Features
Remembering the poetist who poetised
Cumaratunga Munidasa’s 81st Death Anniversary Fell on March 02, 2025
REMEMBERING FATHER PIYASAMARA – පිය සමර
Status of Sinhala Literature of the Pre-Cumaratunga Era
The Kotte period in the chequered history of our literature was perhaps the most colourful. The poetry of the times (the golden age of Sinhala poetry) not only strikes new chords, beats out new tunes, and essays a bold exploration of new paths, but reveals the contentment among poets, the peace and prosperity of the land, and the unstinted generosity of the royal patron, The literary sphere was dominated by such figures like Sri Rahula, Veedagama and Wettewe Theras,
Although these poems, exhibited characteristics of ‘maha kavyas’ with their limitless exaggerations and boundless descriptions, the Sandesa poems brought in the much needed fresh air to be breathed by the literati of the period. The Mayura and Selalihini Sandesas and the Guttilaya stand tall among the rest of the period’s poetic works. The Guttila Kavyaya of Wettewe Thera, was unique in that it displayed characteristics more closer to truism and the taste of the commoners, both in its creativity, descriptive refinement, and language-simplicity. Many other literary works produced during this era were overshadowed by the said poetic works of these literary giants.
The post-Kotte was in its true sense an anticlimax, and the few recognizable literary works during this period lacked novelty, creativity and poeticity, apart from a general decline in standards of the language. Most of the literary works belonged to such categories as didactic poetry, lexicography, love-poems, panegyric and war poems, and also experimental works on prosody and poetics. There were also works on such topics as ‘Conduct of Fools’ (Modamale). Works of acceptable quality were extremely few, and among them were the Perakumbasirita and the Sandakindurudakyava, Lovedasangarawa, Subhashitaya and Lokopakaraya.
The Early Works of Cumaratunga
Cumaratunga’ exhaustive industry could be broadly divides into two segments. His prime attempt during the initial stages was to bring to light the true standards of the Sinhala language, and thereupon to document the framework of the written Sinhala language through his Vykarana Vivaranaya and the Kriya Vivaranaya, the two expositions on general grammar and the Sinhala verb. While such works were being done, he took to editing of literary classics, such as the Nikaya Sangrahaya, Elu Attanagalu Vamsaya, Guttila Kavyaya, and sections of the Amavatura, Pujavaliya. and Mayura Sandesaya, Sasadavatha and the Kavsilumina. The reviewing of classics included Nikaya Sangrahaya, Mayura Sandesaya, Sidat Sangarava, Gira Sandesaya, and Selalihini Sandesaya. Herein only a few of these endeavours have been listed, mainly due to space considerations. In this process he also commenced editing the Lakminipahana paper and launching the Helio (a journal in English) and the Subasa.
The Prose Works of Cumaratunga
He paid equal attention to produce some prose fiction, mainly as readers for children. These included Hath Pana, Mangul Kema, Heen Seraya, and Shiksha Margaya (i, ii, iii, iv, v). His two major expositions that helped standardizing the written Sinhala language, namely the Vyakarana Vivaranaya and the Kriya Vivaranaya come under his contributions in this category.
The Poetic Works of Cumaratunga
He first commenced his poetic experimenting by producing short poems or poemlets, the majority of them being for children. A few of his verses for the youngsters appear in his Kumara Gee and Poems for Children. (Visidunu publication-2003). Sirimath, The Rain Cloud, The Big Bodied Elephant, The Beggar, The Bee’s Tribute to the Flower, The Calf’s Nature, How the Rabbit Behaves, Readying Nestlings for Their Maiden Flight, The Morning, The Drunken Mouse, The Female Trader, The Lullaby, The Lament of the Bird, The Flowers Talk, Manliness and Exultation of the Cane are a few of the exhaustive array of his short poems.
Background to the Composition of the Piyasamara
Having devoted a sizable portion of his time and energy on the said endeavours, Cumaratunga now wished that he would produce a much larger poetic composition. For certain he was now confident of the usage of the language, and in fact, he had by now mastered the poetic and prose techniques adopted in the Sinhala classics of the yesteryear. The readership, in fact, was eagerly awaiting a new and creative poetic mode which hadn’t been experienced up to then. Cumaratunga, an incomparable wordsmith and grammarian, who was equally knowledgeable and familiar with Sinhala, Pali and Sanskrit literature, as well as Western literature, was to experiment a new mode of poetry. It was to be new in all of these aspects: theme, language, content, approach, poetic composition and versification and presentation.
