The people of Sri Lanka are entering the New Year at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic is not over and is spreading fast, JVP leader says in his New Year message.
The message:
So this New Year begins with new challenges. The traditional New Year greetings do not seem appropriate because this cannot be thought as a happy start. However, we should not be pessimistic. There are no problems that cannot be resolved if people worked collectively."
Therefore, we must be determined to embark on a new path to overcome the challenges that are before us. It is not just the challenge of overcoming the pandemic, but also improving the economy that is in crisis. The Government is unable to repay loans and debt servicing has become a major issue.
The Government is unable to repay loans, so it’s is giving away valuable resources, including ports and lands to foreign powers. This deprives us of the resources that can build our country and has reduced us to the status of a dependent nation. On the other hand, the land issue has led to a great deal of environmental destruction. Similarly, the people find facing a harsh times with meager incomes that have been taken away by the pandemic.
Some groups, including monks who worked hard to bring the Government to power, are not dissatisfied. People's lives are being disrupted by the Government's lack of vision, weak arbitrariness and arrogance. The people are suffering greatly because of the failure of the Government to control the second COVID wave.
The task, therefore, goes beyond the traditional New Year greetings. All the challenges and problems before us can be overcome only if the country shifts from the bankrupt socio-economic path it has taken so far to a new political path.