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| Thursday, 24 October 2002 |
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Letters | |
| News Business Features Editorial Security Politics World Sports Obituaries
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World Bank aid for development of the North and East Sri Lanka is in abject poverty because the country has been robbed of its resources since 1977 by those in power upto 2001. No wonder that Sri Lanka has the dubious reputation of being the 9th corrupt country in the world. The World Bank has provided US$ 50 million and the ADB another 50 million to develop the war-ravaged areas. Countries such as Japan, USA and the EU have pledged millions more. Going by what happened to the war money and how it found its way to bank vaults of ex-ministers, the Prime Minister should be careful that funds will not be siphoned off this time. Already there are allegations that the Rehabilitation Minister has given contracts to his relations Company to "rehabilitate" roads in Jaffna. While it may be regular, it leaves a sour taste as there were allegations earlier. The war money was siphoned off regularly from 1983 upto recent times by top politicians. That was the reason why the war could not be won. There were patriotic generals like Denzil Kobbekaduwa as well as ordinary soldiers who sacrificed their lives. They would have lived today if they were given the proper equipment to fight the war. The top political leadership and some service commanders have constructed palatial buildings with swimming pools etc., A curse be unto them for the blood-money. The whole country knows that the present Prime Minister is above corruption but some of his ministers and close supporters are not saints. Let them not spoil his reputation. There should be a strong accounting policy and transparency since 'Comis Kakkas' may be hovering around ministers. Even a person close to the Prime Minister attempted to make a deal from the wheat that was to be imported from India. The fact that this person has been given a diplomatic posting makes one wonder whether he will be feathering his own nest abroad or working for the country. It is essential that the Prime Minister has incorruptible people around him and not mercenaries. DR. NEVILLE FERNANDO (Former Member of Parliament)
Hats off to the organisers of Sarasavi Film Awards night, which was telecast on Swarnavahini on Sunday 13th October. I would like it to be made known, that it was one Awards night, that I enjoyed very much indeed. It was well organized, without the usual customary speeches, and well presented by the compere. Incidentally I must congratulate the compere who with his warm personality on stage was able to contain audience interest, right to the end, without making it humdrum, for 3 hrs. I, for one, who normally do not keep late nights to see this type of shows, waited up the whole 3 hrs. I must also commend, towards the finale, in getting quite a few singers (mostly sons of veteran singers), on to the stage to sing a few lines of a song, and make way for the others to follow, one by one. It was quite an innovative idea and enjoyed and commended by everyone who saw the show. Well done, Sarasavi organisers and Swarnavahini for a show, well presented. Mona Fouad- Kotte
I refer to the landmark speech made by Prof. G. L. Peiris, Minister of Constitutional Affairs and leader of the Sri Lanka Government delegation at the inaugural session of the peace talks at Sattahip, Thailand on 16th September, 2002. It was indeed a historic oration on a historic occasion, remarkable in substance and diction, spiced with Shakespearean and Lincolnian allusions and uniquely devoid of rancour or recrimination as befitting an event which could eventually be a turning point in contemporary history. The learned Professor has attributed to "the ancient Greeks" the ancient name "Serendib" for Sri Lanka so redolently rich in history, legend and romance. However, "Serendib" was in fact the name given to our island by the ancient Arabs and others e.g. by Muslim writers like Ibn Batuta of Tangier(s), Soleyman, Edrisi the geographer, Albateny and the topographers Massoudi and Abouzeyd. The erudite Sir Emerson Tennet has noted that the name occurs in the Arabic version of the Pentateuch and even in the Hebrew-Samaritan version. Most scholars accept the view that the name "Serendip" derives from the original "Sinhala-dvipa" (Sihala-dvipa, Siela-dipa, Silan-dip, Serendip, Serendib). "Serendib" it was in the "Arabian Nights". It is interesting to note that "Serendip" gave rise to a new word in the English language viz. 'Serendipity' which means the faculty of making happy chance finds. It was coined by Horace Walpole from the title of his fairy tale "The Three Princes of Serendip" (sic) whose heroes were endowed with the unusual knack of making discoveries by accidents and sagacity, of things they were not in quest of. He was the younger son of Sir Robert Walpole, the first Prime Minister of Britain. Prof. Peiris' fortuitous reference to Serendib would perhaps, prove to be a serendipitous one for Sri Lanka! All this contrasts with the fact that the ancient Greeks did have a word for this "Pearl of the Indian Ocean" and that was "Taprobane" (pronounced in Greek as "Tap-row-ber-nee"). Almost all historians and philologists agree that the name is derived from the Pali "Tambapanni" (Tambraparni" in Sanskrit). According to the "Mahavansa" Prince Vijaya himself bestowed this name on the island. The Latinised form of the world was "Taprobana"; and the modern Anglicised pronunciation of the name makes it rhyme with 'bane'/'lane'. This ancient Greek name for Sri Lanka occurs in the writing of numerous classical authors e.g. Aristotle, Onesicrites (pilot of Alexander's fleet). Cosmas Indicopleustes, Megasthenes (ambassador to the Court of Chandragupta Maurya) Strabo, Pliny the Roman historian, and Claudius Ptolemy, the Greek cartographer, geographer and astronomer of Alexandria, Ptolemy named the island "Taprobane" in his celebrated world map (circa 139 AD). Centuries later, John Milton referred to it as the "utmost Indian isle Taprobane" in his poem "Paradise Regained" which was a sequel to his more famous "Paradise Lost". A 14th century version of Ptolemy's map carries the name "Taprobana". I wish to emphasise that this letter is penned "with malice toward none and charity for all" purely from an academic angle of historical interest, and is not intended by any means to disparage or depreciate the learned Professor's address which may well go down in history as a historic one. It was Shakespeare who remarked: "What's in a name? That which we call a rose, By any other name would smell as sweet"! So call it Serendib or Taprobane The Resplendent Isle, Sri Lanka will remain. W.A.F.- Moratuwa
