We call for repression
It is essential that we understand exactly what the problem is, we need to think about whether the state has been established in our history or for whom the state operates. Our state structure, the very nature of the state, is in a position to protect the powerful. We have a society that accepts that. Then the only thing that is generally thought is that we can achieve justice only through our relationship with those powers, or we as citizens have a direct right to justice and I do not have that attitude of demanding justice. It is customary to have the government, the law and the institution to protect the powers that be. Then we have an idea that we can make a need of something by making a connection through them. That needs to change. It is through this that our repressive and arbitrary politicians and the social approval to maintain this state structure have been obtained. I think we need to change this social approval.
Everyone wants a program that can come back
When you leave the country, the ticket is one quarantine. When you take all the PCR tests, it costs Rs. Those who can afford it have a better chance of coming back to the country. Those who cannot pay do not have that opportunity. We all say no. But in reality what happens is that only those who can afford it are brought in. What we are trying to convey is that we need a program where everyone can come back, not just those who can afford it. The government should say what is the course of action especially for those who cannot afford to pay. This country is run on the money and investments of migrant workers. Not without money to the Ministry of Labor and the Bureau of Foreign Employment. There is money. It is not right to keep money at this time of disaster. If that money is not spent on people at this time, it is useless.
This is a health issue
This is not a national security issue but a health issue. The way we deal with an epidemic must change. There is a big problem in giving a safe security response to a public health crisis to something that has a social, humanitarian side. The complexity of this cannot be understood, the various aspects of this cannot be understood and they cannot be responded to. What this really needs is a public health response. That should be it first. Unfortunately that is not happening. That is why this has become so degenerate due to the mismatch between the health system and the security system. Together we cannot blame the security forces. This is not their territory, it is the implementation of what the health sector says, not the security forces that can make decisions about it. We have to accept that.
The question you ask is why there is no middle class opposition to this, it has already come. The middle class often feels this when it affects them. Now it too has come to the point where it affects them. We have to accept that this is now officially told to us or not, is this the cluster or the Peliyagoda cluster? Which pond? It doesn’t matter. It’s expanding, which means it’s not just among those special communities anymore, but in general, anyone we want to face now. Now the middle class is beginning to understand the seriousness of this. That we can’t solve this by reacting like this. Quarantine, for example. If someone says positive, that person will be taken away. That has now become an issue. It is becoming a problem for the middle class now.