Cheers, Jeers, Tears and Peering for that Silver Lining

Oh me gosh! It’s Christmas today: a celebration calling for good cheer and enjoyed by most people in Sri Lanka. Buddhists particularly, join hands with Christian friends and relatives to sing carols, enjoy exchange of gifts, turn charitable, eat well and imbibe too. All this is stymied with precautions against the fast spreading Covid-19. Reading a news item in The Island of Friday 18, admiration for Cardinal Ranjith and Christians was enhanced. Church services are to be conducted all through 24th night and 25th to accommodate as many devotees as possible while maintaining social distancing. This in sharp contrast to crowds in Anuradhapura and masses jostling to see and cheer the Prez and PM whenever they step out. Cass feels they should cease for a while, their meeting people. How efficiently the Christian Church tackles matters. In contrast is the situ of those who claim to be true blue citizens of free Sri Lanka. The distribution of the miracle peniya had hordes congregating to receive the free bottle. That gathering alone with no social distancing would surely have infected a couple of miracle cure seekers with C-19.

Jeers

As always, the editorial in The Island summed up Cass’s jeers succinctly on Friday 18 December, carrying the title: Docs. politicians and shamans. It started thus: “Many Sri Lankans may miss the rare celestial dance of Jupiter and Saturn….(but) they have witnessed something extremely rare: doctors and the Minister of Health have seen eye to eye. The GMOA which is not at peace with the Health Ministry, has praised Health Minister Pavitra Wanniaratchi.” Holy cow! Goodness gracious! This approval bond between the GMOA and the Health Minister of the Pot and Peni fame justifies completely Cass’ turning off her TV set or moving to another channel when any bod of the GMOA pontificates, talking to the TV mike as if listeners were all idiots. It was known that the GMOA was anti-the previous Minister of Health – Dr Rajitha Senaratne – and desiring his removal from that post, attempted destabilizing the Yahapalana government by striking work at the drop of a stethoscope. It was rumoured that they thought the government would fall due to their strikes that killed and totally inconvenienced many poor people. They strove to bring back to power persons they favoured. The country was at stake due to personality clashes, selfishness and personal power hunger. It continues, and to Cass it is unbelievable that the GMOA moved the hand of the Heath Minister to sack some very eminent and proven to be efficient senior doctors who were dedicated to the welfare of the people of this country. The GMOA did not criticize her pot throwing and the brew she drank in full view of cameras. Jeffrey in his cartoon of Monday 21st caught this beneficial-to-both-parties camaraderie with a defeated SLMC struck down by the Minister with the GMOA as referee.

Remember the GMOA objected to the private medical college that catered to students who were kept out of medical faculties of the universities due to cut-off-area policy and objects now to qualified doctors who followed medical courses in other countries. Cass does not need to elaborate on the selfish, nay merciless policy followed by doctors who are supposed to be saviours of humanity.

Bitter jeer

The kapurala of the Kali devale who was rocketed to fame by Pavitradevi sipping his cure for Covid- 19 for all to see and our people falling for the touted cure and running the risk of catching C-19 by gathering in numbers to grab free samples, got too big for his sandals and his swollen head turned fuzzy. This man had the audacity to demand that he be allowed to pour his peniya to the roots of the most sacred Bo Tree, and then shouted at the Atamasthana Chief Monk at being thwarted. People should not be allowed near the Sacred Tree. My jeers at him were substituted for by malicious cheers when my domestic told me he is supposed to be out of his mind – batty if not insane. One q Cass had was how did he get so much mee peni to give all and sundry his panacea when a single bottle of genuine bees’ honey is so difficult to obtain?

Bitter paradox

The Prime Minister announced that slaughter of cattle would cease or be banned in Free Sri Lanka, appeasing the diehard Buddhists. They had hardly heaved sighs of triumph (over the Muslims who love their beef) than the son, Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, ceremonially declares open a meat processing factory in Katunayake, touted to be the largest in South Asia. Cass won’t labour the point as it typifies moves taken in the belief that all Sri Lankans, all 19+ million of them adults, barring SLPP politicos, are idiots, suckers, scared of voicing disapproval etc. Loverly situ: father bans, son promotes with a vengeance! Father merely by word of mouth saves our cattle; son’s approved factory will kill ours plus imported animals. Any stinky rotten thing for money!

Rolling fun jeers

Wimal Weerawansa, literati and now promoter of meti, pontificated that the Covid-19 pandemic was good for Sri Lanka. I quote Don Manu in the Sunday Times of 21 December, who quotes the Minister as he pronounced: “It helped promote local culture and its traditions. We have been told that 80 % Sri Lankans do not show symptoms …” because of being breastfed with its immunity transfer, and our food culture which has resulted in not being infected. He further loftily pronounces: “It is because of the pandemic those values have come to light.” No Sir, we very well knew the truths you reveal to us, from long before you were born. Breast milk the best for infants and our rice and curry diets one of the most balanced in the world.

The other do gooder is the Batik Minister, Jayasaekera, who has designed and turned out crimson robes for Cardinal Ranjith, so the Cardinal does not have to depend on robes sent him by the Vatican, saving foreign exchange too. Now he wants to clothe all Bishops so that they are forced into nationalism and wear batik. Next we might see patterned, batiked bhikkhu sivuras!

Cheers for Outspokenness

Monday 21 December Face the Nation TV programme on MTV Channel had three men and one woman representing the SLPP, SLFP, SJB and UNP with excellent Shameer Rasooldeen moderating. The panelists spoke good English and were unafraid to express their considered views on the ‘state of the nation’. They came up with conclusions during the last round, some of which summed up was that the government was failing to keep to its manifesto promises; people were disappointed in it and even the President on whom the majority of voting citizens placed their implicit trust to make a difference and take the country on an alternative route, was going the same old way politically and in governance. The young and new in politics must be given their due place. Censorship never worked and social media must not be banned or viciously curbed. People should have the right to say what they wished to. (Some may talk tosh, but freedom of expression was essential, says Cass). The medical doctor on the panel said burial of dead of Covid-19 was all right. All parties should unite in this time of crisis and science given priority, especially in managing the Covid-19 pandemic.

Our earnest appeal is for freedom of
expression. Let us write freely with no fear.

Cassandra gives fervent good wishes to
all her readers and especially to those who govern us.