Thursday 11th December, 2025

The Opposition has blamed the severity of recent floods that devastated many areas, such as Gampola, on the controversial appointment of some engineers loyal to the NPP government to oversee the Kotmale reservoir in place of senior, experienced engineering professionals who could have responded to emergencies swiftly. It has claimed that if the experienced officials had been allowed to operate the reservoir, they would have begun releasing water early to prevent flash floods, without waiting for the sluice gates to open automatically.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has been on a whirlwind tour of the cyclone-hit areas during the last several days. Obviously, his mission is not only to speed up the ongoing relief and rebuilding programmes but also to mitigate the adverse political fallout from the disaster. He however has his work cut out. The dash of the Leader of the Red Comrades across the country reminds us of the Red Queen’s remark to Alice: “It takes all the running you can do to stay in the same place.”

President Dissanayake would not have had to exert himself in this manner if his government had responded swiftly to the warnings of cyclonic winds and heavy rains, issued by local and foreign meteorological agencies, two weeks before the landfall of Cyclone Ditwah. It has now been revealed that as early as 13 November, the India Meteorological Department, which runs the Regional Specialised Meteorological Centre (RMSC) responsible for monitoring the oceans in this region and issuing warnings of cyclones, alerted Sri Lanka to the impending adverse weather. The Sri Lankan government should have convened the Disaster Management Council and directed all state institutions to be prepared to face the impending extreme weather events.

Ironically, India’s warning of adverse weather came on 13 November, when the JVP leaders including President Dissanayake commemorated their party’s leaders and rank and file, who had died in the name of a cause that the JVP has since relinquished—defeating ‘Indian expansionism’ and ending Indian interference with Sri Lanka’s internal affairs’.

The Opposition insists that the severity of the Ditwah disaster could not be minimised owing to the JVP-NPP’s inexperience in governance. This argument is not without some merit, but the key members of the Opposition themselves have a history of ignoring dire warnings; they were in the dysfunctional Yahapalana government led by the UNP (2015-2020), which failed to act on repeated warnings of a series of terror attacks. They and other ‘experienced’ politicians in the Opposition are responsible for the rise of a group of inexperienced politicians to power.

It is not only power that corrupts; political experience also does, as evident from the prevalence of corruption under the watch of the so-called experienced leaders, who left the public with no alternative but to throw in their lot with a bunch of self-proclaimed messiahs with little or no experience in governance.

‘Inexperienced’ politicians’ rapid ascent to power can be traced to the people’s desperation to see the back of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, whose rule had become a metaphor for corruption, nepotism, abuse of power and political violence. But the country had to pay a huge price for electing Maithripala Sirisena, a mediocre politician, as President in 2015. He neglected national security and undermined the National Security Council, so much so that actionable intelligence about the Easter Sunday terror attacks went unheeded in 2019. Thereafter, the country took a huge gamble by electing Gotabaya Rajapaksa as President. His lack of experience in governance almost left the economy and democracy dead. Thankfully, he resigned without plunging the country into a bloodbath, but his failure paved the way for the meteoric rise of a bunch of inexperienced politicians to power; they stand accused of having failed to mitigate the impact of the recent disaster and save lives.

The need of the hour is for the self-proclaimed experienced Opposition politicians and the inexperienced government leaders to sink their political differences and join forces to accomplish the uphill task of providing relief to the disaster victims and helping rebuild their lives. Political battles and investigations into alleged lapses and failures can wait.

Tuesday 9th December, 2025

Perhaps the unfolding political drama in Sri Lanka could be considered an even better example of the Theatre of the Absurd than Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot or Eugène Ionesco’s seminal absurdist work, The Bald Soprano. Deputy Minister Mahinda Jayasinghe has called for legal action against Opposition politicians for what he describes as their failure to warn the public about extreme weather events in the lead-up to the landfall of Cyclone Ditwah. He has said so in response to the Opposition’s allegation that the government failed to act on warnings issued by the Meteorological Department about floods and cyclonic winds, as early as 12 November 2025. He has claimed the government was not aware of any such warnings! Another ruling party MP has blamed Derana TV for not having alerted the public to the impending disasters although a Meteorological Department official warned of them in an interview with it! Not even King Kekille—a legendary monarch known for his absurd judgements—would have rushed to such illogical, if not moronic, conclusions. If the task of monitoring weather forecasts as well as expert views thereon and warning the public of possible disasters is to be left entirely to the Opposition or a private television station, what then is the government for?

Most political issues that undermine national interest in this country boil down to the fact that the JVP-led NPP government has an opposition mindset and the SJB-led Opposition a government mindset. More often than not, the NPP forgets that it is in power and carries out Opposition-style propaganda attacks on its opponents, and the Opposition, which is full of self-important politicians, behaves as if it governed the country.

When the 2004 tsunami struck this country, there was no economic crisis. The economy was not unstable during the Covid-19 pandemic. When the economy went into a tailspin, the pandemic was over. But today the country is reeling from the crippling impact of a mega disaster while trying to straighten up an ailing economy. Economists have warned of a possible slowdown of the economy, with the deadline for resuming debt repayment approaching. A colossal amount of state funds will have to be allocated for disaster relief and rebuilding. Foreign aid currently flowing could fizzle out if global attention shifts to a new crisis elsewhere. That is the way the cookie crumbles.

