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| Monday, 22 March 2004 |
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Letters | |
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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.
Listen ye political contenders These days we hear and witness a whole gamut of promises being made with rhetoric, hype, floridity, panache and a great deal of razzmatazz by political contenders who vie assiduously to enter the portals of the National State Assembly. By all means welcome. Alas, once elected to power they begin to suffer an acute bout of amnesia that no physician could cure. That is a very common malaise among a greater proportion of this particular breed. Once inside the four walls of the Parliament there is perfect cohabitation between the Government and the Opposition in matters concerning remuneration and other allowances, subsidy for meals, luxurious brand new duty free vehicles and a pension to boot after a mere five year duration etc. They also feel that they are free to do anything and act as they wish arbitrarily and not be answerable and accountable to the people whom they elected to power. During the placid days of your Mother Lanka was able to proudly boast of her worthy sons like Messrs Dudley Senanayake and W. Dahanayake who were gentlemen politicians par excellence. I have heard that late Mr. Dudley Senanayake had a few hundreds of rupees when he left us for good. Late Mr. Dahanayake was famous as a train traveller from Galle to Colombo in a third class compartment mixing up with the hoi polloi. It cannot also be impugned that still there are honourable politicians like Mr. Karu Jayasooriya et al who are in minuscule minority. In utter contrast, today we have Parliamentarians assaulting high ranking Government officials for not according them receptions. We certainly do not grudge Parliamentarians enjoying all the perks and privileges bestowed on them by them. Simultaneously, we also do not want their cronies and hangers-on of the ruling elite to amass undue gain and wealth at the expense of the nation. During the previous regime, the drastic cuts in interest rates from time to time drew epistles of protest specially from senior citizens who were the worse affected. The gravamen of their howls of protest had a certain consistency, but they were all ignored and the Finance Minister and his worthy Deputy continued to maintain a deafening silence and carried on regardless affecting further cuts intermittently. This was an unprecedented blow to senior citizens who depend on the interest earned from their meagre savings. It is said that the previous regime utilized the Indian Credit Line which was meant for procurement of equipment for development purposes to purchase vehicles for Parliamentarians. The Opposition very probably agreed in toto. Please remember that the man-in-the street does not wish these lapses to recur. Please avoid straying more towards the perks and privileges of political power having developed rhinoceratic hides towards public criticism. In short, please avoid living in clover at public expense but afford little courtesies to the poor citizenry as far as possible. Please restore to us what you denied us by way of interest on the savings of at least the over sixty mass of citizenry. NANDA NANAYAKKARA - Matara National Education Task Force (NETF): Why does it remain stillborn? Dr. Dieter Kotte's article on the above subject (DN March 17) is an account of what he sees to be the naked truth about it. It is not often that we get such a man giving a public account of happenings behind the scenes. (a) The work of NETF has involved "nearly two years of intense lobbying". (b) The National Education Commission is "ineffective". (c) The draft NETF Cabinet Paper has been ignored by a local advisor. Would Dr. Kotte please give us more details on these matters? This should help us to guard against failures and 'stillbirths' and the loss of services of intensely concerned consultants of the calibre of Dr. Kotte. V. BASNAYAKE - Colombo 4 Unquestionably, the free will is the personal liberty of every human being, from time immemorial, to possess a free mind-set to solve or act any matters the individual faced with. Under context, the question arises as to how can a person be influenced or coerced by another to follow or give consent to the will of the other by favours to redress his socio-economic difficulties personally or at home? Why should a man obey another man? Certainly, people are not afraid of the policeman as a person. They are afraid of the law. Let me take the reader further. No one can stop anyone from worshipping the Son of Perdition, Dead Spirits, Setting Sun or any cult. I have the liberty to shop at the Majestic City or in the outskirts of Pettah. I can speak and write in any three languages of my choice. No one can bar me from praying and offering Poojas at the Kaliamma's Kovil, Kataragama Temple and at St. Anthony's Church on the same day. I have the freedom to seek favours or intervention of any deity or God I prefer best; or be a Free-Mason. That's my conscious inclination or deliberation towards any end or course. It is stated that even the Great Omnipotent (whatever name one may call) will not interfere or obstruct with one's free will. The choice is his. It is the exclusive man's domain. Even our man-made Constitution has laid down this freedom for our plural society to exercise his multi-ethnic, multi-lingual and multi-religion culture as one prefers. As such, the three organs of the State or anybody cannot curb or stop these basic rights between selecting alternatives; it is a serious infringement of one's fundamental rights. Let us have a broad frame of mind and get this picture clear. H. L. D.E. PERERA - Mattakkuliya In the present context of things, the Constitution bestowed on us has been changed and challenged many a time. This is an amalgam of French, German, English and American Constitutions, we were told by the Constitutional experts. Since this is the root of all ill radix malorum, all combinations forbidden are entrenched in the chapter on, President and Powers. President Chandrika Kumaratunga, who currently exercises all the powers under the Constitution