We are a NATO country!

No, I don’t mean one of the “North Atlantic Treaty Organization” countries – rather a ‘No Action Talk Only’ country! We are very famous for talk, talk, talk and no action whatsoever.

When Chandrika Kumaratunga came to power her main promise that attracted votes was the abolition of the Presidency. She totally forgot about it after coming to power. What did we, as the citizens do? Talked and talked and talked but did nothing.

Mahinda Rajapaksa came on the same promise. He chose conveniently to forget too, and we talked and talked and talked – and did precious nothing. And time went by 2005 to 2015. Then we came to have another politician elected on the same lie, Maithripala Sirisena and we are still talking!

We have this huge satisfaction that if we express our views on facebook, blog or a WhatsApp group we feel that we have done our part. A heated argument over a coffee or

at dinner is sufficient for some. We have ‘spoken’, we have marked the register. Our work is done. Let’s go back to our blissful slumber.

When the matter of Dr. Shafi appeared in the newspapers, all intelligent people, mainly every single medical personnel knew jolly well that it was utterly impossible to be true. We talked and talked – but did precious nothing. Shouldn’t the whole medical community have responded – knowing if this sort of slander can happen to one doctor today, tomorrow it can happen to you?

Martin Niemöller (1892– 1984) was a prominent Lutheran pastor in Germany. He emerged as an outspoken public foe of Adolf Hitler and spent the last seven years of Nazi rule in concentration camps. His famous words, can be true at any time, to any one of us.

First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a socialist.

Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me— and there was no one left to speak for me.

This was the same when one single bhikkhu held the whole government to ransom by fasting until death during Emergency in order to remove elected representatives; the same when Muslim dress code was attacked, same when janaposha was slandered; now the lie about interest rates granted to Muslims, removing Arabic name boards but allowing Chinese name boards, even going to the ridiculous level of asking to uproot Date palms because they represent Arab culture – surely the common man knows the truth. But what do we do? Nothing.

True, many meetings are held and brave speeches are made. But what is the plan? What is the action envisagedif any? We keep saying we don’t want any of the present politicians, but if not them, who ? When? What’s the guarantee they too will not change their “words of honour”?

For the sake of our precious country, for the sake of our future generation, for the sake of ourselves; let’s stop being NATO but be people of action. Don’t we all know very well that “All that is needed for the forces of evil to triumph is for enough good men to do nothing”?

Dr. Mareena Thaha Reffai, Dehiwala