Letters to the Editor

Beating them at their own game!
The whites seem unable to stomach being dominated by the non-whites, in the white man's game of cricket. This is exactly what has happened in the Muralitharan case. The latest white to join the howling pack with an unwanted remark is none other than Australian Prime Minister John Howard who appears to think he is competent to pass judgment.

It should be observed that it is the Australians who are most worried and want to see Muralitharan out of the way so that their own Shane Warne could hold the record for the most number of wickets in Tests.
It is interesting to note that most of the records in cricket todate are held by non-whites, some of them being:

Highest wicket taker in Test cricket.
Highest scorer in Test cricket.
Highest partnership in Test cricket.
Highest score by a team in Test cricket.
Highest number of 10 wicket hauls in Test cricket.
Highest number of 5 wicket hauls in Test cricket.
Highest score by a team in ODI's.
Highest number of runs by an individual in ODI’s.
Fastest 50 in ODI's.
Fastest 100 in ODI's.
Inflicting the lowest one day total in ODI's.

The only flag bearers for the whites seem to be Sir Donald Bradman with the highest batting average in Test cricket and Jim Laker with the highest number of wickets in an innings in Test cricket.

I am sorry to say that the Australians have ridiculed the gentleman's game with their sledging. To them sportsmanship is a forgotten virtue. They cannot stomach defeat and victory is all that matters to them at whatever cost.

Just a lot of hot air!
Politicians generally have a penchant for putting their foot in their mouth, but John Howard, the Australian head of state has reached the highest level of success in this form of contortion -- if you will pardon the pun.

'Fools rush in where angels fear to tread' comes strongly to mind as one wonders what qualification he has to make such a remark about Murali.

As for Murali, he should remember that such comments are just a lot of hot air, forced out by impotent malice and jealousy - just sound and fury, signifying nothing.

Lankan politics is made of these
We see the following in contemporary Sri Lankan politics.
Importance of fortunetellers
The destiny of any government depends on the predictions of fortune tellers who can lead the learned politicians by the nose. They forecast victory for one and defeat for the other of their choice. Selfishness and opportunism are the key features of the game. A whole nation is manipulated by the whims and fancies of a few masters of the art: the astrologers. The prediction papers set records with their forecasts.

Simultaneous law making and law breaking
With unanimous agreement reached by all concerned parties amidst much hue and cry, posters are banned by authorities in the day but mysteriously they take their positions overnight perhaps with the help of (evil) spirits. The duties of the policemen change radically in the course of time. The whole day they toil for a very sublime purpose - i.e. washing off the portraits of the lead actors in the comedy of the season. The public can have much fun early in the morning prior to the cleaning operation.

Colossal expenditure on election campaign
Patriotic people are taken aback by the extent of the indulgence in election advertising. Misuse of public funds and media for image building of political leaders was a common scene at the time but what these so-called "learned" and "unlearned fellows" didn't understand was that instead of building the images, they had got their images marred by weird projection and trumpeting.

The public money used on conducting elections of all sorts could have been utilized for the development of the country. The progress of our country is retarded when it has no stable government. The opposition waits so covetously to take their turn and do any shameless deed to destabilize or overthrow the existing regime. While in power they accumulate the strength and the sum they require for the next election. It is a matter of snatching the ball from the other side.

"Import" of foreign observers
It has become yet another compulsory item on the agenda to get the participation of foreign observers in the parliamentary elections of Sri Lanka. This is not only a sheer waste of money to entertain foreigners in the island but also a display of the shamelessness of a nation which cannot look after its own affairs. From our experience of counting votes at elections, it is sufficient to have the representation of all parties at counting centres to unanimously testify to the fairness and impartiality of counting.

Taking all these matters into consideration why can't we do away with these chronic malpractices and develop decent policies and manners for a culture of just and fair elections in our country.

What a crime
The Sunday Times political correspondent's centre page article of last Sunday highlighted a current trend of how public servants are knocked around whenever governments change. I retired about a year ago after having worked in the Treasury for nearly 30 years.

Many Secretaries and Deputy Secretaries have come and gone but few could match the political independence with which Faiz Mohideen worked. He stood out as the model civil servant, fighting shy to meet the demands of wily politicians and never failed to dish out as hard as he got. Multi-level agencies and foreign embassy officials trusted his word because they knew he would keep to it. He was demanding as a boss but at the same time compassionate to all those who worked with him.

It is sad that Dr Sarath Amunugama, himself an ex-public-servant, allowed Mr Mohideen to be directed to the dustbin for no crime at all. Everyone who worked with the present Treasury Secretary during the last PA regime knows the way he satisfied the commands of the palace. He acted above scrutiny and only through a few trusted but incompetent acolytes.

History has a way of repeating itself and it won't be too long before Mr Mohideen will be back in the saddle.

'Letters to the Editor' should be brief and to the point.
Address them to:
'Letters to the Editor,
The Sunday Times,
P.O.Box 1136, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Or e-mail to
editor@sundaytimes.wnl.lk or
features@sundaytimes.wnl.lk
Please note that letters cannot be acknowledged or returned.