Two questions to Health Minister

Pavithra Wanniarachchi is now in the exalted company of health ministers who have contracted COVID-19 across the globe; they include Nadine Dorries of UK, Jens Spahn of Germany and Anil Vij of Haryana (state). I am saddened by her infection. However, unlike her counterparts in other countries, she has consumed controversial potion touted as a cure for Covid-19 in public, thus making the country the laughing stock.

Time and again, the present health minister has reiterated by her deeds that she has her own ways of doing things, and it is the least intention of this letter to question the aptness of her consuming “Dhammike Paniya”, as it is commonly known. However, there are at least two questions that she and the government should answer:

We remember, some months ago, when it became clear that the pandemic was getting out of control, the Health Minister appeared on television and claimed that the government had taken all necessary action to contain the virus, and if the people got infected it was due to their fault. Now that the minister has contracted the disease, is the minister’s statement at issue still valid?

Some moons ago when Sri Lankans were repatriated, a minister coming on TV called those people “human bombs”. This statement was an affront to humanity, but the government chose to remain silent. Now that a considerable number of government grandees have been afflicted with Covid-19, will that minister call them also ‘human bombs’?

The rate at which things have boomeranged on the government is extraordinary. Is this a manifestation of “ditta dhamma vedaniya kamma”?

Dr. Prasanna Cooray