Be The Change You Want

By Fr J.C. Pieris –

If you desire, if you want, a country with law and order; start with yourself. Do not give or take ‘santhosams’ or bribes. Do not cut the lines on the road. Stand up for your rights. When the rule is broken, by anybody whosoever, expose him. If you see something, say something; don’t be silent. The social media is there for it.

It is time that all the good people of the country seriously address the problems of the country and take matters into their hands. If we allow the country to be run by the present mafia (or junta) of smartly-tailored criminals and uneducated buffoons in Diyawannawa, we are going to lose everything, including our country. Come next presidential/general election we’ll do just that, take matters into our hands. We, The Grand Alliance of Good People (GAGP) shall form the governance we want. Good governance, respectful governance, sympathetic governance; governance by ladies and gentlemen intelligent, qualified, hardworking, unselfish with “Alpechcha” life styles and with fire in their bellies to put food in the bellies of every single man, woman and child in the country ASAP. “Not a single citizen will go to bed hungry” will be our noble goal.

Recently a man who climbed an arecanut tree to pluck nuts for sale fainted and fell off the tree and died. The post mortem revealed that he had not eaten anything for two days. – social media. The King and the Judge of the universe, Jesus Christ will condemn the government at the Last Judgement “I was hungry and you did not give me food.” Statistics of surveys have shown how many little ones are stunted for lack of proper nourishment. How many children drop out of school for lack of funds for books and busses. How many elderly and ill are dying of wrong medicines, adulterated medicines or bogus medicines, all because of Keheliya the criminal. The Supreme Court’s verdict on Rajapakses and their top administrative officers confirmed it. The goats of Diyawannawa and their partners in crime will all go to hell.

If we want a hunger less country let us be aware of the current dismal situation and not begrudge a meal to any hungry person we meet; a glass of water, a cup of tea to a thirsty man; clothes, books and bus fare to a child to go to school; help someone ill to get medical care. We need to foresee the type of country we dream and begin to create it now. System-change demands not just political changes but social, cultural changes and very specially changes in our attitudes.

If we dream of a country where people often smile and laugh, let us begin to smile and laugh now, in spite of all the hardships and tragedies of a bankrupt country run by scoundrels and fools. If we dream of a country where women and children are respected and protected on the roads and in the public transport system; let us start with ourselves now. If we dream of a country where people fraternally help one another; let us begin to be concerned about others, like Good Samaritans. As Mahatma Gandhi said; let us be the change we want for the country. This may sound like a sermon from a pulpit. I cannot help it; I am a catholic priest. But I am a citizen first and I am trying to do my duty by my country.

If we want a country run by A Grand Alliance of Good People; we must work towards it tirelessly. We have waited passively for the last seventy-five years allowing a few families, a kleptocracy, to do politics. And they cleaned out the country of all its wealth and indebted the future generations to the world. Now let us be active and take matters into our hands. We know where the GAGP is found at the moment. It is very clear to all.

All the old crooked political leaders and their robber barons who ruined this country are coalescing to defeat and destroy the base of the GAGP. But they will not succeed. After an electoral victory our primary task will be to punish them and recover the loot as much as possible. The people need it so that justice is seen to be done by them which will help them somewhat bear the economic burdens the criminals have imposed on them. For the truth of the matter is it will take time to get the economy of the country back on track. We need to patiently put in a lot of hard work.

Let us spread the good news by word and action that we can save this country and the only way to save it is to bring about a government of good people, honest people, committed people, peaceful and fraternal people, a GAGP. And we know where it is. While becoming the change we want for the country, which in other words is system-change in depth, spread the message of hope, inform and convince people and we shall overcome.

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