Piyasamara – Its Theme and Content and Mode of Poetic Composition
About the theme it had been resolved at the very outset that the composition would revolve around his father. That’s how it was named Piyasamara, combining the two words Piya + Samara. Cumaratunga had, however, had punned by adopting this name. While the Piyasamara directly meant ‘Remembering Father’, it also indirectly meant ‘Loving Memory (Memories).
The Piyasamara had to be fresh/ new in all its aspects, and the mode of poetic composition in which the presentation was to be couched had to be in a framework suited to express the nuances of thought with ease. In its selection there was a mode that was readily available; the elu-silo metric format, which gave sufficient space to couch a sufficient amount of ideas in each verse. Its added advantage was that the format was a deviation from the requirement to maintain terminal rhymes (eli samaya). It was, in fact, a much freer versification mode that had been adopted in a majority of the poetic works especially of the Matara literary period. The initiator of this poetic mode, which became very popular in the Matara period, is said to be Sali Ele Maniratana thero who authored Prathiharya Shatakaya. This mode of versification was revived by Cumaratunga Munidasa, adopting it for his poetic compositions.
Piyasamara – Its Langauge
Critiquing the poem, a formidable cultural intellectual, Dr. Gunadasa Amarasekara says that the elu silo poetic format being popular among the folk poets of the 18th century, Cumaratunga’s intention was to produce a new language-medium combining both the traditional poetical dialect adopted by the folk poets. Amarasekara further says that by adopting this new language-medium Cumaratunga was able to introduce to Sinhala poetics a language most suited for future poetic compositions. Cumaratunga had the competence to create this medium as he was a veteran in both these dialects. The first poem of the Piyasamara proves Amarasekara’s view of Cumaratunga’s new language-medium.
ඇස වැසූ නුසුදුස්ස සුදුස්ස පෑ
බස් තොමෝ පිරුණෙන් අරුතින් රෙසෙන්
වෙස ගිණූ මිතුරන් සතුරන් ලෙසෙක්
පුබුදුවාද අහෝ යළි මා කො දා :(1)
Piyasamara – An Elegy of a Different Kind
Those familiar with English literature would consider any piece of poetry, commemorating a departed one as belonging to categories like elegies or dirges. Such poems provide a space for expressing profound loss, heartbreak and melancholy. Through vivid imagery, heartfelt metaphors, and poignant language poets bring forth the mental depressions experienced after the death of someone who had been so close to them. In fact, through such poems poets strive to reminisce the beauty of the deceased ones, the unfillable voids created as well as the impact such losses would have on their dependents. In doing so poets adopt a chronologically based unilinear structure in reminiscing the more important events/ incidents/ and episodes they wish to bring forth of the personality they wish to recollect.
Piyasamara – An Elegy of a Different Kind.
To the extent that the objective of the Piyasamara was to commemorate Cumaratunga’s father, it’s an elegy. But the comparison would end there, as it follows a different structure altogether, totally deviating from elegies composed thus far.
සිතැ මගේ ඇති සේ කො තැනින් පටන්
ගෙනැ කියමි ද බොහෝ දිගු කල් ගියත්
එක වරේ නැ!ගැ එයි අදහස් දහස්
හැම කරත් නිරවුල් පොහොසත් නො වමි : (3)
This poem well nigh expresses the poet’s intention. If he was to follow the conventional structure, he wouldn’t have got into this confusion. It thus shows that he was to follow a different structure, and a different approach.
Cumaratunga Adopts an Indirect Reflective Approach to Reminisce His Father
This approach is what he describes as indirect expression (jla mejeiqu ) in his book on poetics (විrs;a jelsh). Indirect expression is a poetic device used by master craftsmen, to make readers think and grasp, as direct expression will not induce the reader to get involved, both in understanding and tasting the poem. Also, indirect – reflective approach while making the reader to ponder on its meaning, it also causes conveying several meanings in a single expression. The following verse is an instance of Cumaratunga adopting this smart technique to elevate the poem to a higher level.
