8 November, 2024

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Is The Government Afflicted With “Leprosy” While The Entire Country Is Suffering From Corona?

By Nalinda Jayatissa

Dr Nalinda Jayatissa

It is the general medical opinion that when a person is afflicted with Leprosy, the patient looses most feelings over a large part of the body.

It is evident by the decisions and activities made by the present government that the country is suffering from COVID; the government itself it is sad to say, is afflicted with Leprosy. This is due to the insensitivity and total gross disregard to the fate of the citizens of the country. This is evidence of the mismanagement of the pandemic on a daily basis by the incumbent government. The government wakes up only after the entire health sector and the civil society have repeatedly voiced their concerns and when it is far too late to take remedial action.

Sometime back a statement supposedly issued by the President’s Secretary P.B. Jayasundara, appeared on media. According to these reports, he had stated that obtaining foreign loans should be curtailed. He had also stated that loans obtained for development and other various projects should be minimized as loans are “traps”. Why has it taken so long for P.B. Jayasundara who was a former Secretary to the Ministry of Finance to realize that foreign loans are traps?

During the past years the JVP and many other organizations have explained with data, facts and examples that the rulers have snared Sri Lanka on loans trap for generations to come. Somehow, for reasons best known to them the government has acted on the basis that obtaining foreign loans was a victory for the country. Today the officials including Mr. Jayasundara who states that the foreign loans are traps, were then of the opinion that the foreign loans are a victory.

After obtaining loans and mismanaging this money through wastage and engulfing the country in a loan disaster, it is hilarious to talk about obtaining of foreign loans, specially having taken a loan of $200 million from Bangladesh. In reality, this is not an issue related to sensitivity but it means they are consoling themselves as there is no place else to go begging. This is a “poem of consolation to placate their guilty conscience. 

They have been highly insensitive with regard to actions taken for the suppression and controlling of the COVID epidemic. That is why it is felt that the government is afflicted with Leprosy!

During the early part of 2020, when the medical personnel pointed out that the disease was spreading fast and that we should buy an approved vaccine, the government stated that there was no mighty hurry for us to buy the vaccine! 

Instead, the government promoted the use of “pani” or syrup and engaged in hilarious acts of throwing water “pots “in the river!

Alas! When the government wanted to purchase the vaccine, no funds were available. The early birds got the worm because the manufacturing companies had run out as other countries had placed their indents early. 

Even when epidemiologists and various specialist organizations warned that the country should be locked down for a few weeks to contain this situation the view of the government was that the people should learn to live with COVID. Mortality figures only indicate that living with COVID amounts to living with death!

The government ignored the repeated requests made by the health experts that a travel ban be imposed early in April, when the spreading of the disease accelerated, to epidemic proportions. However, after much lobbying by the concerned parties, the government reluctantly imposed a travel ban, that too in a half hearted manner. The horse had bolted when the government decided to close the stable door!

The government did have neither an understanding nor the sensitivity to the enormity of this disaster. They neither had a plan nor a system on how to control the epidemic. Instead, all that they did was to go round bragging and boasting that they were the only ones who did a perfect job. The government totally ignored the fact that the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic have exacted an enormous toll on the well-being of the population.

The government did not heed the advice when alerted that the hospital capacity was inadequate in the face of the acceleration of the disease. In the meantime the health workers were pushed to exhaustion! It was also advised that facilities should be increased and the spread of the disease should be contained according to health guidelines. Instead of doing that the solution of the government was to provide more hospital beds!

Later in the crisis, most health sector personnel have united in expressing their alarm over the spread of the disease and have expressed the adverse impact on public health. 

Here is another reason why we think that the government is afflicted with Leprosy while the whole country is suffering from the effects of Corona.

In reality what has happened?  These are the repercussions of a government having a very high opinion of themselves and the result of their arrogance. When arrogance, stubbornness and paying scant attention to health specialists accumulate to this extent to it spells disaster to a country.

Despite our having told for over an year that the prevention and controlling of the disease should be given over to the epidemiologists and the health sector, the government turned a deaf ear.

Recently Dilan Perera of the member of the government stated that the Army Commander should step down from giving the leadership to the COVID prevention programme and hand it over to the health sector. However, it is unclear whether this is the opinion of the government who has failed miserably so far in their attempt to manage the COVID pandemic. 

The stupidity and the arrogance of the government being what it is, yet in time, a cure will be found for COVID, but we have to be alert to the fact that the illness of leprosy that haunts this government there is no cure! 

