By Pabasari Ginige –
Dr. Pabasari Ginige
Good evening Ladies and gentleman! On this international women’s day I stand here with all the 11 million 429 thousand women of Sri Lanka. So Thank you Friedrich Neumann Foundation and Next GEN-SL for giving me and them this platform!
I am 52 years old. 🙂 In my lifetime, I have witnessed Presidents stripping my country of its dignity and sovereignty. I have witnessed Presidents ripping off the trust of the majority voter whose political literacy is pitiful whether they are illiterates or scholars- viyathun. I have witnessed pathetic oppositions promising people an unrealistic utopia promoting a beggar culture with sahana malu or free takaran. I have also witnessed oppositions, the self professed political puritans who pleasure themselves in their comfort zones preaching to their own followers, Sermons on the Mount. Today I am standing in a country where the saubhgayaye dakma – vistas of prosperity and splendor – has become yet another joke like yahapalanaya!
I have been reached by quite a few political forces inviting me to active politics over the last few years! I have said “NO” because I believe, the secularity in my DNA would stand in the way! 🙂
Ladies and gentlemen, if I am President secularism is one principle with which I will lead. I will neither carry fruit baskets to the feet of high priests of any religion nor I will offer luxury vehicles or esteemed positions in state higher education institutes as “pirikara” But I will visit religious places only to reflect upon metta, muditha, karuna all religions propagate!
I will create a political movement where Humanity will come above country, race , religion or any other discriminatory factor. I will acknowledge that there is unresolved grief in North, East, West and South of Sri Lanka and the collective trauma of Easter attack. I will bring justice and genuine reconciliation to the victims so that Sri Lankans will truly be eka mawakage daru kala!
Meritocracy will be a guiding principle of my government. I will CHAMPION the introduction of Minimum qualifications to enter politics. If I am president NO BODY with a record of child or women abuse or corruption will be given nominations. The people will have a choice of candidates with integrity and basic human decency. nama yojana denne naha asheelachara saha kata ariyama mole bima watena kisiwekuta!
If I’m President, I will rectify the failed economy that has made my country the basket case of Asia. A country where every essential, fuel, electricity, food has become unattainable. If I am President I will not worsen inflation by printing money nilly willy, I will be realistic and go to the IMF, ask to restructure the loans, float the rupee- and encourage our migrant workers to send dollars through legitimate means. I will stop the state lead scams and confiscate black money to improve quality of life of my people. If I am President, I will not suddenly wake up from my sleep and make policy decisions on kabanika fertilizers! Instead I will systematically reconstruct the roadmap to green agriculture. I will not lead to the starvation of the people who produce the grains of rice on my plate because I will be guided by technocrats, wise people – not self appointed know it alls, soothsayers and she-sorcerers.
If I am President, I will ensure quality and truly free health care. I will not leave room for political cronies to profit from antigen kits and quarantine centers. I will prioritize MENTAL HEALTH, allocating adequate funds because there is no health without mental health. The LGBTIQA community will live with no fear or shame as I will bring law reforms enabling so. I will ignore fake moralists who scream sanskruthiya winasha karanawa when comprehensive sexuality education is attempted. Ladies and gentleman in this dharmadweepaya, there are eleven thousand one hundred and eighty-seven REPORTED cases of child abuse in 2021. I will protect every child of my nation from all forms of abuse -corporal punishment, neglect and child marriage.
If I am President, I will bring MAJOR educational reforms. Children will not be abused in the name of education. Major examinations will not be stressors leading to anxiety and depression in a country I lead. The regressive method of segregating schools according to sex, religion and race will be prohibited. So students learn equality, kindness and respect for differences. I will modernize school and university education to suit the job markets locally and globally. If I am President within 24 hours of being appointed I will outlaw all forms of ragging in the HEIs. I will invite the students to review their conduct and see whether that is any different from the state oppression – rajya mardhanaya they complain about.
I will be an empathetic, kind and friendly president, A PEOPLE’S PRESIDENT and I vouch to drive the opposition jobless :).
I will REINVENT POLITICAL MORALITY. I will be the kind of President that makes it so hard for my successors to loot, kill, violate rights and cause pain and hunger. I will be the kind of President who will be a secular moral force that defines all other presidencies to come!
Thank you!
