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to the Editor |
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'Letters
to the Editor' should be brief and to the point. Govt. should
apologise for VOT blunder To add insult
to injury, the LTTE has made a 'request' -- demand is a more apt
word -- that customs duty should be waived. It seems as if the LTTE
has become bolder since the peace process began. Does the LTTE allow
anybody to take anything into the areas under its control without
'taxes'? Naively claiming
that the LTTE's absurd demand for a duty-waiver is an 'impasse',
the government has set about overcoming it in the most servile manner.
As a first
step, the government has asked the Norwegian Embassy to 'act' as
consignees. Can the Customs or Import Control authorities answer
whether anybody other than the importer can 'act' as a consignee?
This, too, days or weeks after the arrival of the consignment. If any law-abiding
citizen either imported an item without a licence or demanded a
duty waiver wouldn't the authorities have confiscated the goods
and imposed heavy penalties? Why this special treatment for a terrorist
organization? How can people
trust a government which is either unable or unwilling to exercise
its authority in areas and situations where such authority is required? The least the
government can do now is to make a public admission that it has
seriously blundered in the VOT affair and apologise to the people.
It should also give a solemn pledge that henceforth it shall not
permit the LTTE to defy the laws of the country whether it is by
opening courts, police stations, banks, extorting money or abducting
people. If it does not have the courage to make such an admission,
the people cannot have faith that this government will act in the
national interest. Pramuka crash:
Is CB shirking responsibility? Though I do
not have any dealings with Pramuka, I am concerned over the depositors'
fate. The issue raises many queries regarding depositing money in
banks and the legitimacy of the control exercised by the Central
Bank. No institution
has the authority to call itself a "bank" unless it has
Central Bank approval, which makes people believe that these are
legitimate banks. If the bank
defaults, the Central Bank is bound to pay back the account holders.
It cannot say that the depositors will get only one-third of their
money back. Otherwise, most people will not invest in banks and the government will face a cash shortage. The bottom line is that if the Central Bank does not take responsibility in the case of the Pramuka crash, people will lose faith in the Sri Lankan banking system. The "runaway"
CEO of the Pramuka Bank had been in a high position at a leading
bank, we believe, when his alleged clandestine dealings came to
light and he was asked to resign. The same person then opens a bank,
with the blessings of the Central Bank, with so-called responsible
organizations depositing millions. Now the Central Bank has the
audacity to say that it cannot pay back the depositors. Whom are we
to trust? Can the government and the Central Bank please explain? Act before VIP
punks strike again These children
of ministers and ex-ministers are making a career of assaulting
ordinary people who do not have thugs masquerading as bodyguards
and VIP fathers to protect them. Even if these incidents are reported
to the police, it is seldom or never that the culprits are punished. The most recent
incident was three sons of ministers assaulting a youth, which resulted
in the victim ending up in hospital. The problem
is that the VIPs have amassed wealth and do not know what to do
with their new riches. With easy money, goons, government vehicles
and back-up security vehicles, the sons think they are demi-gods. They also seek
cheap publicity, and what better way than to have a brawl at a five-star
hotel. Unfortunately, none of these incidents is funny. In the universities,
ragging goes unpunished till someone pays with his or her life.
Then the government wakes from its slumber and wants to pass legislation
to stop these incidents. This mayhem
is now spreading to schools. Why not? If the offspring of VIPs can
resort to thuggery with impunity, why can't they? One of these days
a young punk will kill someone. It will only be then that the authorities
will act. The Prime Minister
should issue a stern directive to all ministers that they cannot
let their security personnel accompany their offspring. Their children
should also be prohibited from using official vehicles. The IGP
should be instructed to act firmly and impartially on such complaints. Efficient policemen
The Mirihana
Police to whom the loss was reported first, promptly alerted police
stations in the adjoining areas. The complaint was made at the Kohuwela
Police Station, as the theft was from an area in their territory
and the vehicle was recovered in Kandy on information passed on
by a civic-minded citizen. It was a good example of police co-ordination
and public co-operation. It is my view that the public has misconceptions about the police due to the lack of information on the good work done by a large number of officers. It is important for the police media or public relations unit to canvass public support in the modernization programme and the mapping out of effective strategies to project the right image. Though many government organizations like the Postal Department are provided with modern equipment, along with good working conditions, police stations still use ancient equipment and perform their duties in uncomfortable work environments. Responsible
persons in civil society should mobilize the people to support the
police. Three vital
questions 2. Is not reducing
bank interest a case of robbing Peter (people with fixed deposits)
to pay Paul (businessmen, industrialists)? 3. By merging
the Northern and Eastern Provinces, a great injustice was done to
the Muslims, who are now clamouring for a separate administrative
region. As this will lead to a series of problems, why aren't the
two provinces being demerged through a Gazette notification? Woes
of a pensioner I retired as
a Chief Station Master on June 8, 1984 after serving the railway
for 37 years. Those days, it was an honour to be a public servant. I am now drawing
a monthly pension of Rs. 5,538, which is hardly sufficient to meet
my food bill. In 1949, when
I was serving in Nawalapitiya, I was drawing a monthly salary of
Rs. 108, which was far above my requirements. My monthly boarding
fee at Salgado Hotel was Rs. 25, with string hoppers or hoppers
being served for breakfast, rice and curry for lunch, a pan-cake
or lavariya for tea and rice and curry again for dinner. Today a simple
rice and curry meal alone is Rs. 35. The cost of living is so high
that my monthly pension is absolutely inadequate. Various commissions
such as the Wanasinghe and B.C. Perera Commissions were appointed
to look into pension anomalies but so far their recommendations
have not been implemented. Government
after government has only given false promises to pensioners. Bridges of brotherhood
When red means 'go' With the widening
of roads and intersections, particularly along the Elvitigala Mawatha-Narahenpita
stretch, it is wise to educate both pedestrians and motorists on
road rules. Pedestrians
do not watch the change in traffic lights at the intersections,
but cross when the road is empty, little realising that in a split
second a speeding vehicle could run them over. When motorists expect
free access with the green light on, it is dangerous to find pedestrians
jaywalking. To add more confusion, the Traffic Police often direct
vehicles to move when the light is red. This is alarming
as the state is sponsoring indiscipline, which will eventually lead
to chaos. When police officers need to direct traffic at intersections,
the lights should be switched off. I have also seen police personnel
chatting to trishaw drivers at the intersections when the lights
are green or watching passengers alight, ignoring the traffic. The Traffic
Police should be trained to instill discipline in road users. We should also
inculcate a sense of civic consciousness, through courteous behaviour
on the road. |
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