19 March, 2024

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Eran Lambasts Dilum Amunugama And Govt. Over Video Pushing For Polls: “Wanton Disregard For Life”

State Minister Dilum Amunugama has displayed the Government’s wanton disregard for life, said former UNP MP Eran Wickremaratne reacting angrily to remarks by the State Minister that going to the polling booth was the same as staying in a line to enter a supermarket.

“Surviving COVID-19 is a matter of life and death for the ordinary civilian in Sri Lanka – what wanton disregard for life,” said Wickremaratne who was addressing a press conference on Monday (27).

Wickremaratne insisted that the Government must put people’s lives before politics.

Eran Wickramaratne

Amunugama released a video recently accusing the opposition of trying to delay parliamentary polls. He said that if people could stay in the Sathosa lines, they could stay in line at the polling booths too.

Wickremaratne lambasted the Government for its failures to protect the security forces who were at the frontlines of Sri Lanka’s battle against the corona virus after 180 Sri Lanka Navy sailors tested positive for COVID 19.

“We are surviving today because these people are putting themselves at risk for us. “The medical staff, the security personnel – why didn’t the Government make them a priority?” He asked.

The former UNP MP also said it was ridiculous that whenever something went right, the Government took credit, but when things went wrong the people were blamed. This is the myth the Government is creating.

Wickremaratne posed a spate of questions for the Health Minister at his press briefing:

1) When the opposition requested for face masks from India as soon as the virus came to China, who said that there is no need yet? The people or the government?

2) Who said that those infected by corona virus cannot come into the country because the airport is equipped with machines? The people or government minister Dinesh Gunawardena?

3) Who instigated protests against quarantine centres at the beginning? The people or the Government ministers?

4) Despite the risk of Corona, who allowed those returning from India into the country without being quarantined? The people or the government?

5) When the health services were advising to lock down the country, who asked “are we crazy enough to lock down the country with just 28 patients?” The people or the government?

6) Who kept the airport open until the sons of minister returned to the country? The people or the government?

7) Who kept people in queues by lifting and imposing curfew irregularly and offering essential items at cheaper prices through Sathosa only? The people or the government?

8) Who prevented reducing the cost of living of people by not applying the fuel concession to all goods and services, and by giving it only for Salmon and Dhal? The people or the government?

9) Who used the Navy to test the infected while there are well trained units like the CBRN? and if they used the Navy, who allowed them to go to their homes without being tested correctly? The people or the government?

10) Who said “Corona will end on the 19th of April”? the people or the Health Minister of the government?

11) Who created an election mentality in people by not showing all the elections that were cancelled in other countries, but by showing the one election that was held through messy / gutter media, and by implying that the spread of Corona was low? The people or the government?

12) Who created the opinion in people’s minds that the country’s election is more important than Corona? The people or government ministers like Wimal Weerawansa?

13) While no country can give any statistics yet, who deceived the people of the country by producing fake survey reports saying Sri Lanka is rated 9th among the countries that controlled the spread of Corona? The people or the government?

14) Who opened the country for the 20th June General Elections in spite of concerns by health authorities? The people or the government?

15) Who is still making big, baseless statements even as the seriousness of this is increasing faster each day? The people or the government through messy / gutter media?

Now, is it by mistake that you’re saying that this is all people’s fault? Or is it because of the absolute truth that “when it works well, it’s because of the government, when it goes wrong it’s because of the people / the opposition…”? Wickremaratne charged.

The Government was always reacting late, he also accused. The country had only 500 ICU beds and the Government should have already worked to double or triple this capacity and build special quarantined facilities to treat patients.

He pledged the opposition would give the Government full support to achieve this preparedness as infection numbers surge. (by Chamika Madiwake)

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Latest comments

  • 6
    0

    Pardon me, but there are things that I don’t understand here.
    .
    https://www.lankanewsweb.net/67-general-news/60936-Voting-is-just-putting-the-ballot-paper-into-the-ballot-box—Dilum-Amunugama
    .
    There actually is this sentence in the article:
    .
    “No need to count votes.”

    .
    What worries me are not the many inconsistencies in the government’s handling of the corona virus. Waking late to the problems posed was understandable, if deplorable.
    .
    It’s Dilum Amunugama’s approach to elections that is ominous. We need intelligent voting, which can happen only if there is serious and extensive discussion beforehand. Even Eran Wickremaratne has not mentioned this.
    .
    Why hasn’t a link been provided? Is this what was meant?
    .
    https://srilankamirror.com/news/17788-election-possible-by-end-of-june-dilum
    .
    I won’t say more now for fear of what I say being misrepresented.

    • 14
      8

      Dilum Amunugama is not an educated person. Why should we care about what the bugger to have added ?
      :
      This man Amunugama was then caught red handed to have inflicted riots in Kandy harming muslim community remember ?
      .
      These men are born to abuse the nation. I am afraid, if the masses would ever grasp it.
      :
      This morning I happend to pass the message of Mr Eranwickramaratne to other via social media, there I was attacked by me being a NGO worker, bla bla… anyone that would stand against would be attacked as either LTTE diasphora or NGO man.
      :
      They dont care about the colour of the rainbow – and they are colour blind and see only black and white… JVPrs have made it very clear, either people are born stupid or they dont care about to see it beyond.
      :

    • 8
      3

      Sinhala_Man

      “Pardon me, but there are things that I don’t understand here.”

      Me too, please count me in.
      What has been the unique achievement of this island in the last 72 years?

