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| Friday, 19 March 2004 |
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Letters | |
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People who have read novels by Peter Cheyney would be familiar with the tactic of the double double cross by which one contending party to a dispute confuses the attention and reactive strategies of the other party to the dispute by a so-called split so that such other party now faces twin opponents when in reality the twins still remain secretly one. Is the LTTE now seeking belatedly to use this Cheyney tactic of the double double cross? Time and future proceedings will show to whoever comes into power at the election. DENROY, Lack of co-ordination among Government authorities On March 2 a one man operated bulldozer without any supervisor for direction, started digging both sides of the Kandewatte Road from the Nawala Road end. He cut the sides of the well maintained road and dragged the earth through the centre of the road making mounds on the sides. The entire road is one piece of earth strewn on the road inaccessible to some of the houses. Added to that, dust carried away by the wind has settled in houses close by and no one can walk on the road particularly when a vehicle passes. Traffic on this road is very heavy, motorists often taking a short-cut through this road whenever there is a slight traffic snarl on the Nawala Road from about the YMBA and the Nawala bridge. The road is supposed to be 30 foot wide and the centre is tarred leaving about 3-4 feet on either side. What was cut was the stretch on the sides. This area was fully covered with turf and maintained by the respective householders to prevent formation of dust. When inquiries were made from the Municipality why the good road was damaged to this extent the reply was that it was done to clean the clogged drains. Not convinced, because the drains recently constructed are being maintained by the respective householders inquiries were made from other road construction authorities viz UDA, WP Provincial Council and RDA, but the officials were completely unaware of such action. Who will remove the mounds of dusty earth placed on both sides of the road? As regards the dust in the atmosphere emanating from the vehicular traffic the road users and the residents will have to pray to the weather Gods to show a little mercy and cause some rain. Until then people have to suffer inhaling the clouds of dust both day and night and ultimately fall ill. Several children in the area have already succumbed. This is clear proof that Government authorities act irresponsibly without proper co-ordination with each other. A.R., V. Anandasangaree is undoubtedly the man of the hour and will be the man of this election. It takes lots and lots of courage not to toe the LTTE line if to live in the North-East, and really braves to defy their order not to contest. A close study will show that even Yakushi and Patten were wary of disagreeing with the LTTE, for fear of their life. Mr. V.A. therefore deserves praise. But I am praising him for another reason. Understanding and not penalising the weak. He was the MP for Kilinochchi before the District MP system came into existence. I was there in 1977 as a government servant, but with a tag of being a stooge of the then Minister of Posts, who was Mr. A.'s opponent at the election. I was also provided with an official jeep, which was commandeered by election workers on some days. On one such day I was waiting for a bus at a deserted junction, when Mr. A. on his election rounds stopped his vehicle and asked me where the jeep was smiling knowingly. I smiled too, but could not answer. Then he told me that he could give me a lift, but that would harm me and sped off. Today it would seen as if he and the LTTE have swapped electorates and therefore win handsomely, even though the farmers of Kilinochchi are not in his present electorate. May God bless him, and the 'SUNGOD' emulate him. P. WASALABANDARA, Sri Lanka is not an undeveloped country Sri Lanka was well developed long before the advent of the foreign invaders. During the magnificent and glorious Anuradhapura period our agricultural achievements, our constructive and architectural skills, irrigation systems, among others, reached the zenith of development unsurpassed by any other nation. But due to the calamitous foreign invasions, as inevitably occur due to the prosperity of a nation, decline did set in, as it happened in Rome and Greece... After the great King Parakramabahu, the maintenance of our prosperity became a problem due to foreign invasions. Now that we have regained our Independence, let us awake from this deep illusion that we are an undeveloped country, and learn to utilise our ample natural resources, having due regard to the natural environment and show the world what sustainable development is. We have to do research into the methods and systems of our own forebears, and adopt them as they will, do least harm to the all-important environment. We do not have to go around the world to learn what development is, but look within and it is all there. J.C. BOANGE, In the private sector a person selected and appointed as an accountant, for example, cannot be properly heard to say, that instead of