‘True Patriots’ to take country forward economically and politically

Former MP and Minister Mangala Samaraweera yesterday (25) voiced his opinion on reasons for the catastrophe the country is facing at present and the way forward to come out of it. He was speaking at the inaugural media briefing of ‘True Patriots’ held at the Freedom Hub in Colombo.  

Mr. Samaraweera’s remarks are as follows:  

We welcome you today to the first ever media conference hosted by the ‘True Patriots’ at the Freedom Hub. We decided to hold this inaugural media discussion on the occasion of the 38th anniversary of the Black July pogrom, considered to be the darkest days in Sri Lanka’s history. Black July is yet another turning point that led to the catastrophe we are facing as a country today. When  we  gained independence  in  1948,  we  were  considered  one  of  the  most  developed countries in Asia. Lee Kuan Yew, the founder of modern Singapore, described Sri Lanka as a model country in the Commonwealth. But, as many countries in the world today, including those that were considered poorer than Sri  Lanka  back  then,  are  moving  towards  an  era  of  Bitcoin - Block  Chain -  NFT-  Artificial Intelligence, we have fallen into bankruptcy. We are becoming a failed state isolated from the world. Before July 27, we must repay a billion dollars for a loan taken in 2011. In addition, around USD 1.3 billion in Sri Lankan Development Bonds will have to be paid in December this year. When I took over as finance minister in 2019, the foreign exchange reserves in the treasury, which  stood  at  USD  7.6  billion,  after  July  27  will  fall  to a  record  low  of  USD  1.6  billion,  the lowest level in the country’s history.

Our national income has declined by about LKR 600 billion, the lowest revenue recorded in the last seven decades was recorded in 2020. The largest budget deficit since 1988 was recorded in 2020. Last year, the Sri Lanka Central Bank had to print the largest amount of money printed in a single year to cover the growing budget deficit. In addition, the amount of new loans obtained by the government for the year 2020 alone has increased by another LKR 2 trillion. Because of this, in this situation, there is a severe shortage of fertilizer in the country. Also, there is a serious shortage of imported medicines.

With  about  USD  1.2  billion  in  fuel  costs still  due,  a  fuel  shortage  is  likely  to  occur  very  soon.  Through all this the hunger of the common people is increasing day by day. We must all acknowledge that our country has fallen into this state today because of decades of  politics  through  the  sale  of  so  called  patriotism,  the  voters  who  were  continuously deceived by these so called patriots and an opposition that interfered with the government’s attempts to do what is right in the name of patriotism. In fact, everyone else involved in governance, including myself, is to some extent responsible for the current situation. The  hypocritical  mentality  of  the  majority  created  in  the  name  of  the  Five  Great  Forces  in 1965  and  its  cunning  culmination  in  the  last  election  are  primarily  responsible  for  this devastation. Today it is said everywhere that 'Sir has failed'.  But it is not President Gotabaya Rajapaksa who has really failed today. It is the religious, majoritarian and outdated socialist ideologies he represents that have failed. Today it is the government that promised a solitary Sinhala government that has failed. Who has failed today is the present opposition which has gone beyond ‘Sir’ in proposing an ideology containing racism and majoritarianism as a solution. What has failed today is the socialist mentality based on religiosity and narrow racism that has fascinated the voters of this country since 1965. Not only ‘Sir’, ‘Sa’ has failed as well. What  the  country  needs  today  is  an  alternative,  not  a  substitute.  If we are to better this country’s future and to lay the foundation for a future where the youth of today can live freely, let us now identify exactly what true patriotism is. Let’s start a conversation about that. As true patriots let us discuss how to take the country forward economically and politically.

Moreover, let's free ourselves from the ‘frog in the well’ mentality and plan how to conquer the world for the sake of the children of our country. Let us talk not only about the development, security and sovereignty of our country, but also about the appearance of the country that our children will inherit in the future. This is the moment to discuss how Sri Lanka can move forward hand in hand with the world without being isolated from it.  We must begin this conversation, not tomorrow, not next year, not at the next elections. We must begin this conversation today, right at this moment without avoiding it any further. Today those with different ideologies are attempting to create alliances based solely on anti-Rajapaksa sentiments. However, what is really needed is an alternative based on policies and plans, not a substitute based merely on opposition.

That option must be a patriotic one, not limited to one race, religion, caste, party, group or family. At  this  critical  juncture,  our  country  needs  an  alternative  ideology  based  on  democracy, freedom, brotherhood and unity based on justice and the rule of law. We need an ideology that protects the environment, plants and animals. The principle of "Let all animals be without sorrow, healthy and healed" requires an ideology that is not limited to memorization but is actually put into action. Although  we  gained  independence  in  1948,  the  failure  to  lay  the  foundation  for  a  new independent state was the cause of the catastrophe. Every government has tried to build a palace called Sri Lanka on land without a foundation.

That is why we have been building only palaces in the sky for 73 years. Therefore, let us now move towards a true patriotic ideology based on liberal democracy. The Freedom Hub space is active as a centre for all those who want to radically advocate the middle path or liberal democracy. We invite all true patriots to join us through social media. This difficult situation is the moment when we as true patriots must truly stand strong.