Letters to the Editor
View(s):Not cricket, not civil, not nice…
I know someone who, when Sri Lanka plays India, always supports India. I know someone else who, when Sri Lanka plays Australia, always supports Australia. I know… but why do I feel like you’re losing interest, already? It makes me mad. It makes me madder than a boisterous VIP politico at an unruly pre-election rally. Not mad because you’re losing interest, but because of the so-and-sos who don’t have the decency, civility, common sense or courtesy, etc., to support Sri Lanka when the home country plays India, Australia, et al. But I don’t go out and beat them to a pulp… Even though it might improve their sense of patriotism, sportsmanship, sports-patriotism, etc, etc.
Well, that’s me, the flower of chivalry. But, it evidently takes all types to make a world. As, as you saw for yourself earlier this week, when a section of the crowd at our world-famous cricket stadium took umbrage at another section at the same match which was adjacent and antipathetic to its interests and sensibilities. If, if you will permit a moment of weakness on this writer’s part, you think about it, it is almost understandable that the party of the former part would want to express its strong disapproval of the party of the latter part.
I mean to say, it was the kind of situation in which tempers were short and temperatures were skyrocketing. Sri Lanka were struggling badly, another wicket fell, some folks in the stands who should have known better were delirious at the prospect of a Pakistan win, and said so in no uncertain terms; leading to a fighting spirit, leading to fisticuffs and worse, leading to the STF having to occupy that section of the stands – but not before severe damage was done to stands, spectators, sections of the neighbourhood including a neighbouring mosque, Sri Lanka’s international reputation as a sporting nation. No, really.
Sorry, it’s true… we don’t burn down the homes of our returning heroes when they lose big – unlike the citizens of certain neighbouring, older ‘civilizations’ we could mention! So, what is it about the unsavoury happenings that should be a wake-up call to sports fans and solid citizens alike?
For one, the freedom to poke my fists in the air ends where the other person’s nose begins. This is a not only a nice motto and watchword: it sets the standard for behaviour in public transport, parliament, and R. Premadasa Stadium among sundry sporting venues. We would do well not to take an un-salutary example from decadent ‘western’ examples such as the Barmy Army wherever England cavalierly acts as if there’s some corner of a foreign cricket field that’s forever Blighty; French football fans anywhere on the continent except French soil; Britney Spears fans everywhere at a Miley Cyrus or Lady Gaga or Rihanna concert.
In similar vein, when you live in a pluralistic society where one demographic’s sports stadia abut and adjoin another community’s place of worship, you refrain from throwing bottles, chairs, people, etc., at each other – even in the heat of the moment – especially in the heat of the moment. Nothing good can ever come of a bottle, chair, or person thrown in haste, in the heat of the etc. Except, perhaps, in the Well of the House by the Lake, where carelessly thrown words and banter and accusations improve no end the temper of everyone present – save the Speaker and the rest of Civil Society who tune in to see what our elected representatives get up to in that August Assembly.
For another, in the land of lotus-eaters, where the most peaceful philosophy in theory samsara has ever known has flourished, all its nirvana-seekers would do well to “live and let live”, cultivating four noble virtues that encompass the experience of supreme bliss. (Karuna: a merciful desire to remove fellow beings from harm’s way; Metta: a gracious will to bring about their well-being and happiness; Mudita: a sympathetic joy that all beings should be happy; and Upekka: an unassailable equanimity that things are as they are.) Of course, if you’re a bumptious or boorish braggart of an upstart of a boisterous VIP politico at a rowdy, rumbustious, rambunctious, return-of-the-exiled-king, political rally, “live and let die” is too good for your likes.
And last but not least, we might all need to get anew a new sense of proportion to reality. Okay, so Sri Lanka were losing. Fair enough, the pecker of parts of the crowd was up. Sad to say, some supporters’ sense of loyalty to mother-country and the rest of that pseudo-nationalistic jazz was sorely lacking. But to break out into an ugly uncontrollable fight because we were going two-down in a five-match series that was still in its early days makes me wonder: who do we think we are: Britney Spears at a Taylor Swift gig? Barmy Army merchants after an immoral booze-up? Bumptious boorish politicos at rambunctious rumbustious rallies? B****es, please!
