Features
Are warnings too late? Haute Couture by Diyawanna!
Cassandra lived up to her name by peeking into the future and crying out loud, not “I see blood” but “Beware the third Covid-19 wave, it’s a-coming.” She saw what was imminent in India with masses in the Holy River at the Kumba Mela, and connected it to Free Sri Lanka. Cass does not claim kudos for her warning such as this para culled from her Cry of Friday April 4 with the Avuruddha approaching and enticing people to shop, travel, make merry and gather together. Many were fearful but their warnings unheard, unheeded. She wrote: “Coming back to Free Sri Lanka, we seem to stress on that first word Cass inserted to the country name, even in these dire times of no crowds, no gathering together, no being close and crowding. And the worst is, milling crowds are apparently encouraged to boost popularity of certain VVIPs, by sycophants and by the preference/orders of the VVIPs themselves.”
Further warnings
On the Tuesday previous to Friday April 9, knowing her warning in her Cry would be too late, Cass, under another pseudonym, wrote a letter to the editor of this newspaper asking why the Covid-19 Prevention Task Force was not blaring forth a warning to customs-observing, national-minded, bird-brained, careless Sinhalayas to be cautious during the festive season. She suggested the Army Commander gives directions with military clout. No, people were almost encouraged to crowd into Pamunuwa for bargains; Nuwara-Eliya for the salubrious air; and public transport travelling all across The Island. Cass by her other name was not even a voice in the wilderness; it was a weak cry to be sensible since the Covid chappie was gathering force to descend south east to the tear drop after devastating India.
How well the first wave of C19 was contained. The top medical officers were listened to and allowed to be main directors of preventive methods and also curative with the armed forces carrying out orders very well. Then we had an influx of tourists from a Covid hellhole – Ukraine and then people got careless. Our national trait of short memories is a curse!
The various Health Officers have been clear in their warnings but they have definitely been drowned by those who wish to be popular with the masses, so warnings were muted, hardly heard since they emerged as whispers. The ‘keep stringently to Covid strictures’ should have been blared forth with accompanying threats of reprisal. Also shockingly, it looks as if money making is still the biggest objective, never mind people’s lives. A government Covid test takes four hours, a pharmacology person says. But incoming travellers have to wait 48 hours to get the result and pay through their noses too. A hotel overnight stay is also needed. Who makes the money?
Success story
Cass read an article about Israel’s management of the pandemic. It is so successful that all schools, etc,. are open and mask wearing is called for only in very crowded public spaces. The article adduces the success solely to the fact that the heads of government are educated persons, most with science/medical backgrounds. Take the Prime Minister – Benjamin Netanyahu. He may be under a cloud at present, accused of bribery and corruption, but that has in no way stymied his leading his country to be safe with herd immunity well in place.
He earned degrees in science from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and was in a Harvard PhD programme when he decided to return home. His family moved to Philadelphia when he was a child. He fought in wars, was ambassador and then in the Likud Party he was elected to the Knesset. As a long serving Prime Minister (1996-99; 2009 to date) he has done much for his country; however much his enmity to the Palestinians and occupation of the Gaza Strip is derided. No sooner vaccines were being tested, he is said to have befriended the CEOs of Pfizer and Moderna, through ‘college ties’. After Pfizer’s third testing, he obtained eight million doses paying $30 per, $15 more than stipulated price. By November 2020, Israel had acquired enough vaccines to have all above 18 inoculated. He claimed that paying double the price for vaccines was totally cost effective as lockdowns and treating the sick and disposing of bodies would cost more.
Our leaders have lessons to learn; some basic, like let the most knowledgeable decide.
Sartorial elegance
Recently we had a show of black suits of all types – shervanis, kapati suits, western attire. Cass avows the SJB MPs looked good in them. Black slimmed some down and gave elegance to others. Was it the death of democracy or the demise of a just judiciary or a swallowing of the other two stilts of government by the executive that was being mourned? The Field Marshal did not gimmick, more’s the pity since he would have looked good in full black with his salt and pepper hair. The opposite side, most more obese, stuck black arm bands on their white shirts; some looking like constricting tourniquets!!
Gimmicks are fine but not surging into the middle aisle and throwing degrading insults at each other. Cass is not wrong in saying the first to step belligerently down were former chilli and bound volume throwers.
Snippets
From The Island of Thursday 22, page 1: “Ven Omalpe Thera lodges complaint against MS.” “… he had lodged a complaint with the police regarding former President Maithripala Sirisena receiving Rs 1 bn from various organisations for Easter Sunday carnage victims. The Ven Thera alleged that the families of the victims hadn’t received the funds meant for them.” This Head Monk will not speak of a matter he is not sure of. So, what happened to I billion rupees? Another sort of Help Hambantota, probably Help Polonnaruwa which means … you-know-what!
Thank goodness for the all-too-rare appearance of good sense: May Day rallies which are political rallies with the workers and their problems thrown aside, were cancelled. One bright spot in the approaching engulfing C19 third surge with its accompanying death and devastation.
Keep safe, which means keep a very low profile indoors, begs Cassandra of her readers.