Is it a curse?

Is it a curse to be living in these times in this country? It feels like it is so. For we do not find peace of mind in anything, anywhere. Everything is working against the ordinary citizens of the country. The prices of bare necessities of life like food, fuel, electricity, water, transport, health care, education keep rising without any regulation. We cannot hold a poster in public and express our views. Our non-violent protests are called fascist and terrorist and we are water cannoned, tear gassed, baton charged and arrested under terrorism prevention act. What is Sri Lanka? Is it some kind of Nazi concentration camp?

The President is hell bent on scuttling the local polls. He is blatantly interfering in the normal democratic procedure and governance of the country. He is all the time muddying the waters by increasing the electricity tariff again and again or putting forward the 13A or something or other under cover of which to get his hidden nefarious agenda implemented. The top priority of his agenda is to take vengeance from and punish the country for totally rejecting him and his party in 2020.

What is happening is the struggle between the people and the rogue government that has no people’s sanction. It is an uneven struggle for the people have no arms and have only their voice, placards and their numbers but the rogue regime has all the three forces, the police and the underworld with all their deadly fire arms over and above water cannons tear gas and batons; the only things they do not have are conscience and humanity. Aren’t these government hitmen a curse to the country?

Innocent people dying being shot by ‘mistake’ is beginning to be a regular exercise of this rogue government. Recently another young woman just 25 years old was shot and killed and the police media spokesperson announces that it was a mistake. This man is trying to play an all-knowing god, who says it was a mistake before any inquiry, investigation or trial is conducted. Another innocent young woman was shot dead traveling in a bus. Another young father of a family was shot dead in Rambukkana during the petrol shortage. Some corpses floated up to the Galle Face beach during the Aragalaya. Nobody knows who they are and no investigations were done. People are expendable. For this government people are like dogs that can be kicked around, starved, beaten and if they are too much of an inconvenience shot and thrown into the sea. Living in this country at this moment certainly looks like a curse.

But thieving, picking commissions and looting are going on openly. There is no need to itemise them. Everybody knows them. Isn’t this family a curse to this country?

The first curse in the Bible is the earth cursed because of the disobedience of Adam and Eve. The second curse in the Bible is that imposed by God on Cain for murdering his younger brother Abel. “The Lord said, what have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground. Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.” (Genesis: 4/10-11)

On the 21st of April, 2019, Easter Sunday, the incomprehensible, unforgettable and unbearably savage bombing of Catholics took place. The government of that time and the resulting next government are directly responsible for it. The innocent blood of the hundreds of victims of the bombings cries out to God from the ground. The government and indirectly the 6.9 million who voted them to power are under a curse and driven from the ground which opened its mouth to receive their brothers’ blood from their hand.

From that day onwards the country is under a severe curse. Nothing succeeded, everything failed. Agriculture was ruined. Fisheries ruined with bottom trawling by rogue Indians. Loans defaulted and country declared bankruptcy. No fuel, no food, no books for schools, no medicine, no jobs, no money to pay heavy indirect taxes and the ever-increasing bills for electricity and other common amenities. The Sri Lankan passport and the Sri Lankan rupee are dirt in the wider world. Brain drain and brawn drain are emaciating the country. Sri Lanka is cursed and moribund.

When can we expect the curse to be lifted? Only when the illicit government and the tinpot president of the 134 are overthrown preferably by ballot, if not, by other means. Till then we will curse these political criminals and scoundrels every month on the 21st, and every year on Easter Sunday. We will not forget; we will never forget.

Fr J.C. Pieris

Courtesy The Island