Latest comments

  • 9
    0

    How can you expect a military dictator and a group of corruption thugs will listen to the medical experts? They claimed they won the war with LTTE and they can win Corona very simply with their brave military. The fact is that it took nearly 40 years to stop the war with the support of international community including India and USA and only after killing many thousands of Civilians. They used the war victory to bring back military dictatorship.
    But there is no country to help a dictator to control Corona.

    • 4
      0

      Another danger that I see is that, Gobbasena is alone now, without his only confidant, his wife. She left for the USA when their grandchild was born.
      *
      Gobbasena must be in turmoil, especially at night, alone with his thoughts, with no one he can trust. Not Mahinda, not Shavendra, not PBJ, nor Lalith W.
      *
      Expect more irrational, even violent behavior in the days to come.

  • 7
    0

    Is The Government Afflicted With “Leprosy” While The Entire Country Is Suffering From Corona?

    add to this the X-Press Pearl Saga – the beautiful and blue and sandy beeches are the tourist attraction of Sri Lanka. The comical governments action is probably going to destroy these beaches.
    ==============
    The problem is there is not enough Ministerial Posts to tackle these issues.
    So while the country is reeling with corona, the ship is burning off the coast of Sri Lanka the President gets his priorities right and appoints his nephew as the state minister for Digital and Entrepreneurship and conduct a ceremonial swearing in for his nephew.
    ======
    This shows the callous disregard for the people and the country.
    Thank you 6.9 million

    • 3
      0

      HI Rajash,
      Absolutely on the money, well said.
      The problem is not Leprosy affliction but confusion worst confounded.
      1. The Minister of cleanliness does not have an idea whether it is his duty to clean the
      2. The minister of Environment is awaiting disaster of oil spillage to commence work
      3. Minister of ports and shipping is awaiting the burning ship to enter the port of Colombo to action
      4. Ministry of Petroleum resources is seeking ways of saving the 350 tons of heavy diesel in the tanks of the ship from leaking in to sea and thereby polluting the environment.
      5. Ministry of fisheries is confused whether it is their duty to save the fish from pellets to make a catch in the future to feed the citizens.
      6. Ministry of Disaster Management is looking into mitigating if millions of fish (dead) SL Shores
      7. Ministry of Defence (Navy) is busy with preparing suitable answers for possible claim by the shipping agents with regard to pumping/spraying water on the Nitric acid leak to inflame.
      8. Ministry of Foreign Affairs is waiting for the situation to subside so that they can send the demand notice for the well earned US$ compensation payment.
      9. Ministry of education is enthralled by the evolving situation and arranging student excursions before the stricken vessel sinks to the bottom of the ocean.

  • 9
    0

    Bangladesh began existing as a country only in 1971, that is 50 years ago. It was known as East Pakistan before that. Soon after the country was established it was practically bankrupt and Henry Kissinger who was the state minister or something in the US Government described the country as an “International Basket Case”, a very pejorative term, which meant the country was entirely dependent on the generosity of other countries for its existence.

    Bangladesh forged ahead slowly and steadily and now has a strong economy. Today it has foreign exchange reserves of $45 Billion. In 1971 Sri Lanka was in a fairly sound position economically when the SLFP with Sirimavo Bandaranaike came into power. After that, there was a steady decline with brief good spells but now we have less than $5 Billion in foreign exchange reserves. So we have applied for a $200 Million loan from Bangladesh and are getting it. Just see how things have changed in 50 years. Racism is what has caused this country’s downfall!

    • 2
      0

      Very true, Captain Morgan.
      .
      Racism has been the bane of this country.
      .
      Ultimately, the people must be blamed for this! Many another country has had xenophobic demagogues, but very few have fallen for them so disastrously!

  • 1
    0

    Dear Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa: With your question starting with: ” Is the Government afflicted with Leprosy…. while the country is suffering from Corona”. That is a “Legitimate” question you may have after careful examination of both the “Patients”. I too have “examined” both the patients and my questions are “Different”.

    Is the Government afflicted with Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL) and Is the Country (people included) suffering from Dementia. You know both these diseases, symptoms, effects, and possible treatments. That “Dementia” is a group of symptoms affecting “Memory”, “Thinking”, and “Social Abilities” severely enough to interfere with one’s daily life. It isn’t a specific disease but a combination of several different diseases. Depending on the cause, “Dementia” symptoms could be reinstated. As for the Government afflicted with “ALL” (Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia”), I don’t think there is a “Cure”. The “DEMISE” could be “NEAR” and “FAR”. Let us say “Amen”, “Insha Allah”, and “Nivan Suwa” or Join “Brahman”.

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