පොහො දවස් අට සිල් ගෙනැ ගත් වතත්
සිතැතුළත් එක පෑ බව දක්වමින්
ම!ග සදත් ඇසිනුත් පයිනුත් දනෝ
මහණ කම් සිවුරින් මුතු සේ දකිත් :(40 )
What would have been the impact and the reaction in the reader’s mind if the poet said that his father was extremely pious, and that his outward serenity was an expression of his inner purity. These sentiments, the poet leaves us to ponder and conclude.
Poetry is defined as “an enchanting realm of artistic expression that penetrates the depths of human emotions and unveils profound thoughts. It serves as a channel through which individuals can navigate the intricate landscapes of the human experience.” Differently defined poetry is “the mode of conveying profound thoughts, using the most appropriate words, arranged in the best possible manner.” So brevity, precision and syntactic order (specific sequence in which words are placed to form sentences and convey meaning) are hallmarks of a good poem.
Cumaratunga Adopts a Jigsaw Puzzle approach to reconstruct/assemble the father’s picture
A sequential, chronoligical and incident-wise approach would not enable the poet to draw the comprehensive picture of his father. He, therefore, adopted the best available technique of drawing the father’s true picture by fitting in interlocking pieces in order to produce a complete picture. Each interlocking piece represents an important aspect of the father’s character and personality. Although a comprehensive discussion, herein, is not possible due to space constrains, a few of the jigsaw fits cited below will, for certain, elucidate this approach.
තතු අසා අවුදින් දැකැ සාදයත්
වි!දැ ඔබේ වරුවක් දෙඩුමෙන් ගෙවා
යන නොයෙක් පැනවත් උගතුන් නිසා
ඔබ නිවෙස් අගයෙන් වැඩි වී බොහෝ :(4)
The poet didn’t indulge in describing his father as an intellectual accepted in society. This is how the poet indirectly/ reflectively conveyed his father’s knowledge and erudition and that learned men came home to tap his knowledge and clarify abstruse/ knotty things.
පොළොව ආස වලා ස!ද තාරකා
සෙවණ ගස් ලිය ආදිය දක්වමින්
නුවණ දෙන්නට කී එ කතා සෙමින්
හැඩ ගැසීය මගේ දිවි මේ විලස් :(9)
Cumaratunga’s father was a renowned physician. It also appears that he was a veteran in child psychology as well. Children by and large are mesmerized and fascinated by nature. For them the stars, the sky, the clouds, the moon, shade, trees and creepers had tales that had descended through many generations. They, in fact, robbed and glued the minds of children. In short, their yearning for ‘nature study’ is insatiable. It was this tradition that Cumaratunga had fervently followed later in his creative works.
He also became an intimate observer of ‘Mother Nature’. His power of observation had been so intense that most of his nursery rhymes (Kumara Gee) composed on these like the ‘Bee and the Flower, Rain Cloud, Nestlings in Their Maiden Flight, The Morning, Flowers Talk, stand tall as instances of how he mesmerised the children thereafter. Thus he was following the unbroken tradition.
රට පුරා ගිය පොත් සොයමින් නැවිල්
මහ දිසා පතියන් අනුරා පුරේ
පැමිණි දා මතකයි ඔබ පොත් දෙකක්
ගෙනැ ගියා උනෙවු ලිපිළියත් තිබෙයි :(110)
This is how the poet portrayed his father. Without directly saying that father was a man of letters, a prolific reader, as well as the fact that he was in possession of a rare collection of books in his personal library, Cumaratungs brought in the incident involving Hugh Neville, GA, Anuradhapura. Records reveal that during his 32 years in Sri Lanka, Hugh Nevill assembled a collection of 2,227 prose and verse manuscripts, mostly in Sinhala, , , and , now held at the .
