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| Tuesday, 10 June 2003 |
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Letters | |
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Please forward your letters to [email protected] in plain text format within the e-mail message, since as a policy we do not open any attachments.
Look around. Wherever we turn to whatever we turn to we see base attitudes of men, corrupt and contemptuous behaviour. People from all walks of life are the same. Take the Radio. They talk in trashy language. The Television stations show during the day and evening for the whole family what is classified strictly for adults in the Cinema Hall. All of us, Buddhists, Christians, Hindus and Moslems show we are a very religious minded society. We only listen to the sermons but do not practise. We only want to know whether the preacher knows how to preach, whether he has a deep knowledge of the religion or whether his sermons carry enough spice to spike the corrupt. But by no means to follow. There are custodians for religion, arts, culture, etc., with cabinet rank. But they do not see or hear the bad and the ugly that will push society to low depths. During the time of President Premadasa, Ava Sanda was banned and a Preview Board was appointed. Scenes not suitable for family viewing by traditional Sri Lankan cultural upbringing blotted. But came the next government, Ava Sanda was back on the national TV with a settlement of Rs. 25 m. to set off political favours. The Preview Board stopped functioning. The result was an avalanche of teleplays which have done untold damage to the society. In almost all these telefilms, attacks are directed in most vilifying manner at parents, various job categories on one hand and the other silly sob stories lowering the tastes of the masses and sinking the cultural values of the whole society. A simple example of how vile men have turned out to be are freely seen at any bus halt. Watch children, women and feeble, try to board a bus. It is the able bodied youth and men who will push others and board first. Try to sit on a vacant seat. It is the same. We cannot hide behind the truth. It is there for all to see. Each person will have to think right and act right and those in authority guide the disciples. At home we call our cats, mehata enna, and yanna (come here and go in the softest tone) etc. Every teacher, specially in the Daham Pasala (it is a term now common to all religions) should compulsorily train children to use soft words. Politicians should rein in their heavy-weights and stop speaking in unethical language. It will be a slow transformation. But such action will bring results slowly but steadily. METTHANANDA WIJEKULASURIYA, Polgasowita It is very important for us to take active participation in our lives whether it be at home, office or at national level. It ensures the following benefits. It helps to: 1. Get a clear understanding, 2. make valuable contributions, 3. realize the drawbacks for corrective action, 4. ensure smooth functioning, 5. finish the job or work within limits, 6. arrange for substitutes in case of partial or full failure, 7. allocate resources within funds for satisfactory completion, 8. avoid exploitation. According to my point of view a sleeping partner cannot contribute towards success. I am aware of an incident about a successful Indian Film producer S. S. Vasan, who produced several Tamil and Hindi box office hits. He used to come to his office daily and watch the progress of film shooting taking place. When enquired by a reporter he declared that any job if not monitored correctly will result in a disaster. "My presence alone makes the director, cameraman and the actors etc., to commence their work early and finish without much delay", he said. Regrettably, I see Sri Lanka as a sleeping nation. I had never come across active participation of our people in important mattes such as a. Economic Programmes, b. National Health, c. Education, d. Politics, e. Prevention of Drug abuse, Child abuse etc., and f. Prevention of Crimes. In 1983, I participated in a seminar which was held at the BMICH. A foreign intellectual mentioned that the political participation in Sri Lanka is 19% whereas in America and England it was 60% and 55% respectively. (In India it is only 15%). Our people protested and stated that our voting rate in the Presidential and the General Election was about 60% and therefore the estimate of 19% was too low and undermines Sri Lanka standards. In return the foreign intellectual retorted that we Sri Lankans vote for a candidate taking into consideration the community, religion, relationship, crimes, bribes and without a proper analysis of the basic principles. There may be controversy as to this opinion, but we have to accept that there is some truth in it. Take the case of Medical care. At present the main killer disease is heart attack. I was shocked to hear that a material percentage of our younger generation faces the danger of heart attack. This is mainly due to lack of exercise, wrong eating habits, smoking, drinking etc. The number of HIV positive patients is also on the increase. Whenever the budget proposals are announced for about 2 to 3 days reports appear in the press. If a cricket match is telecast on the budget day, the budget speech will not attract anybody! We are blessed with several facilities and