• 'By losing the present time we lose all times'

• Pension arrears

• Crisis communication

• Malays serving in the Police

'By losing the present time we lose all times'

The immediate past has unmasked the hypocrisy of some of the Sri Lankan politicians who pay lip service to the advancement of the country. The so-called democratic parties too have given up principles perfidiously to grab power. Party loyalists are mere pawns under the obstreperous behaviour of egoistic leaders.

Democracy is not compatible with dictatorial leaders - unrestricted power of entrepreneurs and underworld 'War Lords'. Hair raising manipulative actions and political inspired wild cats strike for pseudo issues bring in severe hardships to the civil society.

Hats off to Mahinda Samarasinghe and the alike for their patriotic contributions in Parliament without any damn consideration to their ever scheming party hierarchy.

In a national calamity, all sections should come under one umbrella and work hard for the common good of the masses and the nation without trying surreptiously to exploit the crisis to gain political mileage. The dissonant parliamentary and party system in the country is the root cause for all the economic and social ills. Political party leaders who were at each others' throats have come together in unholy irresolute alliances, thereby betraying the party followers and ignoring inborn principles.

Self acclaiming capricious leadership in the opposition is constantly scheming to bring down the government without any consideration for even their own followers who were devastated by the tsunami.

Most of our so-called educated people in the country do not take any interest in public affairs and even refrain from voting, thinking politics is a mug's game. All right thinking people should bear in mind the politics in a democratic country is everybody's business.

Voting out a governing party is only a desperate gamble which was apparent after 2001 elections.

The present government under the President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga and the Cabinet have taken vast strikes solving many vital problems within a very short period.

It is opportune that all patriotic countrymen should forget all political, communal and doctrinal differences and come under the national flag to embrace the motherland towards a glorious future with equal status to all citizens in an undivided island - pearl of the orient. 'By losing the present time we lose all times.'

JINADASA NIYATHAPALA - Colombo

Pension arrears

Several letters have appeared in the print media of pension arrears over the past several months, in fact during the last UNP Government, they directed the Director of Pensions to pay the anomaly arrears with effect from January 1, 2004 to all pensioners who retired from service before 1996.

Two of my friends who retired from Government Service in 1983, have yet to receive these arrears and their Pension files are at the Ja-ela and Wattala Divisional Secretariat office. Now it is more than a year and no action appears to have been taken to pay the arrears on the salary anomaly. These pensioners have passed the biblical three score and then (70 years) and are unable to go to the Divisional Secretariat offices, as they are sick and feeble.

On inquiry about the delay from these two Divisional Secretariat offices, they have requested the pensioners to come and collect forms for information as when they joined Government Service and when they retired, salary particulars etc.

Before the 'Pension Award' is granted to pensioners, all details of the date of joining Govt. Service, the date of retirement, salary particulars at the time of retirement etc. all these particulars are readily available in the pensioners file, which is in custody at the respective Divisional Secretaries office.

'My wife who is a Govt. Pensioner, her pension file is attached to the Colombo Kachcheri, Pension Branch, Dam Street, Colombo, no forms were filled, no details were requested from the pensioner and the arrears were included in her December 2004 pension.

All these years pensioners have been suffering silently, with the sky rocketing prices of food, drugs, vitamins etc. They will not live long and the arrears would be credited back to Govt. Revenue. The pension arrears should be expedited as quickly as possible as a matter of right and not as a matter of charity.

With modern IT, why should there be any delay in calculating the arrears. It appears to me, that it is to embarrass the Government in power, why these particulars are requested by some Divisional Secretaries, when all details are readily available at the Divisional Secretaries offices.

The Ministry of Public Administration should go into this matter immediately and take meaningful action with the Director of Pension, for the present Govt. Red Tape.

F. A. RODRIGO-SATHIANATHEN - Kelaniya

Crisis communication

When an early warning of a 'calamity' reaches each Police Station in the island, they should mobilize their squad cars or even the motorbikes and go around their jurisdictions announcing a warning and ordering the people out of the danger zones, using their mobile PA systems.