*Dr. Pabasari Ginige – MBBS,MD(Psychiatry) – Senior Lecturer/ Consultant Psychiatrist, Department of Psychiatry/Teaching Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Peradeniya. Speech delivered at the International Women’s Day celebration organised by Friedrich Neumann Foundation and NextgenSL
RBH59 / March 13, 2022
If I was the president Get advice from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
Is an Indian economist, academic, and politician who served india for 10 years
Unity and secularism will be the motto of the government. We can’t afford divisive polity in India.
Saying of 13th Prime Minister of India from 2004 to 2014
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Eagle Eye / March 14, 2022
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Dinuk / March 14, 2022
First and foremost, Sri Lanka needs to dump the US dollar and De-DOLLARIZE, rather than devalue the Lankan rupee to beggar the people, and enable US to asset strip the country, following “advice” of the IMF. Lands and Power plant are being sold off to US and Indian Front companies of BlackRock Hedge Fund, like Adanai.
Second, Sri Lanka need to look East and needs to stop following the “Experts” and Debt-trap Development “Advice” of the Washington Consensus (IMF, WB and OECD-DAC) and Western Fake Aid Debt trap Donors that have dictated colonial development policies and prevented TRANSFER OF TECHNOLOGY to enable the country to use its massive Ocean and mineral resources.
Western Aid and experts has been a form of Colonialism to the corrupt colonized politicians of the island. This is why the country is a Banana Republic manufacturing underwear for Europeans, begging for GSP handouts running behind white tourists,.
This Banana Republic Service Economy dependent on US-EU recommended by Development aid donors has prevented INDUSTRIALIZATION and also trapped and COLONIZED the Lankan business community which is solely lacking in innovation. Sri Lanka should be using its Graphite and Minerals to industiralize and manufacture solar panels and Graphene oxide and having export oriented industrialized fishing industry, and taxing Under sea Data (UDC) Cable Companies and a RICH NATION but is a beggar nation due to fake independence, Euro-American Colonialism, foriegn aid dependency complex and corruption…
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MyView / March 13, 2022
….I will REINVENT POLITICAL MORALITY… The absolute first need of the hour.
Bravo. Very close to what was advocated by Nagananda in his Constitution as the basic document & Law..
…If I am President, I will bring MAJOR educational reforms….
Shades of what LKY did in S’pore where Education spending usually makes up about 20 per cent of the annual national budget, and an important step was in making the main language of instruction in Singapore as English, which was officially designated the first language, though Chinese Malay & Tamil remain official languages.
This is a great unifier of our broken down society into ethnic and religious factions.
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leelagemalli / March 13, 2022
Dr Ginige,
.
thanks very much. Even if you and I would agree with secularism, but there are a signifcant portion in this country that woudl not allow it happening.
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People in this country voted for the once proved high criminals, not knowing the danger before them. Commoners who are the majority in this country should be educated by the MAIN STREAM media. Ironically, this is not happening in this country. So called MEDIA MINISTER with lot more experience in journalism seems to be doing nothing in that regard. Dalas Alahaperuma over to you, if not you who would stand against MLECHCHA TV channels that do the job for the promotion of criminal politicians and their henchmen. I wish DERANA and HIRU TV owner would have been beheaded in a public ceremony, however, their close ties with mentally retarded president, seem to their broad day light crimes further….. this has now reached all the unbearing levels. If not today when ?
:
I agree with you more of what you have added above. I hope more of your the kind of hitherto silent voices would stand against the current facist rule.
Above all, law and order should be kept above. This is a long process in a country where whole lot of peopele struggle to afford their 3 meals.
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leelagemalli / March 14, 2022
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Dr. Gnana Sankaralingam / March 14, 2022
Though there are four equal official languages in Singapore,
For academic purposes, first official language is Malay followed by Chinese, Tamil and English.
For practical purposes, first official language is English followed by Chinese, Malay and Tamil.
Without people complaining, all government notices and documents appear in all four.
Though Chinese constitute 75% of population, national anthem Majula Singapura is in Malay.
Chinese have accepted that Singapore was Malay fishing island of Temasek.
Also law is applied equally to all religions and no state privilege given to any.
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Eagle Eye / March 14, 2022
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Eagle Eye / March 14, 2022
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Svenson / March 14, 2022
There are many languages in the United States but the official language is English – the language of the majority. The minorities do not complain, they learn English. In some States there are more speakers of Spanish than of English, but the official language is still English. In these States government documents are available in both languages. Comprender?
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Captain Morgan / March 14, 2022
The problem here is that many government documents, application forms and notices are available only in Sinhala!
