ගිනිහුළ දේශපාලනය, විද්‍යාව, ජීවිතය Friendly Note to Hanif Yusoof එරන්ද ගිනිගේ February 01, 2025 Dear Hanif, The last time you contacted me was during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic regarding your concern about cremating all dead bodies. As you would remember I was sympathetic to your religious belief. The last message I sent you was my deepest condolences on your beloved daughter’s untimely death. The three of us met sometime back and I very well remember your daughter’s passion for sustainability. We lost a fellow fighter. I must say that I wasn’t surprised when I saw you become the representative governor of the leader of a former terrorist group which was responsible for tens of thousands of deaths, much higher than the number of COVID deaths, and unmeasurable destruction and obstruction of economic growth; all second only to that of the LTTE. I can understand your anger which would have led to such irrational measures. Great personal losses make us do even the unthinkable. But what surprised me is seeing you complaining against the social media accusations related to the infamous “Container Scandal” which occurred under your government. What did you expect, my friend? That you alone will be spared of the false accusation culture of politics which your leader himself promoted for decades? If that’s what you thought, then I must say that you have been rather naive. Your very governorship is a product of the “false accusation propaganda machine” of the political group that you currently represent. You are only reaping what your leader sowed. Politics is a nasty place, Hanif. There is nothing noble about it. It’s not for the soft-hearted. You need to grow a thick skin to be able to absorb the vulgar insults, the crazy allegations and the political attacks thrown at you. You have all the right to run to the law enforcement authorities every time somebody attacks you on social media, but in doing so neither you nor the law will have time to do anything productive. As a victim of such constant insults and false accusations by your fellow political cadre, I am certainly not condoning such behaviour. But whether you like it or not, it is the reality we live in. A reality which has been exacerbated by the very person and his political movement that you sponsor today. Take the Cremation-Burial case for example. I know first-hand that the then-president genuinely tried to find a way to bury the bodies if required. But the Committee of Health Experts strongly opposed all his trials. However, many falsely accused the then-president of acting on racist grounds. In fact, the political group that you represent made such false allegations in the media which created ethno-religious tensions during a deadly disease. And I find it rather hypocritical that you are complaining against false accusations while being the representative of the grand lord of false accusations of our time. This is only the beginning, Hanif. You as the representative of the executive president will be held responsible for every single mistake that this government makes. You carry the undeniable shared responsibility for all the major crises that will surely come. As you too can see, your government is heading towards an autocratic oppressive single-party rule. You might feel that you are protected for now. But history teaches us that tables turn, sooner or later. Now that you have become a key political figure, you need to be prepared for its consequences. So don’t make the media personalities your enemy. They are the only ones who will stand up for you when you are in trouble. Not just you, but all the private sector figures who have joined this destructive force will be held responsible one day for the disasters already in the making. We can see that some of the wise ones are jumping ship already. Lastly, take this friendly advice, Hanif. In politics, nothing is what it seems. For example, you might think that the attack on you is done by the opposition. But if I have learned politics correctly, then the chances are that the attack is coming from inside the government itself... So be very mindful. Similarly, when somebody is overly trying to prove one's innocence, in the eyes of the public it is seen as an attempt to cover up something. Take it easy, mate. May the Dharma Guide Your Way! Yours sincerely, Eranda Ginige https://ginihula.blogspot.com/2025/02/friendly-note-to-hanif-yusoof.html?m=1