Concluding Remarks
The two most proficient erudites who critiqued the Piyasamara recently were Emeritus Professor P.B. Meegaskumbura and Dr. Gunadasa Amarasekara, poet, novelist, critic and short story writer. Their critical assessments of the Piyasamara, are the most comprehensively covered treatises on this poem. These two critiques appear in the edition of the Piyasamara published by the Visidunu Prakashakayo in 1999. Emeritus Prof. Meegaskumbura concludes his assessment by observing that if poem is engulfed in language, poet is the person who brings it to surface. Standing on this premise he says that through the wisdom-eye, the poet (of Piyasamara) sees the poetic-resources found in (our) language, and therefore, on behalf of language, it is incumbent to preserve and secure such resources. Dr. Amarasekara says that Piyasamara needs to be treated as a handbook on creative poetic composition by our modern poets.
On the morning of May 11, 2025, the quiet hills of Ramboda were pierced by the wails of sirens and the cries of survivors. A Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) bus, en route from Kataragama to Kurunegala via Nuwara Eliya, veered off the winding road and plunged down a deep precipice in the Garandiella area. At least 23 people lost their lives and more than 35 were injured—some critically.
The nation mourned. But this wasn’t merely an isolated accident. It was a brutal reminder of Sri Lanka’s long-standing and worsening road safety crisis––one where the poor pay the highest price, and systemic neglect continues to endanger thousands every day.
A national epidemic
According to the Central Bank of Sri Lanka’s 2023 Road Safety Report, buses and other passenger vehicles are involved in 60% of fatalities while motorcycles account for 35% of reported accidents. Though three-wheelers are often criticised in the media, they contribute to only 12% of all accidents. The focus, however, remains disproportionately on smaller vehicles—ignoring the real danger posed by larger, state-run and private buses.
The Ramboda incident reflects what transport experts and road safety advocates have long warned about: that Sri Lanka’s road accident problem is not primarily about vehicle type, but about systemic failure. And the victims—more often than not—are those who rely on public transport because they have no other choice.
One of the biggest contributors to the frequency and severity of road accidents is Sri Lanka’s crumbling infrastructure. A 2023 report by the Sri Lanka Road Development Authority (SLRDA) noted that nearly 40% of the country’s road network is in poor or very poor condition. In rural and hilly areas, this figure is likely higher. Potholes, broken shoulders, eroded markings, and inadequate lighting are all too common. In mountainous terrain like Ramboda, these conditions can be fatal.
Even worse, since 2015, road development has effectively stagnated. Although the Mahinda Rajapaksa administration was often criticised for its ambitious infrastructure drive, it left behind a network of wide, well-lit highways and urban improvements. The subsequent administrations not only failed to continue this momentum, but actively reversed course in some instances—most notably, with the cancellation of the Light Rail Transit (LRT) project in Colombo, which had been poised to modernise urban mobility and reduce congestion.
Instead of scaling up, Sri Lanka scaled down. Maintenance budgets were slashed, long-term projects shelved, and development planning took a back seat to short-term political calculations. Roads deteriorated, traffic congestion worsened, and safety standards eroded.
Dangerous drivers
Infrastructure is only part of the story. Human behaviour plays a significant role too—and Sri Lanka’s roads often mirror the lawlessness that prevails off them.
A 2022 survey by the Sri Lanka Road Safety Council revealed alarming patterns in driver behaviour: 45% of accidents involved drivers under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and 40% were attributed to speeding. These figures reflect not just recklessness, but a dangerous culture of impunity.
The legal blood alcohol limit for drivers in Sri Lanka is 0.08%, but enforcement remains lax, particularly in rural areas and during off-peak hours. There is no consistent system of random breath testing, and police checkpoints are often limited to high-profile holidays or urban areas.
The same lack of enforcement applies to speeding, tailgating, overtaking on blind corners, and ignoring traffic signals. While the law technically provides for penalties, in practice, enforcement is selective at best. Even SLTB bus drivers—tasked with transporting hundreds daily—are known for aggressive and erratic driving. The Ramboda bus is reported to have been speeding on a dangerously narrow bend, a pattern that has become disturbingly common.
Public buses, both state-run and private, are some of the most dangerous vehicles on the road today—not just due to their size, but because of operational cultures that prioritise speed over safety. Competition for passengers, poor driver training, minimal vehicle maintenance, and weak regulatory oversight have created a deadly combination.
Do they not deserve better?
Most people who travel in SLTB buses are from lower-income backgrounds. They rely on public transportation not by choice, but by necessity. A factory worker in Nuwara Eliya, a schoolteacher in Bandarawela, or a daily wage earner commuting between towns—all are bound to a public transport system that is increasingly unreliable and unsafe.
