Sri Lanka dengue control needs urgent attention, Namal Rajapaksa says, claiming some councils wait for ten patients before fogging.
Sri Lanka dengue control has become a serious concern, Parliamentarian Namal Rajapaksa said, warning that some local councils allegedly wait until several patients are reported before carrying out fogging operations.
Rajapaksa, the National Organizer of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna, made the remarks while addressing the media at the party headquarters on Nelum Mawatha.
He said the Government must pay closer attention to dengue prevention, especially when certain local councils reportedly require at least ten dengue patients in an area before agreeing to conduct fogging.
Speaking further, Namal Rajapaksa said the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna had appointed several divisional organizers, district organizers, constituency convenors and constituency organizers, particularly in the Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa and Galle districts.
“Today, as a party, we are rebuilding the grassroots level very strongly. We believe that we need to create new leadership within the villages for that purpose. Accordingly, we are identifying capable individuals and providing opportunities to take the party forward,” he said.
Rajapaksa then turned his criticism toward the Government’s handling of dengue control and public cleanliness.
“Clearly, the Government has not taken a clear action plan regarding dengue control or prevention. Today, on one side, hospitals are overflowing to the point where patients are being sent back home. On the other side, regarding cleanliness, the majority of local councils are under the JVP. So the JVP’s local councils have a responsibility to clean their areas and prepare for this. But today, we do not see such action,” he said.
He claimed that in some areas, residents who report a dengue patient and request fogging are being told that one patient is not enough.
“In some areas, when complaints are made that there is a dengue patient and fogging is requested, the local council says that one patient is not enough, that at least ten patients are needed for fogging. This is what a certain local council near Colombo is saying. That is the mindset they have reached,” Rajapaksa said.
He questioned whether the duty of a local council should be to wait until patient numbers increase or to protect residents immediately after the disease is detected.
“Is the responsibility of a local council or institution to wait until the number of patients increases and then fog, or to protect the children in that area, especially young children, as soon as the disease is detected?” he asked.
Rajapaksa said the Government must intervene more seriously and take control of the situation through local councils, municipal councils and the Colombo Municipal Council.
“I believe the Government should pay more attention to this matter. Clearly, regarding the local councils, municipal councils, and the Colombo Municipal Council that deals with its own party, it’s not like what happened recently when they went and cleaned the Beira Lake,” he said.
He referred to recent public statements about cleaning Beira Lake and said the outcome did not match the promise.
“I saw that the Mayor initially came and said she would clean the Beira Lake and make it good. But when we went during the Vesak season, we saw how the Beira Lake was cleaned. If that’s how it’s done, the dengue disease will cause enormous harm to many children. So, without that, they need to intervene to control and manage this,” Rajapaksa said.
The MP also commented on the Middle East conflict and said no country benefits from war.
“I believe that no one benefits from war, only disadvantages. Because no leader, politician, or citizen in the world wants to wait for a war to come,” he said.
He added that those who waited for war and then engaged in politics in Sri Lanka had allowed a thirty-year conflict to continue and had profited from it without ending it.
“But we who know about war also know how to fight and how to stop war, and we understand the damage caused by war,” Rajapaksa said.
He accused the Government of using the Middle East war as a main reason to impose heavy taxes on the public and increase fuel prices.
“However, we see the Government using the Middle East war as its main factor and imposing unlimited taxes on the people. They are also increasing fuel prices,” he said.
Rajapaksa said fuel prices were falling in other countries in the region and in the world market, but Sri Lanka was moving in the opposite direction.
“Fuel prices in other countries in the region are decreasing, and world market fuel prices are also decreasing. But why is it increasing in our country?” he asked.
He alleged that the Government was raising fuel prices partly to cover losses caused by substandard coal.
“On one hand, they are increasing fuel prices to cover the losses caused by substandard coal. On the other hand, we have become the country that pays the highest price in the world for fuel. Through these matters, the Government is burdening the people with its frauds, corruption, and incapacity,” he said.
Rajapaksa also addressed the role of Basil Rajapaksa within the party, saying his blessings remained with the SLPP.
“Basil Rajapaksa’s blessings are with the party. Whether he is actively involved in politics or not is a decision he must make, that is not a decision I can make,” he said.
He said Basil Rajapaksa, Mahinda Rajapaksa, Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Chamal Rajapaksa believed politics should now be handed over to the next generation.
“That is why we are appointing new organizers in the party and creating new leaders at the village level. This younger generation needs to become a political force,” Rajapaksa said.
He then commented on those who supported “Malimawa,” saying they had the right to meet President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and raise their concerns directly.
“Those who put stickers saying ‘Malimawa’ should go and meet the President. They are the ones who voted for Malimawa, so those who voted for the President have the right to meet the President,” he said.
Rajapaksa said President Anura Kumara Dissanayake could not ignore the concerns of those who voted for him.
“Whether we put stickers saying ‘Malimawa’ or not, Anura Kumara is the President of this country. President Anura Kumara cannot forget that or avoid it. If the President doesn’t listen to them, those people will speak about it emotionally because there is great pressure, with fuel prices at these levels, how can they run a three-wheeler for hire?” he asked.
He said people across the country were struggling under current fuel prices, especially those depending on three-wheelers and hire vehicles for income.
“When we go around different parts of the country and meet people, with these fuel prices, you can’t run a three-wheeler for hire. Similarly, the number of hire vehicles is rapidly decreasing,” he said.
Rajapaksa said the Government had the financial capacity to act if it wished, adding that proposals had already been submitted.
“If the Government wishes, there is a trillion rupees in the account. We have also submitted a series of proposals to the Government. It would be good if the Government reads those proposals and takes action,” he said.
He warned that failure to act could create a country where the state becomes rich while the people become poor.
“If not, the Government will create a country where the state is wealthy but the people are poor. The Government officials will become wealthy, we can see that happening now,” Rajapaksa said.
