|
Today is Earth Day.
You live because the environment gives you free oxygen to breath, the
environment absorbs your carbondioxide using trees to make food for you
and I. The environment gives water as rain water free of charge. The
soil we walk on not only provide space for our homes, but allows space
for plants to grow. So it is your duty as responsible citizens born to
this world to give something back to the environment. On the World Earth
day at least, attempt the following:
. Carry a cloth or a cane bag for shopping
. Refuse thin polythene bags
. Do not throw any waste onto the roadside
. Put all your rubbish into a waste bin
. Separate your waste at home to give to the garbage truck for
recycling
. If you do have a Ecokiosk or Sampath Piyasa in your area, give your
waste there for recycling
. Do not spit on the roadside
. Do not put any posters on the walls
. Use all your perishable waste for composting
. Make a compost bin at home using sticks and mesh for composting
your waste
. Smile and be nice to at least one human being today, because humans
are also part of the environment
. Make sure that any functions held today will respect the
environment
. Decision makers must decide today in favour of the environment than
against it
. Today do not approve projects which are likely to release excess of
Carbondioxide, Sulfurdioxide or nitric oxides or excess carbon to the
atmosphere
This way show kindness to the environment at least once in your life
time. Though it is not sufficient, Sri Lankan can attempt to be
different at least once.
DR AJANTHA PERERA
Founder, National Program on Recycling of Solid Waste
The present generation doesn't seem to know the past Constitutional
history of our country, worst of all, when the leaders of the principal
Opposition today talks in parables.
I have, then as a 16 year old schoolboy, still remember how the late
Christopher Kannangara had to fight tooth and nail, to bring forward the
Free Education Bill, in the State Council in 1945, when we were still a
crown colony under the Britishers. Kannangara who was then the Education
Minister sought the help of Oliver Goonetilleke who was then the Civil
Defence Commissioner.
The National Congress which was formed in 1945 comprised Dr T B Jayah,
Prof C Sundaralingam of the Tamil Congress, who was then the Professor
of Mathematics of the University of Ceylon. The so called National
Congress opposed the Free Education Bill as they claimed the Government
at the time had no finances to foot such at a time had no finances to
foot such a massive undertaking. However Sir Oliver Goonetilleke
requested Christopher Kannangara to bring the Bill in the State Council
so that thousands of poor children, who couldn't afford at least a
fruitful education in city schools would benefit thus.
If one were to recapitulate the past decades, it is obvious that a
university education for poor children from the hinterlands of our
country have brought out the fact that today most of them man the higher
echelons of both the State sector as well as the private sector.
It is interesting to note Sir Ivor Jennings' comments: "The history
of the franchise between 1928 and 1943, is stated so far as I can tell
quite fairly in paragraphs 203 to 222 of the Soulbury Report".
The Donoughmore Constitution was accepted by the Legislative Council
by 19 to 17 votes on the understanding that either domicile of choice is
a most difficult operation, and yet the number of Indians who secured
the franchise on the basis of domicile rose from 100,000 in 1931 to
225,000 in 1939. Then the weeding-out process began and the number fell
to 168,000 in 1943. The number enfranchised under the pre-Donoughmore
Constitution was 12,438.
ELMO FERNANDO
Kalutara North
The article which appeared under the caption: 'When is Sivarathri?'
(March 12) taken off the website Mahasivarathri org. misrepresents facts
about Mahasivarathri. According to the article, "Shiva's great night
symbolises the wedding day of Lord Shiva and Parvathi" is in fact, not
the reason for this Pooja. It is the night when Brahma and Vishnu were
enlightened in seeking the divine Jyothi (god in the form of light).
Further, in the same article it says, "devotees give a ritual bath to
the lingam with the Panchakawya", and goes on to name, "milk, sour milk,
urine, butter and dung". Such wordings cause great pain of mind, and is
of great humiliation.
These materials are, in fact, known as Kosalam, Komayam, curd, ghee
and milk, which are taken from the pure and holy cow.
The cow being a scared animal to all Hindus or a non Hindu, reading
this article, the above misconceptions would sound ridiculous and would
cause total confusion, as how urine, dung and sour milk is offered to
the great Lord Shiva.
Sridaran Thambirajah
Mount Lavinia
I read the letter to the Daily News sent by a Sri Lankan pensioner
from the UK. I fully agree that in this day and age, the Pensions
Department must adopt more practical means to verify legitimate
pensioners with the use of technology.
We have embassies that can play the role of certifying pensioners.
They are not overburdened to absorb this task to simplify the burden on
legitimate pensioners. Bank Managers are responsible officers who can
vouch for the pensioners who are still alive and it is easier to be seen
and certified by a Bank Manager than to find the Gramasevaka.
