At the age of 75, I’m elated to see our youth rise against corruption, mismanagement and wrongdoing; united as one nation, as Sri Lankans.

Since independence, we have embraced systems that by and large facilitated wealth creation and with time, our traditional values of thriftiness, frugality and austerity were forgotten. No one can deny that the systems encouraged consumerism, overindulgence and lopsided competition – and they have led us to what we are today.

We turned a blind eye and a deaf ear, and remained mute as political power coalesced into the device of an executive presidency. Some of us chose not to see – or care – as this suited us best. Is it that our moral conscience had eroded so low that we have had to pay for it over 30 years?

The lesson for us to learn in all of this is that we must all take a hard look in the mirror. It’s time to learn a lesson from history – we need to revert to more austere lifestyles; and we need to be honest and fair. We must join hands with this generation, and add our voice to theirs in calling for justice – justice for all Sri Lankans.