Both the government and the Opposition have failed to grasp the gravity of the post-disaster situation. Otherwise, they would not have continued their political battles at the expense of a concerted effort to manage it. They are fighting while mountains are collapsing and rivers are bursting their banks, heedless of the pitiable cries of the disaster victims, just as Nero fiddled while Rome was burning.

There is no better place than the parliament complex for the ruling party politicians and their equally pugnacious Opposition counterparts to address environmental issues related to climate change and find ways and means of managing the impact of Ditwah and preparing the country to face future weather disasters. Besides housing the national legislature, the parliamentary complex is a monument to the nation’s fatalistic attitude towards, if not reckless disregard for, natural disasters. It has been flooded at least twice.

The impact of Cyclone Ditwah is not limited to economic and political fronts; an expert has warned of a possible ecological disaster, according to our lead news item today. Professor Siril Wijesundara of the National Institute of Fundamental Studies has issued a stark warning that Sri Lanka may be facing one of the worst biodiversity losses in its recent history, yet the country still lacks a coordinated, scientific assessment of the damage. Doctors have warned of possible outbreaks of diseases, such as dysentery, dengue and rat fever. Some disaster-stricken areas are still inaccessible. Many victims have not yet received any relief.

The government alone cannot handle the post-disaster relief programmes and reconstruction projects; others must put their shoulders to the wheel. It must swallow its pride and abandon its belligerent attitude and confrontational approach before asking others to join the relief and rebuilding efforts. The self-righteous Opposition should stop settling scores with the government and seeking political mileage by criticising the ongoing programmes to deliver relief to the disaster victims and rebuild their houses and shops.

Rhetoric and absurd sideshows are of no use to the disaster victims; what they need is relief as well as help to rebuild their shattered lives.

Monday 8th December, 2025

The number of deaths due to the recent weather disasters reached 627 yesterday. The Opposition has blamed the government’s poor disaster response for the high death toll. Opposition and SJB Leader Sajith Premadasa has fired another salvo at the government, accusing it of trying to scapegoat the Meteorological Department officials for its failure to take swift action to save lives despite repeated warnings of the impending disaster. He has said the Meteorological Department personnel began issuing warnings of adverse weather as early as 11 Nov., and they forecast strong winds and a heavy rainfall exceeding 100 mm. He has demanded to know why the disaster-management operations did not get underway swiftly.

All Opposition parties are flaying the government for failing to take prompt action to mitigate the impact of the weather disasters. These are no doubt very serious matters and they must be discussed and thoroughly probed to find out whether there were any lapses on the part of the government and/or state officials. But this is not the time for that. The disaster victims are crying out for relief. There have been fresh warnings of heavy rains and possible landslides and floods. Therefore, all politicians and their parties ought to stop fighting political battles and put their shoulders to the wheel to help the disaster victims and prepare the country to face a possible adverse weather event again.

Meanwhile, the government has announced a compensation package. The highest amounts of compensation will be paid for land purchase, repairs to houses and business places, damaged by the disaster, and for constructing new houses for the victims. Compensation will be paid up to a maximum of Rs. 5,000,000 per unit for business places affected by the disaster, based on damage assessment, according to a circular issued by the Finance Ministry. Those who have lost their lands will receive compensation up to a maximum of Rs. 5,000,000 each to purchase land if state land cannot be provided for the construction of new houses. Rs. 5,000,000 will be given for the construction of new houses per unit for the victims. Compensation will be paid for the damaged houses up to a maximum of Rs. 2,500,000 each, based on damage assessment. The Opposition has said these amounts are not sufficient. (The JVP and the NPP would say the same if they were out of power.) The question is not just whether the compensation is adequate; it is whether the government has, or can raise, enough funds to fulfil its pledge amidst an economic crisis.

Sri Lankan governments are adept at making promises, most of which go unfulfilled. Smooth oratory may help politicians win elections, but effective delivery depends on skills, knowledge and experience. Cyclone Ditwah struck while paddy farmers were protesting against an inordinate delay in the disbursement of the fertiliser subsidy. So, the question is whether the government is equal to the task of financing the huge compensation package for the disaster victims unless it receives enough financial assistance from other countries and international organisations.

Experts have warned that the impact of the recent disasters are bound to take a heavy toll on the economy. This will be a double whammy, with the economy slowing down, and government expenditure increasing due to disaster relief and rebuilding.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who chaired a Kandy District Coordinating Committee meeting on Saturday, directed state officials to identify state land in the disaster-stricken areas for distribution among the Ditwah victims. The President made it clear that the displaced victims would not be resettled in landslide-prone areas. Therefore, the question of allocating a great deal of funds for purchasing land for landslide victims may not arise. Most flood victims may not have to buy land; they have to clean, repair or rebuild their houses. For the construction of new houses, Rs. 5,000,000 each will be released in installments; the victims will have funds in stages as the construction of their houses progresses. There will be no lump-sum payments.

Meanwhile, the Opposition has urged the government to ensure that relief distribution will be free from political interference and carried out in a transparent manner. Premadasa has alleged that the state officials in Kolonnawa were directed to seek approval from some persons representing the ruling party for relief distribution. This is a very serious allegation that must not go uninvestigated. Some government politicians have been accused of taking over the distribution of relief materials donated by others, to gain political mileage. This allegation must also be probed.

As for the implementation of the compensation package at issue, the proof of the pudding is said to be in the eating.