Let go! Get a grip! Ease up! Think big picture! Think small picture! Think something! Think anything! Think!
Some Sri Lankans live on the street. Many who live in houses don’t know where their next square meal is coming from, let alone have a television set or internet access to watch your shenanigans at a sporting (I use the term lightly) event. Dark and dangerous days may be upon us sooner than we know – and not because the sun will grow cold and sputter and cause a mini ice age worldwide in less than fifteen years, or because there is a hungry black hole at the centre of our galaxy that could gobble us all up for breakfast faster than you can say “return of the exiled king” backwards in gibberish.
Do you still feel like throwing something? As long as it’s not the towel! Box on, ye Britneys! Best is yet to come…
We want our leader to be more decisive and firm
A simple man was elected to the highest office in the land with much fanfare and limitless hope. The past six months have more or less proved to Citizen Perera that the voter can indeed be led up the garden path with a multitude of promises. Has the man walked the talk? We think not!
Granted, he means well, but do we really need another well meaning leader with just rhetoric at this juncture? Look at the record thus far. Has he not shown time and again that he is just another party loyalist just hell-bent on gluing his beloved SLFP together? He’s been on record over and over, singing the praises of the Bandaranaikes (anyone read the pamphlet in the vernacular which he issued in the run-up to the presidential election? Have a read if you can get your hands on a copy). Party is all he is interested in, and now he has fallen between two stools.
Where is the walk in his talk? Corruption he screamed! Have there been tangible results in his fight against it? He claims he ‘requested’ RW that he suspends the CB Governor over the bond scam. Should he not have ‘insisted’ on it instead?
The appointment of the Prime Minister and the installing of a minority government have also backfired on him. The perception was that he was traitorous to his party. Seemingly, the desired crossovers to his cause did not materialize as promised [or expected]. Admittedly, the man cannot be faulted on that but it is clear that he was not able to get his fellow colleagues to deliver.
The appointment of certain ministers has not gone down too well either. If he showed a bit of gumption, he could have done better in bringing in fresh faces – men of some integrity. Activation of the Press Council, suppression of the COPE report, etc did not help either.
It is obvious that he is busy trying to please everybody. Please sir, we want our leader to be more decisive, firm, and unwavering. Look over your shoulder. Can you not see the wolf coming?
We should collectively hope that the UPFA will not get the two-thirds majority that they are cock-a-hoop about. If they do, any bets on fast-tracked constitutional amendments? Much work is needed in the rural areas to educate the masses even at this late stage if that were possible. No point in preaching to the converted in Colombo!
Ainsley de Silva
Kohuwala
Make it the end of the road for three-wheelers
It is time that authorities took note of the alarming increase in three wheeler vehicles on our roads. They pose a threat to the lives of other motorists, pedestrians, and the very passengers they carry. At this rate, very soon, the three wheelers will outnumber all other vehicles put together.
The main cause for the rising incidence of vehicular accidents, either direct or contributory, is the reckless and callous manner these vehicles are driven on our relatively narrow roads, unlike the broad roads of developed countries. The Government should pay attention to this problem.
The three wheeler vehicle was introduced by the J.R. Jayewardene regime around 1977, at a time when the economy was taking a downturn. The good side was, that it provided (a) a cheaper mode of transport to the ordinary people (b) a means of employment to the uneducated persons. Today, after 38 years, this vehicle has become a public menace as shown below:
It is driven recklessly with least concern for other road users. These drivers violate traffic rules and road rules and creep into every nook and corner of the roads, cutting to every side, taking sudden U turns, stopping to pick-up wayside passengers, overtaking on the opposite lane to beat the traffic lights, constantly tooting the horn and intimidating and abusing other motorists.