Sri Lanka’s social contract has failed its most vulnerable. The poor are expected to brave substandard buses on crumbling roads, driven by underpaid and undertrained drivers, often in hazardous weather and terrain. In many rural areas, buses are lifelines. When one crashes, it is not merely a tragedy—it’s a profound injustice.
Had the LRT system gone forward, had road maintenance been prioritised, had reckless drivers been reined in through strict enforcement, how many lives could have been saved?
Experts agree that the solution lies in a combination of infrastructure investment, driver education, and law enforcement reform. The Sri Lanka Road Safety Council has repeatedly called for mandatory road safety training, particularly for commercial drivers. Such training should cover not just traffic laws, but also defensive driving, fatigue management, and the dangers of DUI.
Enforcement, too, needs a dramatic overhaul. License suspensions, large fines, and jail time for repeat offenders must become the norm—not the exception. A centralised traffic violation database could prevent habitual offenders from slipping through the cracks.
And critically, investment in infrastructure must resume—not in flashy mega-projects for political gain, but in safe, functional, and equitable roads and transit systems. The re-introduction of the LRT or similar mass transit projects should be seriously reconsidered, especially in urban centers where congestion is growing and road space is limited.
The misunderstood three-wheeler
On the other hand, while three-wheelers are frequently vilified in public discourse and media narratives for reckless driving, the data tells a different story. According to the Central Bank’s 2023 Road Safety Report, they account for just 12% of all road accidents—a fraction compared to the 60% involving buses and other passenger vehicles, and the 35% attributed to motorcycles. Yet, disproportionate attention continues to be directed at three-wheelers, conveniently shifting focus away from the far greater risks posed by large, state-run and private buses.
What often goes unacknowledged is the essential role three-wheelers play in Sri Lanka’s transport ecosystem, particularly in remote and rural areas where reliable public transport is virtually nonexistent. For residents of small towns and isolated villages in the hill country, three-wheelers are not a luxury—they are a necessity. Affordable, nimble, and capable of navigating narrow, winding roads where buses cannot operate, these vehicles have become the primary mode of short-distance travel for countless Sri Lankans.
Even more importantly, in the aftermath of road accidents—especially in remote regions like Ramboda—it is often the three-wheeler drivers who are the first to respond. When tragedy strikes, they ferry the injured to hospitals, assist with rescue efforts, and offer immediate aid long before official emergency services arrive. This community-centered, grassroots role is rarely acknowledged in national conversations about road safety, yet it remains a vital, life-saving contribution.
Rather than treating three-wheelers as a problem to be blamed, the government should recognise their indispensable value and work towards integrating them more effectively and safely into the national transport framework. Regularising the sector through measures such as mandatory driver training programmes, periodic vehicle safety checks, and the enforcement of standardised operating licenses could improve safety without displacing an essential service. Additionally, designating official three-wheeler stands, particularly in high-risk or high-traffic areas, and incentivising drivers who maintain clean safety records would help create a safer, more accountable environment for both passengers and pedestrians.
Moving beyond the blame game
It is time for us to move beyond the tired narrative that blames specific vehicles—motorcycles, three-wheelers, or buses—for the carnage on Sri Lanka’s roads. The problem is not the mode of transport. It is the system that surrounds it.
When buses are poorly maintained, roads are not repaired, drivers are not trained, and laws are not enforced, tragedy becomes inevitable. Blaming a single vehicle type does nothing to address these root causes.
The real question is: Do we have the political will to fix this? Or will Sri Lanka continue to count the dead—accident after accident—while doing little more than issuing condolences?
The Ramboda accident was not the first. It won’t be the last. But it should be the turning point.Let this be the moment we stop pointing fingers—and start fixing the road.
(The writer is an Attorney-at-Law with over a decade of experience specializing in civil law, a former Board Member of the Office of Missing Persons, and a former Legal Director of the Central Cultural Fund. He holds an LLM in International Business Law and resides in Battaramulla, where he experiences the daily challenges of commuting to Hulftsdorp, providing him with a unique perspective on Sri Lanka’s road safety issues.)
