Momentous and earthshaking events around us - EDITORIAL

Momentous events are taking place the world over. In Afghanistan, a fellow-member of the South Asia Association for Regional Co-operation (SARC), the Taliban movement has just sent the mighty US running out of that country in scenes quite akin to its chaotic withdrawal from Vietnam.

In its last hurrah so-to-say, the US President Joe Biden has sent in the marines to secure Kabul airport to help keep the airport open. According to media reports, the brave US troops have opened fire on terrified Afghan civillians on the runway who were attempting to flee the country. The reason being that it was the ‘only way’ to restore calm!

Strangely, the US troops did not open fire on US citizens when they were attempting to stop the counting of collegial votes which would ultimately lead to a change of presidents in the US itself... Could it be because the Afghans were a different colour, race and religion than the mob storming the US Capitol the other day?
Whilst the US, Britain and other ‘so-called great powers’ fled Afghanistan, abandoning their embassies, airfields et al, Pakistan, another fellow-SAARC country is one of three countries still maintaining a diplomatic presence in that sad and bleeding country, the other two being Russia and China. 

Another SAARC country - Bangladesh set up cricketing history when their cricketers humbled the mighty Aussies by skittling them out for a paltry 62 runs to register a crushing victory over them.
Not to be outdone by the Afghans, Bangladeshis and the Pakistanis, and the little Sri Lanka too is recording earthshaking events taking place in our own country. 

COVID-19, which the health experts claim is out of control, continues to take its toll. The latest reports reveal there have been 358,608 infections and 6,096 Covid-related deaths reported since the virus first raised its head in our beloved country. 
To make matters worse; according to the Reuters, Covid-19 tracker of 16 August shows, a highest daily average of 4,087 new infections are being reported.  

During the first wave of the virus when infections reached the magical figure of one hundred infections, the country was locked down and curfews put in place. Today with infections reaching over 4,000 per day, it has not been deemed necessary to bring in any such restraints. Perhaps an acceptance of the fact that the virus is with us, and no amount of curfews or lockdowns will keep our citizens closeted in their homes.
However, several new measures are taking place. Whether they are to curb or tame the virus in our country, we cannot be sure. But a re-shuffling of the Cabinet of Ministers has been put in motion. For instance, the Minister of Health has been transported to the Transport Ministry. 

That the minister of health was moved out of her ministry was not surprising. The former minister was guilty of falling victim to a quack who claimed to have access to the world of spirits and produced an herbal concoction capable of combating Coronavirus. Sadly, the minister played a leading role in the promotion of the ‘fake medicine’.
She has been replaced by the former Minister of Mass Media. Sadly the Minister did not enjoy a good relationship with the media. We need to collectively pray, he will do better in directing this sector which plays a large role in the well-being of the nation. 

The Minister of Education who has not been able to cope with problems ranging from salaries of teachers to other administrative problems in his ministry has been made Minister of Foreign Affairs. He served in the previous Rajapaksa (Mahinda Rajapaksa) regime as Minister of External Affairs, but was not successful in countering western pressure at the United Nations regarding Sri Lanka’s war-on-terror offensive against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ealam.

The fact is most of the ministers whose portfolios have been changed have not been successful in their previous ministries. Government has in its ranks MPs who are better qualified and capable of handling diverse subjects. For instance a specialist in viral infections, who is also a member of the governing party, does not have a look into the health ministry. 
Even more importantly, why are proven failures being put into positions of responsibility and power? This was certainly not what the President promised the country.