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There was a time that driving was considered a vocation for there
were many abiding attributes that went on to make a good driver. It was
a special category of trusted employment. Getting your licence to drive
was a tedious task.
However with changes for the worst in all aspects of social life in
our country one of the easiest places on this planet to obtain a driving
licence today is Sri Lanka. It is common knowledge that there is a large
segment of people with absolutely no sense of driving and least concern
for other people's limbs and lives prowling our roads today.
The Driving Licence has become a passport to quick and relatively
easy employment to some whether it suits one's ability or not. Just a
few hours learning spread over a few days at a driving school becomes
good enough for one to earn what I may be called an instant driving
licence.
We see many very young private bus and container trailer drivers
clearly with hardly any post licence driving experience treating their
vehicles like formula 1 racing cars to the consternation of the hapless
other users of the road.
Political authorities act oblivious to reality and in fact by their
commissions and omissions continue to demean the value of human lives
which has reached catastrophic proportion. The State seems very soft on
this problem perhaps treating easy licence as easy employment for the
uneducated.
Driving a vehicle today in a highly complex road situation is a very
serious exercise for wrong hands behind the wheel is a killer. More
innocent civilians are killed by errant and maniacal drivers than by the
LTTE.
Daily killings on our roads due to driver fault are ample proof.
Driving Licence should not be a readily reflexive handshake to mayhem.
In the context of present social chaos with more and more mentally
unbalanced and socially undesirables on the prowl looking for prey the
society at large needs safety valves especially in the unfortunate
reality of unsatisfactory policing of law and order.
We see roadside hoardings by the Police and social organisations
calling for disciplined drivers but not enough is being done to hound
and discipline the hordes of reckless we witness on the roads.
The prevalent system of licence issuing necessarily needs to be
restructured to weed out the unworthy. We cannot continue to have
killers on our roads. It should be made imperative that applicants be
subject to both physical and mental certification by acceptable medical
sources as fit to drive.
The traffic police will have to be beefed up to adequate strength
with special emphasis to tackle the menacing driving ways of commercial
vehicles and three-wheelers. Punishment will have to be more severe. The
countless have become victims of maniacal driving.
Lack of driving experience and wantonly flouting road laws have been
major causes which trend marches on unabated for no one cares to do the
right thing in this country. In more civilised countries, obtaining a
driving licence is a long drawn process for they understand the risks
and implications of bad driving.
Even on proving your competency to drive, an applicant is deemed to
be a probationary driver and required to display a large letter 'P' in
your vehicle for six months which period will judge your worthiness for
a full licence. Mishaps will prolong your probationary period and
perhaps will not entitle you to your full licence. I hope our
authorities will give serious thought to this suggestion.
ADOLPHUS, Kandana
It is amazing in this 21st century that leaders of this country
depend so absolutely on fortune tellers. Has any of these astrologers
proved right all the time? Certainly not. Everyone knows that, but still
the stupid practice goes on.
It is simple logic that advisors to both the Government and the
Opposition cannot be correct - obviously, at the way each trying to beat
the other, both cannot win at the same time. So which one is right?
It was hilarious to note how much of importance given to the
auspicious time for Mangala Samaraweera to cross over. The way things
are happening in this country I won't be surprised, if a Ministry is set
up for soothsaying soon!
It is time the leaders stopped and give it a little thought. No one
knows the future except God, Allah. None of the religions practiced in
this island believes in the truth of fortune telling.
It is a man made escape route. On one hand, it is the hope of a lazy
man's way to success, and on the other hand, it is a money spinner for
those who take the greedy men for a ride. If these people sit back and
analyse how much of prophecies told by these soothsayers have come true
- they will realise their folly.
Recently, I was listening to a radio channel giving predictions for
the day according to the people's star. I was amused that according to
them absolutely everybody was going to have a very successful,
prosperous, very lucky day - only the words of predictions were
different.
Obviously they did not want to upset anyone by predicting problems or
calamities, so everybody was given glad tidings.
As one famous astrologist has said, he has some 50 standard
predictions and every morning he just mixes them up and randomly
allocates it to each day. And stupid people believe it.