By Sampath Perera
Though the government is moving more slowly on corruption than I would have liked, it is moving, which is more than can be said for its predecessors. I remember how sad I was when Yahapalanaya did very little, except for political advantage, about the corruption it had highlighted in the election campaign in which I had so foolishly joined; but the reason became clear with the bond scam, when the Ranil Wickremesinghe administration rose to heights of corruption that surpassed, in convoluted ingenuity, anything the Mahinda Rajapaksa government could have achieved. Thus far the present government is clean, and that will make its task much easier.
I hope then that the slow but steady progress of this government in investigation will bear fruit. But at the same time, I think it would also be good if it looked at instances when corruption was avoided. The horrors of the visa scam, in which the Controller General of Immigration seems to have connived with his political masters, suggest how important it is to also praise those civil servants who resist pressures.
With regard to the visa scam, I had thought Tiran Alles largely responsible, but perhaps I have done the man an injustice – if that were conceivable – and the fountainhead of the matter was the President. I now think this the more likely, having heard about a Civil Servant who did stand up against the political pressures brought upon him. If this government were to look into the matter, and recognise his integrity and courage, perhaps that would prompt the former Controller General of Immigration and Emigration too to come clean and turn Crown Witness, having accepted a compounded penalty for anything he might have done wrong.
It can be difficult to resist pressure. That must be understood though it is no reason to excuse such conduct. But it is therefore more essential to praise the virtuous, such as the former Secretary to the Ministry of Health, Dr Palitha Mahipala. I had heard of him earlier, and I am sorry he was removed, though I have also heard good things about his successor, so there is no reason to bring him back. But perhaps he could be entrusted with greater responsibilities, and awarded some sort of honour in encouragement of those with courage.
One of the notable things Dr Mahipala did was to resist pressure brought upon him to award a contract to Francis Maude, a British crony of the President. This was to design a supply chain management for pharmaceuticals. A system for this was already being designed by the Asian Development Bank, but when told about this the authorities had nevertheless insisted.
The then Secretary to the Prime Minister cannot absolve himself of the responsibility for having asked the Ministry of Health to prepare a stunningly expensive MoU that was quite unnecessary.
But his claim was that he had been introduced to the Britisher by a top aide of the President. This rings true for it was the President who first wished Maude upon the country. It was after all Ranil Wickremesinghe who, a year after he became President, announced that, to boost state revenue, Maude had been invited ‘to visit Sri Lanka and share his insights on sectoral reform’.
When he became a Minister under David Cameron, Maude’s responsibilities included ‘public service efficiency and transparency’. There seems to have been nothing about revenue generation, though the President’s statement claimed that ‘Sri Lanka must explore new avenues for increasing income tax revenues…He expressed concern over not only the neglect of public revenue but also the unrestricted spending of public funds on non-beneficial activities’.
He ‘called for an extensive media campaign to educate the public’ but this did not happen, doubtless because transparency went by the board, in his antics, including the demand, whoever prompted it, that Maude be to do something already done. Surely, this comes under the heading of unrestricted spending of public funds on non-beneficial activities, and it is difficult to believe that top government officials connived at promoting this while Ranil would have expressed concern had he known what they were up to.
Nothing further is recorded of Ranil’s original trumpeting of Maude’s virtues, and far from being there to provide advice on the basis of his experience in government, he seems to have been trawling for business for the firm he had set up on leaving politics, for it was with that private agency that the MoU was urged.
Thankfully, Dr Mahipala resisted pressure, and that plot came to nothing. But it should not be forgotten, and the government would do well to question those responsible for what happened, after speaking to Dr Mahipala and looking at the file.
Indeed, given the amount of corruption that can be traced to the President’s Office, it would make sense for the government to institute a Commission of Inquiry to look into what happened in that period of intensive corruption. It should be subject to judicial appeal, but I have no doubt that incisive questioning of those who ran that place would lead to enough information to institute prosecutions, and financial recompense for the abuses that occurred.
by Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha
In her Cry on 25 April, Cassandra wrote this in her section on Trump’s moves to Make America Great Again – MAGA. “The latest was heard on BBC news on Wednesday 16. A fluff of a blonde White House press secretary by name of Karoline Leavitt announces that President Trump expects Harvard University to apologise to him for the continuing tolerance of anti-Semitism by the university. And that little blonde fluff adds ‘And they should.’ Didn’t Cass guffaw, but bitterly. That’s Trump vs Harvard.”
