It is not a joke anymore, Sir; Sri Lanka’s future is at stake

Mrs. World 2020 Caroline Jurie

SLSI Director Dr. Siddhika Senaratne

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa

Sri Lanka unfortunately in the last few weeks has received huge publicity oversees without having to spend adime. 

Starting with Caroline Jurie ripping off the crown from the head of Pushpika de Silva, alleging that Pushpika was a divorced women and also later claiming the award process was heavily politicised. Within minutes of this incident, social media went viral with the pictures of the two beauties grappling for the Mrs. Sri Lanka crown on national television. 

This was perhaps the highest exposure Sri Lanka got globally next to our cricketers winning the World Cup final in 1996. With all the publicity the Government can now certainly save their advertising budgets in 2021, and use it to import vaccines for the poorest of the poor in Sri Lanka and also for a few years Sri Lanka won’t need to pay ex-CIA agents to boost Sri Lanka’s image in the White House, especially now that Jayantha Colombage has asked President Joe Biden to mind his own business. 

Debacles

The recent stock of coconut oil, it is now being confirmed that it contains cancer causing properties. The immediate reaction was to place a ban in the import of coconut oil. The bakers immediately started protesting that it will be not be possible to produce bread and cakes, etc. The Government under pressure promised to give quotas to the bakers to import. 

The non-availability of rice too added to the confusion. To add to this the Government was accused of releasing toxic fertiliser to the farmers. Whilst the coconut oil issue still largely remains unresolved, the controversy-ridden SLSI Director, who was recognised with a Gold Award recently for inspiring young women, so far has refused to divulge the names of the companies that don’t meet the SLSI minimum standards and are selling cancer causing poisonous laden food items. 

The deforestation of Sinharaja forest has also been heavily criticised with even young children joining the condemnation. 

New city

The Government in the last few weeks have stepped up the momentum to complete the paper work for the new city of Colombo. The project like all the other projects has been centralised with P.B. Jayasundera, much to the annoyance of certain ministers. 

The new city once again will be totally depended on Chinese investment, in addition to the loans and swaps the country has got to tide over the foreign currency crisis we are facing. 

There is hardly any corrective action possible now to restore the public confidence in the Government without making far-reaching changes to the administration. The Government post New Year will have to make a special effort to retain its constituents in the Alliance. They are losing faith fast.

If the SLFP abandons the Government, the damage post May Day will be irreversible. Some ministers attribute several of the blunders to the Presidential Secretary who is disapproving any warning signs of Cabinet Ministers to claim everything is working well and prosperity is round the corner. 

Our depletion of foreign reserves and the challenges to maintain COL is the single biggest challenge the country faces according to independent economists, the rest to the public is secondary because of the soaring Cost of Living and most people are still on pay cuts. 

The 81-one-year old Chamal Rajapaksa challenging the war hero Sarath Fonseka for a fight in the corridors of power is only the tip of the iceberg. Happy New Year to all Sri Lankan people.