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| Thursday, 3 January 2002 |
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Letters | |
| News Business Features Editorial Security Politics World Sports Obituaries
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Most of the people including non-party members admire the new Prime Minister's great idea, the celebration of the "Day of brotherhood". That is the way to celebrate the party victory with non-party members. I watched a television news item that a similar event was celebrated at a temple in the Mihintale electorate. Lot of all party members had participated at this event. This type of great proposals would lead to reduced post election
violence at considerable level. Residents in Havelock Town have been severely inconvenienced by the Water Supply & Drainage Board on account of the current restriction of water. Water cuts in the area prevailed prior to the General Elections. However, the supply of water has been further restricted by Water Supply & Drainage Board, coincidentally, after the Elections. Most residents in the area reside in up stair apartments and are compelled to depend on water from overhead storage tanks. Daily the trickle of water that flows through the pipelines ceases around 7.30 a.m. and is restored around 9.30 a.m. The hydrolastic pressure that builds up for a short period around midnight, when water consumption is at its lowest, is barely sufficient to reach an elevation of 12 feet - just about 3 feet below the requirement for an overhead tank for ground level supply. The trickle of water supplied by the Water Supply & Drainage Board is even inadequate to fill an underground sump, overnight. Could the Water Supply & Drainage Board please look into the plight
of the drought stricken Havelock Town residents? Minister Milinda Moragoda is reported to have said he will use the hardy and cheaper Indian Ambassador cars rather than the ostentatious Mercedes, BMWs and Volvos. During the 1994 elections PA leaders scoffed at the UNP Ministers using Mercedes and BMWs and shouted hoarse they will not use them if they were voted into power. People took them at their word. Immediately on assuming power they did not - but they "thought" (?) they were fooling the people by later opting to use the super luxury Swedish Volovs: models chosen by them being much dearer. Later on, there were hardly any PA ministers who did not use expensive Mercedes and BMWs. And when the time for reckoning came the people showed them who taught who - a lesson the present lot must bear in mind. Ranil's men have a good opportunity to set an example to the people by using less fancy vehicles. Of course, the hardy terrain in the interior where politicians are often called upon to travel in their ordinary course of business require tougher vehicles. This can be done through less expensive Off-road vehicles rather than the super-luxury Pajeros, Monteros, Land Cruisers and other expensive SUVs most of which are sold to car-dealers by most politicians anyway. Karu Jayasuriya set an example earlier when he was Mayor by not taking his salary and through other austere measures. Leaders should not merely ask the people to tighten their belts only. They must set an example such as the one the late Indira Gandhi did during the 1962 war against China, when she gave away to the war effort all her gold jewellery - which saw millions of Indian women following suit. Perhaps it is time this Government also give instructions to State Corporations not to place costly advertisements of a personal nature involving politicians - using State funds. Some of these Corporations are financially so badly off they have to borrow money from the Treasury to pay their staff salaries. There was the instance of a Minister of the PA govt now no more - who escaped a parliamentary Inquiry for bribery against him by a whiff. This was followed by at least 2 Corporations under him placing full-paged coloured press advertisements thanking his gods (for "escaping"?) Even after the swearing in of this Government there have been a few instances where funds of Sate bodies are misused in this manner. This must stop. Of course, if friends, relatives, beneficiaries and "Pandankarayas" of politicians want their men to know with what affection they remember his birthdays, anniversaries etc they certainly can pay from their own pockets. The public is not going to complain. Ranil, one hopes, is quite capable of leading from the front and
thereby set a good political tradition even so later in the day. I hasten to correct the misconceptions in the feature on 'Harken to the cry of the disabled' by Ajith C. Perera (DN, Nov. 22). President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga issued a policy letter to the Cabinet Ministers dealing with most of the matters discussed in this article. Infrastructure and employment for the otherwise abled is particularly emphasised in the President's letter, even giving details for implementation. This policy directive was recently distributed in a recent seminar for vocational trainers organised by the ILO. Once the policy is declared, and the enabling legislation is enacted
(No. 28 of 1996), there is no need to elaborate in a political manifesto
before an election. This Government has always been concerned with the
needs of the otherwise abled.It is up to the Secretaries of Ministries,
their Additional Secretaries, the Public Servants as well as the private
sector to implement this Government's policy. I hope this letter will
remind the public officials of their responsibility - to the State and 9%
of the population - the otherwise abled, for urgent implementation. I wrote to PAFFRELL and CMEV for an appointment as an election monitor but all that I received was a stony silence. No interview to see whether I was suitable or partial politically. I am aware that local election monitors supplemented the EU observers.
