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If any member behaves in disorderly manner in Parliament it is
degradation of his own position and gross disrespect to the people.
Therefore, it is incumbent of the leader whether of Governing Group or
Opposition to preserve the honour of the prestigious position conferred
by the people through an expensive electoral process.
Members of Parliament are people’s representatives for a period of
time and the people want their representatives to serve for that term.
Therefore, a premature call for elections to accommodate political
marriages and divorces, dreams and fancies, appears to be an impatient
attempt to grab power.
It is timed for the Budget. However crazy the background this could
be, it is reasonable and is also convention that a Government resigns if
a Budget is defeated. Towards this end, bankrupt Opposition can use the
meanest of tactics before and during Budget time.
This can include not only false propaganda but even threats and
mischievous attempts to scare away foreign investment and buckle trade
relationships. Locally, the usual weapon used to attack a Government
especially during Budget time is the rising Cost of Living.
This is a powerful weapon capable of arousing public protests, and
even mass demonstrations because apparently a rise in CoL is something
that generally affects everyone; but it need not be always so.
If it is felt heavy on the city dweller or where city life overflowed
into the suburbs wiping out the simple life patterns of the Sri Lankan
cultural heritage, still it may not be felt in the agricultural areas in
the same way, or sometimes not at all.
The Cost of Living cannot be spoken of, isolated from the many
contributory factors. The primary factor connected with the CoL is the
standard of living. Say, fifty years ago, the aspirations of people were
of a different type.
Food, clothing and shelter were the basic needs and even things like
a tooth-brush and tooth-paste were only known to an affluent class which
were a few. However, being the duty of successive Governments, the
sectors of education, health, roadways, power and communications, just
to mention a few, were greatly improved.
The standard of living of our people has improved by leaps and bounds
resulting in wider and complex needs. It does not take an economist to
know the behaviour of CoL viz a viz SoL but knowingly, most people try
to make a case for their benefit.
Generally, rise in CoL is one of the factors that the society has to
pay for the uplift of the social standards and the continuing
development of a country.
One of the natural expectations of the public is cheaper food
commodities, but there are many changes that have taken place in recent
times which appear to have changed the life patterns especially of the
urban population.
The simple life patterns having undergone change from the primary
food, clothing and shelter to include fashion, exhibition, convenience
and extravagant ways of life and expensive television advertising often
by tri-lingual heart-capturing gimmicks of wriggling teen-age beauties,
breath-taking, mouth-watering or even vulgar clips have added to the CoL
both by the creation of an induced demand for new items and also putting
up prices to compensate the exorbitant costs of electronic-media
advertising.
In this connection we did track some items so advertised, to prove
the point, and the best example we got was a ‘mud’ advertisement which
pushed up the price of a small kitchen item by twelve rupees shortly
thereafter. Advertising is a zooming business today and so is the
electronic media.
Then, there is the packaging business which has contributed to high
prices, for hardly anything sells unless well packed, in an enticing
colour-pack. It can be argued that all this is healthy economic
activity, but talking of CoL this is a significant contribution to its
rise.
Then there is the Credit Card which has increased the buying power
for consumer goods beating the long standing principle of the banks not
lending for consumption requirements. It would be interesting to study
the extent of credit extended by the banks on this account, and the
lower income margin that go down to in the process. This is also a
relevant factor in the rising CoL.
The Government sometimes plays the roles of producer, importer,
trader, distributor etc. within practical limits, but still they are
unable to ease the CoL significantly. One thing has to be remembered.
No Government has ever brought down the CoL, no Government ever will,
unless the people re-orientate their pleasures and desires to live in a
simpler way, pruning to some reasonable extent the comfort, convenience,
exhibition and excesses, they have been lured into by strong commercial
activities and by power-hungry politicians who paint a picture of a
‘Dreamland’ they will take them to.
JAGATH GUNASEKERA
Aturugiriya
Almost diagonally opposite the Railway station, there is a mountain
of garbage, which produces a terrible stench pervading the entire
neighbourhood. Unless remedial measures are taken immediately what is
most likely is that Panadura is in for an epidemic of respiratory and
related diseases.
I am writing this letter to apprise the Chief Medical Officer of
Health and the governing body of the Urban Council, particularly its
Chairman, the dreadful plight the residents of the city would be
subjected to. Surely, with all the modern technology easily accessible,
our local and talented environmental scientists and engineers should be
able to advise as to how this resource could be usefully tapped.
It may become necessary to separate the various types of waste coming
out of the households like glass, polythene and the kitchen waste.
Further, let me point out that the roads are fastly deteriorating.
All the roads perhaps with the exception of the Galle Road are full of
crater like pot-holes carrying muddy and putrid water. When one is
driving, one has to zig-zag to avoid the pot-holes, of course taking
great risks especially if one encounters a vehicle coming in the
opposite direction.
On rainy days, the pedestrians, particularly the teachers and
schoolchildren suffer a lot when the muddy waters splash onto their
sarees and starched uniforms. I am personally aware of several
schoolchildren who return home with tears in their eyes without
proceeding to school.
The drains bordering the roads are all broken down with stagnant
water forming ideal breeding sites for mosquitoes. The narrow roads are
used by very heavy vehicles as well, and day by day the pot-holes become
bigger and bigger. The Public Health Inspectors are never in the field,
confining themselves to their offices.
If the Urban Council is not prepared to wake up from its slumber I
plead and fervently hope that our Chief Minister for the Western
Province, Reginold Cooray to use all the strength at his command to
rectify this very pathetic position which the residents of Panadura are
facing.
I suggest, that the Urban Council put up a board at the entrance to
the city to say ‘Welcome to the garbage and pot-hole city of Sri Lanka’.
ANOMA FERNANDO
Panadura
The Super Star - Season 2 is over. All in all, Sirasa had done a good
job. The opportunities and exposure given to amateurs were great. The
viewership attracted by the programme must have been greater than the
viewership of the Cricket World Cup finals. Both finalists are super
stars in their on ways.
However, it is the experience of many viewers that voting through SMS
via Dialog was not possible to a great extent during the last two hours
of voting. Further, it is our experience that voting through SMS was
possible for one competitor and was not for the other which may have had
an effect on the final selection. The viewers who have had this
experience are disappointed with the service or efficiency of mobile
service providers .
The star is now elected. Hope that the star will be able to man the
starship, for an interstellar journey.
S.SILVA
Dehiwala
Today (November 06) when I was driving my vehicle to office, I was
stopped at the check point near the Wellawatte bridge. I am a person who
doesn’t drive everyday to work.
The policeman at the check point asked me for my driving licence and
revenue licence. Then I asked him whether he is from the Traffic Police.
He said no (because he asked for my driving licence and revenue licence
but not the National Identity Card).
Then he told me that his boss has given him a register with all sorts
of columns to fill and he should do what he is asked to do.
Can someone please enlighten me on what the job of a policeman at the
check point is, if he is not from the Traffic Police? Because I was of
the opinion that check points are to check an Identity Card of a person.
But I observe nowadays it is not so.
PRANEETHA PERERA
Moratuwa
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