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| Tuesday, 17 February 2004 |
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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.
Misuse of publicly owned property The recent incident involving sons of Ministers of the Government is under investigation by the courts. My intention is not to comment on their guilt or otherwise, but on a related matter which has come to light during the police investigations. News media have also reported on the damage caused to vehicle belonging to one Ministry. Let us await the decision of the courts on this aspect. But there is also a wider issue, which should be the serious concern of all responsible citizens of this country. What were these government owned vehicles doing near a night club in the middle of the night? I am sure that nice stories and explanations are being given by all concerned right now. However nobody is going to be deceived. It is only one of many, many instances of how Government vehicles and personnel are being misused with impunity by those who are entrusted with the sacred task of governing the country. This is not a new issue. We remember that it came up during the last General Elections, but was conveniently forgotten soon afterwards. The basic unfairness of what is going on is nowhere more forcefully illustrated than in the present case where all of us, the ordinary citizens of this country, which include even the poorest of the poor are called upon to pay additional taxes on basic food items, on transport, on clothes and fuel so essential to day to day living, and the money so collected is gobbled up by the playboy sons of the Ministers to visit night clubs and for having a good time in general. The fathers of the pampered kids may, as usual, play down the cost involved but just think how much we may be paying for their pleasure pursuits. The cost of fuel for the high-powered vehicles equipped with AC and all luxury gadgets for travel up and down in the evenings, for jaunts from one five star night club to the other throughout the night, to pick up and drop the girl friends and members of the security staff, the batta and overtime for the drivers and the entourage of security personnel and the wear and tear of the vehicles. These will definitely add up to tens of thousands of rupees for one ministerial progeny per night, if not more. This does not include the occasional damage wilfully caused to vehicles such as that in the present instance. Now look at the alternative uses to which this money may be put: Few additional beds and essential drugs in a government hospital, which may be a matter of life and death for the less fortunate. A few modest classrooms and basic facilities in a poor school where children have to sit under trees or in structures no better than cow-sheds. A small foot-bridge for villagers to replace a dangerous stream crossing. Restoration of few hours of overtime to some low paid government-employee. There are thousands of unemployed graduates out there spending the best years of life in frustration without work and without any means of supporting their ageing parents or starting family lives of their own. The list is endless. There is apparently no money in the government coffers for providing some relief in such cases. We are told that the government finances are still in a precarious situation. There is a mountain of debt and every week fresh borrowing is made. But there are some people who think that the liberal facilities given from this sparse coffers to their fathers to help them carry out official duties come from their grandfathers' estates. Where is the principle of accountability, good governance and better political culture so solemnly promised to the voters? I think the time has come to say enough is enough. Can the Auditor General or some other responsible official at least inform the public about the improper and irregular use of government property and resources by persons holding important positions? Tell us at least the number of vehicles assigned to each VIP and what the size of his personal staff is. What is the monthly expenditure on fuel, maintenance of vehicles, overtime and batta of the supporting staff? It is the sacred duty of such officials in an open society to let the public know. Fellow members of the public, wake up from your slumber and take note. You are being robbed left and right. A.R.C. - Battaramulla. Rajarata University and the UGC The University of Rajarata (RU) caters mainly to the North Central Province which comprises of both Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa Districts with a land area of approximately 980,000 hectares and a population of 1.1 million. The potential for socio-economic development in this Province is enormous and a university in this province has a major role to play in realizing this potential. Perhaps it is because of this reason that Rajarata University of Sri Lanka was established in November 1995 and ceremonially opened by the President on January 31, 1996. Although Rajarata University (RU) has an important role to play in the development of the country in general, and the NCP in particular, no developmental programmes/activities except the usual teaching programmes, have been implemented in the past two years. Many irregularities and mismanagement were reported by me to the Council of Rajarata University and to the Chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC) so that appropriate action would be taken. In an article entitled "Rajarata's Shame and the UGC" published in Daily News of December 18, 2003, I, as a citizen of Sri Lanka and as an academic who was closely associated with RU for three years, brought to the notice of the public, these irregularities and mismanagement as they have the right to know whether the money that is spent on RU is properly utilized by the authorities. In this article, I also pointed out the inaction of UGC. However, up to now, neither the Chairman, UGC nor any of its members has responded to the comments I have made in this article. Even the Vice-Chancellor of RU and the Rajarata University Council remain silent on these issues. Does it mean that the authorities accept that these irregularities have taken place? If so, the authorities responsible to RU (if such authorities