Karoline Leavitt
This young blonde has been making waves ever since, so much so that night shows in the US have spoken of her, and not well. Jimmy Kimmel arranged a dialogue between Karoline and Mark Carney, PM of Canada, when he recently visited the US. She insulted him by saying he did not know what democracy was and that Canada would benefit by becoming the 51st of the US. Carney vowed Canada was not for sale and never would be. The interview which was described in a video which I watched got hotter, Carney became cooler and Karoline rattled until she shot up and left the room. The usually noisy crowd that collects to listen to Kimmel roared – disdain.
Cass had to ferret more about her, so she went to the Internet. Born in 1997, Karoline Leavitt studied politics and communication at Saint Anselm College, which she entered on a games scholarship. She interned in the White House as an apprentice press secretary and was named a press secretary in Trump‘s first term. After Trump’s loss in 2020, she became a communications director for New York. She was the Republican candidate in the US House of Reps election for New Hampshire in 2022 but lost. She was much in Trump’s campaign against Biden’s winning and then served as a spokeswoman for MAGA Inc. In November 2024, Trump named her his White House Press Secretary, the youngest to hold this post in US history. All this seems to have gone to her blonde head!
Mosquitoes making life hell in Colombo
These pests are breeding like mad in and around Colombo and other parts of the country too. We can be tolerant of nature and its creatures, but the mosquito now is deadly. She passes on the dreaded diseases of chikungunya and dengue; the former debilitating for months after the grueling ache in bones is abated as the infection recedes. Dengue can be fatal if one’s platelet count goes below the red line.
The crux of the near pandemic of these two diseases is that infection and prevalence of the two could be greatly reduced by control of the carrier of the infection – The Mosquito. And on whom rests the responsibility of controlling the breeding of mosquitoes? On You and Me. But both of these entities are often careless, and totally non-caring about keeping their premises clean and of course eliminating all breeding spots for flying pests. Does the responsibility end there? Not upon your life! The buck moves on and lands on the public health inspectors, the garbage removers, the fumigators. Their boss who sees to them working properly is the Medical Officer of Health. And he is part of the Colombo Municipal Council that has the responsibility of looking to the health of people within the MC.
The spread of the two diseases mentioned is proof that the above persons and establishments are NOT doing the work they should be doing.
It is a proven fact that just before a change in personnel in the country, or a MC or a Pradeshiya Sabha, with a general election or local government election in the near future, most work stops in government offices or in local government establishments as the case may be. Workers get the disease of ennui; do minimum work until new bosses take over.
This definitely has happened in Colombo. Cass lives in Colombo 3. Quite frequent fumigation stopped some time ago. About two weeks ago she heard the process and smelled the fumes. Then nothing and mosquitoes breeding with the infrequent rain and no repellents or cleaning of premises. She phoned the MOH’s office on Thursday last week. Was promised fumigation. Nothing.
We are in a serious situation but no Municipal Council action. Politics is to blame here too. The SJB is trying to grab control of the Colombo MC and people are falling prey to the two diseases. All politicians shout it’s all for the people they enter politics, etc. The NPP has definitely shown concern for the public and have at least to a large extent eliminated corruption in public life. They have a woman candidate for Mayor who sure seems to be able to do a very good job. Her concern seems to be the people. But no. A power struggle goes on and its root cause: selfishness and non-caring of the good of the people. And for more than a week, the personnel from the MOH are looking on as more people suffer due to dirty surroundings.
Garbage is collected from her area on Tuesdays and Saturdays with paper, etc., on Thursdays. Tuesday 13 was a holiday but garbage was put out for collection. Not done. At noon, she phoned a supervisor of the cleaning company concerned only to ask whether the workers had a day off. Garbage was removed almost immediately. That is concern, efficiency and serving the public.
As Cass said, Colombo is in near crisis with two mosquito borne diseases mowing down people drastically. And nothing is being done by the officers who are given the responsibility of seeing to the cleanliness of the city and its suburbs.
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