Wednesday 10th December, 2025

Grama Niladharis (GNs) are up in arms, claiming that the JVP/NPP politicians and their lackeys are interfering with disaster relief programmes. Sri Lanka United Grama Niladhari Association (SLUGNA) President Nandana Ranasinghe told the media on Monday that JVP/NPP politicians and their supporters were meddling with the ongoing disaster relief operations at all levels and even obstructing the GNs. He claimed that the political authority had sent letters to the District and Divisional Secretaries, directing them to appoint ruling party members to the state-run welfare centres. SLUGNA Secretary Jagath Chandralal said state officials had been directed to obtain approval from those attached to the government’s Prajashakthi programme for carrying out relief work.

Both Ranasinghe and Chandralal are of the view that political interference with the relief distribution programme has never been so bad. The SLUGNA has warned that its members will be compelled to resort to trade union action if the government politicians did not stop interfering with their work. The GNs play a pivotal role in identifying disaster victims and ensuring that relief materials reach the target groups, and therefore the government must do everything possible to prevent them from launching a strike.

The SLUGNA’s allegations against government politicians and their supporters are very serious, and must therefore be probed immediately. No room must be left for political interference with disaster relief operations.

Complaints abound that government members are distributing relief materials collected from the public, making them out to be donations from the JVP/NPP. These complaints must also be probed.

What the JVP-led NPP government stands accused of is the very antithesis of the new political culture it promised to usher in. It pledged to depoliticise the state service and govern the country in a democratic and transparent manner, without leaving any room for corruption and political interference.

Worse, the government has been striving to have one of its loyalists appointed as Auditor General. Thankfully, the Constitutional Council has rejected three names submitted by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake for the post so far, but the government is sure to do everything in its power to achieve its objective. Why the JVP/NPP is so desperate to have one of its cronies appointed to that high post is not difficult to guess.

As for the GNs’ allegation against pro-government individuals attached to the community-level Prajashakthi outfits, one may recall that the SLFP-led United Front government (1970-77) also set up a network of committees purportedly to enable the participation of workers and ordinary citizens in governance. They were popularly known as ‘Janatha Committees’ (JCs), which subsequently became overpoliticised and mere appendages of that regime. The heads of those committees thought no end of themselves although their powers were nominal, and made a huge contribution to the downfall of the UF government.

The rule by committees, as it were, which paves the way for centralised control on the pretext of facilitating wider participation in governance, is a main feature of authoritarianism. Hitler used that method and introduced Gleichschaltung, which was a process of coordination, designed to bring all aspects of German life under Nazi control.

Hence the need to monitor the activities of all committees appointed by governments, socialist or otherwise, to further their political interests. They must not be allowed to have the state service on a string and subjugate the interests of the public to their party agendas. Eternal vigilance is said to be the price of liberty.

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.