Mirror

Caught in the chaos

By Dinidu de Alwis

A high stakes event so far. People who've been living in make-do houses for decades have been mercilessly kicked out from whatever meager shelter they've had. The cost of it is apparently hitting billions, not mere millions. Roads are closed, the country's financial hub is going through a practical lockdown, and because of the whole security environment surrounding the issue, most people are avoiding the capital altogether during the conference weekend.

"Earlier SAARC was something we looked forward to. We'd watch it on television. We would be proud that Sri Lanka would host such an event. Not so anymore," said Azzam (20). He went on to say that the expenses people face in terms of the road closures and the hassle are not worth it.

"It's becoming a pain for people, not something that would make us proud anymore." He chuckled while sharing the anecdote on his cousin who came to Sri Lanka to get married. After being stuck in Negombo for six hours, he is now booking tickets to fly back to India in a jiffy.

The same vibe seems to be shared by many people in our generation. But the enterprising people of the country are at work too. There are numerous "Get away from Colombo during SAARC," travel deals now available. People can go to places like Yala, Kandy and Down South, and if you really really want to get away from it all, then there were the Maldives and India deals available too.

Shaahima (20), who just came down from Dubai for a holiday said she is planning to spend the weekend in Negombo. "I was warned, but I didn't think it was this bad," she said about security precautions. And she went on to say "There is no point in staying here when the whole thing is just clogged up. Might as well go somewhere else and enjoy yourself," sharing their reasoning behind going away from Colombo during the weekend.

But the question that many young people in our generation are asking, is what has SAARC been able to achieve so far? " SAARC has been in existence for the past twenty three years, and compared to regional bodies like the EU, SAARC has achieved nothing really tangible," said Thiagi (23) a Human Rights activist. She further commented on the topic saying that people of this country are not in a state to afford an expense of such magnitude. "And take for example things like whitewashing the walls and taking out the trash.

These are things which should be done frequently, but are usually not done. But along come SAARC, and everybody gets worked up about it." People's SAARC is a community movement which began in 1993, following the same belief. It's based on the understanding that SAARC has failed as a regional body in terms of serving the "common people." They strive to create a movement within the civil society organizations spread across the region, which would eventually serve the people.

Generally events like this gather mixed feelings from the people who are affected by them. This can be seen in gatherings like the G8, Earth Summit, EU meetings and other international events. But somehow, people seem to be effected by this to such an extent that they see only a minimum amount of positive outcome from this.

Let's hope there are no posh and super expensive dinners with a "SAARC Exclusive" dessert, like the world leaders who fought hunger in Japan recently. Don't know what I'm talking about? Google it up.

 
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