My contribution to the mess that is Sri Lanka

by Visakha Tillekeratne

“Kershaw did not minimise the historical role played by his insane, ideological fixations, but he did illustrate that without the readiness of many people to work for the man in charge, there would have been no way he could have achieved his murderous aims.”
― Volker Ullrich, Adolf Hitler: Die Jahre des Aufstiegs 1889 – 1939 Biographie

This pretty well summarises the socio-political-economic state of Sri Lanka.

How did so many work for the leader who is so screwed up with a screwed up family with screwed up intentions for this country? But most of all I screwed up as a citizen. Why do I say this?

Did I go to the people to speak? In the way they understand? I did not

When I knew that those whom we had and are getting to represent us in the Parliament and in the office of President had plenty of muck in them, that the whole family, cheated us and continue to do so, did I highlight these forcefully? I did not

Did I as a citizen ever speak out knowing that the 20^th amendment was the worst event that could rock the country, put it under ground, wipe the people out of any decision making, did I engage with people to say what was wrong? Why it was wrong, to a large enough crowd? I did not

When I went to the people to work with them at the grassroots, did I build them up to break an issue into pieces and to ask, Why this happened? How it happened? Who is responsible? What will be the result? I did not

Did I practice watching over each and every reason that mucked up people’s life, like the cost of food? how the cost is going up slowly and surely? What people are actually eating? What is on their plate? How the health system really does not care about them and misleads them? How the rich exploit the poor hand in hand with politicians and officials? That the schools and universities are making their children a bunch of dimwits especially to serve the dimwits in Diyawanna? I did not

When Covid struck and I knew that the real truth about the spread was hidden especially to have the election, did I speak loud enough together with many of us who felt the same? I did not

When the most hardworking women were shoved into buses without anything, treated badly in the Covid centres, when they lost babies when hospitals pushed them out, did I speak loudly? I did not

Did I shout from the tree tops of the forest that acres and acres of precious land was being cut up and dug up to make the rich richer and to add fuel to egos? I did not

When violence is and was targeted at the weakest, did I take up a stand and ask that this be stopped in a more powerful manner? I did not

When those larger in number try to crush the so-called other, who they think are different when all of us are really the same despite a certain identity with the family we are born to, did I do my utmost to stop this, did I shout loudly, did I wail and beat my chest? I did not

Did I do enough in the final summary to stop the mess that is Sri Lanka? I DID NOT, I have helped the evil with my silence…