Sangadasa Akurugoda

The second wave of Corvid-19 pandemic is spreading fast throughout the world including Sri Lanka. Unlike the rest of the world, all most all opposition parties in Sri Lanka appear to be critical on almost every measure taken by the government in the control of the pandemic including the vaccination role undertaken by the Army to control it.  Even some of the government servants and officials appear to be politically motivated and making media statements, almost every day, promoting their political objectives disregarding the government instructions.

Meanwhile we can see that social media is spreading more and more anti government, mudslinging postings.  We see posters and criticisms against lockdown and see posters and criticisms from the same groups against not making lockdown, when lookdown is not introduced. We experience the same reactions from these groups against vaccinations whether vaccination is available or not available.  The expectations of these opportunistic groups appear to be nothing else, but worsening of the pandemic control and further deterioration of the country’s economy. It is learnt that there are well organised groups in social media, as a part of the antigovernment propaganda, to provide even employment schemes providing payments for sharing their posters.    The growing demonstrations for more than a month, supported by the opposition parties, disregarding health guidelines are another example.  The question is who are behind these moves and who are financing these moves.

 We remember how the antigovernment elements used the media, especially the social media, to bring down the government in 2015 and the involvement of foreign hands behind the regime change.   We also remember how, former US Secretary of State John Kerry blatantly boasted in public that US funded to execute Sri Lanka’s regime change in 2015. Evidence of India’s involvement in regime change in 2015 in Sri Lanka is also well-known (https://www.reuters.com/article/us-sri-lanka-election-india-insight-idUSKBN0KR03020150118).  Thus one cannot expect those foreign forces to remain silent after their global expectation have been reversed and they will continue to do anything, once again, to reinstall their puppet regime.  Thus it is time for the authorities to be vigilant and to strengthen the country’s security and economy while continuing to control the pandemic to suit.

Sangadasa Akurugoda