Cheaper rice

The removal of customs duty (Rs.20 pr kilo) on imported rice will ease the burden on the consumers affected by high rice prices to some extent. It is now abundantly clear that the recent price hike in rice was artficially created by traders. After all, Sri Lanka has attained near-self sufficiency levels in rice, our staple food.

The Government’s avowed policy is to eliminate the import of essential food items in a few years.

This is essential if we are to give pride of place to agriculture and farmers. In fact, the Government’s Api Wawamu Rata Nagamu (Let us cultivate to build the Nation) is a step in this direction. Under this programme, every inch of arable land will be used to grow food crops.

But there seem to obstacles in the way. The rice cartels have created an artificial shortage which has led to high prices.

In this backdrop, the Government has taken several steps to afford relief to the consumer. One important step was to declare rice an essential commodity. Given the pivotal role played by rice in our day-to-day lives, this step should have been taken decades ago.

Another commendable step was the re-establishment of the Paddy Marketing Board which provides a higher guaranteed price for farmers. The establishment of budget shops and Co-op Cities islandwide will also enable the Government to provide rice at lower prices to the public. An improvement in storage conditions is another step forward.

In an ideal scenario, Sri Lanka should be in a position to meet its rice requirements domestically, i.e., without imports. But the present circumstances have compelled the Government to allow more imports and also abolish the related duties so that customers can buy imported rice varieties at more affordable rates.

Incredibly, some varieties of local rice are being sold at Rs.110 or more per kilo, whereas imported rice varities are priced from around Rs.125. The removal of duty will bring down the prices of the latter. This would hopefully force local rice millers and sellers to rethink their policy of hoarding stocks and artificially creating a price hike.

They must bear in mind that Sri Lankans do have a propensity to buy anything foreign.

Now is a good time for the Sri Lankan rice industry to reassess its future as the Government has clearly proved that it will not give into unfair practices.

A senseless act

The mob attack in Chennai on Sri Lankan film director Thushara Peiris, who has taken the bold step of making a film (titled Prabhakaran) on the ethnic conflict, is indeed a sad reflection on those who perpetrated the attack.

The film, which is yet to be released in Sri Lanka, is said to portray the pathetic plight of Tamil youth recruited forcibly to the LTTE.

The aim of his trip to India was to finish the dubbing of the film into Tamil and to secure colour prints. A Tamil version of the film would be far more effective in conveying the helplessness of such LTTE cadres and the sheer brutality of the conflict to native Tamil speakers in both India and Sri Lanka, than a Tamil or English subtitled version.

Granted, the movie deals with a controversial subject. War is not a pleasant subject in the best of times and even now, films relating to First and Second World Wars leave a lasting impression in our minds. In Sri Lanka, some films dealing with the conflict have had a hostile reception.

One example is Purahanda Kaluwara (Death on a Full Moon Poya Day), which portrayed the harrowing tale of a father waiting for his son to return from the battle, without believing the official version - that he is dead. The then Government tried to stop its screening, but the Supreme Court overruled that decision.

The lesson here is that arts and artists should be left alone to express their emotions, even if the subject is deemed controversial. Both Sri Lanka and India have guaranteed freedom of expression for all.

As the famous saying goes, we may not like what another person says, but we should defend his or her right to say it. Besides, how can one oppose a work of art without even seeing it? This seems to have been the case in Chennai.

Writers, poets, playwrights and film directors worldwide will always touch on contemporary issues facing society. Admittedly, only a few among them will venture into topics such as terrorism.

When they do so, we should learn to respect and admire their courage. This, the attackers in Chennai failed to do. But such attacks are unlikely to diminish the boldness and creativity of artistes.