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| Thursday, 28 February 2002 |
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Letters | |
| News Business Features Editorial Security Politics World Sports Obituaries
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Let us have a goodwill election this time The Local Government Election campaign is moving ahead this time with caution and down to earth style. Evidently there is also much lesser volume of cutouts and posters around. Pre-election incidents too have subsided to a remarkable degree. The country needs the governing democracy protected, and all people and leaders safeguarded whatever the politics they individually sympathise with. Hence all peace loving people hope that the present atmosphere of peace will continue throughout the election campaign and thereafter. To realise this wish the leaders and their campaign supporters should adhere to the following principles of ethics during the election, before and after. a. It is the responsibility of all leaders and the people to ensure that the election is held under conditions of peace, law and order. None has the right to interfere with election process under any circumstance. b. If any one by himself engages in violence, gives instructions or overtly or covertly expects/encourages those working under him or in close association with him to resort to violence he is in totality unsuitable to be in politics. c. Those with selfish motives lack the leadership, the quality essential to represent voters. They will rise and prosper to a limit and definitely fail and fall reaching their periphery where they could no longer carry on with the supporters who will eventually regret for being pawns in the hands of the vicious. d. State property is belonged to the nation and no politician has any right to use them in political campaigns. Similarly no politician has any moral right to use state officers and employees in his campaign. The state officers could refuse to carry out any illegal instructions from a politician or another officer acting on behalf of a politician. e. Every citizen has a sovereign right to be vigilant against their rights violations, malpractices during the election, before and after and assist the law enforcement machinery to apprehend the culprits. f. All politicians being aware of disorderly politics and economic indiscipline in the past, should seriously be mindful to help create a political culture conducive development and progress. g. Let no politician use evil words, attempt to defame any, resort to unlawful activity, violate human rights, abuse voters' sovereignty and breach exemplary conduct during the election campaign and thereafter. Let us set an example and tell the world that Sri Lanka has now begun
to hold free and fair elections peacefully with goodwill. As far as the ordinary layman's knowledge goes, the job of the editor of a newspaper is to create news out of information he receives from North, East, West and South. In 1923 the American Society of Editors aptly defined the role of editors in following terms. "The primary function of newspapers is to communicate to the human race, what they do, feel and think. Journalism therefore demands from its practitioners the widest range of intelligence, of knowledge and of experience as well as natural and trained powers of observation and reasoning". Journalism has also been defined as the priesthood of truth. However, there have been certain editors whose job was to create untruths, half truths, falsehoods and terminological inexactitudes. One such editor who lived in England, died few hundred years ago. He was also economical with the truth. The following epitaph was found on his tombstone. "Here lies an Editor! Snooks, if you will; In mercy, Kind Providence, Let him lie still! He lied for his living:so He lived while he lied; When he could not lie longer He lied down and died". (-"Here Lies-" Collection of humorous epitaphs-Edited by H.