Three wheelers have no built-in protection and are open; the passengers are vulnerable to injury that is sometimes fatal. Though the law prescribes a limit to the number of passengers, it is breached, and seldom enforced.
Parking on top of lanes joining the main roads, thereby blocking both ingress to and egress from these lanes is common.
The drivers are a law unto to themselves. Other motorists are forced into accidents by their rash and reckless driving. They overtake stealthily on the same side a vehicle is turning without even warning by horning, when necessary.
Right thinking people, who experience these problems daily on our roads, I think, will agree with my observations. Politicians are not concerned. They are insulated from all of this as they travel in comfort with the roads cleared for them by the security motorcades.
We claim now to be a middle-income country. If so, three wheelers are incompatible with that status. I propose that, imports of three wheeler vehicles be prohibited immediately. Those already on the roads can continue to ply until their natural death and final elimination from our roads.
The government must allow imports of only four wheel vehicles of low engine capacity, such as Suzuki Marutis, Tata Nanos and similar vehicles for use as hiring cars for commercial purpose. This will eventually restore some order and road discipline and reduce the incidence of motor accidents. Four wheel cars cannot be driven the same way a three wheeler is driven. The car will act as a restraint against reckless driving. Once the three wheeler is eventually removed from our roads, there will be a better flow of traffic and less accidents.
It will be argued that the removal of three wheelers will deprive a source of employment and a mode of cheaper travel. This argument would have been valid 38 years ago. Now the conditions are not the same with rising incomes, diverse avenues of employment, and an expanding middle class. It would encourage more travel companies to engage in the car hire business. This means there will be regulatory order and control unlike the informal and unregulated operation of the three wheelers. The public will benefit by a comfortable mode of travel, with A.C, more room, protective cover, and confidence of safety to themselves. These benefits would outweigh the cheaper cost of travel to the people in a three wheeler.
The government must have regulatory control over all hiring vehicles business. They must be registered with the Ministry of Transport on a nominal registration fee. Drivers should carry a registration card on their shirt lapel, with their names, vehicle no. and reg. no. A dress code specifying a uniform dress should be implemented .This will instil discipline, order and uniformity of standards.
P. Soma Palan
Via email
Make it the end of the road for three-wheelers
It is time that authorities took note of the alarming increase in three wheeler vehicles on our roads. They pose a threat to the lives of other motorists, pedestrians, and the very passengers they carry. At this rate, very soon, the three wheelers will outnumber all other vehicles put together.
The main cause for the rising incidence of vehicular accidents, either direct or contributory, is the reckless and callous manner these vehicles are driven on our relatively narrow roads, unlike the broad roads of developed countries. The Government should pay attention to this problem.
The three wheeler vehicle was introduced by the J.R. Jayewardene regime around 1977, at a time when the economy was taking a downturn. The good side was, that it provided (a) a cheaper mode of transport to the ordinary people (b) a means of employment to the uneducated persons. Today, after 38 years, this vehicle has become a public menace as shown below:
It is driven recklessly with least concern for other road users. These drivers violate traffic rules and road rules and creep into every nook and corner of the roads, cutting to every side, taking sudden U turns, stopping to pick-up wayside passengers, overtaking on the opposite lane to beat the traffic lights, constantly tooting the horn and intimidating and abusing other motorists.
Three wheelers have no built-in protection and are open; the passengers are vulnerable to injury that is sometimes fatal. Though the law prescribes a limit to the number of passengers, it is breached, and seldom enforced.
Parking on top of lanes joining the main roads, thereby blocking both ingress to and egress from these lanes is common.
The drivers are a law unto to themselves. Other motorists are forced into accidents by their rash and reckless driving. They overtake stealthily on the same side a vehicle is turning without even warning by horning, when necessary.
Right thinking people, who experience these problems daily on our roads, I think, will agree with my observations. Politicians are not concerned. They are insulated from all of this as they travel in comfort with the roads cleared for them by the security motorcades.