  • 9
    5

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdIgbzqDEMQ

    Trump make every effort to paint the picture, irrespective rapidly growing dislike, so is what I see is GOTA as the most known srilanken American citizen follows Trum today.. Wanton disregard for human life is common in Rajapakshes if looking back the recent past. All these are known to the people. People are made to believe, corona spread is due to minoritiy muslims. Now from the numbers went up for the last 3 days, they reluctantly accept that it is not the reasoning. Rajaakshes dont care about the life losses and standing against own people is their primary characteristic. Public means they are only poor people that just tie their life by daily wages. Most of them are the majority. All others behave indifferent. That is obvious in their life styles.
    .
    All in all, gota s so far actions taken against contagious disease control is seen totally in vain. Day by day, the numbers being added to the infected are on a rise rapidly for the the last few days alone. People fight for 5000 bucks is being distributed by under the lead of most abusive Basil Rajapakshe. There are enough people in this country to do the job, but former man alleged to have robed the state under his brother, is reappointed against the agony of the people is proving Gota is no different to his brothers.

    Even if poorer countries have managed to go for more tests going by WHO guidelines, but our bulldogs have ignored it underestimating the danger of the virus spread. They talk high and selfproclaiming everyday, but not having done 20 000 tests so far. We are an another island nation with one main entry into the country, as any Island nations controlled it well, if our leaders were pragamatic enough, they could prevent the people not being infected, if they gave the first priority to control the virus from spreading.

    • 9
      3

      leelagemalli

      I am sorry your expectations from home grown politician are too much and unreasonable.
      Education has nothing to do with wisdom, honesty, …. Look G L Peiris, Dilum’s uncle illegal foreign minister, Sarath Amunugama (ceremonially humiliated in Maldives, in November 2018), ….. .

      It is sad one is incapable of altering sheep mentality of the people.
      It appears people are running away from themselves.

    • 4
      2

      Slaves in general, would never see it right.

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLnmBURjwxE

      The tendency of becoming slaves is seen in sinhala genes than any other genes. This feature, we can now categorically acknowledge. Today they are trained to utter lies to the very same audience. Entire world is aware that the current govt received whole lot of funds in order to finance the covid crisis and save the nation. But one another bitch’s son who is known to have raised his head thanks to the black money of Rajapakshe rascals, shamelessly make public statemetns as if nothing of such funds are received by the current govt.
      To whom we should inform this today, since parliament is no longer in place.
      Should we go to medamula CAVE where the high criminals were born to ?
      God bless srilanka !

  • 10
    13

    Eran can criticize as much as he wants but everyone knows that if the previous lot were in power we would have been seen chaos everywhere. They were headed by a bunch of incompetents
    This government has done well to control the situation. People will get sick, its inevitable but there is still control. Something we never had with those who are now in opposition.
    We can thank our stars the government changed before the pandemic

    • 12
      5

      Fernando20,
      Have you forgotten that the government President and unelected ministers were in power from 2005 to 2014. They robbed everything. But in 2015, the change was half UNP and the half from the same regime who broke the country. That half was the problem between 2015 and 2019. Every one knows about 2018 coup by Sirisena and Mahinda. Within just six months they brought Corona and people can’t breath now but they want to have the election and they want to kill more people. Who said that they have controlled Corona? Now over 600 but do not know how many in few weeks.

      • 4
        2

        Almost every island led by good leaders have been able to control CORONA crisis:
        :
        But BPs led SRILANKA is falling from FRYING pan to fire.
        .—————————————————————————————–
        Sri Lanka
        Coronavirus Cases:
        611
        Deaths:
        7
        Recovered:
        134

      • 2
        1

        Ajith
        And have you forgotten the easter fiasco. When they were all sitting on their hands, before and after the attacks. There was no direction , just the usual blame game and lame excuses, while our people paid the price for their incompetence. Can you even imagine them working together to handle this. There was no real leadership.

        And corruption and looting has always taken place. Lets not forget the bond scam . It more than made up for the previous lootings.

  • 7
    3

    leelagemalli

    I am sorry your expectations from home grown politician are too much and unreasonable.
    Education has nothing to do with wisdom, honesty, …. Look G L Peiris, Dilum’s uncle illegal foreign minister, Sarath Amunugama (ceremonially humiliated in Maldives, in November 2018), ….. .

    It is sad one is incapable of altering sheep mentality of the people.
    It appears people are running away from themselves.

  • 10
    2

    Hiran is one who is clean and balanced. Some times I even think people like Hiran, Mangala and Harsha commenting on idiots like Dilum, Weerawansa, Gammanpilla, Dilan, SB, Keheliya etc are wasting their time. It would be like rain falling on a buffalo. Its blow their dignity and intelligence. Above all media giving front page and TV news space for these idiots should be boycotted by the advertisers and people. Why is it we do not see such stupids in Ranil’s or Sajith’s group, they are all with the Rajapakses?

    • 0
      0

      Dear Buddhist1,
      .
      You mean Eran (Wickremaratne) don’t you? Not “Hiran”.
      .
      I agree with your rating of those nine “Parliamentarians”. How we hate the species as a whole. We have to identify the fairly decent guys. After all, let’s face it; if either of us were to contest an election we would have to abandon the 100% decency that we may now be able to lay claim to, in favour of about 10% hedging and 90% honesty.
      .
      I have noted your generous comment below this article:
      .
      https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/ratnajeevan-hoole-a-legend-of-our-times/

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