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Svenson / March 15, 2022
That should be changed immediately. The complete idiocy of our rulers never ceases to astound me.
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Pandi Kutti / March 15, 2022
We do not want armchair Chingkalla Buddhist Fascists from Croydon, enjoying the good life in the UK, discussing the language policy of the USA, where 99.99% of the population are descended from immigrants who arrived largely from Europe with the past few centuries. The vast majority were in the 19Th and early 20th centuries. Trying to compare this to an ancient society like Sri Lanka is stupid, deliberate, and mischievous. In Sri Lanka, there were and still are two ancient indigenous languages spoke Chingkallam and Thamizh. Chingkallam in the south, west, and in the central areas and Thamizh in the north, east, and still in large parts of the North West Chilaw/Puttalam coast. The country also had Chingkalla and Thamizh kingdoms, which were all ruled by Thamizh South Indian origin kings and aristocracies. It was the British who artificially created a colony called Ceylon in 1833 by joining the Chingkalla and Thamizh parts of the island for their own convenience, just like the way they created British India and many other countries and created all this strife by these artificial states that never existed. Therefore the Chingkallam language Buddhism and Chingkallms do not have any claim over the entire island like you mischievously suggest. Definitely not in the north and east.
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Svenson / March 15, 2022
Make up your mind Miss Piggy, is it Croydon or Sweden? What do you mean by “We do not want…”? Are you the self-appointed editor of CT?
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Paul / March 13, 2022
But where will you find enough honest and capable people to carry out these worthy schemes?
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leelagemalli / March 14, 2022
Paul,
GMO (genetically modified organisms manufacturing) companies could help us. Else, almost 99% of srilankens are not honest. The term H-O-N-E-S-T is not defined to them from the beggining on. Lab rats behave like KNOCK-OUT mice if some genetic regions are chemically blocked. Likewise, vicious politicians do their job abusing the vulnerablity without any shame.
:
Sinhala buddhist monks in our hell (yellow pets) fulfilled their usual agendas by adulating a known bunch of rascals (high criminals once proved by the public) misleading the gullible masses. If true faces of Rajapakshes were clear to them, people would have torn them off to pieces.
No doubt about that. Time has come to break the vicious circle. Saddest reality is even today, people stay as if they are made permamently deaf and blind. Anyways, it is also not only because of the cruel politicians, but also due to lack of basic knowledge in people. Above all TV media fraudsters are like parasites born to fish on muddy waters.
:
Looking back the acts of those yellow pets are no different to the street women in NY or Hamburg city.
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Rajapakshes made everything providing some of the king monks with V8s (prestigious brand / unaffordable vehicles), obviously, abusing the state funds again and again. V8 costs to the state over 400 lacks or more. See, how irresponsible Mahinda Rajapakshe should be ?
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MyView / March 13, 2022
Dear Author,
You are one in a Higher Educational Institute, a University, of our country. Looking around, those in these comprising the educated or (the VIYATH ETHTHO), comprising PhDs, Professors (some fake) apparently seem still happy to get perks, forsaking morality. This is the bane of our country, when those who should lead us to morality, sell their souls for a mess of pottage.
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Thanga / March 13, 2022
Excellent piece. You have said what I have been advocating for donkey years. Since independence, the majority of Sinhalese people have been fed on a steady diet of Sinhala Only and Buddhist Only. But nemesis has caught up with corrupt and inefficient politicians.
Today’s economic bankruptcy is due entirely to the fact that illiterates and semi-illiterates have been ruling the country from the time of the first Prime Minister who did not pass the SSC. This is the case with Mrs Sirimavo Bandaranaike who jettisoned the Soulbury constitution and adopted a unitary and Buddhist only constitution.
Then came the arrogant and corrupt Rajapaksa dynasty. All the family members are in the cabinet. But none of them went anywhere near a university. even to take shelter from the rain!
Mahinda Rajapaksa built white elephants in his electorate. A harbour where no ships berth, an international conference hall where no meetings are held, an airport where no planes land, a cricket stadium where no cricket is played. Such examples can be multiplied severalfold.
The 30-year bloody ethnic war has reduced the country to the verge of bankruptcy. Sri Lanka’s present is haunted by memories of the island’s decades-long civil war, which began in July 1983 to May 2009. The war could have been easily avoided if the demand for self-rule by the Tamils was accepted.
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Eagle Eye / March 14, 2022
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malkanthie / March 15, 2022
excellent rebuttal, speaking truth to power.
