74th Independence Day Celebrations: “What’s there to celebrate” ask citizens What a wastage of money
Citizens believe that military parades and mega celebrations are not necessary at this hour
Last year‘s budget for the Independence Day Celebration was Rs. 65.5 million
A majority of people can never afford to fly, but look up at the sky, at the wastage of fuel and other resources
The first week of February is special to all Sri Lankans as they commemorate successive years of independence from colonial rule. The event has been organised with much pomp and pageantry especially as the 30-year armed conflict ended in 2009. Since then, Independence Day celebrations have been more inclined towards commemorating soldiers who sacrificed themselves to free the motherland from the enemy. Military parades, special traffic plans until the day of the event have become normal. But this time, the citizenry has doubts about what exactly the rulers are ‘celebrating’ as the country is struggling to survive through many crises from gas and fuel shortages to spontaneous power outages, soaring cost of living and the dollar crunch ,COVID-19 CRISIS above all.