Emergency rule to open stores; two talk shows; infamous Sri Lankan and stateswoman

Resounding blah blah; copious print; hallelujahs and brickbats; making of mountains and molehills and much more have followed the President’s declaration of a State of Emergency, a very extreme measure. And what we have heard is that an emergency was brought in to stop hoarding of essentials like rice, sugar and milk powder. Of course, the ready-at-hand sop was thrown in: That the emergency was to ease the life of us ordinaries so we are in Saubhagya contentment with plenty essentials readily available, never mind the price. Prices are soaring; the inevitable consequence of excessive printing of money. The government, one and all MPs, praise the move, emergency, and defend the extreme measure adopted, as it is said it will now open closed doors to tons of rice and sugar stacked away to create scarcities and then to make huge bucks.

Stupid Cass, like many others, wondered why such a draconian measure was introduced to open a couple of doors, kept shut by powerful mudalalies and rice and sugar mafia magnates. As questioned by Dr. Harsha de Silva, in the recent Al Jazeera ‘The facts behind the story’ programme; why was a sledgehammer used when a simple screwdriver would have sufficed? And the Editor of The Island mentions the fact that government spokesmen are making molehills of mountains to minimise the serious economic crisis we are in, while the Opposition makes mountains of molehills for the sake of political one-upmanship.

Be that as it may, on MTV’s ‘Face the Nation’ programme on Monday, September 6, two panellists (economist from the Colombo University and a fine woman speaker from the CPA who proved to be the most skillfully argumentative panellist with succinct reasoning), asked whether the existing plethora of rules and laws were not sufficient to open padlocked stores. The past President of the Bar Association and a high-ranking official in charge of essential services and consumer affairs intoned that present laws were not sufficient as the Authority could only bring hoarding to the attention of the courts and the courts took long to pronounce judgment. Also, as is the practice now, the pandemic is blamed for every blunder or delay of the government, whether major or minor. The death of a VVIP or a witch taking off on a broom silhouetted against the bright moon with a cat on her shoulder are both blamed on the pandemic. The crux of the declaration of emergency is that it will be for one month. When results are reported, if the emergency should continue for a further month, it will be thus decided by Parliament. That of course means ayes from sycophants and unthinking nodders of heads in assent. In no way is the emergency inimical to the democracy of the country, it was emphasised by the ex-President of the Bar Association.

What is the opinion of a member of the ordinaries, in this instance, Cass? It is fear and trembling sending shivers down her spine. Added, she notes, there is too much ex-military in prominence. But she will cheer and jeer if sugar and rice hoarders, more so the brother of an ex-President, is netted and gets all he stashed away taken over by the government to help ordinaries.

I referred above to one statement made by Dr. Harsha de Silva. It was from a YouTube video of a programme conducted on Al Jazeera in which de Silva, Ajith Nivard Cabraal, and a local economist were questioned about the emergency declared, with an introduction by Minelle Fernandez, Sri Lanka’s Al Jazeera correspondent. The three were to be proud of but what Cabraal said of course was the government opinion, all in praise of the President and absolution of mistakes and delays of the government.

Jogging lanes the in-thing

We had promises made by the Minister of Sports and Youth of equipped workout joints in every townlet and hamlet. We jeered as the persons in those areas get more than enough exercise tilling the soil and gathering harvests. It seemed the importer of workout equipment would be the winner.

Now it is jogging lanes and the venues selected, bunds of ancient Wewas. Digging and rock-disturbance at the Parakrama Samudra was stopped, hopefully permanently and not temporarily till the fickle memory of us ordinaries take hold and we concern ourselves with other matters to release steam over. The tractors with diggers and planners (to Cass saboteurs of our ancient culture) moved to Kantalai Wewa or were already digging away there to construct a jogging lane. As one farmer of the area bitterly and contemptuously moaned, “Who here needs to jog?” meaning ‘do we have the time and energy for such with the daily battle for growing and earning our buth and pol sambol. We plead for this nonsense to cease forthwith and the money, equipment and ‘engineers’ transferred to build very much needed bridges and paved roads in remote areas of the island.

Notoriety for dear ole Sri Lanka

A Sri Lankan man of 37, Ahamed Adhil Mohamed Samsudeen of Kattankudy, sent our paradisial name around the world with his knife attack in a shopping mall in Auckland. Why for goodness sake a knife? Because the carrying of firearms of many types by civilians is banned in New Zealand and swords and knives and drawing blood seem to be favoured by terrorist Muslims as demonstrated by the swords cast and secreted in mosques and Muslim homes, ferreted out by the police soon after the Easter massacre over here.

The Auckland attack was not the result of a sudden provocation. Samsudeen was loyal to ISIS and had been arrested in an airport before and was under police surveillance. But laxity, probably, caused deaths and injury to innocent people and totted up another black mark for Sri Lanka in world opinion. PM Jacinda Ardern, in her usual statesman-like reaction, said the blame was on the individual and not on the religion or ethnicity. In 2011, this murderer goes on a student visa to much sought after NZ and then increases in radicalism.

Norman Palihawadana writes that no link between Samsudeen and Zahran, the Devil Incarnate, has been discovered, though both come from Kattankudy and professed extreme fanatical Islam.

In all this, similar to the aftermath of the shootout at the mosque in New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern shines forth like a candle shedding comforting light all over, never flickering, never descending to religious, ethnic or country harping. A true stateswoman.

Kiri Peni

for Hambantota

So, a very respected medical high up resigned on the issue of 20s to 30s being vaccinated in a pocket borough, neglecting the most vulnerable to COVID-19 in other areas of the island. The headline in The Island of September 8: ‘AMS lambasts rush to inoculate H’tota youth with Pfizer vaccine.’ Good to have persons speaking out loud and clear against those who presume divine rights, bulldoze their way and act in a self-serving manner in a country where all are equally in danger and suffering. Unsporty games are still played with the COVID-19 matter. Curses are sent by Cass. We heard of vaccination (for money probably) arranged by a spouse with reflected power; vaccines spirited away by a ruling party politician from Kandy to Nawalapitiya or some such, while all preparations were made in Kandy and persons, including relatives of Cass, were on their way to inoculation centres when suddenly the message arrived: Stay home, no vaccination.

Money and votes were bargained for within this dire pandemic. Who bears the brunt, ordinaries and especially the disadvantaged with no voice, no clout, maybe no votes for flower buds?

Jeff and Mutt in The Island often shed gems of wisdom. In the paper of September 8, one says, “Medical Specialists want Pfizer vaccine given as third dose to elders…” The other counters with: “Is there any way we can inject some common senses into politicians?” Cass adds: “More importantly, honesty, fair play and less greed and vanity?”

Ray of brightness

Surprise! Happy surprise! There lay the newspaper copy of Wednesday, September 8 The Island on Cass’ doorstep. She rustled it, smelt and kissed it. So great her greeting of the paper copy. She appreciates the effort it takes to print and distribute the paper.

So, we meet next Friday within Emergency but maybe out of lockdown.