current exodus sign of developing crisis

By Shamindra Ferdinando

Archbishop of Colombo Rt. Rev. Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith has issued an ominous warning that the country struggling to cope up with extreme economic difficulties would be ruined unless the political party system and the people readily accepted the urgent need for a total transformation of the current utterly corrupt way of life.The Cardinal declared that the situation was so bad with the large-scale exodus now threatening the future of the country that those in authority should take tangible remedial measures or face the consequences.

Having emphasized waste, corruption and irregularities as the bane of the country, the outspoken leader of the Catholic Church described those factors as cancerous. The country was being devoured by corruption, the Cardinal declared, pointing out that the public couldn’t get anything done at most government officers without bribing those in authority. At a higher level, people received commissions, the Cardinal said, pointing out how pump attendants took advantage of the disruption of diesel and petrol supplies to fleece consumers.

The Cardinal said so delivering a sermon in Sinhala at a special mass at Maris Stella College, Negombo, on Saturday (18) as part of its centenary celebrations.Referring to the growing number of families and individuals trying to leave the country amidst the deteriorating economic crisis, the Cardinal warned the way the situation was developing there wouldn’t be a requirement for schools in this country.At the onset of his sermon, the Cardinal dealt with the arrival of Marist Brothers in Sri Lanka where they first served the people of Batticaloa and then established St. Mary’s College, Negombo, before launching Maris Stella College, also in Negombo, in 1922.

He also was made reference to the French revolution that brought untold misery on the Catholic community before the French political and military leader Napoleon Bonaparte restored the much desired freedom to the Catholic community. The Marist Brothers Schools were founded in 1817 by St. Marcellin Champagnat, a Marist priest from Leon, France, the Cardinal said, while discussing current challenges faced by the communities at a time of social upheaval.Acknowledging the need for a new Constitution, constitutional amendments, including the 21st Amendment, the Cardinal warned that such measures wouldn’t achieve the much anticipated goals unless the vast majority of the people changed their mindset. The country was in such a sorry state of affairs and further deterioration, the people no longer had any confidence in a stable future, the prelate said.

Referring to the 2019 Easter Sunday massacre, the Cardinal said that the heinous crimes were approved by those in the top as well as the bottom.The Cardinal explained how those who exercised political authority over the past several decades caused debilitating damages and the people were struggling to leave the country. Long queues at the Passport Office were an indication of the public rapidly losing confidence in the government, the Cardinal said.

 Declaring that issuance of election manifestos and promises given on political platforms meaningless exercises, the Cardinal ridiculed the incumbent government’s 2019 presidential election manifesto, titled ‘Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour.’ Alleging that what was happening here was quite the opposite of ‘Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour,’ the Cardinal emphasized the political leadership should realize that the people were above them.

Demanding that the political leadership should address the grievances of the people, the Cardinal said that the political party system here was geared to divide and cause animosity among the public. The Cardinal warned that the country couldn’t achieve development if petty party politics caused rifts among the population.

The Cardinal also strongly condemned those who promoted private tuition at the expense of families struggling to make ends meet under perilous living conditions. Recalling his school days, the Catholic leader said that he never secured 9 ‘A’s at the GCE (O/L) but that didn’t hinder him. Unfortunately, those who had sought profits mercilessly promoted tuition and succeeded in creating a myth that sufficient results couldn’t be obtained without private tuition classes, the Cardinal said.The Cardinal repeatedly emphasized the responsibility on the part of the education system, both government and private, to transform the student community, thereby creating the required impetus for social change.