- People share why they no longer want to visit the agitation site
The “GotaGoGama” protest site, known as GGG, will be remembered in the future as a pivotal movement in the country, after continuing to push for the people’s demands for over 50 days. Since its inception, where it called for President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s resignation as well as changes to the way our country has been governed, the site located at Galle Face Green was packed to the brim with thousands of protestors.
Unfortunately, over the last few weeks, if one was to visit GGG, they would notice a significant decrease in numbers since its beginnings. Now, there could be several reasons for this drop in numbers – people may be happy with the changes implemented in Sri Lanka, they may be unable to afford to physically visit GGG, or they may be dealing with the mental strain of the current crisis, among other factors.
Brunch reached out to a few people that no longer frequent GotaGoGama to understand why they have stopped going.
A university student employed at a dance school told us that while she visited the site a few times in the past, she no longer does, as she recognises her privilege.
“All the issues they were initially fighting for, like fuel, uninterrupted power, and other things, are now not as bad anymore, and they are available to me, so I don’t have the will to go and protest anymore,” she told us, describing that she understands that she is part of the Colombo crowd and has more privilege that those that have lost everything and have no choice but to take to the streets and protest.
“Many of my friends too, have stopped going because of similar reasons, and having what we want, we no longer see a need to protest,” she added. Recognising one’s privilege is something that not many do. Most tend to deny it and think that the small inconveniences they are facing are the end of the world – but these inconveniences are something the less fortunate of Sri Lanka have never known in their lives, as they can no longer even afford the luxury of three meals a day.
Next, we spoke to a young filmmaker and videographer, who told us that with the fuel crisis and alternate transport like buses and three-wheelers being extravagantly expensive, he stopped leaving the house entirely.
“It’s like we’re back to the pandemic – all my meetings have moved online due to the lack of transport and I cannot find much work either, because no one has the budget to film videos anymore and will instead opt for a do-it-yourself approach,” he told us. So for this reason, he no longer goes to GGG either, he said, and added that the lack of work and increased prices of goods have been seriously demotivating, and have left him in a slump.
Another reason he stopped going was the lack of support for “GotaGoGama” on social media. “If you’d followed the movement online since the beginning, you may have noticed that going to the protest became somewhat of a fad at one point, and many would post pictures of themselves at the site. With that came a lot of awareness and education online about the goings-on in our country, from our history to questions of our future, and both the good and the bad,” he said.
“I’m no longer seeing any such thing and it’s very difficult for me to understand what’s happening, as my interest and knowledge of the political situation in our country only began with the protest, and it seems to be dying with the protest as well,” he told us. He raised a fair point that when no one knows about what exactly is happening at GotaGoGama and occasionally hears misleading rumours – whether true or false – many would opt out of going, simply because they are not better educated about the situation.
Several others, all in their 20s, also shared these views and told us that with work and transport being so expensive, they simply cannot afford to put the little money they earn into going to the protest – which has now become a luxury for some. One young adult employed in the tourism industry told us that after he gets off work, he has no motivation to do anything more besides eating dinner and going to bed, which are a part of the basic human rights the protests too are fighting for.
Similarly, a woman in her early 30s told us she no longer takes the bus, as she has had too many unpleasant experiences, and prefers to take cabs booked through ride-hailing apps to work or wherever she is travelling, making it too expensive to visit the protest site. “GGG is far from my house, and I cannot afford a cab there; nor do I want to take the bus, which is significantly cheaper. Because I want to prioritise my safety, I will not be going again unless I can afford to take non-public transport,” she told us.
We also had a chat with an older lady who runs an online bakery, who told us that she and her family stopped going as they believe there is a hidden political party at work at the site, and that it has lost all the values and integrity it had when it first began. “I believe some hidden politicians are at work here, and are taking over the initial fight and twisting it to their benefit. Since it is no longer non-partisan, I don’t see why we have to support it,” she told us, further questioning why – if we don’t support the Government and the current political structure – we should support a movement that some politicians appear to have a hand in.
These are just a few of the reasons why GGG seems to be drying out, but when you think about it, some of these are also the exact reasons that the protestors at Galle Face continue to fight – to ensure that people are provided essentials and can bear the cost of living. Nevertheless, no one can blame those who have stopped going for whatever reason – given the seemingly hopeless situation in the country, most reasons can be deemed valid.
