By : A.A.M.NIZAM – MATARA

The Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is a true friend of Sri Lanka, has commended Sri Lanka for steps being taken to combat the Corona Virus pandemic and expressed his readiness to send a team of specialist doctors and health sector personnel who have gained expertise in treating corona affected people.

The reputed Saudi Arabian newspaper Arab News” widely read throughout the Middle East similar to the well-known Al Ahram” newspaper of Egypt has hailed measures taken by Sri Lanka to confront the Corona pandemic threat.  The Arab News on 24th March in a lead news item says that Sri Lankans from all walks of life welcomes measures announced by President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa to breathe life into the virus-hit economy.  The newspaper highlights that the President has announced relief packages to lessen financial difficulties and has also pledged a donation to the SAARC Fund even at this time of difficulties displaying the country’s desire for the welfare of the people in the neighbouring countries as well. 

The newspaper has also welcomed the President’s decision to keep the Pharmacies and Banks open during the Curfew Hours to ensure smooth economic activities and to care and protect the sick people.

Indian dai;y The Hindu” also has commended the measures being taken in Sri Lanka.  The newspaper’s Colombo correspondent Ms Meera Srinivasan has posted a Tweeter message saying that Sri Lanka has the capacity to overcome the pandemic situation within one week as the country has the best health care services in the region.

Addressing the Cabinet meeting held on Wednesday 25^th March President GR has said that the forthcoming two weeks will be crucial to Sri Lanka and he will not allow Sri Lanka to become another Italy.  He has hinted the possibility of extending the curfew for the next two weeks and has assured that all steps will be taken to home deliver food and other essential items throughout the country.  In addition to this that he has announced a plethora of concessions to cover people belonging to all walks of life including a six months moratorium from all banks, leasing companies, financial institutions, in respect of bank loans instalment recovery, monthly leasing charges for vehicles, three-wheelers, trucks and other vehicles, and levying of interest charges for pawned articles and mortgages.  He has declared banks as essential services and has instructed the Central Bank. State Banks and Commercial Banks to be kept open during curfew hours and facilitate e-transactions.  Post offices will also be kept open for 2 hours during curfew hours. 

While the President, the PrimeMinister, Ministers of the government, health and security service authorities are working round the clock to ensure the safety of the people from this deadly virus which has already engulfed 198 countries throughout the world, some misbegotten fellows who call themselves politicians seem to be making relentless efforts to politicise the calamity and overcome their political degeneration as it has been rightly said by Prime Minister Mr Mahinda Rajapaksa the two factions in the UNP are attempting to gain political capital out of this pandemic”. 

The biggest joker in today’s Sri Lankan politics, the imbecile and nincompoop Sajith Premadasa who does not have any original thinking and parrots borrowed views and suggestions has made a colossal mockery of the situation self-contradicting his own statements.  The borrowed views parroted by him included:

• Shut down all government activities; – What about health services?
• Lockdown Sri Lanka as it had been done by many countries; If that happens from where people get their food at least.  Will it automatically fall down from the sky? Does this nincompoop have a magic wand to create things?
• Convene the parliament immediately;  Are they doctors or murses to combat the pandemic? A day’s sitting by the Parliament cost Rs. 7Million and former State Minister Vidura Wickremanayake have called for converting the Parliament as a quarantine centre.  He has also offered to use his ancient bungalow in Ingiriya to be used as quarantine centre.

In addition to this nincompoop, Sajith in a Facebook note has requested people to take two varieties of tablets to prevent getting affected by the virus.  Prof. (Dr.) Channa Jayasumana has written to him explaining that these two tablets are highly dangerous tablets with many side-effects and it should not be taken without prescription from a specialist doctor.  What a messy ignoramus guy this fellow is?  Latest reports confirm that the stupid politico who is parroting what is said by others without realising the meaning and gravity of such utterances has apologized for the statement he made about prescribing tablets to be used against coronavirus.  He has made this apology only in English in his Facebook page maybe because he doesn’t care about the life of Sinhala speaking people and because he is only concerned about the English speaking elite society in Colombo, his new electorate!

People of Ruhuna has kicked him out from the Hambantota district. People of the district say that he is very fond of watching elephant games (Ali Keli) in the Yala forest and he went to Hambantota district to enjoy these games and not to serve for the people in the district.   