W. Howe-1902) It is heartening to note that CWE is being kept open for extended hours to service the customers. Let us hope that this will be a catalyst to have more services open for longer hours to serve the public. If Banks, post offices, shops, restaurants are open for extended hours this will create more job opportunities as there will have to be more than one shift in operation. Similarly transport services also will have to be expanded to cater to extended hours. This way the available resources will be utilised to the maximum which
in result will revive economic activities. It will also help to reduce
traffic congestion as people will have more time to attend to their needs
during night time. Employed people will also find it easier to get their
work done leisurely outside office hours. Immigration official practices apartheid at BIA airport Leaving Sri Lanka after a two-month vacation was sad enough but not as sad and unhappy as the way we were treated by Sri Lankan Immigration officials at the Bandaranaike International Airport on 6th February 2002. After having been checked in to the London bound Sri Lankan Airline's flight we proceeded to the Immigration counter. As it was mid morning there were several travelers both Sri Lankan nationals and tourists. At the immigration counter (one counter was closed) we were forced to wait, while glum looking officials went about their bureaucratic tasks. The queue we were in along with some British tourists was excruciatingly slow, after a while we noticed that the immigration official had left his cubicle and wandered off. Some of the people managed to join other queues. By this time my husband and I were third in the queue in front of some British Tourists and we were debating if we should abandon our place in the queue and join another. At this time another immigration official came to the adjacent vacant Cubicle and in a rather loud voice told his colleague that he would " do the foreigners first" while gesticulating to the British Tourists to come to his cubicle. To say that my husband and I were furious is an understatement. This was the first time that we in out thirty something year old lives had been the victims of apartheid in our very own paradise island Sri Lanka. Momentarily I was lost for words but I did ask the immigration official what was wrong with us after all we were ahead of the British Tourists in the other stagnating queue. He said he had to do the foreigners first. Does that mean in Sri Lanka all Sri Lankan nationals are second-class citizens while tourists are first class citizens I asked him. He refused to answer. I told him that effectively I was also a non-local, as I did not posses a Sri Lankan passport. Did our brown hued skin make us second-class? I also told him that in the UK if immigration official showed such preferential treatment to an African, Middle Eastern or even a South African tourist there would have been an immediate uproar by native British people. The immigration official refused to concede that he had done wrong and continued to get on with his work. My husband was livid by this time and finally after having our passports Stamped by a more pleasant official we went straight to the office of the Chief Immigration Office at the airport. It was about 9.30am and the office was empty, as the Chief had gone for his breakfast. While waiting for someone to turn up we noticed that the rude immigration officer was Complaining about us to the passengers in his queue. How unprofessional is that we wondered! Finally the Chief's deputy approached us and he asked us what the
problem was we explained to him what had happened. He sounded genuinely
upset by what had taken place and he apologized on behalf of his staff. We
explained to him that his staff should not be like that towards Sri
Lankans, as it leaves a very sour taste after such a wonderful holiday. It's high time that we reawaken ourselves and forget the unpleasant episodes in our past and contemporary history. We have to live in the present and look forward to a bright and prosperous future. We should all as citizens of this country work together to build up the nation as humans belonging to the humankind and as equals where talent is recognized irrespective of the superiority in numerical strength of one particular community. Needless to say that the different communities have committed grave mistakes in treating and dealing with each other. But let that be a thing of the past. Extreme nationalism tends to be narrower in today's wider world. We can sail together smoothly if we can shed the in-built prejudices we all have against the 'other community'. Even the terms we use to describe a community tend to conjure up images of hatred and negative persuasions. For instance, the second largest community in this country is described as 'Demala' or 'Dravida' which is all wrong. The people in that community call themselves Thamilar'. Therefore let's take a start in calling these people 'Thamilians' and their language 'Thamil'. When you say 'Demala' the associated meanings as derived from the hatred towards the community at once spring in the minds of even level headed Sinhala people. Further, when you say 'Dravida', it does not refer exclusively to the Thamilians or the Thamil language. This is because the word denotes all aspects of the Telugus (Aandra Pradesh), Kannadigas (Karnataka), Malayalees (Kerala), Thamilians (Thamilnadu) people and even those dialects used by people like Thulus in South India. So, both in Sinhala and English let's refer to the members of this community as Thamilar (Sinhala) Thamilians (English) as people and Thamil (Sinhala and English) as their langauge. This first act will go a long way in our attitudes. Similarly, the Sinhala intellectuals can brief the Thamilians as to how they should be addressed. Another drawback is that media persons misspell or mispronounce the names of places, persons and events. For instance the small town in the east is spelt Muttur (Place of Pearls) whereas it should be written and pronounced as Moothoor (Ancient Place). Similarly Kegalla is written as Kegalle and pronounced wrong. We still follow the Anglicized writing and speech. It's time now to correct ourselves. The arrogance that prevails in our different communities should vanish. Numerical superiority, cultural superiority, racial superiority, caste superiority all this should be put to the background if we were to survive and exist as a nation. In fact, there cannot be any superiority in this shrinking world. We must get rid of our phobias and fears which might have been a
reality in an age past. But now, it is one world. Further everything is
subject to change. If one had been bad earlier he or she may have
corrected himself or herself and turned a new person. Fear is the key.
