As the Nation Suffers, the Prime Minister Smiles: The Face of a Government Without Accountability?
- Jatinder Singh
- 2 hours ago
- 2 min read
Jeet - Jatinder Singh, Jadetimes Contributor
J. Singh is a Jadetimes news reporter covering the USA
Sri Lanka is grieving with over a hundred lives lost, dozens still missing, and thousands of families displaced after Cyclone Ditwah, the country is experiencing one of the darkest moments in its recent history. Yet the government’s response — especially the reaction of Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya has sparked intense public outrage.
Footage Raises Questions About Leadership
Jadetimes has obtained footage from the Prime Minister’s first press conference after the disaster, and the images have shocked many Sri Lankans.
At a time when the nation was mourning, and rescue teams were still pulling bodies from collapsed homes and floodwaters, the Prime Minister appeared:
smiling,
relaxed,
and visibly unconcerned.
Instead of projecting urgency, empathy, or decisive leadership, her demeanor appeared completely disconnected from the suffering outside.
The contrast has not gone unnoticed.
Outrage Across the Country
The footage has ignited frustration and anger on social media and across affected communities. Many citizens describe the Prime Minister’s attitude as tone-deaf, insensitive, and irresponsible, especially in a moment of national tragedy. Public reactions echo a single sentiment:
When the country is crying, how can its leaders smile?
Where Is the Seriousness? Where Is the Accountability?
At a time when Sri Lanka needed calm, focused, and compassionate leadership, the Prime Minister’s behaviour has raised serious questions:
After failing to protect so many lives, how can the government appear so relaxed?
Where is the seriousness towards the disaster?
Where is the accountability for the loss of life?
How can leaders smile when the nation is struggling to bury its dead and rescue its missing?
These questions are spreading rapidly among the public, adding pressure on the administration to respond.
Failure in Preparedness, Failure in Compassion
This press conference has become symbolic for many — not just of government inaction before the storm, but of a deeper failure: A failure of compassion,a failure of responsibility,and a failure to understand the gravity of what Sri Lankan families are facing. During one of the country’s darkest hours, citizens expected leadership that reflects the nation’s pain.Instead, they saw a leader smiling through tragedy.
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