|
|
 |
 |
 |
| Friday, 5 March 2004 |
 |
|
 |
Letters | |
| News Business Features Editorial Security Politics World Sports Obituaries
|
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.
Booming items and the doomed industries It is quite amazing to note that varieties of Chinese electronic toys, clocks, torches, bulbs, electrical accessories, ball pens, pencils and many other items are available at unbelievable prices on the pavements everywhere. Local industrialists who may be manufacturing some of these articles would have already closed their industries, as their products could not match the selling prices of these Chinese products. It has been reported in the mass media that the much labour oriented safety match industries of Sri Lanka are on the verge of total collapse and already some of the factories have stopped production and retrenched labour, as disposable gas lighters of Chinese origin have been under invoiced and many times smuggled into the country and sold at prices ranging from Rs. 5 to Rs. 7.50 at the wholesale price levels introduced by unknown persons to the traders. It is interesting to know that most of these items are not genuinely imported under Letter of Credit terms but brought into the country by various carriers declared as 'Baggage items' and are passed through customs, undervalued and only a little amount of duty paid. This is being done in connivance with certain customs officers on duty. It is also learnt that most of these articles including cigarettes brought into the country are now evading correct valuation and duty payments thus by-passing and defeating all fiscal expectations of the treasury officials, making a fool of everybody, while making millions of rupees a single day by both certain customs officers and the racketeers. This high handed act not only deprives the major income of the State but also would kill the local industries. It would be futile for any entrepreneur in this situation to invest on any industry in Sri Lanka until these irregularities are fully stopped and the ministers and officials concerned of local industries should at least rush now to curb this problem to protect both the industries and the labour before they invite the private sector to invest on setting up of industries to create employment. D. J. BULATHSINHALA, We refer to the letter published in DN Feb. 24 by M.T.A.P. Fernando of Rawatawatte, and wish to make our comments as follows. He would have noted that on the Elders Identity Card application form itself to submit two stamp size photographs and hence the passport size photograph has to be cut to stamp size before fixing and laminating the Elders Identity Card. By cutting the passport size to stamp size sometime a part of the face could be defaced. But he was fortunate as stated in his letter his photograph was not defaced. Further he could have gone straight to the Ministry of Social Welfare, situated at Nawala Road, Nugegoda with his photographs and obtained the card after filling the application and need not have come to this Mobile Service to obtain his Elders Identity Card. Our Association is one out of those of thousands of Associations registered with the National Council for Elders, the main objectives of which is to look after the welfare and the rights of the Elders. The Ministry of Social Welfare have already conducted over hundred mobile services with collaboration of the Associations registered with the Council especially to motivate the Elders to obtain their elders identity Card and also to promote the formation of Elders Association right throughout the island. However it is rather disappointing to note that only two lakhs of elders out of a population of two million have obtained these cards. It only indicates that most of the Associations registered with the National Council of Elders have not taken a keen interest in promoting the elders to obtain these cards. We are happy to note that our Association has so far assisted the elders in obtaining over 400 Elders Identity Cards at the Mobile Services conducted at this hall in collaboration with the Ministry of Social welfare. The very fact that Mr. Fernando had come all the way from Rawatawatte to Bambalapitiya clearly indicates that there were no active Association in his area, if there was one he need not have travelled all that way from Rawatawatte to obtain his Elders Identity Card. As regards to the rights and benefits which other Senior Citizens are enjoying in other countries, which have been deprived to the Senior Citizens in Sri Lanka, these can be obtained through continuous agitation by the Elders Associations. At least one active Association of Elders should be established in each Divisional Secretariat, and these Associations must federate and form a federation of Senior Citizens of Sri Lanka, and fight for their rights. They could not organize any strike action due to their ill-health, but they possess the most important weapon - the vote, and any party which is not prepared to grant them their reasonable rights, could easily be thrown out of power, since the voting strength of elders is over two million. Hope men like Mr. Fernando take a lead and form an active Association in his area, so that they could obtain their rights, enjoyed by the Senior Citizens in other countries. Now is the best opportunity, since the elections are around the corner and the Elders Associations could place their demands to the political parties and to cast their vote to the party which is prepared to grant their demands in writing. The elders in the country should make use of this Golden opportunity and exercise their vote and install a Government which will grant them their legitimate rights and privileges. President, The National Savings Bank (NSB) has increased the interest payable on Fixed Deposits (FD) from Rs. 8.75 per cent to Rs. 9.1 per cent. It is an increase of Rs. 104 payable monthly as interest on Fixed Deposits of Rs. 100,000. However, in view of the rising cost of living, this increase is not sufficient on a pro rata basis, i.e., income over expenditure. Employees who have deposited their EPF refunds, after retirement, in Fixed Deposits, have found that what they now receive as interest, on their hard-earned savings, is hardly adequate to spend for their essentials, without being a burden to others. The public servants are benefited by their non-contributory pensions, but those in the private sector employment, or in statutory bodies, enjoy the privilege of the Provident Fund Scheme, having invested their moneys in Fixed Deposits an increase of Rs. 104 as interest on a deposit of Rs. 100,000 is nothing but deception. Since the government makes use of public investments for development purposes, it is only reasonable to pay enhanced interest on such borrowings, without reducing interest arbitrarily, at the will and pleasure of the Central Bank. It will be a boon if the interest on Fixed Deposits is raised to 15 per cent for depositors above 60 years of age. ARYADASA RATNASINGHE, This is not strange in a country like Sri Lanka, that ordinary peace loving citizens are compelled to police the policeman, preach to the preachers, and judge the judges etc. On the land side of Galle Road, there are traffic signs stating no parking during certain hours. In this case, the no parking reads as from 12 to 8 p.m. and these boards are spread from Colombo to Ratmalana, the size of the digits is about 6 inches. This is strictly not applicable to areas out of Colombo where parking is permitted in reserved ares. But within Colombo, even in these areas parking is prohibited during these hours. Now the million dollar question is, how the Police have altered three no parking signboards to read as 5 to 8 p.m. in a particular area, running up to about 50 feet and planted them south and north of a leading garment establishment, in front of the Mount Lavinia cemetery. The size of these digits is only about 2 inches. In noticing the disparity of the sizes of the digits, it is easily recognizable the surreptitious intentions of the Police. The establishment in the centre of these boards enjoys a privileged position among other commercial establishments in the vicinity. While the public can be grateful to the Police for being generous in their understanding, that it is difficult for commercial institutions to survive with these restrictions, however would the Police extend this generosity to other commercial institutions, in similar vein. It appears that some public spirited citizen with resources or a competitor should file a FR case in order to bring the Police to think and act in uniformed manner. This sentiment is only meant to get this country, to clean up its administration and ensure that every citizen is equal before the law, though unfortunately one part of the Constitution differs from this universally accepted norm, which in my view is the foundation for other inequalities, that has now gathered momentum, clearly evident in this current election campaign, where many parties are promoting narrow religious and linguistic ideologies, thus damming the economic and social well-being of Mother Lanka. WALTER FERNANDO, |
|
News | Business | Features
| Editorial | Security
Produced by Lake House |