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Simon / March 14, 2022
Dr. Pabasari Ginige: Could you please include the following in your “TO DO LIST” when you become President.
1. To establish the Politician’s role a “VOLUNTARY SERVICE” with no “SALARY” and all other “PERKS”‘
2. To “RECOUPE” all the wealth collected by the Politicians that cannot be “ACCOUNTED” and get all of them “JAILED” for life.
3. To make Constitutional provisions to include the MANIFESTO of the election-winning political party that establishes a Government as a “SCHEDULED HUMAN RIGHT” so as to give the voter the “RIGHT” to prosecute the Governing Party if and when it “BREACHES” or “DEFAULT” any of the promises made.
4. Establish a “CODE OF ETHICS” for all the Politicians in Parliament/Provincial Councils/Pradeshiya Saba and all other Local Government Bodies and appoint an “ETHIC COMMISSIONER” with Judiciary Powers to award punishments (declare removal from sittings in such political positions)on conviction of any “BREACH” of such “ETHICAL CONDUCT”.
Thank you.
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Ajith / March 14, 2022
Dear Dr.
I love your IF word.
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Dayan / March 14, 2022
The writer say her dream list of what to do (for the country and people) but not let anyone know how to do? This is exactly politicians and current political system doing it at it’s best. Please gave up this what to do list .. start to think atleast one thing how to do it, viability of it and challenges to achieve it. Otherwise its a long list of words go in garbage.
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MyView / March 14, 2022
Dear Dayan,
Only NKodi has put forward a ’how to do’ list, but in the present context, its viability is in question with the economic situation being in the forefront currently. Political parties only put out manifestos, in general terms, but with no real binding to implement or an exact time frame. These manifestos abound in free goodies – left and right. But in Singapore, LKY said to BBC : “The principle is that you must work. We are not going to pay you for lying around,” said Mr Lee in 2011 about welfare supplements. He had a strong aversion to the welfare state and thought it encouraged laziness.
Citizens are expected to shoulder much of the burden of taking care of themselves and their families.
While a cushion is needed for the poorest, our politics has been to give and give, freely to rich and not so rich. Then has come the day of reckoning when we are out of $$s.
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MyView / March 14, 2022
….contd.
…to give and give, freely to rich and not so rich…
Should of course have added – and the folly of investing in white elephants for personal glory (and greed to loot) with no returns economically.
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Mahila / March 15, 2022
Dayan,
Good Morning.
“The writer say her dream list of what to do (for the country and people) but not let anyone know how to do?”
Your question is a very simple one, if one understands the situation well!
One has to have the WILL to do it and not camouflage after being elected, enjoying the perks and not keeping the election promises!!!!!
How to do it is, as simple as simple as one would resolve the question rises in one’s mind, the biological instinct to relieve pressure on your bladder??????????????
“Find a toilet to release and execute the process, when the WILL is crystalised”!!!!!!!
Otherwise one has to suffer in PAIN the consequences of not doing it!!
The problem in Sri Lanka is that all those elected to power and their ‘Hangers On’, are the ‘grass eating’ types or may be even ‘Grass Hoppers’.
They feign when the opportunity arises, unable to execute! They will have 100other excuses!!!
“WHERE THERE’S A WILL THERE’S A WAY”
(To mean that if you are determined enough, you can find a way to achieve what you want, even if it is very difficult)
Short answer, is requirement of determination and not vacillation!!!
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Simon / March 16, 2022
Mahila: You have answered that question very well. I was thinking of bringing that basic fact of the “Biological Need” and the “Biological Push” in a different context, (the Reproductive process and system) what to do and how to do but after reading your answer decided to put it aside.
Thank you for pushing me aside and answering that question in a better way.
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Rajash / March 14, 2022
you don’t have to be a President do all this
and
you don’t have to get in to politics to do all this.
But
you can be a change agent
.so lets start
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davidthegood / March 14, 2022
Dr. Ginige, Being in Peradeniya, you have within reach the most sadistic ragging station which can be totally expelled so those students can never return to university. Having eliminated ragging, you need to sack those who practice sinhala buddhism politically introduced recently to get the votes of naive brainless simpletons. Then your psychiatry would have borne fruit worthy of congratulations.
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Eagle Eye / March 14, 2022
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Eagle Eye / March 14, 2022
Dr. Pabasari Ginige,
“I will bring justice and genuine reconciliation to the victims so that Sri Lankans will truly be eka mawakage daru kala!”
