Sunil J. Wimalawansa
(Professor of Medicine)

A nation thrives when it preserves its traditional values, cultural heritage, language, and fundamental beliefs. Nations fail whether these lacks. The mentioned elements form the foundation of national unity, sovereignty, spiritual strength, and cultural identity.

For Sri Lanka, with its ~2,500-year-old Buddhist heritage, protecting this legacy is a matter of pride and a necessity for maintaining independence and dignity on the world stage. We have lost some of these strengths and recognitions over the past 75+ years due to short-sighted and selfish politicians. Should fellow citizens allow the current leadership to continue down a path of destruction that undermines our unitary nature and sovereignty—as appears to be happening with secret MoUs with India?

However, it does not mean we should keep boasting about our historic achievements (e.g., agriculture) and not embrace modern methods and technology—for example, digitization of government agencies and departments, cybernetics for broader development, including eliminating waste, abuse, and fraud, and incorporating artificial intelligence, robotics in manufacturing, etc. These apply to all government departments and to the private sector. Major changes are needed. The lack of preparation and decision-making power in the optimum way to respond to the US tariff is another recent example.

By learning from countries that have successfully upheld their cultural identity while remaining non-aligned (e.g., Sweden, Switzerland, etc.), Sri Lanka must strategically and diplomatically avoid manipulation by global powers—without provoking them—through diplomacy with a well-defined national vision. Unfortunately, many Sri Lankan politicians stray from this path due to ego, ignorance, and personal gain. Sustainable prosperity can only be achieved by remaining neutral in global conflicts, properly utilizing our natural resources, prioritizing economic growth with value-added exports, identifying new markets, facilitating the private sector to succeed by deregulation and tax incentives to boost exports, reducing excessive government expenditure (by at least 30%―unachieved), and focusing on the population’s well-being and happiness.

As part of this broader national strategy, preserving our heritage—which has evolved over generations and been protected through great sacrifice—must remain a top priority. Why are Sri Lankans abandoning the invaluable cultural foundations laid by their ancestors that continue to benefit the country? Nevertheless, embracing modern technologies such as digitalization and cybernetics must never come at the cost of our heritage or national identity.

True sovereignty discourages conflict and ensures the protection of a nation’s citizens. This must be achieved through stable, long-term diplomatic relations and compassionate governance—not through misguided, politicized trade agreements, PTAs, or undisclosed memoranda of understanding with foreign powers, such as India or China—people own the country and have the power over politicians they are only appointed temporary caretakers. There is no reason for the government(s) to hide such information from the public. Despite high expectations, these values and principles remain absent in the current and previous leadership, while entrenched bureaucracies continue to harm the nation and its people.

Rather than merely discussing these issues amongst themselves—or remaining silent—citizens must raise their voices firmly, collectively, and peacefully to compel the leadership to change course. This does not call for street protests or violence but for constructive strength, unity, and a shared vision to guide the country back onto the right path. Through such a revival, Sri Lanka can reclaim peace, success, and prosperity. Reclaiming and upholding these ideals is essential for national renewal and long-term resilience.