Dr. Chula Rajapakse MNZM, Wellington NZ, Spokesperson , USLA NZ

The biggest of Sri Lanka’s woes is the truly unprecedented level of misinformation that goes on in Social media especially in English, which misrepresents any and every thing happening in Sri Lanka to discredit the government of the day and destroy the morale of it’s people with political motivation. I find it really and truly disgusting.

Not only the social media but the main stream media is also guilty of that. I was listening to a program on covid in SL two days ago with a panel of four doctors . The SL News First moderator’s main role appeared to be to discredit what the govt has done in control of Covid , where at one stage SL was held up as a role to emulate by the WHO. This moderator was even putting words in to the mouths of the doctors to achieve this. He was trying to make the listening public loose confidence in any thing the government says or recommends.

Not Once did he mention he need for the public of SL to comply with the Medical and Health recommendations, which is woefully lacking and in my opinion and that of others a single most factor responsible for the continuation of the current spread, which I am happy to say is now coming under some control.

Not Once did they acknowledge the hard task of the government to strike the difficult balance of restricting movement of public for Covid control on the one hand and the need for public movement to maintain the economy.

This less than super intelligent  guy was siting the example of NZ, where I live and have done for three decades and more and contrast it to SL’s current challenges , What he probably does not know is how the NZ PM always spoke of the ” Team of five billion and their responsibility in social distancing, wearing masks and hand sanitising” and how this team of five million responded while all sections of the media supported this and reinforced this message. In SL what the media does is to blame and ridicule the government for it’s every move for Covid control , They have done everything possible to destroy the morale and unity of what should have been a team of 23 million while the political opposition lap it up and add it’s contribution to these false orchestrations. Shame! Shame!

Yesterday I saw a thousand four hundred bed facility built and equipped in a matter of a few days as for intermediate  care ,in Seeduwa in Brandix premises . I have the never seen News 1st talk of that . That moderator guy, ridiculed Namal Rajapakse’s youth organisation providing a thousand bed facility for same purpose in the South asking what it impact it would have with three sound , now reduced two thousand five, per day . What this Maestro does not seem to realise is that though there are three thousand positive Covid results only a fraction o this requires institutional care. Yesterday I saw hordes of people discarding social distancing and mask wearing flocking to the Uswatakeyawa beach to pick crumbs released from the disintegrating containers of the container ship on fire off it’s coast, carrying hazardous material from India to Singapore, ( & so both living up to their role in bashing SL). Hullo News First Moderator mate , how about talking about the lack of social responsibility on the part of the public here.

Yesterday I saw a thousand four hundred bed facility built and equipped in a matter of a few days as for intermediate  care ,in Seeduwa in Brandix premises . I have the never seen News 1st talk of that . That moderator guy, ridiculed Namal Rajapakse’s youth organisation providing a thousand bed facility for same purpose in the South asking what it impact it would have with three thousand , now reduced two thousand five, Covid positives per day . What this Maestro does not seem to realise is that though there are three thousand positive Covid results only a fraction of this requires institutional care. Yesterday I saw hordes of people discarding social distancing and mask wearing flocking to the Uswatakeyawa beach to pick crumbs released from the disintegrating containers of the container ship on fire off it’s coast, carrying hazardous material from India to Singapore, ( & so both living up to their role in bashing SL). Hullo News First Moderator mate , how about talking about the lack of social responsibility on the part of the public hear.

What the  good bearded  Moderator    from News First should realise is the important role of responsible media in SL to foster the spirit of a “Team of twenty three million all singing together and singing from the same song sheet composed by the Medical Personnel appointed to do so while the authorities aim to implement this composition ” . What the political opposition should also realise is their role should be to do the same and not to divide the team and their morale for short term political gain. I for one have every confidence that as in the case of the ” unwinnable war” SL will win this war too under the same determined leadership that won the war despite all the internationally placed obstacles placed against it.  The Covid War will eventually be won by SL and those who are  continuing to undermine it will be on the wrong side of history, when it is written.

Dr. Chula Rajapakse MNZM, Wellington NZ, Spokesperson , USLA NZ

28.5.21