O tempora, O mores a fie upon lies and deceit - EDITORIAL

In times of difficulty, we need to depend on each other, and the government needs a hundred percent support of its people if it is to effectively combat the spread of today’s coronavirus, also known as Covid-19.

The people also need to be told of measures to be taken in a timely manner. The sudden announcement that shops will be closed is unrealistic. This is important as the majority of workers in this country receive wages only for the number of days they work. Therefore it is essential for the arrangements to be made regarding provision of basic food supplies to the most-needed sections of the community. 

Covid-19 is also raging in India with over 26.9 million infected by the disease and over 307,000 deaths. As in Sri Lanka, India too, had at a particular stage appeared to have the dreaded disease under control. India’s premier at international fora boasted that his country had beaten the virus and was now placed to help lesser developed and poorer nations fight the virus via its vaccine programme.

Sadly, Indian political authorities ignoring medical advice permitted large gatherings at religious festivals in addition to hosting huge election rallies. Covid infections escalated and India has begun to use vaccines destined for lesser developed and poorer nations on its own population 

In our own country, the numbers falling ill and dying of the Covid-19 have nearly doubled since April. In our case too, politicians relaxed rules governing travel and social distancing in view of the New Year festivities.
No travel restrictions or social distancing were in place in areas like Pamunuwa (where textiles and ready-made garments are sold at cheaper rates). Massive crowds congregated, many mask-less people were seen among the shoppers. Social distancing was totally absent. Pictures appearing in the media showed the crowds of shoppers and the absence of social distancing.

Public Health Inspectors and medical professionals warned of possible dangers. Unfortunately political leaders were more interested in cheap popularism, ignored medical advice. It is now payback time, the number of people falling victim to the virus has reached a steady - around 3000 a day - figure. Our leaders do not admit the country was in a bad situation; instead they try to calm fears. 

Most to blame for this policy of withholding the truth from the public were from non- medical personnel who headed the fight against the virus. While the number of daily infections in the country in the range 3000 per day, persons in authority trying to reduce fears of the virus reaching pandemic proportions, claiming vaccines will be provided...  
In contrast to the Indian and Sri Lankan handling of the situation, yesterday’s Daily Mirror (25 May), Japan was flagging the Covid-19 situation in that country, as an ‘emergency’ , as the number of persons getting infected by the virus had risen to over 3,850 during the past week... and Japan has a population of 125.36 million people! 
The people in this country are not fools nor are they sheep who blindly follow.

In 2015, the people of this country changed an extremely popular president when it appeared his regime was involved in nepotism and corruption. While this charge has never been proved in a court of law, acting on what they believed the people changed rulers. Five years later they again changed a regime which did not fulfill its promises.

If the present rulers are to keep the trust the people placed in them, they need to take the people into their confidence. Accept blame where mistakes have been made and tell the country the truth about the Covid situation... the position or availability of vaccines. The fate of those who were given the first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine, and what they have to do in the event the second dose of this particular vaccine is not being available on the due date.

The people will accept restrictions or lockdowns, if they know their leaders are doing their best and not trying to pull the wool over their eyes. For this transparency is essential, in the absence of transparency, rumour mills take over, as how it is happening today.

The old English adage: ‘In a democracy you can fool some of the people some of the time, BUT you cannot fool all of the people all of the time’.
The people voted for the current President with great hope of a better future, let us hope, ‘that hope’ like the hundreds now dying of Covid will not also be literally and figuratively killed.