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When late SWRD Bandaranaike left the UNP, the first to follow in his
footsteps was D. A. Rajapaksa. When Chandrika Kumaratunga, his daughter
became the President, SWRD from the heavens or where he is would have
been emotionally the happiest.
Eleven years later when Mahinda Rajapaksa the son of his first
follower became the President, he would have been the morally happiest.
It was the common man and not the aristocracy who enthroned SWRD in
power in 1956 and it was the common man whom he wanted to be enthroned
in return.
Fifty years later in 2006, a common man was enthroned making his
cherished dream come true at last. A political scenario of this nature
is unparalleled in world politics. So, SWRD from his divine abode may be
showering Mahinda Rajapaksa with best wishes for an eventful and
successful Presidency.
His saddest moment would have been the day he saw his daughter
Chandrika and his son Anura whom he once told Jawaharlal Nehru would be
his future, leaving the SLFP he founded either to form another party or
to join another party, while the commoner who enthroned him remained
steadfastly loyal to the party he founded.
E. M. G. EDIRISINGHE - Dehiwala
One of the Urban Council roads in Ambalangoda town has been named as
‘Kularatne Road’ to honour a distinguished son of the soil who is a
well-known person in the field of education.
This is an important and a busy stretch of road in our town branching
off from the Galle/Colombo highway and going up to a certain distance
before it joins another U.C. Road.
However, we observe that there are no name boards at either ends of
this road to indicate that it is ‘Kularatne Road’. This is the position
for the last so many years.
We hope the City Fathers would take note of this lapse and put
matters right early.
LIONEL LEANAGE
The JHU’s decision to join the Government should be welcomed for at
least one good reason. This party may not have a comprehensive framework
to countenance all the pressing needs of the country. But importantly
during its short but vibrant existence, it has not been tainted by
corruption, the bane of most political parties.
When the JVP helped the SLFP to form a Government accepting
portfolios in the recent past, people had high expectations. But these
expectations were shattered. They made pronouncements making it clear
that they were committed to the elimination of corruption.
But transparency was lacking even in their ministries. Recent media
exposures of their members or sympathisers involved in despicable
anti-social acts such as running brothels or piracy of electricity have
made the people doubt their true worth and political honesty.
Black sheep do exist in any organisation. The least the JVP could
have done was to have taken some meaningful action against the culprits
and demonstrate to the nation that the party does not condone such
activities.
Lord Acton’s dictum, ‘Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts
absolutely’, has seldom been proved wrong. The JHU can do this.
Ingrained in the noble principles of Buddhism, the JHU mainly comprising
erudite monks has indeed got a wonderful opportunity to show the nation
that political power can be utilised to the full to serve the nation
without enriching themselves.
In the allocation of Ministries, it is a matter for satisfaction that
the President in his wisdom has entrusted to the JHU perhaps the most
important portfolio from the point of view of the country’s future. Most
sensibly he has combined natural resources with environment.
One could reasonably infer that the President has realised that the
environment can no more be left to be destroyed by the forces of
corruption; and that the natural resources have to be scientifically
exploited without harming the environment.
The ball is in the JHU’s court. A great opening indeed to prove to
the nation that it is not just a rag tag group of monks and laymen but a
well organised secular entity capable of maturing into a national
political party.
Champika Ranawaka has an unenviable and challenging task. If he
delivers he will have a place of honour in the country. All that he
needs to do is to put an end to the following:
1. The wanton destruction of forests.
2. Illicit gemming.
3. Illicit sand mining and the destruction of river banks.
4. Indiscriminate blasting of rocks.
5. The clearing and building on hill slopes and reservations.
6. Cutting across hilly terrain for roads without a reasonable
gradient.
7. The destruction of mangroves and sand dunes.
8. Industrial pollution by the non-observance of environmental laws.
The reduction of the occurrence of natural disasters such as floods
and landslides will alone save the country billions of rupees. Further
benefits will accrue when the water sources become perennial as in the
past.
The tanks in the dry zone will not run out of water,
hydro-electricity production will not be interrupted and there will be
ample water for domestic and industrial use. Better water and better
water will also result in better health.
A country’s natural resources are its greatest wealth. They have to
be exploited in a planned and scientific manner with due concern for the
environment. Our phosphate deposits, mineral sands, quartz, granite,
graphite, kaoline, mica, precious stones, petroleum and marine resources
and even our rare plants and herbs should not be sold to multi-nationals
to be indiscriminately exploited. There had been many such shady deals
in the past.
My personal view is that the new Minister will be up to the task. In
the late eighties as the Advisor to the University Grants Commission at
a time of nationwide student unrest, I was closely associated with the
discussions that A. C. S. Hameed and Dr. Stanley Kalpage regularly had
with student delegations. Champika Ranawaka stood out as a courageous
young leader vehemently opposed to corruption and injustice.
Let us all hope that Champika Ranawaka will be able to face all
obstacles mainly from the corrupt elements and courageously face the
challenges of his Ministry for the benefit of the generations to come.
To him, the guiding principle should be ‘Mihintale Doctrine’ of the
great Arahat Mahinda himself that rulers have no right to wantonly
destroy the environment and that they are mere trustees to preserve the
environment for generations of humanity to come.
EDWARD GUNAWARDENA - Battaramulla
Dr. Ananda Amarasinghe, Consultant Epidemiologist says the best
defence against the deadly mosquito borne diseases was cleaning of the
environmental regularly to destroy the mosquito breeding grounds.
According to statistics by the health authorities, the Western Province
is one of the worst affected by Dengue fever.
One can see how the rate payers within the Colombo Municipality are
exposed to these entire unhealthy environments, where garbage are
stacked every day almost daily and makeshift wooden structures and
unauthorized structures, heaps of planks where mosquitoe breeding places
are originated.
Poor sanitary services within the CMC limits specially in areas like
Aluthkade, Kochchikade, Suduwella, Mariyakade, Dematagoda, Maligawatta,
Lunupokuna areas where mostly the poor live.
It is the health authorities of the CMC who have neglected in their
duties together with the Engineering Division which has to supervise
unauthorized structures that are harmful to the health of the
ratepayers.
Over to the CMC for immediate action to provide its ratepayers a
decent comfortable healthy living.
AYLU MARIKKAR - Colombo 12
I endorse Vass Gunasekera’s letter of February 10 in the Daily News.
The usual practice is for the Meter Reader to issue the monthly bill
indicating the units consumed. Unfortunately, this is observed more in
the breach. This time his month has run into 42 days.
The CEB advices the consumers to curtail the use of electricity.
Middle class consumers reciprocate to keep the number of units per month
below 90.
Some months the Meter Reader does not turn up at all. In such
instances, we get assessed monthly bills, (surprisingly back dated as
much as ten days). When the local CEB engineer’s office is contacted,
the reply is that they do not have sufficient meter readers.
The Consumer is taken for a ride. Trust the Minister of Power and
Energy and the Secretary will take the necessary action.
K. H. DAYARATNE - Bandarawela |