We claim now to be a middle-income country. If so, three wheelers are incompatible with that status. I propose that, imports of three wheeler vehicles be prohibited immediately. Those already on the roads can continue to ply until their natural death and final elimination from our roads.
The government must allow imports of only four wheel vehicles of low engine capacity, such as Suzuki Marutis, Tata Nanos and similar vehicles for use as hiring cars for commercial purpose. This will eventually restore some order and road discipline and reduce the incidence of motor accidents. Four wheel cars cannot be driven the same way a three wheeler is driven. The car will act as a restraint against reckless driving. Once the three wheeler is eventually removed from our roads, there will be a better flow of traffic and less accidents.
It will be argued that the removal of three wheelers will deprive a source of employment and a mode of cheaper travel. This argument would have been valid 38 years ago. Now the conditions are not the same with rising incomes, diverse avenues of employment, and an expanding middle class. It would encourage more travel companies to engage in the car hire business. This means there will be regulatory order and control unlike the informal and unregulated operation of the three wheelers. The public will benefit by a comfortable mode of travel, with A.C, more room, protective cover, and confidence of safety to themselves. These benefits would outweigh the cheaper cost of travel to the people in a three wheeler.
The government must have regulatory control over all hiring vehicles business. They must be registered with the Ministry of Transport on a nominal registration fee. Drivers should carry a registration card on their shirt lapel, with their names, vehicle no. and reg. no. A dress code specifying a uniform dress should be implemented .This will instil discipline, order and uniformity of standards.
P. Soma Palan
Via email
The Govt. should take a close look at what is going on in the Archaeological Dept.
I refer to the article in your Sunday Issue of July 19, headlined “Don’t malign the men who did much for the Sigiriya Frescoes” by Raja de Silva, former Archaeological Commissioner.
I am not surprised that the one who helped Maranzi, the Italian expert to save the vandalised Sigiriya paintings in 1967, is enraged by the attempt of the Director, Post-Graduate Institute of Archaeology to blame the long-dead Maranzi for damage done recently to the painting by an unqualified employee of the Archaeological Department, in an attempt to restore it.
The Director is primarily an artist who (as revealed on the Internet) followed, as a student, a course in the treatment of wall paintings at the International Centre in Rome for the study and preservation of Cultural Property (ICCROM). Conservation of wall paintings is a scientific discipline that involves (as in medicine for the sick) the acquisition of knowledge of the causes of deterioration (i.e., diagnosis) and the treatment required for their removal. The conservator has manifestly to be an accomplished, qualified and trained chemist. Thus, there are no patent medicines that a fine arts man can successfully apply to the conservation of murals, no matter what training course he followed. And after following a course of training for some months, no student, can justifiably profess to be an expert conservator.
It is interesting to know whether the Director General of Archaeology, the officer responsible by law for the care of ancient monuments (and paintings therein) has ever given a permit to the Director, Post-Graduate Institute of Archaeology to take in hand the conservation of any ancient wall painting. Otherwise, if this academic claims to have conserved a wall painting in Sri Lanka, it would have been an unauthorized act, if not a violation of the law.
The DG of Archaeology has not filled the vacancy created when Dr. Nanda Wickremasinghe (Director, Chemical Conservation) left the Department in 2001 to head the National Museum. Had someone competent been appointed 14 years ago, the deterioration in the painting would have been spotted and corrected. There are a number of other vacancies he has not filled for no known reason.
The DG of Archaeology has produced only one or two Annual Reports (none of which is in English) since he was appointed DG/A around 2002. These are Reports that were annually sent abroad by agreements of exchange with other libraries, and to keep the rest of the world informed of what the Department had been achieving. We have many World Heritage Sites in this country and reports in Sinhala would be useless to the rest of the world.
It would be interesting to know the DG’s reasons for the above. It is the country that suffers in situations like this. The new Government should take a close look at what is going on in the Archaeological Department. We cannot afford to lose our heritage or our reputation.
