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| Wednesday, 1 January 2003 |
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Please forward your letters to editor@dailynews.lk in plain text format within the e-mail message, since as a policy we do not open any attachments.
Peace efforts in our once war-torn country have made considerable progress after a number of failures over the years. Bandaranaike-Chelvanayagam Pact, Dudlely-Chelvanayagam Pact, Thimpu Talks and the discussions between the PA and the LTTE during the mid nineties were some of the notable failures. Presently, both parties to the dispute have, perhaps for the first time during the long history of this belligerence, broadly agreed on a federal system of government. There still appears to be unfounded fears over federalism among some sections of the southerners. During the early stages of the dispute, the word 'Federalism' itself was anathema to the majority community. It has taken nearly half a century for the leaders of this community to agree to the federal system after much destruction of life and property. Why don't we, the majority community open our eyes and see around us? There are Federal systems functioning successfully in many countries of the world eg. the USA, Canada, Australia, India, Malaysia and Switzerland. The idea of a "unitary government" is of comparatively recent origin when the 2500 year history of Lnaka is considered. Except for brief periods, unitary governments did not exist in this country. It may be correct to suppose that the concept of a unitary government is a British legacy handed down to us through Sir Ivor Jenning's 1948 Constitution. Let us now shed this imperialist thinking and move towards a more sensible federal system of government, so that all communities may live peacefully with self respect and dignity. It would be pertinent to recall here that, even Mr. S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike, shortly after his return to the country upon completion of his education at Oxford, advocated the federal system for Sri Lanka, then Ceylon. During that time, his thinking was not tainted with political ambition and was based on pure reason. Let us ALL unite at this crucial moment for the sake of the country's survival and extend our co-operation towards formation of a UNITED SRI LANKA. PREMADASA PERIYAPPERUMA If Sri Lanka is to develop tourism as a major industry and attract increasing numbers of tourists, one of the fundamental problems that should be addressed is the cleanliness. The writer believes that it is the responsibility of the Ministries of Local Government and Tourism as well as the Municipal and Urban Councils to work in collaboration to solve the problem and organise the proper collection and disposal of garbage leading to cleaner cities and eating houses. Leaving aside the cities and towns in the outskirts, when one walks around Colombo and its suburbs, the smell coming from roadside garbage dumps is unbearable. Almost all tourists are concerned with cleanliness. On the first visit, if a tourist find a place unclean, he or she will not care to pay a second visit to such a place or recommend it as a good tourist destination to his or her friends. The writer believes that most of our politicians have visited countries in the developed world where tourists are attracted in millions and the attention paid to keeping the cities and eating-houses clean. In fact, leaving aside, developed countries in the West, visitors to Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea and Malaysia could see how do they keep their cities clean and the emphasis placed on this aspect in developing tourism. On one occasion, a small group of Australian University academics, who visited Colombo on a suggestion by the writer, related to the unbearable smell coming from a garbage dump near the airport hotel. These people went to the extent of commenting that the country is a good tourist destination if it is not for the bad smell and unhygienic environment. In extensive travelling around the globe that the writer has undertaken Sri Lanka is one of the worst when it comes to the question of cleanliness. In this context, in addressing this urgent issue it would be advisable for the Ministry of Local Government to enact regulations requiring all local authorities to issue garbage-bins to each and every household and business house to collect garbage. They should be advised to leave them on the roadside to be collected by the local authority's garbage collectors on an appointed day of the week as it is being practised in most other countries. The cost of garbage-bin can be added on to the rates of the premises without being a burden on the local authority. Similarly, garbage-bins should be placed at convenient locations in cities and towns to place rubbish such as cigarette-buts, pieces of paper and food-raps etc. without dumping them on the roadside. Of course, a system of fines will have to be imposed on those who violate these requirmets and notice boards will have to be erected cautioning against such violations. DR. D. THENUWARA GAMAGE One of the reasons given for having private zoos is to promote tourism ! Is it likely that a foreigner with a large, attractive zoo back home will waste his time peering through the rusty bars of small enclosures, incarcerating pathetic, ill-nourished creatures ? Let us not forget our last private zoo. It was accused of neglecting, starving and, literally, doping its inmates. VIPs were borrowing the sedated animals, we heard, to show them off - Roman style - at their part parties. In spite of mounting protests, their backing kept the zoo going, until a lion fatally mauled a boy. Even then, it closed only after a fight. The majority here are Buddhists and locking up living beings goes against that religion. While many countries are beginning to treat their animals better, why is our administration going all out to inflict more cruelty on ours ? It was recently mooted in parliament to import cattle, while ours is mercilessly slaughtered, especially for export. Cattle, goats, fowl, rabbits, pigs, etc. are being distributed to ear for slaughter. Not only are the norms of the majority religion being violated, its followers are temptingly compelled to do so, too. When a starry-eyed deputation went to meet those responsible for revoking the law against slaughtering pregnant cows, calves and buffaloes, it was told that there was no money to look after old cows and bulls. (This, while the begging bowl was frenziedly being passed around for sustaining the man-eaters)! It was pointed out that after the cows were drained of their milk and the bulls were bruised beyond repair and broken, was it not better to dump them in a slaughter house and get some money ? Besides, they walk aimlessly up and down roads, impeding the dash of VIPs from one point to another. What else was there to do except kill the lot ? (And they say the Buddha kept gazing at the Bodhi tree that sheltered him, not only to show gratitude, but to also instil that noble quality in his followers). The deputation was given no chance to state that the wish of the citizens was to grant pension rights (in this case, a patch of grass and clean water) to those who had been drained mentally and physically to serve them day and night and not, repeat, not to what appears for only a five year stint of mostly self-servicing, to vanish thereafter. Prema Ranawaka Das |
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