has branded it as "Bahubootha Constitution" and should be scrapped in toto. President Kumaratunga has quite explicitly told the nation that the House will be converted to a General Assembly to draft a New Constitution and that she would function as its Prime Minister and exercise all Presidential authority subject to approval of the House. I appreciate this determination, in view of the crisis created by PM Ranil Wickremesinghe, when he was importuned by the President to continue the Ceasefire Agreement he has reached with the LTTE with the concurrence of Norwegians. Furthermore, the Electoral System virtually divided the United Sri Lanka into four communal groups with no chances of unification and to put the lose ends together. I hope reason will prevail and communal ignorance will not perpetuate. "For Burke, change itself was but an incident in the triumph of continuity and conservation." G.P. - Galle Sri Lanka is at the threshold of another, but quite a decisive General Election. It is needless to emphasize the facts that led to call for snap elections, putting an end to two years of 'annointing oil' and softpedaling on every activity detrimental to the integrity of our country. It is a pity that in Sri Lanka's public opinion over any important general issue had, mostly, being either on the negative or utterly belated. Throughout years, we experienced that the 'Caravan Moved' by the time we realized our follies: hence the 'Thattu Maaru' regimes came to being. The time is rife for all patriotic masses in our country to realize this folly, at least now, taking a leaf out of recent events in the world. Spanish Elections, just in the limelight is the latest in particular. The Spanish people's stance of Sunday March 14, should be reckoned as the latest living example of a nation's prompt, astute and sagacious resolution of general concensus and their ability to sort out the priorities, in dealing with immediate issues threatening the security of that nation, to which they were wide awake. March 11, 2004 was considered by Spanish people to hold its place in the history of infamy, according to its Prime Minister Jose M. Aznar. Ten bombs exploded and ripped through commuter trains during the rush hours on Thursday 11th, at three railway stations in Madrid, killing about 200 people and injuring over 1,500. Dead bodies were strewn across railway lines and the surroundings. It is really interesting to note how the people reacted, unlike we in Sri Lanka, who are famous for weeping today and forgetting the whole issue tomorrow. Only three days later - Sunday, March 14, the Spanish people ousted the Spanish government that supported US President George Bush in his unilateral invasion of Iraq, under the pretext of war against terrorism, which, now turned against the innocent people of Spain. This should certainly be considered being awake and alive to disaster. They did not get into the deep slumber, like what we do, deaf and blind to whatever was going on for the country's doom. No false promises of Prime Minister Aznar or other allies could avert the people's trend against their government. Spanish voters, it is reported, wearing black ribbons, voted out the ruling popular Party of Prime Minister Jose Aznar, a close ally of Bush in the war in Iraq. Jose had sent a contingent of Spanish troops to Iraq, much against the roaring voice of the Spanish people. Not only that. The incoming Socialist Party Prime Minister, Jose L. R. Zapatero has vowed to withdraw their troops Spain has in iraq, in the event United Nations do not take up more positive measures for Iraq. This is how a nation should really act in the wake of disaster and machination by dirty politics in any civilized people's scenario. Similary, Sri Lankan voters should bravely and vigorously resolute whom they are going to empower on April 2, 2004. Pray our people take a leaf out of the Spanish Book and read (or hear), remember and act accordingly, as the Buddha said - "Sunetha, Dharetha, Charetha Dhamme". May we regain our beloved country! ANANDA WIJESINGHE - Canada The Sri Lanka Government Railway Service to Vavuniya is in a deplorable state. The trains run far behind the scheduled time. On February 29 the evening intercity train to Vavuniya reached its destination two hours behind schedule after 11 p.m. placing the commuters in great difficulty. The railway authority charges Rs. 250 as fare for this intercity train journey which is supposed to run in 5 hours. About thirty years back the "Yal Devi" express train took less than 5 hours to reach Vavuniya from Colombo but stopping in about 8 stations. Unscheduled stops are made at the whims and fancies of the operating staff. No wonder that people are reluctant to patronize this service where punctuality is hardly observed. The normal train service has too many stops from Vavuniya to Colombo. This is worse than private bus service. As a result, people are forced to travel in private buses or vans to Colombo incurring more expenditure. The Railway continues to lose because of the poor management practices followed. Will those responsible in managing the Railway, respond to public criticism and ensure that train services reasonably keep to schedules and attract the travelling public. V. REGUNATHAN - Jaffna On hearing one or two cases of above victims I decided to write so that it could save some victims from these dangerous animals - domesticated or stray in these hot days when the humidity is high. There is a precautionary measure to be taken in time, specially the school children. I have very often seen them feeding them, stroking or the back, carrying them and so on. Mad dogs could be easily identified when the eyes are red, tongue hanging out with saliva dripping. If it chases the children, they should not run helter-skelter making big cry or shriek not to look at it, stay motionless till it moves away. In case of bites, wash the wound immediately with running water, soap and seek medical treatment without delay or postponement. The local authorities and health authorities, elders, parents, teachers and mostly the mass media should make a public awareness on this imperative matters. J. E. VETHANAYAGAM - Moratuwa |
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