ASHEIKH ARKAM NOORAMITH
COLOMBO : In the painful aftermath of Cyclone Ditwa, our nation stands wounded – families displaced, livelihoods washed away, memories buried beneath the waters. No financial package, however generous, can ever replace a lost life or restore what the heart holds dear. Yet, in this moment of darkness, the announcement made by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has offered a ray of hope to thousands who now look towards the State not merely for assistance, but for justice, dignity, and compassionate leadership.
The relief measures proposed – housing support, livelihood assistance, rental aid, and reconstruction funding – reflect a recognition of the suffering of our people. But a promise, however sincere, becomes meaningful only when it is translated into visible, timely, and just action.
Real leadership is not measured by words spoken at a podium, but by the relief felt by the people on the ground. The true leader is the servant of the nation, and it is now the responsibility of every government officer – from Government Agents and Divisional Secretaries to Grama Niladharis and field officers – to become the hands which carry the President’s promises into the flooded streets and broken homes of our citizens.
They must urgently and honestly:
• Visit all affected areas without exception
• Record accurate, transparent data
• Identify the truly deserving without bias or delay
• Ensure that aid reaches every family with dignity and fairness
This is not merely an administrative duty – it is a moral obligation.
At the same time, community leaders, religious institutions, volunteers, and civil society organisations must stand shoulder to shoulder with the State – guiding families, assisting with documentation, advocating for the vulnerable, and restoring hope where despair threatens to take root.
But relief alone is not enough.
As a nation, we must awaken to a greater responsibility:
• To protect and restore our forests
• To revive wetlands and mangroves that shield our shores
• To replant what was lost
• To adopt stronger disaster-preparedness planning
• To educate our communities on environmental stewardship
Almighty Allah reminds us in the Qur’an:
“He has made you successors upon the earth…” (Surah Fātir 35:39)
We are the khulafa’the stewards of this land. The earth is an amanah. Our lives are an amanah. And how we respond to this test will be written in our history and in the sight of Allah.
Sri Lanka can rise again – but only if leadership meets sincerity, if power bows to service, and if unity replaces division.
This land is a trust.
These people are a trust.
And within every hardship is hidden mercy.
We turn to Almighty Allah, the Most Merciful of the Merciful, seeking His divine protection and boundless mercy upon those affected in our beloved country and across the world. May He replace their pain with ease, their fear with security, their losses with rewards beyond measure, and may He make us instruments of His mercy upon this earth. Ameen.( The writer is the general secretary of the ACJU)
