City of Colombo

Being jobless at home means you have to pitch in when there are things to be done. I, in my usual capacity run errands for both emak and bapa. I don't mind it the least bit, since before going to M'sia it was my usual job scope. Being the eldest in the family means exposing oneself to quite a lot of responsibilities early in your life. I had to pay some bills today, thus off I went went.

As usual, my modus vivendi consists of public transport, which mostly includes buses and the local favourite tuk-tuk. One cannot dismiss the thought of a terrorist attack in any of the buses because it has occurred in previous occasions. Emak always tells me to be careful when I'm leaving the house; people who leave sometimes never return, forever!! I hate terrorism in all its forms, and more on that later. After paying the bills I thought of exploring my city, which I had not set sights upon for over a year. Best thing about using public transport is that you are vulnerable to stimuli of varying degrees, but mainly of 3 types- the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Many are the aspects remaining to be desired in comparison to other nations. Colombo is heavily fortified with many checkpoints along the busy streets. Army personnel man these posts, and guns are at the ready for any sign of trouble. Intelligence reports state of an imminent terrorist attack to vital government and corporate establishments within the city. God only knows if the threat is real or not- I hope not. Walking along some of the roads, I noticed that little has changed. A few buildings, here and there, have received a face lift, and that's pretty much it.

Lee Kuan Yew looked at Colombo, and thought it worthy of emulation. This was after S'pore was independent and eager to rebuild itself as a sovereign nation. And yet, after more than half a decade of independence, we are stuck in the same bog. A bog that has been made deeper and deeper due to a civil war, incompetent rulers who think of their personal gain, racial tensions and many other issues that are too shameful to mention. S'pore today shines like a beacon of a well organised city, and managed by capable people who put the interest of the country before theirs. This does not go to say that S'pore is a perfect country because there is none of that calibre.

I feel like like burying my head like an ostrich!! Oh tha shame of emulating S'pore now.

Where did we go wrong? What were the errors that caused such a calamity to befall this nation? Why are we killing our own brothers and sisters in a war spanning 25 years? Will this war ever end? Can the people of lanka wake up to a day of peace devoid of hostility?

The answer is aptly said by Bob Dylan, "The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind..... the answer is blowing in the wind."