This would be very effective and it is the quickest and the easiest way to get the message across to all Sri Lankans at once.

The Police Stations along the coastline should have a team matching that of the Baywatch Rescue Team - well, minus the alluring females of Baywatch fame.

The beach front also belongs to them. Anyway, whatever happened to the coastguards of Sri Lanka or did we ever have one at all - the sea been right around us from time immortal?

I had written sometime ago to the Daily News on how to make use of the 'E Sri Lanka program' to have a system to communicate countrywide in a crisis. If we had these simple, cost effective systems, we could have avoided many casualties when the tsunami hit us.

The populated beaches should have a PA system with a powerful Siren installed permanently on the beachhead to warn of such dangers. The Siren is very important as it could be heard many miles away. Whatever the cost, we should man these Towers 24 hrs, 365 days a year, right around the country, to save Sri Lanka in the future.

The large hotels around these areas could sponsor and maintain these systems. As an example 'Mt. Lavinia Hotel' could have one PA system and a Siren mounted Tower facing the Dehiwala area.

Another tower facing towards Mt. Lavinia could be manned by the 'Muhudumithuro Cabana', which was saved miraculously from the destruction.

But, the problem in Sri Lanka is that a few say we would never ever get another tsunami or that these systems would be ineffective - before trying it out!

We have proved beyond doubt that all Sri Lankans could rally around immediately in an emergency and in a crisis situation. Keep it up and let's get on to the next step of helping the country to rebuild.

WIKI WICKRAMARATNE - Colombo

Malays serving in the Police

The 141st Police Commemoration Day will be observed in Sri Lanka, on March 21, 2005. Police Day was inspired by the sacrifice of the late Police Constable Saybhan in paying the ultimate penalty in the line of duty when he confronted the infamous Saradiel's Lieutenant Mamala Marikkar at Mawanella on March 21, 1884.

Conceding Constable Saybhan's gallant act to have inspired the Police Commemoration Day, it is also appropriate to afford some publicity to the native community that Constable Saybhan belonged to.

Constable Tuan Saybhan hailed from the Malay Kampongs (Communes) of the then Colonial Ceylon.

Readers might be interested to note that the Ceylon Rifle Regiment of Malays alias Malay Rifle Regiment was disbanded in the year 1873 and the majority of the officers and men of the regiment joined the Ceylon Police, the Fire Brigade and also the estate plantation sector. Though achieves are not available on Saybhan, it is possible that he was a member of the disbanded regiment.

The Malays contributed in no small measure to the Police service, both during the pre and post Colonial eras of the history of this country. Though hailing from an alien ancestral lineage from the Malay Peninsular and the Dutch East Indies, the Malays served Sri Lanka with dedication, loyalty and bravery by being in the Armed Forces of Sri Lanka and the Police. History records that many Malays served the Kandyan Kings with dedication and unwavering loyalty.

In the Post Independence period many Malays served in the Police and the Armed Services.

Given the minute percentage of the Malays (minority amongst minorities), several of our brethren have laid down their lives in the cause of the motherland, both from the Armed Forces and the Police.

Sports is another arena in which the Malays excelled. The Police and Armed Forces boxing, rugger and soccer teams in the early 50s and 60s and the 70s were active with Malay sports men and women of repute some of whom represented at the National and International level.

Regrettably, the present generation Malays have gradually shied away from joining the Police and the Armed Forces, and have sought professions and occupations in the private sector where it seems that their proficiency in the English language and other qualities appear to have been put to profitable use.

The Malay community salutes the remnants of our brothers and sisters still serving the Police and the Armed Services and urge them to continue to carry their office with self respect and dignity, qualities which are sacred to the Malay psyche.

M. WAZIR SOURJAH - Retd. Chief Inspector of Police, Founder Secretary of Kumpulan Melayu Battaramulla (Battaramulla Malay Association)