working as an accountant, he will join the audit team, equally for example, and work for the employer as auditor. In such sector he will be told to resign as accountant and come before the selection committee who will decide whether he should be or should not be permitted to remain in service at all, as an auditor, or as any other employee. In the government sector, the electorate selects a politician by the sector vote, taking into consideration who he then is and what he then stands for. After such selection and political appointment he should not be properly heard to say that he will change what he stands for and join another party in parliament. In the government sector when this politician turns coats and joins another party, the party from which the electorate selected that politician, both the party accepting that politician as well as that turncoat politician are equally and jointly guilty of violating the trust placed in that politician by the electorate. As long as this turncoat facility is available to an appointed politician the leader of every political party will be always conscious of the need to please the turncoat. This type of turncoat system is political chicanery, and dishonesty on a national basis, and should not be continued in any democracy. R.L.R., Urgency to peace and governance Our beloved land has reached a state of utter confusion as never before mainly due to unhealthy political rivalry caused by the 1978 Constitution which was thrust upon us through a steam roller majority in Parliament without the people's consent. When one party promises to change the Constitution, those on the opposite side are swearing that they would not allow it, which means that the existing situation should prevail resulting in further chaos and ultimate ruin. Every right thinking person should consider that a change of Constitution is a matter of utmost priority followed by ethnic peace, development, and the establishment of law and order. The UNF Government should be given due credit for affording us two years of tranquillity without bomb scares. However, one cannot ignore the hard work put in by the President and her former Foreign Minister in preparing the groundwork with the international community for firm action against the LTTE to compel them to talk peace. However, it is a matter for regret that the peace process stalled due to failure on the part of the Government to accept the outstretched hands of the Executive President for success of the peace process. The Government also deserves credit for not only permitting, but also assisting the LTTE to attained enormous Military power in a short period of two years. A careful study of the country's development since independence will reveal that we are living today in a fool's paradise. Apart from the vast extent of land opened for cultivation by the Father of the Nation, late D.S.S. and the nationalised ventures established during the subsequent SLFP regimes, there has been hardly any development for the people. Musical shows, night lit Colombo streets, tourist hotels, golf courses, and factories which constantly throw out workers into streets etc. do not constitute development of living conditions for the people. Out of many blunders committed by our leaders in the recent past, bribery and corruption could be afforded the foremost place. Our essential food items which could be produced locally are being imported at considerable expense, while our agriculture and small/medium industries ar neglected. With a view to finding funds for the treasury (inclusive of the share to the Minister's pocket), national assets are being sold at random. For the first time in our history, Senior administrative officers and Judges took to the streets in protest. Power cuts are just round the corner with fuel generated power at prohibitive cost remaining the only alternative. For the first time in our history, salt water is seeping into Ambatale Water Intake along Kelani Ganga in such large quantities compelling the imposition of unannounced water cuts in Great Colombo resulting in untold suffering to the people. At the time Ambatale Water Supply Project was inaugurated 39 years ago, salinity was detected 1 km downstream of the intake at river bed level during the drought. This is an annual occurrence during the drought. This situation has progressively deteriorated during the last four decades with large quantities of salt water now seeping up the river during drought. It is evident that our leaders have failed to discuss such problems with their staff and take corrective action in time. A minor project to bring down the raw (river) water from a suitable location up stream to the existing treatment plant at minimal cost could have been a feasible solution. Such negligence on the part of a Minister in another country, would have given rise to a call for his resignation. It is the seared duty of every citizen at this critical moment to exercise his/her franchise intelligently and strive to revolutionise the whole process of governance by electing a strong government capable of effecting such a vast change, so that our future leaders could adequately take care of the country and its people without deviating from an established path. A.S.C., |
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