7th March 1999

• Do we need those smiles and charisma?
• Scrub those eyesores off
• Who pulled him out, who put him in?
• Don't embarrass them
• It will take more than painting walls
• Are we waiting till murder turns to mayhem?
• There are five Reids not four
• You're not going for a party
• It's an insult to our intelligence
• Those bleeding hearts that talk peace!

Do we need those smiles and charisma?

He does not smile, he is not a good speaker, he does not acknowledge supporters, he is waiting for the presidency to fall into his lap. He is not aggressive, he is not a leader. These are some of the criticisms leveled at him.

As a leader, we now have a person with a flashing smile but the cost of living is spiralling and the country is falling to pieces. We have had a leader who unleashed communalism with Sinhala only. Another drafted the Presidential Constitution. We had a nice friendly person in Dudley who left us the legacy of the Poya holidays and the largest number of holidays in the world. Ms. B had us picking dustbins dressed in jumping fish. It is really difficult to write more than that about all of them. JR when his time came was too clever by far and manoeuvred his likely successors for no reason at all and left a power vacuum which sucked up all three.

Ranil, you are lucky to have survived that round.

Maybe it's time to change the recipe of speakers, smilers, feudals and charismatics which has left us a legacy of woe and made the country a basket case. Let us get our perspectives right and elect, appoint, or hire a chief executive to run the country (to be fired in 5 years if not performing). We do not need a fawning politician who smiles, pleases and bestows favours on political hangers-on.

I hope you are different. You left Temple Trees at the appointed time. Do not smile at all and sundry, like all the greasy pollies. Your most admirable quality is that you have tried not to bring politics down to the level of the gutter, the way it is played in other South Asian countries.

You seem to believe in the democratic process and have not agitated unless absolutely necessary. You have supported the government when it was needed and criticised it when necessary. But most blame you for not trying to topple the government. As a result we have had a stable government unlike in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh which are always going to the polls or on strike to force an election.

Those who advocate that you attempt to topple the Government do not seem to realise that the majority parties are always trying to topple the elected Govt. and that suits the minorities well. Now they are ruling minorities. The political hatred fostered is so stupid and childish. It is like hating/ killing the members of a rival house in a school sports meet. For when the sports meet is over the children still belong to the same school.

One thing I must warn you about. Your association with some may cause you embarrassment. They are out of touch with the common man. They antagonise your genuine supporters who would rather stay away. They put you in a bus (air conditioned, no doubt) and dressed you like a possible centrefold for the Femina magazine for your recent interview. They are trying to make you campaign like Clinton in Sri Lanka.

If you get a crack at the presidency it would be better for Sri Lanka if you spend your time developing the country rather than defending your association with some sleaze or deal that those around you will want.

A silent supporter
Colombo

Scrub those eyesores off

Once again an election is upon us, and the city of Colombo has become one big disgusting poster campaign that thoughtlessly mars and disfigures the public property of this country.

The Mayor of Colombo Karu Jayasuriya, has bent over backwards since his appointment to bring some dignity and decorum to this commercial capital of our country. His efforts are more than laudable. Even those, like myself, who did not vote for him will no doubt give him a standing ovation for such single minded devotion to the mandate that the people have given him. We doff our hats to him.

However, all of his hard work has been thoughtlessly and wickedly vandalized by the vote greedy candidates fighting this coming election. Some who have so blatantly plastered both public and private property with their mug shots, have unashamedly claimed to espouse a "pivithuru deshapalanaya'.

This only goes to exhibit the level of integrity of these persons who are vying to represent the public and protect and enhance public property. Pardon me Mr. Candidate, but your slip is showing! What is more unbearable is that those belonging to the same party as this hard working Mayor, have so blatantly disregarded and nullified the very mature planning and hard work of their fellow party member! What an absolute travesty!!

How can we, the public, grant our right to rule this city or this country, to such people who obviously don't care two hoots about our city and the property that rightly belongs to us, as citizens and tax payers?

How can they expect us to pay them from our hard-earned monies, when all they seem to be interested in is achieving their goals of grandeur? I have no doubt that the majority of the people of Colombo, will join me in requesting and empowering Mr. Jayasuriya and the CMC to scrub the walls, the bus stands, the telephone booths, the garbage disposal bins, the lamp posts, etc., etc. ad nauseum, clean these hideous eye-sores, and institute some form of legislation to sue these vandalizers.

Ajit Perera
Colombo

Who pulled him out, who put him in?

Prior to the now infamous Sri Lankan Cricket Tour of Australia, our star batsman Aravinda de Silva was injured and unfit to participate in any local game. The reason given at the time was that it would risk aggravating his injury. Some sports writers were supportive of the decision at the time. However, sadly, he suffered another injury at a practice game and never played for Sri Lanka when the side needed him most.

Strangely, when Sri Lanka was eliminated from the tournament, lo and behold, who arrives at the wicket, the master batsman himself!'

Who selected him for the remaining games and what happened to the risk of injury? No one will argue that Aravinda is a delightful batsman to watch but everyone will agree that a golden opportunity of giving exposure to some newcomers was lost.

The Sri Lankan public demands an explanation as to why he was risked especially when the remaining games were only of academic interest and why a fresher was not given exposure instead.

Frank Gunesekera
Dehiwela

Don't embarrass them

This open letter is addressed to the President on behalf of Sri Lankans working abroad: You may, sometimes not be aware of the existing practice of the Foreign Employment Bureau to extract money from those leaving for employment abroad at the Bandaranaike International Air Port in the name of a so-called "Insurance Policy ".

On January 22 I was at the Bandaranaike International Airport to board a Saudia flight to proceed to Riyadh in Saudi Arabia following my vacation in Sri Lanka.

An official of the Foreign Employment Bureau accosted a passenger standing in the queue to check in at the Saudi flight counter and demanded to see his passport.

This passenger who appeared to be an educated gentleman politely gave him the passport and the bureau official who inspected his passport said that this passenger could not leave the country for he had not paid the amount stipulated by the Foreign Employment Bureau. Thereupon, this passenger informed the official that he had already paid the amount required and the payment was stamped on his previous passport.

If the Bureau of Foreign Employment wants to introduce some welfare schemes for the benefit of those working abroad, they should educate the foreign worker of such schemes via the electronic media, press, and leaflets.They should not embarrass our Sri Lankans working abroad in the presence of thousands of other nationalities as well.

C. J. Fonseka
Riyadh

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