regrettably it has not been utilized in a proper way. We have a. adequate intellectuals, b. a powerful media, c. a higher percentage of literacy, d. facilities to obtain foreign aid, e. powerful connections with the world at large. I am at a loss to understand as to why these are not properly utilized for active participation. I suggest the following steps to be taken whenever an important programme such as the budget proposals are being announced. a. Intellectuals should analyze the proposals and elucidate the drawbacks to the authorities for corrective action. b. Educate the public at large through the press, seminars, etc. c. Analyze the past, present and future considerations. By this method I feel that active participation of the public at large could be achieved which in turn will assure the progress of our nation as a whole. S. R. Balachandran, The National Chamber of Commerce of Sri Lanka I was employed in the Middle East and through my experience there, I found that during a festive season the prices of all goods were sold at half the price. The sales were so good that all shopping malls, hotels, etc. etc. made immense profits, while the people were happy and enjoyed shopping/marketing. But in our Sri Lanka, it is during the festive season that prices are doubled and tripled and there is no one or bodies to stop the unscrupulous traders from fleecing the innocent people. It is during these festive seasons that notices of 'sales' are exhibited everywhere, which is but a mere bunkum. For example, a product of toothpaste which was Rs. 45 per tube had been increased to Rs. 50 and sold at 10% discount during the festive season, Signaling the price to be Rs. 45, which was the earlier price. What a hoax, 55 Years of independence have brought us ahead of all other countries - not only to cheat but to commit crimes unheard of, everyday. Who Cares? - Character and discipline have reached rock bottom, Who cares? - Brutal killings, with no value for lives is a daily occurrence. Who cares? - While the rich become richer, the poor become poorer. Who cares? - The Government Departments and schools are in a mess. Who cares? - In judiciary - some trials have become a mockery of justice. Who cares? - Those holding power - wine and dine, while the country is going to dogs. Who cares? - Politicians involved in all sorts of crime are allowed to go scot-free. Who Cares? - Tariff on electricity, water, gas etc. etc. have been allowed to sky rocket unabated during the past 10 years. Who cares? - Doctors are allowed to strike while the patients die. Who cares? - Drug trafficking continues unabated, ruining the lives of the people - specially the young. Who cares? - Prostitution continues unheeded. Who cares? - Buddhist monks are allowed to go on rallies and shout slogans. Who cares? - Private but drivers and conductors are rude and abusive. Who cares? - Robbery goes on and on. Who cares? - Bribery and corruption continues unabated. Who cares? - The list is endless - so of what, we Sri Lankans could speak good of? Nothing WHO CARES. Where are we heading to. Disaster! Who cares? Sri Lanka was known as 'Paradise' during the good old days (could it be said that it was so, up to the time we got our Independence in 1948). But what is it today? Our country being wholly blessed with all the recourses, not available in many other countries on this earth, what are we doing? Just nothing. Everything is being ruined. The news everyday is only about killings and of crimes. This is a very very serious matter, and the authorities must, even at this late stage, stand firm and take the right decisions to bring this country to its glory to what it was up to 1948. The present Government must enforce stringent measures and deterrent punishments NOW, and the appeal to the Prime Minister, who is purported to be a clean man and not hungry for power, has to take up the challenge and do what should be done NOW, to get the country out of the present mess. Otherwise there is no hope for our country, and for the present or future generations. Our country has now come to the brink of falling apart any moment. Let it not be asked - WHO CARES? A. B., Beruwela Day in and day out, we learn through the newspapers occurring of murders in multiple, giving less recognition to the law of the land. Immediately after the murder, the general public and the custodian of the law make a big hue and cry, gradually ceases unnoticingly, mere few suspects are brought to the Courts and they are released on various grounds. If one ponders deeply, he or she will realize that the laws of the land are not strictly enforced. Specially in the case of murder, death penalty should be re-enforced immediately without wasting a minute. The people who undertake contract on murders are quite confident that there is no execution and the life term imprisonment is reduced through amnesties for various occasions and the culprit slips out of the cell after few years. Does any right thinking citizen realize the re-introduction of death penalty is a must to minimise the cruelty and barbaric acts. If things were to continue at this rate, the people will lose confidence in one hand and the image of ours will diminish universally on the other and we will be classed as the indecent and uncultured elements of the globe. HUSSAIN ISMAIL A. BARRY, Colombo 12 |
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