A View From Sri Lanka

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*By Shanuki de Alwis*

Considering that all parts of Sri Lanka, USA, UK, Italy, Australia, Germany and France were protesting in one gigantic protest today, I’m not sure the whole curfew and social media ban worked out in his (PM Rajapaksa's) favour. Hee hee haw haw, well done and thank you, everyone.

Now, may I please share some thoughts with you?
I’ve been protesting about the Raja-passas for well over 10 years now, and quite vocally so. Many of us have been regularly called alot of ugly things for our opposition to the family rule. I’m sitting back today and wondering what it is that suddenly triggered the rest of Sri Lanka to finally join in, despite all that we’ve been shouting out for years.


Then it struck me… that thing about people only speaking up when something affects them. For over a decade the Rajapakses have caused tears, anguish and strife to millions of our Tamil and Muslim brethren, and despite us seeing it on the news and hearing their cries almost daily, we chose to watch from afar; some of us nodding silently in sympathy, some ignoring it, and many re-victimizing our fellow Sri Lankans by hopping on the ethno-religious hate wagon that the family created to grab their power, because it served our own majority or upper middle-class privilege.
Missing persons, illegal land grabs, police violence, looting, militarization of hometowns, hate speech, discrimination, abductions… we have consistently said and done nothing.

BUT, the instant we experienced the inconvenience of a power cut, no dollars and our supermarket shelves running out of milk powder, boy, have we risen up like an angry pack of beasts!

Don’t get me wrong… I’m grateful that we’re doing it together now. I’m lifted by the unified spirit with which we are chanting and demanding our rights and freedoms. But I’m sorry to say it also feels a little sad that it still means that despite all the flags we wave on the street, our personal comforts still seem to matter more than Sri Lanka does.
(OSTB: Brother the personal comfort of each and every Sri Lankan is the comfort of Sri Lanka. That is why people are protesting.)

Dare I appeal to you that whilst we try and change the political culture of our land, we also self-reflect a little and realize that it does take each and every one of us to care beyond ourselves and hold the others’ hands to do our part, if we want to make waves.

Welcome to social activism, my friends. Now that you’re here, please don’t leave when your electricity comes back and your car can fuel up. Stay and continue to help fight for those who don’t have our privilege. You’ve seen what power the upper and middle class have in shifting the needle. Please don’t let it fall back to where it was again.

*Sri Lanka needs you.*
My comments : In Kelantan, Tin Sadin said if your tap water is dirty, just dig a well. The people supported him. In Kuala Lumpur the people said 'I dont care if he main bontot or that he is a hardcore jihadist, he is anti-Mahathir so I will support him'.   Now they say, 'Malu apa Bossku'.
So just wait-lah until the taps run dry in Malaysia - just like in Sri Lanka. They will all dig wells behind their houses. Malu apa Bossku?


By Syed Akbar Ali 

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