—
Nice words! But can you please tell indigenous Sinhalayo how you are going to change the minds of separatist Tamil politicians who live in Colombo amongst Sinhalayo with their families and say ‘Sinhalayo are not welcome in the North’; ‘Buddhist temples cannot be built in the North’; ‘Buddha statues cannot be erected in the North’ as if they own northern part of the country?
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Pandi Kutti / March 15, 2022
Indigenous Chingkallams ! I thought it was the Vedda who are truly indigenous to the island. The Chingkallms are descended from Indian immigrants from Bengal/Odisha and from the ancient Thamizh country. Thamizh Nadu/Kerala. The vast majority are from Thamizh Nadu/ Kerala area and only a small initial migration from Bengal/Odisha region.
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ramona therese fernando / March 14, 2022
Sounds good. All the best. Write the manifesto.
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chiv / March 14, 2022
It could have been better if good doctor did psychiatric evaluation on Rajapaksas and let readers know her conclusions.
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Nathan / March 14, 2022
chiv,
I thought that you were a Doctor yourself.
BTW psychiatric evaluation cannot be done on an individual without consent (that is my understanding) unless ordered by a Court.
Let me know if I am wrong.
.
If anyone still needs an evaluation of a specialist to find that out, I would first examine their head!
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chiv / March 15, 2022
Nathan, answer is yes and no 1) psychiatric evaluation is similar to physical examination doctors do on their patients. Being not much of hands on, any reasonable Psychiatrist can give opinion just by observation and available information. Now doctors do from far away places by using virtual digital platforms/ apps what is known as Tele Psychiatry. If someone needs to be admitted without their consent then a judicial decision will be warranted.
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chiv / March 15, 2022
Remember hundreds of Psychiatrists together gave their opinion on President Trump and our owm Pissu Sira. Still ethically there is question about patient confidentiality but those doctors can argue that there was never a direct patient contact ( doctor/ patient relationship) made so they are not legally bound, it’s just an opinion and not a established psychiatric evaluation. Hope you understood.
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hanchopancha / March 14, 2022
After I listened to the first television address of Maithripala Sirisena at the inauguration of the presidential race, I said it loudly that if his words are real he certainly cannot be Singhalese. Words and deeds of Singhalese are like the earth and the sky. East is East and West is West. Twains can never meet.
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Jit / March 14, 2022
I was watching the clip for 2 or 3 minutes and twitching on my chair with utter discomfort before hitting the stop button, as to why do we need further jokers from the medical faculties too, on top of the jokers in the parliament!! What a mockery and a feast of MJ’s break dance snippets she performed in that podium!! Oh no dear lady, just stick to your psychiatry!
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Raj-UK / March 15, 2022
Dr Ginige
I remember writing an assay ‘What I want to be when I grow up’ as a kid in primary school. Is this such an assay or are you throwing your hat into the ring?
We had the honour of the first female PM in the world & a Sorbonne educated President, maybe you can better them all. At least, a change from a bunch of uneducated yobs.
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hanchopancha / March 15, 2022
Dr. Ginige. I have a litmus test for you. Would you dare to try it?
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Plato / March 15, 2022
The subsidized food in the Parliamentary canteen, Pensions after 5 years, Duty Free vehicles, Sitting allowance for S[ h ]itting in Parliament etc etc are also the result of a
Psychiatric condition that needs urgent treatment………………..
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Mallaiyuran / March 17, 2022
What the author wrote with “If I were the president” is all the democratic countries’ endeavor. But it is not strange that in reality very few countries’ political systems have managed to show some result on this ideology. But the country has gone far away from understanding what is right and what is good. So telling them what is right cannot bring them much benefit. What is needed is political & moral cleaning of the country, before teaching the people what is worth achieving in their life. Unless the country’s Meethotamulla dumps are cleaned, people cannot understand the difference between the fish smell and flower fragrance. If the political and moral cleaning took place only people can be taught what is good, what to aim to achieve and where to focus their life. Unless the masses rise up and do the cleaning for themselves, the UNP-SLFP symptoms cannot be eliminated from the country. There won’t be any space for idealistic political policy. You cannot feed sick child with heavy nutritional food. If that happen the child be sicker by not being able to digest the food. Even long before the dollar shortage, people had become not able to afford to own a ruler to measure and differentiate who the hypocrite and who the veracious one is. The mother needs to put it though medical dieting (Pathiyam)
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