When compared to government banks etc. our post offices are provided with very limited number of modern equipment. In developed countries like America the income from postal service bears a remarkable profit equivalent to other sources. Anyone can understand that the income from our postal service is small when compared to most of the Asian countries. Today computers are being used in many institutes. It has become a common necessity. But unfortunately I have not seen a single computer in our post offices. It has become a dream. How many things they can perform using this modern equipment. So relevant authorities should take necessary actions for the uplift of our postal service, soon. ANANDA JAYATILAKE- Narammala
'One community, one country and majoritarianism' This has reference to the article by Dr. P. Saravanamuttu (DN Oct 9). His use of words like "We have under the guise of democratization and development cumulatively concentrated power at the centre, effectively in the hands of one community, one party and in the office of one person" seems whimsical as far as the phrase in bold letters goes. The rest of the article carries more sense. While granting that political scientists express very moderate views generally, the offending phrase above detracts from the usual wisdom embedded in their ideas. If my memory serves me right all governments in the past were coalition governments with Cabinets having members of both the Tamil and Muslim communities. The only exception was the UNP government of 1977, but even this had the CWC as a partner. I can recall the names of Tiruchelvam, ERSR Coomaraswamy, Devanayagam, Thondaman senior (and an Engineer/Architect in the SLFP led coalition of 1970 whose name slips out of my mind). Unfortunately, the communalist Tamil parties vehemently refused to the join any of the coalition governments and even refused to take the oath of allegiance unlike the other minorities, the Moors, Malays and Burghers. The other point of dissent concerns the meaning of "majoritarianism". the meaning of Parliamentary democracy the ordinary citizen of the country understands is rule by the part that commands a majority of members in Parliament after a fair election. And all governments in the past, as coalitions, had representatives not from one or two communities but from at least three of them. And the parties in power were by no means communalists parties but were representative of all communities in different proportions. It is in the nature of things that the major community has a higher proportion of seats in parliament. This is something inevitable and not contrived as the article suggests. Of course there should be safeguards for the minorities and they were there under the Soulbury Constitution (Section 29) and they are still there under Fundamental Rights. LEO FERNANDO- Battaramulla
Inviting our expats to return home If the government is serious about promoting Sri Lankan expats living abroad to return to Sri Lanka, it needs to heal some of the wounds that caused some of these people to leave our shores. One of the critical sore wounds is the public services where most professionals had been harassed even though when they return they may not have intent to serve such institutions. The next area of concern would be obtaining simpler things in life such as passport extensions, renewal of driver's licences, registration of births etc where usually people are automatically considered criminals when seeking for help. Thanks to the public sector, today people do not have to rely on banking, transportation or health services even though the standard of services can be further improved. Another critical area would be admission to public schools unless the government offers preferential criteria for those returning to Sri Lanka similar to the consideration given to children of armed forces. Then the question of commuting, as one trip in our public transport even for the fun of it would direct them to the airport to take the next flight out. Even as a passenger, one would need to attain Buddhist tolerance or become animalistic when sharing the road with the rest of the commuters. In general, it is important to accept reality where everything becomes a challenge, as nothing is predictable. Most importantly, if the government seriously wishes to entice those returning to stay for lengthy periods, it would be useful to eliminate the fee for dual citizenship and expedite the process, as the government would profit more than the upfront fee for dual citizenship once they return to Sri Lanka. I hope this is food for thought for those making serious cabinet decisions and if the idea is embraced expediently a true demonstration that the new government does listen to practical ideas suggested by public citizens, which would be more incisive for those returning from true democratic societies. ANURA K T DE SILVA- via e-ma
