Are There No Citizens In This Country? - EDITORIAL

Propaganda campaigns in this sun-kissed island targeting future elections have commenced, but we don’t see these efforts being strong enough to attract the attention of intellectuals who are also sensitive.   
Each person in this island has his or her own way looking at the country’s burning issues from the perspective of his education. Then there are those who look at these challenging issues through the eyes of a working professional. The majority of the people would still look at existing issues wearing a pair of glasses tainted with the ‘colours’ of race and religion. This is why there is less than a handful or virtually nobody who would stand firm and say that he or she would look at the country’s problems (mostly economical now) only through the eyes of a citizen. 

The call now is to have citizens who are educated and are sensitive to the needs of others who are living within the geographical location of this main island and also in the little tiny bits and pieces of islands scattered around it. 
We talk about being sensitive because we saw an era where the lawmakers were ruthless and dishonest which in turn made the people of this country borrow some of those characteristics. What goes into the Parliament (as our representatives) virtually decides what the people outside would do. It has been a mighty challenge to adapt to the system when the country has been driven to the depths of corruption; and now bankruptcy. Imagine a situation where more people will be dishonest in making their earnings in future, just to pay utility bills. That would be terrible! 

History in this island has taught us that evil has been driven out of the system only through wars and violence. King Dutugemunu and much later the big daddy sporting a moustache and wearing a characteristic red shawl confirmed this theory. Luckily the President who took over afterwards saw his term being unceremoniously cut short; if not a lot more evil would have been dispatched to society. 
But, having said so, a seemingly peaceful ruler works an undercurrent that threatens people who wish to raise their voices in protest against the regime’s inhuman thinking and decision making. This is what happens when education and power go into making a lawmaker who lacks sensitivity. 

Sri Lanka for a brief period witnessed the return of true citizens, when protesters, mainly youth, occupied Galle Face Green from March to August 10, last year. It was a period where the protesters enjoyed power, united a divided nation, and displayed tolerance when their sensitivity was tested to the core. Here again, a brutal evil promoted by the regime prevailed over the uprising by a group of protesters who qualified to be called ‘citizens’ of this country. There were other ambitious and educated youth and adult professionals who minded their business, catered to their professional interests and allowed the ‘Aragalaya’ to die a natural death or be destroyed; whichever conclusion you readers wish to draw regarding the fate of the uprising. 
One has to be a professional and be in the ‘system’ that contributes to the products and services of this country and also be bold enough to stand outside the system when the call comes for you to stand for what’s right in this country. If this change can be made we’d see members of the security and defence establishments in this nation standing with the protesters next time around when a wrong has to be put right. 

The ‘Aragalaya’ failed because it didn’t become violent; other than for a few isolated incidents where some ‘so called’ protesters worked against the agenda and created disruptions in the society. 
The civil war forced us to accept that violence is needed to bring in peace. Still that’s hard to stomach because the sensitive man will look for ways to analyse rather than be confrontational. We must ‘imagine’ of ushering in peace because in this way we can avoid confrontations, and engage the ‘sensitive’ citizen to join in the next transformation.