The national disaster that Sri Lanka is facing is much more terrible than any disaster we have faced in history, and steps should be taken to overcome future crises by properly managing such disasters, said Suriya Mal Movement Secretary Ravindra Pradeep Kulasena. He said this while participating in a media conference to re-socialize the Suriya Mal Movement held at the Nippon Hotel in Colombo.
He said that the Suriya Mal Movement, which started when Sri Lanka was under the British Crown, acted as an intermediary representing a country, and that such an organization has the ability to act as a group that can influence any government or institution by providing guidelines.
He further commented,
”Dr. N.M. Perera started the leading leftist youth movement to revive the anti-imperialist national struggle. We extend an open invitation to all citizens to reactivate that ”suriya mal” movement after ninety-one years and transform it into a national legacy. By creating such an organization, it will be possible to make the future generation a part of a strong mechanism that can better deal with a disaster like the one the country is currently facing.
According to the current situation, it seems that the state machinery has become somewhat distant from disaster management. In such a situation, our aim is to provide some guidance to the government and to properly manage such catastrophic situations that may arise in the future.
This is a catastrophic situation that we must face as a nation. The entire country knows that the media institutions took the lead in the relief process by providing food, drinking water, clothing and other necessities to the affected people to the best of their ability. We express our gratitude and deep brotherhood to all those institutions.”
Speaking at this media conference, the committee members of the Suriyamal Movement, Rohan Kodagoda, Peshala Serasinghe, Samodala Jayasinghe, and Dr. Chula Seneviratne also expressed their views.