Look at each astrologer's life - are they happy, are they prosperous,
are they calamity free? If they can predict the future, they must be the
wealthiest, healthiest, most successful people in the world - are they?
At least they should know which ticket will win the lottery. Obviously
not. Don't tell me they don't use their power of prediction for
themselves out of modesty.
Now everybody is told they're going to have a bad period because of
Saturn. When such silly predictions are made, the gullible majority will
have a negative, pessimistic attitude for anything and everything. And
the production will go down and the predictors will say it is due to the
Saturn. So the viscous cycle goes on.
It is time someone kept careful records of all such predictions,
watched results and publicises them regularly. Especially what is told
to the politicians. According to Islam, no one knows the future except
Allah. We are supposed to fulfill our duties and expect good in return
in this world and the next. When someone predicts a lot of things, at
least one is likely to come true by chance.
It is time people turned to true values in life. It is time the
leaders stopped believing in these false short cuts to achieve success,
rather be truthful, honest and hardworking with the welfare of the
country as their goal - automatically they will see their aspirations
coming true.
DR. MAREENA THAHA REFFAI, Dehiwela
I read with interest your front page headline story regarding the
above and would like to express my personal views on the matter.
While lauding the Government motives to curb violence and crime which
is rampant in the country, amending the Firearms Act and increasing
penalties for possession of unlicensed firearms, is not the solution.
True enough, there are thousands of unlicensed firearms in the
country, but these are in the possession of thugs, gangsters and the
underworld and not in the hands of decent civilians. These nefarious
characters are not in any way deterred by fines and short jail terms. in
fact to them it's a way of life.
Today, if an armed gang. or let's say just one armed person, were to
break into your home and hold you and your family at gunpoint, what
could you do to protect and defend yourself?
What could your good neighbours do to help you? Would they dare to
come to your assistance armed with broomsticks? Indeed not. To say the
least you are absolutely helpless. All that you can do, if you are still
alive, is to call the Police after the incident is over.
What if the Government were to relax the Firearms Act, allowing gun
licenses to respected civilians like professionals, businessmen and high
income taxpayers who are very often the victims of extortion and
violence? By doing so, after careful screening, they would be arming a
respected group of society with the view of protecting themselves as
well as their neighbours.
Issuing gun permits to high calibre civilians does not mean that they
will go round town shooting people. It would only mean that thugs and
gangsters would have to be very cautious when trying their stunts in a
particular neighbourhood.
Thousands of innocent people have purchased air guns and spring guns
at exorbitant prices for their children for fun and pleasure. These
firearms are relatively harmless compared to slingshots, sophisticated
archery equipment and even the common kitchen knife.
If the Government intends restricting air guns, then they should also
ban all items that could be used as lethal weapons, such as chains, iron
rods, garden shears, knives, scissors etc.
Today MPs and VIPs don't have to worry about security, because it is
provided free at state expense. But what about you and me? All we can do
is pray.
M. S., Colombo
I have seen and heard that the British Council in Colombo is doing a
remarkable service to the youth and not so youth. It provides among
others several training courses which are extremely important for career
development and to meeet the challenging and changing needs and
environment.
They also assist in several ways for students to identify and seek
admission to Universities in the UK. However I somewhat fail to
understand their rationale of paying the Sri Lankan staff very poorly
compared with salaries offered by even the least known INGOs operating
in Sri Lanka. I do not have any relatives or friends working there. This
observation is purely based on the salaries indicated in their vacancy
notices published in the local newspapers.
If the staff are required to pay the national taxes as applicable, I
cannot see how they could meet ends with the meagre salaries paid to
them specially at a time when the Cost of Living is unbearable for
everyone.
These salaries are appalling and does not even match the salaries
offered by some Government institutions, although they expect qualified
candidates with different competencies and skills for posts. If
converted, these salaries are nothing in terms of UK Pounds.
British Council also charges fees for the services rendered and I
cannot therefore understand why it cannot pay a decent salary to their
Sri Lankan staff.
A. FAROOK
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