groundviews » An Ode to a Bright Future

An Ode to a Bright Future

January 29, 2010 at 7:00 am · Categories: Poetry, Post-War, Reconciliation, Youth | by Just is

I hear the crack of a whip, you tell me it’s the sound of peace.

I don’t believe you.

Speak for yourself. Not for me.

I heard them coming. They have no choice.

I saw them cry. They have no choice.

Shame on you. They have no choice.

A picture speaks a thousand words, silence another-

Silence. We have given up. Silenced. We have accepted defeat.

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Bardo Flanks said,

January 29, 2010 @ 8:32 am

“Silence. We have given up. Silenced. We have accepted defeat.”

Have you really? For as long as there are people like you, NGOs [Edited out], media like the Times and Channel4, and foreign politicians like Miliband and Patten, the people will vote for Mahinda. Any cause that you involve yourselves in will be rejected by the people. Any accusation you make will be rubbished as a conspiracy. Any compromise you propound will be vilified as a betrayal.

If you really want change and reform, give up, go away, and leave Sri Lanka alone.

Siribiris said,

January 29, 2010 @ 9:35 am

Bardo Flanks — what a man of the people and spokesperson for the people you make, with a name like that!

When do we hear the people speak their own mind, without being filtered through mediums like Bardo Flanks?

People are too busy eking out a living to indulge in this cocktail party talk and cross-talk.

Debbie said,

January 29, 2010 @ 9:44 am

Sums up the mood in the country.

The silence of the independent media speaks louder than words. The silence overall is deafening. Fear and intimidation is the cause of this silence. People need to stop fooling themselves into believing that democracy, peace and justice exist in this country.

Lal said,

January 29, 2010 @ 1:40 pm

Well..I don’t understand why some peole are are so mean. When someone express his or her own feelings they are labelled as ‘NGOs…foreign puppets, Milliband et etc. Why some people are so intolerance and full of hate? Do everyone have to say yes to everything? Don’t people have freedom to express their own feelings? Our country is a socialist democratic republic so it is assmed that democracy is still prevail in our country.

billy said,

January 29, 2010 @ 3:06 pm

shows how out of touch r these colombo clan is with the rest of the country…i’m truly enjoying their misery through these funny articles …keep them coming ))

Dhiraj said,

January 29, 2010 @ 6:59 pm

I think it’s time to accept the election results. Sour grapes don’t taste that good. Trying to be matyrs can also be tiring. I think the country just needs to work together to build itself up. The war is over, end the recrimination and get on with the job please.

dayan de silva said,

January 29, 2010 @ 9:23 pm

what a laugh

Observer said,

January 30, 2010 @ 8:33 am

Cry me a river… You’ll get over it

If only people were silent! I wouldn’t have to listen to half the crap I hear these days..

tgg said,

January 30, 2010 @ 6:48 pm

that is what sri lankans are doing right now, i guess!! crying out silently for the death of the democracy!!

Heshan said,

January 31, 2010 @ 9:21 am

The democracy is dead and gone. Might as well get rid of the Constitution and Supreme Court. Mahinda Chinthanaya and Maha Sangha are calling the shots anyway.

People voted for Mahinda because? One reason: most of them are jealous of the West… when they see or hear a rich Western country like the USA making a suggestion, they think the West is out to exploit them, somehow. Maybe this is true, in a way. When you have the IMF or even the Japanese offering unlimited loan assistance to S. Lanka, what is the end result? S. Lanka will become a welfare state. There is very little incentive for the SL politicians to take personal responsibility for the economy and social welfare in general. Meanwhile, the cash flow is enough that these politicians can subsidize their own lavish lifestyles while the man on the street gets by on scraps. What is the solution? The West should cut off all economic assistance, including loans, until the obvious flaws in such political systems as found in S. Lanka are remedied. All trade should also cease.

And the other reason – demise of the LTTE. But did these people who voted for the King stop and ask, how much has actually changed since the war ended? Have prices gone down? Are there more jobs? Has the educational standard improved? In fact, very little has changed since the demise of the LTTE. But why be surprised? The LTTE had very little impact on the life of the average Sinhalese (especially the urban middle and upper class). For those who cite security, statistically speaking, one had a better chance of getting hit by a vehicle while crossing a poorly constructed intersection, than actually getting caught to an LTTE bomb. In any case, it was only the rural villager who made any real sacrifice for the war. But then we may ask, as things stand now, was such a sacrifice not in vain? A system that is internally flawed, a society that is diseased from within, must look within itself to find a cure. In the final analysis, the LTTE was only a symptom of a much more severe disorder.

Bardo Flanks said,

February 2, 2010 @ 10:32 am

@Heshan

This aid (if it can be called that) is for the most part not used on recurrent expenses but on infrastructure development and other tangible, productive investments. This is not welfare but loans at rates only slightly below commercial terms.

I’m not anti-Western at all, and I don’t think we need to be ideologically pro or anti anything as a country. Our national interests should dictate Sri Lanka’s foreign policy, and this precisely what Mahinda has allowed. I simply don’t want foreign powers (who have their own national interests at heart) attempting to execute regime changes by surreptitiously funding politicians, militants, NGOs and journalists.

Economics 101 for you. Prices, in nominal terms, are not going to go down in the normal course of things. Any voter who says “prices must be brought down” must be shot for sheer ignorance. The economy is growing at a rapid pace and the rate of inflation has become quite manageable of late. This means our spending power has increased, and the cost of goods and services are cheaper in real terms. Sri Lankans have a much better quality of life than what we had 10,20 or 30 years ago. There are more jobs, the education standards have improved, and we’re healthier and wealthier.