The Government must either put competent people in jobs that require
'intelligence' and 'creative thinking' who can look at changing times
and use systems that make sense. To pay half the pension for certifying
a monthly document overseas is a typical situation that portrays either
the ignorance of the pension's officers or the sheer wickedness because
of the animosity to those who live abroad.
I believe it is more of the latter because the belief in Sri Lanka is
that streets abroad are paved in gold. I hope we can find a way to show
people there that we work like machines to keep body and soul together
and pay bills. It doesn't fall from the skies for no effort. Just
because people live abroad, Sri Lankan mindset is that they have
limitless money. Unlike bribery and corruption, every penny earned
abroad is taxable. The disposable income is in the hands of those who
have the power to amass ill-gotten wealth.
My mother who is 88 years old has not received her pension for
months. This is the second time it stopped without a reason. The
Pension's Department is so hard headed that they don't even realize that
pensioners are old people. My father served the country as an honourable
Judge and my mother received her pension for many years without a
problem. Suddenly the pension's office has woken up from their stupor to
learn that there was pension fraud. Now my mother is not mobile but she
is expected to go to Dam Street, then chase the Gramasevaka and get her
pension.
Anjalika Silva
USA
When politicians take on the role of watchdogs and champions of
religion, with the real agenda of gaining political mileage, religion
suffers. In the post-independence period, Buddhist values and ideals
have been diluted and declined due to political exploiting. Recently a
Christian politician, tried to take on the role of 'Defender of the
Faith' with the real intention, apparent to any one, of stirring up
religious disharmony on the eve of the General Election. He is reported
to have criticized the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) for organising an event
('tamasha' as he calls it) to launch the ticket and mascot for the
upcoming World Cup. According to him, holding such an event, "with the
serving of liquor and the sorts" on Good Friday, a day of mourning for
Christians, is an insult and demeaning to the minority Christian
community.
In our society many are aware of the significance of Good Friday and
respect its solemnity. Yet Good Friday has not been observed in this
country as a day of national mourning with a taboo on functions, serving
of liquor etc. In fact I wonder if there is any Christian country where
Good Friday is declared a day of national mourning. Even the Catholic
Church has not declared Good Friday a Day of Obligation, when certain
religious observances are mandatory to the faithful and it is customary
for Christians to observe it in church or at home, in prayer and a
spirit of sacrifice, partaking of simple meals sans fish and meat.
There has not been any concern among Christians as to what the rest
of the country does on this day. Would it not be correct to say that he
himself would not have raised a cry about it had the elections not been
round the corner?
In the hope of dissuading politicians of his ilk from further
promoting their political agenda under the cover of religion, I would
request them to turn to the words of Jesus Christ in the Gospels where
he directs his greatest condemnation to hypocrites, especially religious
hypocrites who pretend in public to show love and honour for him while
all the time seeking through him, to further their own interests:
"People honour me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in
vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrine the precepts of men."
(Mathew 15:1-9)
Such people are truly the 'whited sepulchers' also referred to by
Christ when he said: "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!
for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which outwardly appear
beautiful, but inwardly are full of dead men's bones, and of all
uncleanness.(Matthew 23:27)
Sagarica Rajakarunanayake
Sathva Mithra
A series of letters have been written to the newspapers during the
last few days highly critical of His Grace, the Archbishop of Colombo,
Most Rev Dr Malcolm Ranjith.
The focus of these letters has been as to why the Archbishop was
silent when a 'so called' tamasha was held on Good Friday. One wonders
having read these articles whether 'one has mistaken the wood for the
trees.' There is no doubt that Good Friday is a day of great
significance to Christians throughout the world. It is a day of fasting
and abstinence and also a day on which the faithful are obliged to
devote themselves to prayer. This applies to Christians and only to
Christians.
The event in question was the ticket and mascot launch of the tenth
edition of the ICC World Cup 2011. The point that needs to be emphasized
here is that this event is of no significance to Christians per se.
However obviously as the event in question was held on Good Friday,
Christians would not be in a position to have attended such an event.
This is all that would flow from the event being held on Good Friday. Do
we not have weddings and other cultural events on Good Friday? Moreover
Good Friday is not even a Mercantile Holiday in Sri Lanka.
However most writers have levelled personal criticism on His Grace
the Archbishop for remaining silent on this matter. My own personal view
is that there was no need at all to issue any letter of protest. What in
fact has happened is that politicians and other for cheap political gain
are seeking to make a mountain out of a molehill and in the process
seeking to make the Archbishop a scapegoat to justify their own
political objectives. This is more than obvious from the gist and tenor
of almost all the said articles in question. Let us rise above these
petty political objectives for it is then and only then that Sri Lanka
can achieve greatness. Let us as Christians refrain from needless
criticism and on the contrary in whatever profession we are, live our
lives and practise our profession so that others may see in us an image
of the Lord and Master who we are and whom we seek to serve. This is
what is required of us as Christians.
Shammil J Perera
Colombo 7
|
