August 17th: Do Not Let The Titanic Sink Again

By Lukman Harees –August 16, 2015

Lukman Harees

“It was the ship of dreams to everyone else. To me, it was a slave ship taking me back to America in chains.” – Rose, voiceover

On April 10, 1912, the Titanic, largest ship afloat, left Southampton, UK on her maiden voyage to New York City.. Four days into her journey, she collided with an iceberg , which proved fatal and 1522 passengers and crew died in vain. Captain Smith ,the man directly responsible for the loss of Titanic , failed to heed ice warnings, did not slow his ship when ice was reported directly in his path and allowed lifeboats to leave the sinking ship partially filled, unnecessarily adding at least 500 names to the list of the dead. This terrible disaster, today stands as a memorial to mankind’s over-confidence in technology and a reminder of how weak we are compared with the forces of nature.

Metaphorically, after the historic war victory in May 2009, euphoric Sri Lankans built a Titanic filled and decked with immense Hope and Aspirations for a united , peaceful and prosperous Sri Lanka. Its’ Captain Smith – The War Hero MR quite rightly earned the confidence and trust of the passengers on board – people of Sri Lanka irrespective of their racial or religious differences, to take them to their dream destination. Not even 2 years in voyage, Mahinda Rajapaksa (MR) too, like Captain Smith, made many serious mistakes. Throwing all caution to the winds, he allowed many corrupt and the racist elements to virtually hijack his engine control room and have their hands on his steering wheel. Titanic thus gradually began to sink, killing the soul of the nation and its’ social integrity and leaving the people of Sri Lanka in dire straits in mid sea ,isolating their country in the international arena by making it a ‘pariah’ state.Read More