• Trade unions in remote control

• Security and VIPs

• On rising cost of living

• Asia shows solar power is not just for rich
  
  
  Trade unions in remote control

Trade Unions shouldn't think that they are the masters. They are the paid servants of the public. It is their responsibility to serve their masters for which they are paid.

The Government elected by the people is superior to their servants selected by the Government. The people have entrusted the Government with the responsibility for good governance and to ensure the flow of what is essential to human life.

If the trade unions continue to harass the Government in power, the politicians who instigate the workers into action will begin to lose people's support.

This is what happened to the CP, LSSP, MEP, CP (Peking Wing) etc., who provoked the workers earning the wrath of the general public. It is the responsibility of the elected Government to serve the people and the trade unions instead of giving priority to their own personal glory, should support the Government which in its genuine endeavour is to meet the demands and wants of the people.

Otherwise, the trade unions can get one of their politicians to join a Government in power and run the Ministry under which their institution or the Department falls and show how to run the establishment profitably and efficiently.

The political leadership should see that the interests of the workers do not supercede that of the country and the people by their narrow-minded self-seeking policies.

Trade unions are selfish and that is why over a period of time the political parties which provide active political leadership to them fall out of popular grace and their image as a party of the people begins to wane.

People want parties which do not cause hardships to the people by whatever means. Such parties are with the minority against the majority. To cause inconvenience deliberately means the future of such political parties are doomed.

Even their rank and file who benefitted from the strikes too, would leave them. Thus remote control will demote them in the estimate of the people.

E. M. G. EDIRISINGHE - Dehiwela

Security and VIPs

Every time there is an assassination the road blocks increase, security is tightened and generally there is a noticeable anxiousness among the population.

If one studies, most of the victims who were killed they thought they were safe. For the reasons they firmly believed that adequate security arrangements were in force. For a casual onlooker, the security was overwhelming, with road blocks, convoy of vehicles, back-up motorcyclists, sirens etc.

Many VIPs who were killed believed in the occult. They had poojas, avoided certain types of food, had yard-long coloured threads on their wrists, consulted the astrologers frequently, did animal sacrifices. Had talismans around their necks.

I have no quarrel into this. But the problem arose when these people thought that this was adequate for their protection.

When people hold high office, the security should be totally in the hands of the Police and the armed forces. They should take over completely and do things irrespective of what the VIP says or believes in. These VIPs have no private life once outside their abode.

Every turn, every movement must be coordinated by the security. During World War 2, Sir Winston Churchill lived in an underground bunker. He wasn't allowed to go anywhere he wanted.

These people once they are elected to high office, belong to the State. They are national treasures. People like General Parami Kulatunge are in this category.

One solitary person in a small motorcycle within seconds deprived the country of his years of expertise which he had at Government expense with a multitude of training programmes, from all the prestigious military academies around the world and with first-hand experience in combat. He was an officer and a gentleman but it is no point crying about this after the event.

Public appearances must be banned for these VIPs. If at all, they can make a surprise visit but this should not be known, other than for about six trusted people.

In this era of electronic communications video conference should be the order of the day.

On this matter, can someone enlighten me on the need for roadblocks at entry to the City. What purpose does it serve? Whoever who wants to get in will always have their documents in order whether original or forged. The safest way to the City is when it rains heavily or if there are foreign looking people inside.

Various Municipalities have also allowed unauthorized structures near or on every bridge to the entrance to the city. With proper coordination the arteries to Colombo can be choked at least for a few hours if these bridges are taken.

There must be sterile areas not only near bridges but other security areas as well.

D. M. FERNANDO - Dehiwela

On rising cost of living

Recent media reports highlighted the pressing need to bring down the rising cost of living, or at least halt its upward trend. President was reported to have appointed a Committee to look into this matter.

This letter seeks to raise a point that crossed the writer's mind regarding a contributory factor that leads to an increase in the cost of living, however unorthodox this point may appear to be. It is a common occurrence for private sector business ventures as well as public sector companies such as Government owned banks to publish reports of their enhanced company profits.

Whenever I see these boastful statements in the newspapers, the instant question that arises in my mind is "At whose expense have they made these thumping profits?" One may argue that, under the liberalised economic system, the private sector entrepreneurs have an unqualified licence to fleece the general public to enhance their profits.

It appears as if these public sector establishments have completely abandoned the prime objectives for the achievement of which they were originally established. Some Banks' maximisation of monetary profits was certainly not the main objective envisaged by the late T.B. Illangaratne. He was out to help the common man.

His cherished purpose was to offer banking facilities to the common man at nominal costs. For instance, the Peoples Bank is no different from any other commercial bank operating in the country. Same could be said of the other major Government owned commercial bank, Bank of Ceylon too.

As a measure towards bringing down the cost of living, guidelines for these banks should be laid down in such a way that they will provide credit facilities to the public at moderate rates of interest, instead of setting targets to maximise profits.

It is not the view of this writer that these public sector banks should disburse loans indiscriminately at uneconomic rates of interest and end up with a red Balance Sheet. But it is really irritating when you read in the media, boastful reports of their enhanced profits.

The era of unfettered competition among the commercial entities in this country should come to an end, if the Government is genuinely keen to contend escalatory trend in the cost of living.

Reverting to the private sector entrepreneurs, the other question that irks my mind is "Who pays for all the extravagant commercial advertisements that appear in the electronic and print media?" The obvious answer is 'It is ultimately the consumer'.

All manufacturers and service providers fix the prices of their products and services taking into account the cost of their advertisements. Logically speaking, if these advertisements are restricted (not totally banned), the entrepreneurs should be able to mark down the prices of their products.

The authorities should consider restricting advertisements, for instance, to a percentage of the company's turnover.

The cost saved thereby should be passed down to the consumer. This measure, if adopted will certainly have a salutary effect on the cost of living. While on this subject, it would be pertinent to comment on the unsuitability of some advertisements that are telecast over the various TV Channels.

Experts on child health have, on numerous occasions, expressed concern over some commercial advertisements that promote various child food products and supplements.

Premadasa Periyapperuma Maharagama

Asia shows solar power is not just for rich

This refers to the article published in your paper on 06.07.2006 on the above subject in the Science and Technology supplement (p.48) appraising the efforts by Bangladesh. While thanking you for publishing on new technology options for the information of the readers we kindly draw your attention to the work already done in Sri Lanka in the same field.

SEEDS, Sri Lanka (Sarvodaya Economic Enterprise Development Services (Guarantee) Limited has given light from solar power for remote village homes numbering over 55,000. In fact SEEDS won an international award for this service of improving the quality of life in June 2006.

In Sri Lanka much more work has been done in the area of solar power. There is an integrated programme of financing solar pv. SEEDS has invested over Rupees Two billion (2,000,000,000) on the project lending. The Sri Lankan model of financing is considered the most successful model and have been replicated in other countries.

The Sri Lankan Government has encouraged the programme by allowing a direct grant of Rs. 10,000 to each consumer, to make it affordable to low income groups.

The most interesting thing is that the light from solar power is used by the village in many ways for income generating activities, self-employment activities, children's education, knowledge widening, safety etc.

INDRANI HETTIARACHCHI
Deputy Director, Banking (SEEDS - Sri Lanka)