FRONT PAGE
 NEWS .
 CLASSIFIED .
 DHAMMAWEB .
 SANDUN UYANA .
 ANTENNA .
 EVENTS DIARY .
 LONDON DIARY .
 FEATURES .
 LETTERS .

Where have all the Hundreds and Thousands of Peace Lovers Gone? The Daily News in a news report dated 20 September 2001, under the caption "Thousands Participate in Sri Lanka First", stated, Quote " Hundreds of thousands of Sri Lankans yesterday took to the streets in a public appeal for peace for this island nation torn apart by a long running civil war. Thousands of office and factory workers, disabled soldiers, students and teachers lined the busy thoroughfares of Colombo and its suburbs demanding that politicians of all parties work together for a peaceful solution to the ethnic problem". End Quote. The event was organized by local business community through their umbrella movement for peace "Sri Lanka First". Peace is the prime and only objective of the movement. They further reiterated, that "Through today's program, we are asking and forcing the politicians to work together for peace. Other organizations who were involved in this were Sarvodaya, Marga Institute and prominent personalities.

With eight days to go for Parliamentary General Elections, the politicians of this country have gone down to such low levels in trying to come into power, through intimidation, blasphemy , character assassination, thugary, incitement and murder. The gullible party loyalists are the majority who are at the receiving end. Early elections in Sri Lanka was conducted in a peaceful and fare manner. Political thugary was introduced by J R Jayawardena in the mid 60's. It became very prominent during his tenure as Executive President at the Referendum, where gun trotting goons of the United National Party, stormed polling booths, threatened returning officers, stuffed ballot boxes with "Hora Votes" and other forms of intimidation's.

Observing what is happening today, I ask myself the question, Where are all the Hundreds and Thousands of Sri Lankans, Marga Institute, Sarvodaya, Prominent Personalities, who awoke to the call by the Sri Lanka First movement, and lined up the streets demanding the politicians to work together for "Peace" ?. This is typical Sri Lankan Syle, awake from a deep slumber and then go back to a deep slumber. The politicians having the last laugh. Do the politicians actually care for the citizens of Sri Lanka ? Their only objective is to come into power by devious methods.

What is holding back the Sri Lanka First movement from organizing another "Wake up Call" to the hundreds of thousands of Sri Lankans, NGO's, Prominent Personalities, to line up the streets and in unison send out a very clear message to all political parties, that unless they put an immediate halt to the election violence, elections will be boycotted. If over 50% of the voters can do this, it will be a peaceful revolution whereby the politicians will ultimately know the game is up and that they cannot fool the masses all the time. Let us not be armchair philosophers, let us act with courage and show our strength in bringing about the dawn of a better Sri Lanka. Let not the future generations curse us for aiding and abetting deceitful politicians who have ruined our beloved mother land. Through our endurance and endeavors, we can make Sri Lanka the "Resplendent Paradise Island" what it was before

Nimal Aryaratne
Sultanate of Oman
28 November 2001

Copyright © 1997-2001www.lankaweb.Com Newspapers Ltd. All rights reserved.
Reproduction In Whole Or In Part Without Express Permission is Prohibited.