had already rejected. At a time when every second mattered, and every decision could have saved lives, their priorities appeared pitifully misaligned.
Now, as the nation mourns and struggles to rebuild, the heartbreaking truth remains that the damage is already done. Families are broken, and no amount of assistance can bring back those who were swept away in the floods or buried under the landslides.
Mr President, the blame does not lie entirely at your feet. For decades, successive governments have ignored the realities of climate change despite being aware of our vulnerability as an island nation. We have endured deadly floods and landslides year after year, yet officials have turned a blind eye to unsafe settlements along riverbanks and unstable slopes. When people refused relocation, the laws remained silent, even when enforcement could have saved their lives.
Your administration now echoes the same promises made by your predecessors, that laws will be strictly implemented, and communities in danger will be resettled. The question is, will this finally become concrete action, or will it be just another political statement?
And then came the statement from your Deputy Minister, Mahinda Jayasingha, one that would be laughable if it were not so tragic, claiming that the opposition should be sued for failing to inform the government of the early warnings. He even went on to say that the government was unaware of any such alerts. It was reminiscent of former President Maithripala Sirisena’s infamous claim that he learnt of the Easter Sunday attacks from the media while in Singapore. At that time, you were one of the loudest voices criticising him for such an absurd claim. Today, one of your own repeats the same excuse.
Yet despite these institutional failures, you faced the nation with honesty. You admitted that no agency or ministry was prepared for a disaster of this scale. You have travelled across the country offering reassurance to families who have lost everything. Those efforts are significant, but grief remains. Trauma lingers. Children will go to sleep each night frightened that the waters may rise again.
If we truly want a resilient future, our education system must evolve as well. While your Education Minister seems fixated on other topics, including introducing sex education, which of course is important, we should be introducing climate studies as a core subject to teach our children how global warming is intensifying storms and threatening their future. If your Cabinet stops wasting time reacting to absurd comments from the opposition, they will clearly see what truly matters to the people.
Mr President, the public still believes in your intentions. But you and your government must remember that you are in power now, not in opposition. Stop entertaining every provocation in Parliament. The people do not care for political performances. They care about food on the table, a roof over their heads, and safety for their children.
Your real challenges begin now by rebuilding homes, reducing the unbearable cost of living, restoring livelihoods, and ensuring that no Sri Lankan is left behind in this recovery. The international community and the private sector have stepped forward generously, but leadership must steer that support in a strategic direction.
Sri Lanka desperately needs tourism to rebound. We need foreign investors at the negotiation table. We need our exporters uplifted. And your party must stop wasting time attacking opponents on social media. Instead, their only focus now should be rebuilding a wounded nation.
The months ahead will be some of the hardest we have ever faced. But if you rise to this moment and if you deliver the leadership the people believed they were voting for, you can still become one of the most respected leaders this country has known.
Good luck, Mr President. Sri Lanka is watching you!
Yours Truly,
Jamila Husain
Editor - In - Chief
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