It appears that those appointed had an understanding with the officials of
PAFFRELL and CMEV. I presume these monitors have been paid. If outstation
monitors were selected perhaps with a lesser payment a better service
could have been ensured as such people know the areas where work had to be
done. Does 'Opposition' promote harmony? Now that the Honourable Prime Minister is thinking of a national government, the term Opposition should be dropped from the parliamentary vocabulary as it connotes antagonism, rivalry, confrontation and is a hindrance to progress and harmony. So we should call the members of Parliament who sit on the "other
side" the alternate government or some less damaging term. Official figures reveal that there are nearly nine hundred thousand Sri Lankan expatriate workers employed in high level, middle level and low level jobs in countries of the Middle East, Europe and other countries like America, Canada, Australia, Japan, Korea etc. who have most unwillingly bade goodbye to their near and dear ones and left the shores of Mother Lanka with the main objective of earning a 'fortune' for their future well-being and stability. Their remittances to Sri Lanka in hard currency is said to run into a colossal million dollars per annum, which undoubtedly has helped every Government to build its foreign reserves to an appreciable level. Time and again, these migrant workers have pin-pointed the grave injustice done to them by every government in not taking meaningful action for them to vote at Presidential, Parliamentary, Provincial and Local government elections. Their pleas appear to have fallen on deaf ears. Though the names of these unfortunate persons appear in the Electoral Registers of the country, they are, however, deprived of their civic right as they happen to reside in foreign countries. The funniest part of this episode is that unscrupulous persons are prone to impersonate their votes at elections in the mother country, hoodwinking even Polling Agents who are expected to identify voters or raise objections if any voter has come to impersonate someone or other. In other words an indirect encouragement is given on a platter to dishonest people to make hay while the sun shines. Many countries like England, Germany, Switzerland, France, USA, the Netherlands and our immediate neighbour, India had made adequate provision in their electoral systems to enable their migrant compatriots to exercise their civic rights at elections in their mother countries by casting their votes at the various embassies, high commissions, trade missions, consulates etc. It shows that these countries have held the sanctity of the 'vote' in high esteem while our own country on the other hand has profaned its inviolability. It is possible that previous governments would have encountered constitutional difficulties in giving legal effect to this requirement without introducing amendments to the election laws of the country. Hence it would have pigeon holed this crucial change for attention later. Now that a new government is in the saddle commanding a comfortable majority in Parliament, it is hoped that this civic right would be bestowed on our compatriots soon as the Government is now making preparations to move the 17th Amendment to the Constitution within the next few days which would enable it to cast aside barriers hampering the smooth functioning of the Government machinery! The granting of this right would be considered by all citizens as a
feather in the cap of the new Government! Atomic reactors to end power cuts These days people talk of electricity cuts in the same way little children talk of the 'billa'. Without rain we will have no electricity, everyone believes, but why depend on rain water or any water at that? If our Government can request the American Government to set up the smallest Atomic Reactor in the central hill-country of Sri Lanka, then the energy that will be released by splitting an atom can be used to turn, for several years, the turbines that produce electricity for us. This will be, I think, a peaceful use of atomic energy. It the Government of Sri Lanka does not have sufficient funds necessary to set up a small Atomic Reactor I am sure the munificent American Government will agree to give us a loan, not only to set up the Reactor but for the whole works. Then we could repay the loan perhaps with small interest, in monthly instalments. If what I have suggested here is possible, then all our headaches about
having electricity cuts will be over. Every time the energy is expended we
have only to split another single atom and our scientists will gradually
learn how to manage an Atomic Reactor. Dharmapala Senaratne while being an Attorney-at-Law should be commended for his forthright views expressed in his letter on the above subject (DN Dec 25). But it has to be pointed out that most people who leave instructions either in the form of a last will or in any other way, as to how their funeral should be conducted, do so because they want either a simple private funeral or one without any ostentation. I think this is quite a laudable idea and that it should be encouraged.
Except in the case of a rare person who has rendered invaluable social
service to one's community, for any other ordinary person one's funeral
should be considered a very private affair. To bear the power cut even one hour the least or more for about six months till alternative arrangements or lasting solutions are made is not that easy for the electricity consumers. Whoever has been responsible for it the consumers have been suffering.However, whether we agree or not we have to face it since that is the pathetic situation about the electricity in our country. But I would like to suggest to the Minister not to impose power cuts on
weekends and on other important holidays as people will have functions
like weddings, customs, traditions, religious etc. to be held on such
days. |
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