- Chari de Silva Via email
Thank you for the relief, but why the new procedures?
Pensioners are grateful that your newspaper helped them obtain the present relief of removal of disparities by highlighting their grievances over the years. We are thankful that the Prime Minister has directed that enhanced payments be made with the August pension.
We also record with thanks that equalisation of pensions in keeping to the 1997 salary revision was also inaugurated by the then UNP Government in office. However, it is of concern that the present pension increases appear to have got covertly tied up with a proposal to remove fraudulent pension payments. This is seen by the procedure that now calls for documents, order for replacement of bank current accounts by opening savings accounts and the thumb impressions. These requirements are insisted upon, at the Divisional Secretariat in Thimbirigasyaya.
On the other hand, the Divsional Secretariats in Moratuwa and Maharagama seek copies of the NIC and pension cards without the need for changing the current accounts or the placing of finger impressions.
One has to raise the pertinent issue whether the 100-day-programme of the government has had time to inquire into pension frauds and conclude that finger printing of pensioners would be a deterrent measure.
W. E. Jayawardena
Colombo 4
The straying strays: Whodunnit?
Most lanes in Colombo have their own resident stray dogs. About two or three years ago young vets had asked the permission of a well respected and compassionate monk in charge of a large temple in the neighbourhood for permission to use a large shed away from the temple to carry out sterilisation operations. Having gained permission these young vets went from house to house in the neighbourhood asking us to bring all cats and dogs there on a given date. The doggy down our lane was taken too, and she was her usual happy self the following day.
A few months ago all the dogs disappeared in various parts of Colombo. We thought that someone had taken them for sterilisation. But when I spoke to Dr. Izad of the Colombo Municipal Council he said that the CMC Veterinary Dept., was not involved in sterilisations in recent months. So where have all the dogs gone? I wonder if they have just been dumped where ever the dog catchers wished creating new strays where none existed. We miss you doggy. So now you are a stray.
Please leave these harmless animals alone.
C.B. Perera
Colombo 5
Let us enjoy the wilderness in peace and quiet
I had been visiting Yala, long before the first mobile network came to Sri Lanka. I have observed the disastrous developments in the national park once Yala started getting mobile reception.
Most of the jeeps enter the Yala NP without a tracker and the drivers work both as the tracker and the driver. They enter the park with a mobile phone at their ears. No sooner they hear about a leopard sighting, hell opens up.
They speed up, sometimes up to 80 km to rush to the point violating all discipline inside a national park. We have observed killing of small animals on the road due to this. The diesel smoke emitted by their jeeps mixing up with uprising dust due to their speed causes much air pollution. Sound pollution is another problem. Above all, there is much danger to the visitors inside the jeeps.
When they reach the site, some even go off the designated roads, blocking the view of the others. Sometimes due to the forward and reversing movements of the jeeps at the point, the diesel smoke and the jeep noise is unbearable. The final result is that the animal moves inside the jungle.
If the mobile network is not there from the time they enter the park the drivers will have to keep looking for the animals, thereby eliminating the need to speed up, thus eliminating all the above problems. More so they will be able to see the other animals and the beauty of the national parks which were shown to us in the good old days!!
There were instances where foreign tourists were brought in, just to show the leopards for some dollars and there had been arguments when they failed to do so.
Some feel communication should be there in the event of an accident or vehicle failure. I wish to point out that the chances of this are remote unless someone is doing a crazy drive. Even if there is a problem, if you are on a designated road there will be enough vehicles passing by to help. Further our biggest National Park, Wilpattu, does not have any mobile network and no chaotic situation like that in Yala takes place there!
This communication tower and the networks were started as a security precaution against an LTTE attack. However now such a threat does not exist and there is no need of it. We must allow the wildlife, fauna and flora to thrive in peace as well.
The communication blockage is for three hours in the morning and afternoon. By taking these networks away we can have peace and harmony with the wildlife inside the park.
NJ
Via email