06/04/2022
So Sri Lanka, we wanted to show our dissent towards the government against the rising cost of living, and energy and fuel shortages in the country. Together, we managed to convince the government to take down the Finance Minister. However, are we not taking things a bit too far now?
The protests have now turned into riots with us the people trying to take the law into our hands. Is this the democracy that we want to create for our future? If we do not follow the democratic process laid out by the constitution of the country whereby, we elect our leaders for a defined term and then assess their performance and our choices during the frequent elections, what are we?
Our economy is already in shambles. If we continue to protest and riot, are we not doing so now at the expense of our country? With every passing day, we slow down our economy and destabilise our own country at a time when Sri Lanka is awaiting negotiations with the IMF. Our actions now will restrict our country’s ability to negotiate beneficial terms and in the long run affect our own future and more importantly that of our children.
Recent history has shown us where similar trends left countries like Iraq and Libya. There is a time to fight and a time to watch – we fought and showed our unity and strength – we made a change – now it's time to let the democratically elected government perform its duty towards our nation instead of making them worry about their houses and families being attacked. They must now work for us. Otherwise, if we continue down this path, we will find ourselves in a situation whereby a foreign nation will come forward and intervene under the pretext of restoring ‘peace’ and ‘economic prosperity’ – the next thing we know, we will be Libya. Indian politicians are already promoting the merger of our two economies. If we can't get our act together.
Sri Lanka must not fall. It's time to act sensibly for the sake of our country's sovereignty.
