Sri Lanka is at a crossroads where it has to decide as to whether to continue to turn a blind eye to the exacerbating environmental degradation or acknowledge the true state of Sri Lanka’s natural resources and take action on behalf of the future generations.
The International Day of Forests fell on 21 March and the World Water Day on 22 March, and the concerned citizens wonder whether Sri Lanka is in fact in a state to “celebrate” these days, given the sorry state of the country’s natural resources. Certain recent incidents beg the question as to whether environmentalists have to fight a second battle to make their voices heard, in addition to fighting environmental destruction.
Many found it funny when the authorities came out of nowhere to remove a banner put up by environmentalists claiming that it damages the trees in the Viharamahadevi Park and is a threat to the cleaner Colombo that was created by what one senior police officer referred to as “our Government”. They also claimed that the organisers who put up the said banner had not obtained permission from the authorities to do so.
However, the general public cannot help but wonder as to why they had to give such absurd excuses to justify their decision, if the reason behind removing it was in fact the organisers’ failure to obtain the necessary permission. The people also questioned on social media platforms as to why the authorities do not show the same enthusiasm to curb large-scale environmental destruction taking place in almost all parts of the country.
Also, recently, a young girl from Rakwana alleged that the unauthorised grabbing of lands and deforestation were taking place in areas belonging to and closer to the Sinharaja Forest Reserve, which resulted in her facing backlash from various parties, especially on social media platforms. Only a few were keen to look into the matter and find out as to whether her claims were true. The sad reality is, in the war between the opinions for and against her claims, her voice has been shunned, and what she tried to point out, is no longer a topic of discussion.
The Morning has also come across environmentalists who do not speak openly due to threats to their lives and work, caused by the nature of their activism.
All these, and a countless other stories that have gone unheard, raise concerns about the constitutionally guaranteed freedom of speech; let alone the freedom to speak against abusers and the authorities openly. The public not being able to fully enjoy their freedom of speech is an issue, but the bigger issue is environmental destruction itself.
Even though various sources show different statistics about Sri Lanka’s forest cover, all data indicates that the overall forest cover has been on a downward trajectory in the past few decades, and that more than ever before, the country is facing the issue of deforestation. One of the major issues is that the governments that ruled Sri Lanka have given more priority to plans and programmes to protect the environment that are yet to be implemented, rather than taking steps to address the existing issues. For example, increasing the country’s forest cover up to 32% by 2030 in line with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change was a priority of the former President, which was an admirable plan, but he came up with ineffective and impractical measures to discourage people from cutting trees.
In order to address an issue, we first have to acknowledge that issue. As long as we keep fooling ourselves that Sri Lanka’s environment is not at risk, we will not be able to stop it. Irrespective of the legal situation pertaining to the banner put up by environmentalists at the Viharamahadevi Park, it is the general public’s opinion that the authorities should have allowed them to raise their voice, at that place or at some other place, taking into account the fact that their cause is of national interest.
Suppression of dissenting and critical voices has rarely stopped the public from expressing their opinion. On the contrary, it intensifies their voice.
Silencing nature’s lament
23 Mar 2021
Silencing nature’s lament
23 Mar 2021
Sri Lanka is at a crossroads where it has to decide as to whether to continue to turn a blind eye to the exacerbating environmental degradation or acknowledge the true state of Sri Lanka’s natural resources and take action on behalf of the future generations.
The International Day of Forests fell on 21 March and the World Water Day on 22 March, and the concerned citizens wonder whether Sri Lanka is in fact in a state to “celebrate” these days, given the sorry state of the country’s natural resources. Certain recent incidents beg the question as to whether environmentalists have to fight a second battle to make their voices heard, in addition to fighting environmental destruction.
Many found it funny when the authorities came out of nowhere to remove a banner put up by environmentalists claiming that it damages the trees in the Viharamahadevi Park and is a threat to the cleaner Colombo that was created by what one senior police officer referred to as “our Government”. They also claimed that the organisers who put up the said banner had not obtained permission from the authorities to do so.
However, the general public cannot help but wonder as to why they had to give such absurd excuses to justify their decision, if the reason behind removing it was in fact the organisers’ failure to obtain the necessary permission. The people also questioned on social media platforms as to why the authorities do not show the same enthusiasm to curb large-scale environmental destruction taking place in almost all parts of the country.
Also, recently, a young girl from Rakwana alleged that the unauthorised grabbing of lands and deforestation were taking place in areas belonging to and closer to the Sinharaja Forest Reserve, which resulted in her facing backlash from various parties, especially on social media platforms. Only a few were keen to look into the matter and find out as to whether her claims were true. The sad reality is, in the war between the opinions for and against her claims, her voice has been shunned, and what she tried to point out, is no longer a topic of discussion.
The Morning has also come across environmentalists who do not speak openly due to threats to their lives and work, caused by the nature of their activism.
All these, and a countless other stories that have gone unheard, raise concerns about the constitutionally guaranteed freedom of speech; let alone the freedom to speak against abusers and the authorities openly. The public not being able to fully enjoy their freedom of speech is an issue, but the bigger issue is environmental destruction itself.
Even though various sources show different statistics about Sri Lanka’s forest cover, all data indicates that the overall forest cover has been on a downward trajectory in the past few decades, and that more than ever before, the country is facing the issue of deforestation. One of the major issues is that the governments that ruled Sri Lanka have given more priority to plans and programmes to protect the environment that are yet to be implemented, rather than taking steps to address the existing issues. For example, increasing the country’s forest cover up to 32% by 2030 in line with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change was a priority of the former President, which was an admirable plan, but he came up with ineffective and impractical measures to discourage people from cutting trees.
In order to address an issue, we first have to acknowledge that issue. As long as we keep fooling ourselves that Sri Lanka’s environment is not at risk, we will not be able to stop it. Irrespective of the legal situation pertaining to the banner put up by environmentalists at the Viharamahadevi Park, it is the general public’s opinion that the authorities should have allowed them to raise their voice, at that place or at some other place, taking into account the fact that their cause is of national interest.
Suppression of dissenting and critical voices has rarely stopped the public from expressing their opinion. On the contrary, it intensifies their voice.
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Discover Kapruka, the leading online shopping platform in Sri Lanka, where you can conveniently send Gifts and Flowers to your loved ones for any event. Explore a wide range of popular Shopping Categories on Kapruka, including Toys, Groceries, Electronics, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Automobile, Mother and Baby Products, Clothing, and Fashion. Additionally, Kapruka offers unique online services like Money Remittance, Astrology, Medicine Delivery, and access to over 700 Top Brands. Also If you’re interested in selling with Kapruka, Partner Central by Kapruka is the best solution to start with. Moreover, through Kapruka Global Shop, you can also enjoy the convenience of purchasing products from renowned platforms like Amazon and eBay and have them delivered to Sri Lanka.Send love straight to their heart this Valentine's with our thoughtful gifts!