The UNP leader Mr Ranil Wickremasinghe has requested to convene an all-party leaders meeting.

The politically eclipsing former Speaker Kalu Jayasuriya also has endorsed stupid Sajith’s call fore-convening the Parliament. 

There is no news from 3% popularity Jeppos who unsuccessfully attempted to destroy this country twice and the other political merchants trading on the goodwill of their communities and from the terrorist TNA or Pottu Grandpa Vigneswaran despite a danger looming in all districts of North as several hundred people from these districts have attended a special church service conducted by a Swiss Priest who after returning to that country had been admitted to a quarantine centre as a carrier of the deadly virus.   All these guys need to be locked up in solitary confinement in quarantine centres until the last affected patient is discharged.

Sri Lanka’s worst-ever quisling, even worst than Don Juan Dharmapala, and the alleged terrorist money launderer Mangala Samaraweera in a lengthy statement has stated that even after the whole country asked to stay at home, the President did not revoke the Election Gazette. This nincompoop purposely attempts to misguide the people by misinterpreting the constitutional provisions related to election laws and knowing very well that it is only Chairman of the Election Commission who is now empowered to take any decision related to Elections. 

While the whole country is cooperating with the measures being taken by the government at this hazardous situation he says that Sri Lankans have lived through countless crises. Civil wars, insurgencies, constitutional coups droughts and famines and blames the government which he says failed to take adequate preventative measures, such as in the case of travellers from Italy.

With defeat looming in the horizon he says that there is no need for elections and the President, although briefed on the coronavirus threat, has decided to conduct early polls. If he is so scared of elections why don’t he withdraw the nomination list he had submitted for Matara district, he cannot do this because all those in his list except him are ready to face elections, and the ground situations indicate that only Buddhika Pathirana will get elected from the UNP (Sajith faction). At the same time why he didn’t urge his party (SLFP at that time) in 1988 to call for the cancellation of the Presidential election when his current bed-fellows JEPPOS were killing SLFP stalwarts and were taking all measures including shooting at his residence, to disrupt the elections under a clandestine contract with Premadasa.

He has in this lengthy statement implied that the government should solicit their assistance for the current activities. How can we Sri Lankans trust people like Rodee Ranawaka, Crocodile Van Rajitha and this Diaspora proxy when they even attempted at the last moment to block funds for government expenditure and topple the government?  He has by this suggestion coughed out their ardent desire to topple the government regardless of subjecting the people to great inconvenience.  It is only a desperate call to cushion out the inevitable wipeout of them in the forthcoming election.

This nincompoop who is in the last leg of his political misadventure criticizes all aspects of actions being taken by the government to help the people, has failed so far to visit Matara area and at least say a word of consolation to the people.  He has only become a cardboard hero, a paper-tiger of issuing statements aimed for consumption by his foreign audience as he cannot face the people who now repent for electing him as their representatives.  They even blame Mr Mahinda Rajapaksa for working hard during the 1989 elections to get Goigama votes to this ungrateful fellow and made him enter parliament for the first time.  His hollow statements are only aimed at his image-building exercise of getting qualified for a UNHRC post.  It is the bounden duty of all patriot Sri Lankans to ensure that this quisling is banished out of this country humiliated, disgraced and despised as soon as possible.

Contrary to the despicable attempts being made by imbecile Sajith and quisling Mangala to gain political advantage over the corona pandemic the stance taken by Mr Ranil Wickremasinghe can be appreciated.  He has told the government that it is likely to face a peak situation from April 4 to 11 as highlighted by some health sector officials and urged that it is important to have a common plan, with the public and private sector stakeholders in the health sector and produce or import ventilators, masks and ensure that there are sufficient beds in hospitals, initiate a private/public supply chain to supply essential goods and use even ordinary three-wheelers other than taxi service companies and introduce special laws as done by many other countries worldwide. He has also drawn the attention of the government to the statement made by the GMOA where it has said there may be some 500 cases of COVID-19 in Sri Lanka. Mr Wickremasinghe has also stated that his party will support the government to introduce new legislation to combat coronavirus if it becomes necessary. 

