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Santa Claus and Gasso Claws

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Santa Claus did come all the way from the hugely snow-covered forest-mountains of Finland, bringing joy to the children of Sri Lanka. The kids who slept light in the wait for Santa, would certainly have heard the bells of the sleigh drawn by the nine reindeers, led by Rudolph the red-nosed one.

 Santa brought Christmas joy to the kids who were going through most of the Covid worries their parents faced, and the gifts were the stuff of simple joy, packs of delight to little ones awaiting the pleasure of Christmas festivity.

 The parents of the kids would also have enjoyed this Santa Claus’ visit, as it took their minds a little away from all the worries of Covid spread, with this growing threat of Omicron.

 Christmas has come and the celebrations are certainly underway, with hymns of joy, and prayers for peace and love. The Christmas Trees are rich with decor and simple gifts of rejoicing and delight spread around them, in this time of hardship.

 Christ was lying in a manger in the stable in Bethlehem, where he was born, with the smiles of the shepherds, and the sounds and smells of the animals around him. The story of Christmas came to the people again, and the hopes and prayers of Christian love will continue.

 Gasso Claws

 But the blasts of Christmas joy have also brought us to the reality of gas explosions. The people have to certainly move away from the big talk and mockery by the big names of the Litro Gas Company, Trade Minister Bandula Gunawardane, Consumer Affairs State Minister Lasantha Alagiyawanna, a Senior DIG Deshabandu Tennakoon and others of the Police, and the hangers on at the Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA).

Litro Gas has not told us the truth about all the recent gas explosions – more than 800 since November this year – that killed mothers, hugely damaged homes and kitchens, and drove the millions of LPG users in the country into constant fear.

 We now have the Gasso Truth that was crookedly manipulated by Litro Gas, the Police, Ministry Secretaries, Cabinet Ministers and State Ministers and all persons who had authority over the supply of gas to homes, restaurants and other kitchens. The truth, about which all related persons were informed, has now been confirmed by a Committee of Inquiry appointed by the President himself. Are we to ignore this, too, and think of One Country, No Gas Laws?

 It is a shocking story that goes as far back as April/May of this year, when the then Executive Director of the Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) Thushan Gunawardena, warned of the danger posed by the change in the composition of the gas in these cylinders.. He brought the danger of gas explosions to the attention of Trade Minister Bandula Gunawardane, Consumer Affairs State Minister Lasantha Alagiyawanna, the President’s Office, and many other officials.

What we have seen since then is a huge deceit and hoodwinking of the people – the gas users exposed to danger – in a Press Briefing at the Presidential Media Division, too. The President’s Media Spokesman, KIngsley Ratnayaka, moderated the media briefing, where there was a total denial that the continuing gas leaks and explosions were due to a change in the composition of gas in the cylinders. What a profound revelation, and who said this – Thesara Jayasinghe, Chairman of Litro Gas Limited, himself.

 Apart from the fireworks and crackers in this Christmas Season, we must certainly move to the full enforcement of law against these manipulators of LPG composition, and all those who deliberately failed to take the necessary action on it, while fully informed of the dangers involved.

 Why did all these persons in key positions wholly ignore, neglect or deliberately fail to initiate any inquiries and/or subsequent action on the dangers revealed by the then Executive Director of the CAA? Do these persons from a Cabinet Minister to the Chairman of a State-owned company, a Police SDIG, and so many others simply think that gas blasts can be easily passed on to the cookers in kitchens, the tubes that carry the gas or some related instrument?

 All of these persons, who received the letters from the former Executive Director of the CAA, are individually and collectively responsible for the cooking gas disasters that have taken place since November this year, and will possibly continue for many weeks or months more. They are certainly guilty of criminal neglect, to put it mildly.

 Moving away from the Christmas celebrations, this is a huge challenge the country faces in the New Year. Santa Claus may have given our children some joy in this Christmas Season, but Litro Gas has placed a huge task before the people and the Government of Sri Lanka. We may pay millions of dollars to a Chinese supplier of rejected and poisoned fertilizer, which may be the stuff of a Rajapaksa Settlement, certainly needing a bigger political fight from – SJP-NPP-JVP and any other opposition players.

 But this Gas Disaster – is by no way an accident, but a deliberately manipulated, crooked change of gas composition in cylinders. A crookedness clearly supported by all those in authority who were given repeated warnings about it, and moved against the people through several months.

 There are many questions to be raised today about the criminality of persons in key positions of governance and state departments and authorities. Will the petitioner in the court case that has brought some relief to the troubled and pained people, call for the information that the former Executive Director of the CAA gave to the Minister, to Litro and the President’s Office too? Is there any legal objection for such evidence?

Also, do our legal traditions prevent or stand against the Court of Law hearing this case to find out for itself, with all the power of the judiciary, from the letters sent to Ministers, Company heads, President’s Office and any others, giving the warning on the crooked composition of the cooking gas? We look forward to the power of the courts to protect the people.

 There are many persons safely standing out today who are certainly guilty of criminal negligence of information given to them, months before the tragedies began. Who is to be held guilty for the lives of mothers and children whose lives were lost due to these gas blasts, and what is to be done with senior police officers who tried to pass the blame to cooker equipment, without doing a real probe on information available?

 This is where the Rule of Law should apply, on behalf of the people, and against the crooked manipulators of regulations and the law.

 The New Year brings little hope to the people of any relief from all the pains of poor and crooked governance they suffer today. Good and effective legal action taken against all those responsible for these Gasso Claws, will certainly give some relief to the people, and even a small step away from the emerging Gotabaya-Rajavaasala Drama in the coming year.

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