Forget the immediate past and let's start afresh as decent human beings
respecting each other and loving each other. Love conquers them all. A fervent appeal to the United National Front Government For a people to be happy and contented, the people must have a just government. How such a government could come into being is explained by the Buddha in his sermon, The Ten Duties of a King - The Dasa Raja Dhamma - of course the word 'King' (Raja) must be replaced by the word 'Government' (Rajaya) to suit today's context. The Dasa-Raja-Dhamma therefore applies to all those who constitute the Government, from the Head of State, to Prime Minister, Ministers, legislative and administrative officers and political leaders etc. 1. Liberality, Generosity and Charity Dana) 2. A high moral character (Sila) 3. Sacrificing everything for the good of the people (Pariccaga) 4. Honesty and integrity (Ajjava) 5. Kindness and gentleness (Maddava) 6. Austerity in habits (Tapa) 7. Freedom from hatred, ill will, enmity (Akkoda) 8. Non violence (Avihimsa) 9. Patience, forbearance, tolerance, understanding (Khanthi) 10. Non-opposition, non-obstruction (Avirodha) If a country is ruled by men and women endowed with such qualities, it is needless to say that country must be happy. There were kings in the past like Asoka of India who had established kingdoms based on these ideals. The UNP/UNF Government of today with its able intelligent, dynamic young Ministers (who no doubt have the ability and the will to perform well up to the expectations of the people who so convincingly returned them to power) led by the Prime Minister who is a gentleman par excellence with integrity, honesty and a 'Lee Kwan Yu' like vision for the country must forge ahead and develop this country in such a way that the people of Sri Lanka will never, ever forget the UNP started by that great leader, the father of the nation Hon. D. S. Senanayake. No other political force will ever be able, thereafter to take over the governance of this country and return it to the doldrums once again as has been done in the past. The above exhortation is therefore, a fervent and sincere appeal to the UNP/UNF Government to put their heart and souls into good governance and make this country a peaceful, safe and happy place for future generations to live, the way we lived in the past. May I wind up with this quotation which I always try to practise. 'I shall pass through this life but once Any good, therefore, that I can do or Any kindness I can show my fellow creatures, Let me not defer or neglect, For, I will not pass this way again." I would like to share my experience as to how inconvenient and un-inviting it is, for a Sri Lankan working abroad to open an NRFC account. At a time when the country is going through a bad patch, economy wise, as it has been for the last few years, I believe Sri Lanka should be grabbing every investment opportunity that comes its way. I couldn't believe how difficult I found it to open an NRFC account from Australia. Checking the websites of all banks, I found 90 per cent of them not having on-line account opening forms or the terms and conditions for such deposits. Most of the websites itself are poorly designed, and provide little information. Although most banks have a 'contact us' facility on their web-site, they don't seem to read the in-coming mail, which sends the potential investor shopping elsewhere. One bank even insisted that I fill in an 'original' application form. Come-on people wake up. If you are not capable of grabbing the 'little' potential investor like me, who comes knocking on your door with a couple of hundred of Aussie dollars, leave alone good marketing techniques, you will not be very successful with the larger ones. I believe we should be grabbing every $ to boost our ailing economy. I
only planned on investing a couple of hundred Aussie dollars, but, if I
was rich enough and you were terribly unlucky, if could have been very
much more, and I sure don't feel encouraged by the attitude of the banks
