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A crisis-ridden Christmas season

27 Dec 2021

  • People speak of hope in the face of daily mounting challenges
BY Sumudu Chamara A new year is just around the corner, and despite the countless challenges this year saw, the people are getting ready to enter a new year with high hopes of better living conditions. While the prevailing economic and health situation has rendered a majority of the public unable to hold grand celebrations as before, the people seem to be trying their best to end the year festively. Christmas, an event celebrated by not only the country’s Christian and Catholic community, but also by those of other religious beliefs, was on 25 December, and to find out how the people feel about celebrating Christmas and what they hope for themselves and for the country, The Morning spoke to several members of the public. Christmas and New Year amidst crises  Anushka Bandara, a student of a higher education institute, said that while Christmas celebrations are justifiable, adhering to the Covid-19 guidelines should be given utmost importance. He said: “I am a Buddhist, but I have many friends who celebrate Christmas. I know very well that even though some of those friends have planned to celebrate this year’s Christmas by organising parties, they do it mostly due to the importance of that day, not because they have money to spend for large-scale parties. I think that organising a party is not a big deal, as long as they adhere to the Covid-19 safety guidelines and limit such events only to a few invitees. In the current economic situation, it is anyway difficult to invite a lot of people to a party. See the prices of the most basic essentials. Not only have the prices increased, there is also a severe shortage of goods. Personally, I have had to reduce the amount of a number of goods, especially food items, I usually purchase. Most people don’t have food for daily consumption, let alone for parties.” He opined that the people are stressed because of the issues arising from every aspect of the country, and that it is during events such as Christmas or the New Year that the people actually get a chance to unwind. Speaking of the year-end New Year celebrations, he said that it should receive more attention due to the large number of people celebrating it on the night of 31 December 2021.  He added: “As much as the Christmas celebrations, we will have to be careful about our behaviour during the New Year season as well as during the Sinhala and Tamil New Year season in April. We certainly don’t want another wave after any of these events, and it will only cause more restrictions and Covid-19 cases. I think that we have to pay more attention to New Year celebrations because people from all walks of life celebrate it regardless of religious or other beliefs, unlike in the case of Christmas. I think that perhaps the Government should impose travel or other forms of restrictions during the New Year season, because it is celebrated by more people, and such restrictions would not offend anyone since it is not a religious event. I think that it is difficult to say how the pandemic situation and the economic situation would evolve, because so far, they have been extremely unpredictable. Therefore, the best thing is to be careful and go about our lives.” Real issues Meanwhile, K.A.R. Samantha, a three-wheeler driver, said that even though Christmas and New Year are approaching, members of the general public he has associated with barely have money to get by. “The country is not in a state to happily hold parties. If people have money and they want (to host parties), they can. But, a lot of people I have met as a three-wheeler driver don’t have that opportunity. Some are dealing with the cost of living, some with pay cuts that have been going on since last year, some with job losses, and some with debts. They have hundreds of issues to deal with, and I don’t think that a lot of people have the peace of mind to happily hold parties and such.” Speaking of the people’s response to the recent fuel price hike, he added: “There are people who thanked me because I didn’t immediately increase the three-wheeler fare after the Government increased fuel prices, and that shows how even a few rupees have become extremely important to the people. Also, after the fuel price hike, people seem to have reduced their use of three-wheelers.” Cost of living Chandani (name changed on request), an employee of a private firm, explained the hardships the prevailing economic crisis has resulted in, and how it has changed the way she celebrates Christmas. “Christmas is the largest and main religious celebration we have, and because of that, every year, we usually try our best to celebrate it as grandly as possible. I am from a middle-class family, and usually we save money throughout the year, or at least, the latter six months of the year, to celebrate Christmas. That is how we made sure that we have money to buy gifts for Christmas. However, this year, we were not able to save enough money, and what we have saved is not even close to what we usually save.  “The little money we have was saved in the first few months of the year. Later, it became difficult and now almost impossible to save money, and the past few months have been very difficult in so many ways. Our salaries have remained stagnant, while the cost of living has climbed rapidly. This year, we didn’t get even the usual annual increment because the workplace is barely making any profits to cover its expenses. The lockdowns considerably affected the operations. The fact that some companies don’t have a tradition of taking into account inflation when increasing salaries is disappointing.” Moreover, she expressed disapproval of the way the prices and the availability of goods have changed during the past few months and the Government’s lack of action to control that situation.  “Also, the prices of goods keep rising with no control by the Government. I really don’t see the Government trying to control inflation. On the contrary, it keeps giving traders more and more freedom and opportunities to sell goods at any price. The worst part is, there is also a shortage of goods. I have experienced firsthand how traders exploit the people when there is a shortage, regardless of whether it is a real shortage or an artificial shortage. For example, you cannot just buy a milk powder packet; you have to buy goods worth at least Rs. 1,000 to be eligible to buy a milk powder packet. That is also if milk powder packets are available. I don’t know whether it is even legal. It is true that the Sathosa has a lot of goods for lower prices.  “However, sometimes, there is a limit to the quantity of certain goods we can buy, and sometimes, goods sold at controlled prices are not available. Sometimes, it is actually better to buy goods from a normal store at higher prices than spending like 30 to 40 minutes in queues to enter a Sathosa. The current situation is difficult for a lot of people. I don’t know what the official data says about the cost of living, and the Government always says that it is not as bad as it seems. But, I am a person who spent around 40% of my salary for food earlier this year, and now, I have had to spend at least 60% of it for this purpose, even after leaving aside some of the food items I used to usually buy. To me, that is the true extent of inflation.” Restrictions  B.M.N. Ranawaka, a retired employee of a private firm, raised the importance of raising awareness among the people about the Covid-19 pandemic with the aim of promoting self-discipline, which he said would be a more long-term, effective way of dealing with gatherings and travelling than imposing restrictions from time to time. He said: “What is the point of imposing travel restrictions? First, I don’t see a need for restrictions because Christmas is mostly a religious event of attending church ceremonies and holding family gatherings. Secondly, when did restrictions stop people from gathering or travelling unnecessarily? The only thing travel restrictions do is limit poor people’s freedom which results in them losing even the daily wage.  “The rich and powerful can travel anywhere they want, while those who have permission to travel during a period of travel restrictions blatantly misuse that permission. Also, I don’t think that people have the money to hold large gatherings such as parties. People are struggling to find their daily bread. I think that Sri Lanka should get out of the restrictions-based mentality, and start an era of knowledge-based self-discipline. That is what most other countries, especially developed countries, do. If people take their responsibility seriously, and if the Government guides people to do the same, we would not need restrictions to control the people’s behaviour. How long can Sri Lanka continue restrictions?” Relying on the Government  C.A. Kumara, a salesman, told The Morning that this is the time for saving money and resources as preparation for the coming few months or years, which he believes might be more difficult than now.  “As a Christian, Christmas is important to me. But, I think that this year’s Christmas celebration has to be a very simple one. I am not planning to hold any parties because I know that I don’t have the money to organise parties and I don’t suggest that my friends and relatives spend money to buy gifts and clothes for a party. Instead, we should start saving money, because the coming few months – or years, if we are that unlucky – are going to be much more difficult than now.” He also pointed out the importance of not relying on any party including the Government to resolve the economic crisis. He explained: “The Government might be trying to find solutions to the economic issues, but, in a context where it has not delivered any concrete results that actually eased the economic burden on the people, I suggest that we should not rely on the Government anymore, and trust in what we can do, at least until the Government finds a solution.  “I am not saying that the Government is managing the economy properly; they have failed like no other Government in the recent past has. However, I don’t think that it is entirely the Government’s fault. The reason is that the world is going through a pandemic, and the pandemic has certainly had a huge impact on the prices of goods and services all around the world. While other countries’ governments have managed this situation well and reduced the impact on their people, our Government does not show any progress in doing that. Even the steps it has taken to save the economy such as the organic fertiliser plan backfired, and the agriculture sector has gone back to square one.  “So, my suggestion would be to save as much money as possible, without counting on the Government or any other party. We are the ones who know what our economic situation is, and we are the ones who have to manage it somehow. If the Government cannot control the country’s economy, we must try and control our household economy. It can be as simple as growing vegetables and fruits in our garden, and reducing unnecessary expenses. Regardless of the religion, sharing whatever we can, whenever we can, is also a need of the hour. We think that we are poor, but there are always people poorer than us.” The people have mixed opinions – while some express a certain uncertainty, some remain hopeful. However, as one person who spoke with The Morning mentioned, relying on any party to end the economic and health crises may not be the best option, and every person has the ability to ensure their safety to a considerable extent if they change their behaviour. However, that is not to say that the Government and the relevant authorities can continue to fail the people that have placed their trust in the former. 


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