By Basil Fernando –

Basil Fernando

It has been noted by many that every problem in Sri Lanka turns into a national crisis in no time. This accumulation of crises has now brought the country to a position where a major breakdown of society is being predicted by many. So, it is time to stop this.

The strength of any society is its capacity to act and resist at the early stages when a problem arises. If that value is internalized, and the society has that strength, action will happen automatically. Unfortunately, Sri Lanka is widely acknowledged as a society that lacks that capacity, and people often accept every problem with indifference. This indifference to fighting against evil has almost become a national characteristic. Some say that you can never overcome this. However, if it continues this way, we will go from one peril to another, and the country’s instability will also continue.

So, this time we are suggesting one such action. This action is that everywhere we live, in our own localities, whether small or large, we form small groups to take care of that area and keep it clean. If, in each area, people take responsibility and do what is necessary to keep that place clean, then very soon the mosquito will face the greatest threat from the people that it has ever faced in this country.

Once, in the early 20th century, something similar happened when people resisted malaria, and we were one of the countries with an international record of doing it very successfully. So, there is this example, and we could try to revive this as a collective effort. There need not be any kind of political covering for this. This is simply a people’s action for their own protection, taken independently as a citizens’ initiative.

There is the fullest freedom for anyone to do whatever they can to prevent these disasters, which are not only claiming lives but could also lead to even more severe consequences.

So, we are calling on you to take this initiative everywhere, on your own. And we hope that, if that happens, we will see something that helps us regain our capacity to react to evil.

This is a note from a voluntary group for the protection of people and solidarity. This has nothing to do with any project. This is urging the completely free participation of citizens, trying to carry out their obligations to their own people and also to themselves.