5th Column

My dear Sudarshini,

It is not often that I write to two doctors in two weeks, but I had to write to you this week, after writing to Doctor Padeniya last week. That is because these are difficult times when medical issues have brought the country a standstill, and you are one of the many medical experts in the government.

In fact, the government should have been equipped to deal  with the coronavirus because it has five medical men and women in its ranks: you, a community physician, Professor Tissa who specialises in Virology, and the much younger Seetha, Jayasumana and Ramesh. But look where we are today!

Professor Tissa has been ignored despite being a reputed virologist, probably because, being a man of principle and someone who puts Science before politics, he would have spoken the truth. We have also hardly heard young Ramesh speaking about the pandemic, despite being Cabinet spokesman.

The less said about Seetha and Jayasumana, the better. Seetha is best known for her histrionic oratory. She echoes Her Master’s Voice despite being a doctor. Then, it was Jayasumana who sacked experts who refused to approve the Chinese vaccine without the needed data.

We are left with you as the only doctor who puts her profession before her politics. You are the only doctor in the government who speaks out. We do wonder how long you would be allowed to freely express your views in this manner, and whether you will be asked by you-know-who to be silent.

That you speak freely now is hardly surprising because politics was not your first choice as a career. You are where you are today only because the late Jeyaraj – Mahinda maama’s buddy who helped him in Law College – had his political career cruelly cut short by a bomb 13 years ago.

You have been honest enough to tell us publicly that the statistics put out by the government may not be accurate, explaining that for every positive test that is recorded, there could be three times that many cases in the community. So much for the ‘New Year cluster’ as some would want us to believe!

You were also frank enough to tell us, even before the so-called ‘travel restrictions’ were enforced, that people should stay at home as much as possible and travel only for essential reasons – when others were pretending that life should be normal, and the economy should be kept open at any cost.

A few weeks ago, again before the ‘travel restrictions’ were announced, you were bold enough to call for a lockdown, warning that a health disaster was imminent. Of course, on that occasion, you were careful enough to say you were speaking as a Community Physician and not as a politician!

Then there was that issue about asking for donations from well-wishers to help those suffering from the virus because, being the Minister-in-charge of Covid Control you realised that the facilities available were not sufficient to treat the thousands who were becoming seriously ill every day.

That earned a retort from someone from your own team. The learned Johnston, bar-owner-suddenly-turned-psychiatrist, claimed that you were suffering from ‘stress’ and making statements just because a microphone was put in front of you. I think we all know who is really correct about this!

It was around this time that the military doctor in charge of the Health Ministry issued a directive asking all doctors to keep silent, allowing only ‘authorised’ people to make statements about the pandemic. So, instead of placing the country in a ‘lockdown’, they wanted doctors’ opinions shut down.

There was some speculation that you were considering resigning from your portfolio. If that were true, it is understandable. Though you are officially the Minister-in-Charge of Covid Control, you really have no say in any decisions that are being made about the Covid pandemic. They all come from the very ‘top’!

Nevertheless, we do hope that you will continue to do battle from within on behalf of the hundreds of thousands of people whose lives are at stake because of the arbitrary decisions of a few. Unfortunately, these misguided individuals are those who wield real power and who make those crucial decisions.

It is vital that those like you stay and let your voice of reason be heard, though it will be uncomfortable for the powers that be who are pleased by the deafening silence of the ‘Viyathmaga’ and the GMOA. After all, there is nothing worse, at times of evil, than the silence of the good men and women!

Yours truly,

Punchi Putha

PS: Years ago, when Gota maama was asked to direct the battle to save Paradise from the Tigers who killed thousands including your beloved Jeyaraj, it was ‘SF’ he picked to lead that war. It is a pity that he doesn’t want the war against a virus that is already killing thousands led by another ‘SF’!