in Sri Lanka. So, wake-up people we can do much better than this. Sri Lankan engineer appreciated in Brunei Darussalam Eng. L N Perera has worked in Brunei for nearly 20 years and for the last 10 years he has been the district water engineer in one of the 4 districts in Brunei. It is an honour for all the Sri Lankans when a Sri Lankan holds such a high position in a foreign soil And genuinely appreciated when leaving after an Illustrious career and service to Brunei. Below is the article appeared in the Brunei national newspaper "Borneo Bulletin" appreciating his work. "The Amiable engineer After serving the Belait District for several years the District Water Engineer L N Perera is leaving Brunei to his mother country Sri Lanka. I have been one of the lucky Bruneians to associate this officer for several years and I can say without any doubt he is an able eminent engineer and a gentleman in all respects. It is a noble gesture to supply water to the public as water is the lifeline of any nation. Being a highly qualified experienced person with an enormous responsibility on his shoulder, he managed to discharge his duties to the best possible way to the public within the available resources and funds. It is lots of time he has worked hard sometimes even during the nights with his co-workers to ensure proper water supply to the public. It is unfortunate that he is leaving Brunei probably for retirement. He is a very honest, humble, patient, and friendly person but very strict on ill doings if it comes his way. He never forgets to share or teach to the Bruneians under him which supports technology transfer. Once again I would like to thank Engineer Perera for valued service rendered to Brunei during the past several years. - Citizen Brunei" It is seen clearly the respect and appreciation our engineers get
overseas and I wonder whether we appreciate such service by our engineers
in our own country and that's one main reason why our best brains leave SL
and consequently the country end up as a Third World Nation with a massive
foreign loans burden on the public. Better collection of Inland Revenue - a proposal for immediate results We are a concerned group of income Tax Payers who are studying systems of taxation in order to ensure greater efficiency in tax collection. In a recent interview published in the Daily News the Minister of Finance N. K. Choksy PC, was reported expressing concern at the low level of Income Tax collection. The Minister stressed the need for the Regional Officers of the Department of Inland Revenue to be active in identifying more taxpayers and increasing the collection of income tax. While we appreciate the interest of the Minister of Finance in increasing the level of tax collection, and widening the net of taxpayers, we would like to suggest to the Minister an easier method of immediately increasing the level of tax collection by a considerable amount, until more effective methods are introduced later. This is because what the Minister needs most just now is the revenue. A careful study of the delays in the collection of income tax would show that it is largely due to the very high and disproportionate fines and other penalties that the Department of Inland Revenue imposes on those who do not either submit returns or pay their taxes on time. Once the taxpayers are subjected to those fines and penalties they spend a great deal of time in trying to have them waived off or reduced, using the services of tax consultants, who are often retired employees of the same Department. To get over this problem we do not recommend a total amnesty to all defaulters, as this would mean those really guilty of deliberate tax evasion getting away with it. There should be no amnesty. Instead, what we suggest is the temporary suspension of the fines and other penalties imposed on income tax payers provided they pay up the original taxes due from them within a given period. This suspension could extend from 60 days to a maximum of 100 days. After 100 days, the original penalties or a more refined and realistic system of penalties should be imposed and quick collections made, without unduly long negotiations. We are certain that a concession for limited period as suggested by us, will immediately bring in more than 50 per cent of the taxes due from genuine income tax payers. A careful study would show that these are not deliberate tax evaders, but those who are burdened with fines and other heavy penalties for delaying the sending in of tax returns, inaccuracies in declarations and similar matters, very often due to forgetfulness or preoccupation, rather than trying to cheat the Department of Inland Revenue. It is certainly necessary to widen the net of income tax payers. This is not a very difficult task when one sees the number of new businesses springing up, that are rarely if ever visited by officers of the Department to ascertain whether they are taxable or not. We hope our proposal attracts the interest of the Minister of Finance, senior officials of the Budget Division of the Treasury, other Ministers and the Prime Minister too, at this time when the budget is being prepared. The giving of these suggested concessions for a limited period of time
would bring in much more revenue from genuine tax payers driven to worry
and delay by the heavy fines and penalties imposed, that are in fact
counter-productive. |
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