exist) need to take appropriate action and make the public aware accordingly. Dr. C. S. Weeraratna - Former Professor of Soils and Water Resources, Rajarata University. Cascade brawl and state property Veteran journalist Lucian Rajakarunanayke in his column 'On My Watch' in DN, Jan. 24, 2004 has tabled a comprehensive charge sheet that would suffice to bring down a government. The components of the incidents taken together along with the past records of the very same parties are more than sufficient for the Prime Minister to call for the resignations of the three Ministers concerned. As per the charge sheet two of the three Ministers and their naughty toddlers are habitual repeaters. But nothing appears to happen. The simple question that the people raise is "Is there law and order in this country?". The simple answer is "the law of the jungle prevails in Sri Lanka". In this regard one wonders as to what the authorities are doing. May be that they have learnt a lesson from what happened to Bandaragama Divisional Secretary. What we notice is that the Ministry of Interior, Police and Chairman UNP are not interested. Prime Minister as usual is deaf and dumb on matters of this nature because he is working with a set of devils. The Auditor General appears to be waiting for a written compliant. If there is a head of the Islamic community in Sri Lanka he should find out from Kabir Hashim as to what his relations were doing in Clubs and liquor bars. As an organisation of State Executives we wish to bring to the notice of Auditor General that the use of state vehicles by unauthorised individuals is a serious offence and he should call for explanations from the Secretaries of the three ministries concerned about the misuse of vehicles on this day. One such vehicle is from a Norad funded project. It is a rule that project vehicles cannot be used by anyone other than a project official. DR. T. JAYASINGHE - President - Management Development Association, Thalawathugoda. Our little country has been very unfortunate that from ancient times there had been people who resorted to acts of treachery against the motherland for personal gain. The most recent of such acts is the Police raid on the Military Intelligence Safe House at Athurugiriya where the LRRP who was engaged in covert operations against the LTTE was based. How this raid came to pass in given in detail in the report of the Presidential Commissioner of Inquiry, former Judge of the Court of Appeal D. Jayawickrama. He declared that the Police raid was a "total betrayal and absolute treachery to the nation". The government, Prime Minister and Ministers are found to deserve blame on the incident. As a result of this highly publicised raid on the safe house the LTTE who was hitherto in the dark about its existence began to search and kill those who had connections with the LRRP. Up to now 44 individuals have been killed and the hunt for others is going on. The government has to take the responsibility for these killings because it is due to political patronage that Kulasiri Udugampola ASP took the law into his own hands and raided the Army Safe House at Athurugiriya even without due permission from his superiors. In view of this position, government has a responsibility to see to the welfare and sustenance of the families whose bread-winners had given their life for the country. The Defence Ministry was under the Government when the Safe House raid took place but strangely no investigation was launched on this very irregular incident to find out the true facts. The LRRP team with its leader Captain Nilam were taken into custody by Kulasiri Udugampola ASP who raided the Safe House and took them to Kandy where they had been treated in a humiliating manner. When they were released from the Police cell on the orders of the then Minister of Defence, Captain Nilam and his men filed a Fundamental Rights petition against the Police in the Supreme Court to the great embarrassment of the Government. To persuade them to withdraw the F.R. petition they had been offered foreign employment and comfortable life with family all of which were turned down. They now stand vindicated in view of Supreme Court verdict given this day. After the President took the Defence Ministry under her, action was taken to give effect to the recommendations of the Presidential Commission. The Army high ranking officers proved to have conspired to raid the Safe House are given their just desserts to the acclamation of the public at large. This is a glaring instance where the government has badly let down its own Army in order to favour the enemy. It is said to have been reported in Strait Times of Singapore that the Parliament of Sri Lanka comprised crooks and criminals. What a shame! J. P. NANAYAKKARA - Kalutara. I refer to the news item that appeared on the Tamil Net of January 26, 2004. It is amusing to note the travail of the chief negotiator and political strategist Anton Balasingham over the Indo-Sri Lanka Defence Pact signed. India is our closest neighbour and she has always come to our rescue during any and every time of crisis. Mr. Balasingham seems to be speaking with his tongue in his cheek, when he is aware that the LTTE is smuggling arms and importing lethal weapons into the country in preparation for an armed conflict. How could such a defence pact have far reaching negative consequences for the on-going peace process? Mr. Balasingham's harangue implies that Sri Lanka could have Defence Pacts only with the countries that Thamil Chelvam, Prabhakaran and himself recommend. What are the credentials of Balasingham who the Government of India has banned from entering India to abrogate the Defence Pact? This is sheer chicanery. This Pact will be a detriment only to the LTTE and not to the Tamils. The international community shroudly imagines that the LTTE is the sole representative of the Tamils, whereas they know that the LTTE is eliminating all other Tamil parties such as the EPDP, EPRLF, PLOTE and hordes of Muslims, beside forcibly subduing the Tamils by terror to follow their line. That's why Mr. Balasingham and his ilk are worried about the Sri Lanka - India Defence Pact. The majority of the self-respecting Tamils hail this Pact. DENNIS ALAGARATNAM - Colombo 4. |
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