It is indeed pleasing to note that majority people of this country have come forward to fully cooperate with measures of the government and health authorities to prevent the spread of the pandemic which has already affected 198 countries in the world,

Several Ministers are reported to be making round the clock efforts to ensure the people get food and essential items at concessionary priced home delivery packages as well as fish, chicken and vegetables.   Ministers Chamal Rajapaksa, Wimal Weerawana, Prasanna Ranatunga, and Mahinda Amaraweera are reported to be coordinating these activities in getting products from farmers, fish from fishermen, and transporting them to various areas.

On the instructions of President Minister S.M.Chandrasena has made arrangements for the paddy. Vegetable and fruit farmers too indulge in their farming activities unhindered during curfew hours, transport their products to rice mills, paddy marketing Board, and Economic centres, and ensure adequate fertilizer and other inputs are supplied to the farmers. 

Meanwhile, under the directive of the President, a Task Force headed by former Minister Basil has been created and this Unit in collaboration with health and security officials, the staff of Sathosa, Cooperatives, an official from Gas. Pradeshiya Sabhas and Grama Sevakas have started home delivery of food and other essential items throughout the country.  The Egg Producers’ Association on a request made by the Prime Minister has made arrangements to sell eggs at Rs. 10/- each and it will be delivered to all parts of the country in 400 odd trucks belonging to mem. The Litro and Laughs gas companies have announced hotline numbers for home delivery of gas cylinders throughout the country. 

During the 3 days 24^th, 25^th, and 26^th nearly 1,000 persons have successfully completed their 14 days quarantine schedules and have been released.  They have profusely thanked the security forces for treating them March kindly and with much care during their quarantine period.  They were transported to the nearest Police stations to their homes. More is to be released in the coming days and those who have been released have profusely commended the treatment meted out and care shown to them by the security forces.

Similar to the enormous service done by them during the war the security forces are reported to be working round the clock to make their maximum contribution to the pandemic combat situation.  The Air Force on its own initiative has converted one of its transport planes equipped with 12 beds to transport coronavirus patients to and from ant part of the country. Meanwhile, the Navy has developed a disinfectant chamber to protect the people from the effects of the virus.  In addition to this, the Navy is also carrying disinfection programmes covering public and private sector institutions.  The army personnel have constricted  wards om several hospitals 

Many philanthropists have made valuable offers to the President in appreciation of his dedicated services and determination to overcome this unprecedented calamity.  Following are some of the offers made by them in writing to the President.

The well-known business tycoon Dhammika Perera has placed an import order worth Rs. 70 Million from his personal funds to import 6 ICU ventilators and 485 modern hospital beds including 169 ICU beds.

The Chairman of the Derana Media Mr Dilith Jayaweera has offered his 150 room Citrus Luxury Hotel in Hikkaduwa to be used as a quarantine centre and the necessary modifications to be made by him.   

John Keels Ltd. has offered one of its hotels in Trincomalee and Jemas has also offered one of its hotels to be used as quarantine centres. 

Meanwhile, the Police have taken all measures to ensure people adhere to curfew rules.  The Deputy Inspector General of Police Ajith Rohana told media that so far over 3,000 curfew violators and nearly 1,000 vehicles of all types have been taken into custody. 

China successfully managed the virus situation because its health and public utility services were under State control. However, America and European countries have been unable to control the pandemic since health and utility services in these countries are completely under the control of the private sector and their services are commercially oriented.  In Italy coronavirus patients of over 50 years are reported to be left out unattended by the hospitals there.  The situation is reported to be same in other European countries and America as well.  Fortunately, we have a highly admirable state health service and consumer products distribution networks such as Sathosa, Cooperatives, Litro Gas and other institutions which have prevented a private sector monopoly attitudes. 

We are indeed fortunate to have the present government in power at this crucial time. If the Sirisena/Ranil government was in power we would have faced a greater carnage than the Easter Sunday carnage in which over 500 persons were killed and a similar ar number was injured due to purposeful negligence of the government which ignored all intelligence warnings and took actions only to protect its Ministers and MPs by preventing them attending church services on that day.  Just imagine how the situation could have been if the nincompoop Sajith got elected as President last November?  The country would have been completely shut down with a continuous curfew as in India and Italy, people unable to get their food and other essentials and forced to eat grass or Croten leaves, MPs meeting in Parliament to enjoy subsidized rich meals and in addition getting daily attendance allowance and the country incurring Rs. 7 million each day of parliament sittings and people forced to take the dangerous drugs he has stupidly prescribed.  Sri Lanka will thus become the worst affected country in the world.