Someone had to say it

This week feels like a loop. The heat is getting harder to ignore, Parliament is revisiting one of the country’s most painful chapters yet again, and somehow the pattern is familiar. We adjust. We wait. We sit through it. Different headlines, same feeling of things dragging on longer than they should.

Let’s get into it.

Hot or Just Hostile?

Sri Lanka is currently experiencing what can only be described as aggressive weather.

Not “it’s a bit warm” heat. Not “drink some water, and you’ll be fine” heat. This is the kind of heat that hits you the second you step outside and makes you question why you even bothered getting ready. And yet, life is continuing like normal.

People are still scheduling meetings at noon. Schools are still running full days. Events are still happening outdoors, as if the sun isn’t actively working overtime. There’s a very specific Sri Lankan resilience in pretending everything is fine when it clearly isn’t.

Because somewhere along the way, we decided that adjusting to the weather is unnecessary. That slowing down, rescheduling, or even acknowledging that this is not normal is somehow an overreaction. “It’s just March.” That line needs to be retired immediately.

Because this doesn’t feel like March. This feels like the sun has zoomed in, selected Sri Lanka specifically, and increased brightness to 100%.

What’s more concerning is how unprepared we are for this every single year.

Public spaces offer little relief. Shade is limited, bus stops trap heat instead of blocking it, and cooling isn’t built into how the city functions. And yet, the expectation is the same. Show up. Carry on. Perform like the temperature isn’t quietly wearing everyone down.

Because this isn’t just a bad few days anymore. It’s a pattern. And we’re still treating it like a passing inconvenience instead of something that requires actual adjustment.

Last Word: We’re not adapting to the heat. We’re absorbing it. And that’s starting to show.

Six Debates Later

Parliament is set to debate the Easter Sunday attacks for the sixth time.

Six.

A number that suggests movement. Progress. Some form of resolution. But nearly seven years on, we are still returning to the same conversation, still without the clarity the country was promised.

Because this was never meant to be just another item on the parliamentary agenda. It was one of the darkest days in Sri Lanka’s recent history. A moment that demanded answers, accountability, and closure for the families who are still waiting. Instead, what we seem to have is repetition.

Debates in 2019. Then again in 2021. Multiple days of discussion. More sessions in 2023. Another round in 2024. And now, once again, in 2026.

The Opposition says it will once again question the government on its promise to reveal the mastermind behind the attacks. A promise that has stretched across years, across governments, and across each of these debates.

And yet, here we are. Six debates in, it’s fair to ask whether this is about answers or just the appearance of action.

And for the public, especially for those directly affected, each new debate risks reopening something that was never properly addressed to begin with.

Last Word: Six debates later, the real question isn’t what will be discussed. It’s why we’re still here.

Until next week, try to stay cool, keep your expectations realistic, and maybe start asking how many times something needs to be discussed before it’s actually dealt with.
- Rihaab