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| Wednesday, 20 August 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. Predicament of the employable disabled Letters and articles have been published with monotonous regularity in the valuable columns of your Newspaper explaining the unenviable predicament of the 'Employable disabled' in this country. One of the most discomforting aspects that has been continuously emphasised is the rather indifferent attitude of the Sri Lanka Institute of Personnel Management and National and Trade Chambers towards the problem of the employable disabled. 'A Mother's plea for her disabled daughter "was given wide publicity recently in your newspaper". While explaining the trials, tribulations and humiliation her daughter experienced in attending interviews for employment she also emphasised the indifference of the Sri Lanka Institute of Personnel Management., My son with professional qualifications in Human Resources Management, with restricted mobility of his left leg and hand after a motor traffic accident, attended numerous interviews in an endeavour to obtain some employment commensurate with his qualifications and experience. Unfortunately he persistently endured much embarrassment as well as humiliation attending selection interviews. This is due essentially to the cussedness and antipathy of some Human Resources Managers and Directors towards the disabled. He experienced a blatant disregard of the concepts of equal opportunities but open discrimination on grounds of disability. At certain interviews my son was not even offered a seat but curtly told "In your present state we cannot offer you any appointment". What was most frustrating was the callous attitude of some human resources managers devoid of any semblance of empathy. On the background of my son's experience being myself a human resources professional I wrote to the past and present presidents of the Sri Lanka Institute of Personnel Management drawing attention to the various articles and letters on the callous attitude of human resources managers to the employable disabled and emphasising the need for the Institute to initiate some meaningful action suggesting that the Institute: a) Uses its resources and training programmes to impress upon its members and H.R. personnel pursuing courses at the Institute of this national and social problem. b) Attempt to bring about attitudinal changes among the human resources personnel and its members. Regrettably despite repeated letters neither a reply was received nor did the Institute initiate any meaningful action. Despite the recent promulgation of the amendment to the Protection of Rights of Persons With Disabilities Act No. 18 of 1996 and the newly appointed "National Council for Persons With Disability" and all well meaning measures pursued by the Government the Institute of Personnel Management remains indifferent has in fact turned a nelsonian eye to this pressing social problem. Law becomes a dead letter unless the organisation actively involved in promotion and development of Human Resources lend their voices to the chorus to bring about attitudinal changes particularly among its members. The acceptance of the disabled into society should begin with a thorough attitudinal change towards them at every level. The need to be disabused about the real condition of the disabled persons have risen, both locally and abroad, in educational, academic, professional and artistic spheres should convince most of those who are indifferent to employing the disabled that these persons have much to offer society in entirely positive terms. All that they are asking for is not charity but equal opportunities enshrined in the constitution "The protection of rights of persons with disabilities". The writer cannot understand the indifference of the Institute to this
problem, while seminars, workshops and various other programmes are
conducted on the latest and emerging concepts of human resources
management and development and now diverting all its energies and
resources to the "Annual H.R. Ball" being organised on a
grandiose scale. The proposed Disaster Management Discipline (DMD) has to be an organisation that prevents health hazards, environmental hazards through then and there actions to clean, repair, remodel, as well as through enforcement of laws that shall be enacted to annihilate dirtying and dumping of garbage in public places, and round the clock public complaints responding force with necessary manpower of various skills. The proposed Disaster Management Discipline's first task should be making the metropolitan clean and tidy and protecting the beaches from artificial and natural calamities. Initially the DMD will supplement the efforts of the local bodies involved in the cleaning of metropolitan and as the DMD finds a permanent solution for waste management as a venture for energy generation, composite compost, Mexican packing materials etc, alongwith employment generation to the local bodies revitalized to handle this as a venture or another semi-government organization, will disassociate itself gradually of cleaning works but will continue in Environmental and health Hazards' law enforcements and will hold the responsibility of assigning appropriate technicians for tidy maintenance of public places and beaches spontaneously or in response to public complaints. Making the Colombo district and its suburbs clean and tidy forever
should be the first task of the disaster management discipline and shall
be the blue print for it and its forces in a huge Natural National
Disaster Management. Forced conversions and false conversions The Minister for cultural affairs recently has stated that legislation will be introduced to stop forced conversions, what steps will he take to put a stop to false conversions? I mean against those who get baptized, confirmed and receive Holy Communion and even get their children admitted to Sunday School with the ulterior motive of having them admitted to Christian Schools, and thereafter do not even sight the church? Have the rulers still not learnt from the contretemps of myopic
legislation?. Nowadays, we see several advertisements in the television and newspapers promoting various face creams which are supposed to make the skin fairer. These advertisements show girls with fairer skin being able to acquire jobs of their desire and also marrying the men of their choice. It is an admitted fact that we Asians are crazy about fair complexions, little realising that a dark complexion is healthier for our type of climate. I give below the following facts for the benefit of the public at large. (1) In India the Media Minister has requested the television stations not to telecast advertisements giving importance to fair complexions as it creates inferiority complex in the minds of the dark people. These type of advertisements could be even considered as a discrimination towards their appearance, future etc. This Minister has stated that he did not wish to ban such advertisements, but requested that his appeal would be met on a code of etiquette. (2) Indian scientists have warned that whenever the skin colour is changed artificially, the following after-effects are possible. (a) Skin Cancer due to the chemicals used in such face creams. (b) Black patches or white spots appear when the usage of these creams are discontinued. We Sri Lankans should be aware of the after-effects of any item that is used by us (whether consumed internally or applied externally). Why should we spend our hard earned money and buy irreparable health problems? I presume the above facts will enlighten the public about such health
hazards. |
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