The Postmaster General stated on World Post Day that Sri Lanka Department of Posts has taken steps to regain past glory and eminence in order to step proudly towards the global village leaving the past behind. From the letters to Editor appearing in the daily newspapers it is evident that many people are not receiving their mails sent from abroad. I have yet to get a Birthday card sent by my daughter last year. Worse still the card she sent this year too was not received by me. The card sent by my son this year has yet to reach me. My mother was sent three cards. She received two of them and the third from the grandson is yet to come. The postal service is gradually deteriorating. Perhaps due to lack of effective supervision. Action should be taken to restore the service to its past glory. It requires an efficient bureaucracy that could take drastic action against errant employees. K.B.- Col. 4 We now often read in newspapers about clashes between students of one school with those of another, mostly due to mis-understandings of a rival nature. Whatever the reasons be, this is a very sad state of affairs for schoolchildren to go on the warpath and misbehave in such manner so as to cause grievous hurt to some involved in the melee. The main reason for this sort of thuggery is indiscipline which is most lacking among the present day schoolchildren who are boisterous and recalcitrant, most of whom are boys. Parents send their children to school to learn and not to fight with others. Very often, it seems, that students are lured to go on the warpath against students of another school, just to create disturbance of the most vicious type, where, sometimes, the Police are called upon to maintain peace. Children learn discipline first at home, and it is the responsibility of parents to see that their children are well-behaved both at home and at school. Children who attend schools from indisciplined homes are, invariably, recalcitrant to good manners. The principals and staff must, obviously, alert their attention towards the behaviour of their students. Principals must be firm to expel any child, who is a bane to the school, as a deterrent punishment to save others from becoming spoilt. The expulsion of students for serious offences was in vogue during the colonial days, but now everything is ignored as no man's duty. ARYADASA RATNASINGHE- Mattegoda.
This refers to an article (DN Oct. 9) regarding the financial performance of the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment. It is heartening to note that as a state department, this institution has recorded a financial growth of 46% compared to February revenue of 3.6 million.This income, I gather, is mainly from the funds that are levied from "some of the" expatriate who venture on employment when they are departing their beloved homeland to toil in the desert and in most instances away from their loved ones. The amount to be paid is incidentally insignificant considering the income most expats enjoy especially as it is valid for 2 years and covers the airport tax once. I believe most people would agree to this, which is less than 1% for even a person earning Dhs 500 per month when a two year stint is considered. The problem lies in the compulsive manner it is implemented. As an expatriate being a proud contributor to the economy of Sri Lanka - which apparently happens to be the second largest foreign income source to the country, I have certain concerns regarding the way this "tax" system (if I may so call it) is implemented at the airport.People who come to the airport mostly with little time to spend on formalities outside the scope of their travel are at times subject to humiliation and leads even to unnecessary arguments when inspecting evidence for this payment; similar to criminals being checked for payment of fines. In most instances, when a Sri Lankan queues at the check-in counter, an Official from the SLBFE request the passport to check the stamp indicating the payment which is valid for 2 years. If this is not evident, they scrutinize the passport apparently to verify the residency visa and make them to pay the amount. They could even request the check-in Airline attendant not to issue the boarding pass. I cannot understand how an airline can reject a traveller to board an airline when he possesses a valid and legitimate ticket, passport and a visa to the country he intends to travel. Questions that arise are; why only the Gulf expatriates are subject to this payment? What about people who are employed all over the world? And, Why should insurance which is part of this payment be enforced on some one if he doesn't want it? Shouldn't insurance be an option unless it has third part liabilities? Should businessmen who have residency visa also pay this? The other issue is the advantages one reaps out of this! Any investment should have a return. One benefit that has evolved as a result of this, I suppose, is the separate departure lounge in the airport, guarded 24 hours by an Officer, which is utterly absurd as you find enough space on the ground floor and first floor of the departure lounge. The money put into the staff who has to police the migrant workers in the airport throughout the day could certainly be put to better use if a proper strategy is thought of in the collection and disbursement of these funds. If this payment is a statutory obligation on the workers, perhaps, one method of collection could be to request airlines to charge this fee when issuing or confirming the ticket as they issue a ticket only with a valid passport and visa eliminating the embarrassment and hassle at the airport.Alternatively, a better method I believe would be for people to be motivated to pay this money without compulsion by making the benefits obvious. Some such benefits could perhaps be have a separate check-in counter, additional baggage allowance of say another 20Kg, free pre-arranged airport transport to & from major cities, a resting area for outstation workers, one free duty free lottery, free phone calls from the airport, free passenger assistance service at the airport, courteous service at embassies in the employed country, free and speedy processing of documents like birth certificates, passport renewals and replacements, free attestations, assistance in case of a problem in the employed country, certain degree priority on schools for dependents, ticket and cargo costs to be covered in the event of death or retrenchment, etc., etc. Many similar facilities that could be provided to these employees could be thought of which would no doubt encourage people to pay voluntarily not only the middle east bound workers, but to any destination outside the world and there would be certainly no checking required obviously as all would want to avail such facilities and would pay with glee. Huzail Mohideen - U.A.E |
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