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| Wednesday, 11 February 2004 |
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Letters | |
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The President must be congratulated on taking the difficult but inevitable decision to dissolve Parliament in the light of the Prime Minister's intransigence related to the Constitutional provision related to the Defence portfolio and the PM's repeated and blatant attempts to usurp the powers of the President. The PM should have been well aware, unless he was a mere 'yes man' of the late J. R. Jayewardene that the Constitution that was proposed and actively supported by himself left little or no power with the PM other than a mere ceremonial role. This would have been well witnessed by the PM in the role that late President Premadasa played under the late President J. R. Jayewardene and the role that PM played under the late President R. Premadasa. Regrettably however ever since his election the PM has been attempting to play the role of an Executive Prime Minister and to make the President to act as a mere nominal Head of State by usurping her powers at every stage of the political process. This was amply demonstrated by the fact that he dared to commit the Defence forces of the country without consulting her who is the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces and in making various Defence related arrangements with third parties including foreign countries without consulting the President. Special mention must also be made of the offer to send Sri Lanka armed forces to Iraq to support US forces in a speech he made at the UN. The President was gallant enough to forgive the PM for having dared to present the MoU related to the Northern conflict despite the fact that it was presented to her only after agreeing to it and in fact signing it. He should have been well aware that he had absolutely no right to do so without getting the PRIOR agreement of the President. The PM's claim that the peace process has broken down due to the President taking over the Defence portfolio is the biggest political fraud ever perpetrated on the country. Everyone knows that the process was stalled in April when the LTTE made several further demands even over and above the letter and spirit of the MoU. In order to clarify the PM's position on the related issues he owes answers to at least the following questions: 1. Did he understand the provision of the new Constitution related to the respective roles of the President and the PM? 2. Does he agree that the roles of late President Premadasa and the PM in relation to the Presidents the two of you served were quite different from the role that you have been attempting to play under the President? 3. Does he agree that he had no legal or moral right to sign the MoU without getting the approval of the President? 4. Does he agree that the MoU was not drafted either by the LTTE, the UNF Government or in joint consultation and that it was in fact a conspiracy perpetrated on the country by Norway and other foreign vested interests? 5. That the 18 point proposal for an Interim administration in the North and East had been agreed by Norway and you before it was presented by the LTTE? 6. If it was not so why did you not take the obvious course of action which was to classify the 18 alleged LTTE demands into three categories namely Rejected, Negotiable and Agreed? 7. Are you even at this late stage prepared to make such clarification for the benefit of the people and explain the reason why you have agreed to an Interim Administration before reaching a final solution? 8. In the unlikely even of your being re-elected will you give an undertaking to revert to your expected role and that you will refrain from usurping the powers of the President any more and act according to the Constitution? 9. Are you in favour of a proposal to have the long overdue referendum in the Eastern Province on whether the TEMPORARY merger of the Northern and Eastern Provinces should be affirmed or rejected as soon as possible? 10. If you are in favour of such a proposal would you agree to having the voting on the referendum carried out on the same day as the parliamentary elections by giving an additional ballot paper on the issue in the Eastern Province? 11. Judging by Mr. Anton Balasingham's recent statements on the proposed Indo Lanka Defence pact, would it not be correct to conclude that you have given your prior blessing to such a statement? 12. Related to his statement on the relative strengths of the LTTE and SLG armed forces, would it not be correct to assume that you would some how cut down the SLG armed forces to a level not stronger than that of the LTTE? BERNARD WIJEDORU, Help learn more on Dr. Edwin Lawson Koch My brother-in-law, Kallmann Godfried Koch, now domiciled in Melbourne, Australia, would like very much to know more about his ancestor, Dr. Edwin Lawson Koch who was an Eminent Surgeon and Philanthropist in Sri Lanka. In fact he was so devoted to the poor and down trodden in Colombo, that he may have been likened to Dr. Albert Swistzer of African repute. An English lady was so moved by his skill in saving her life, that she was willing to set up a scholarship in his name for Sterling Pounds 5000 in England. However, fate had other plans for the good Doctor. While operating one day, he accidentally cut his finger. Realizing the gravity of the situation, he requested the English Doctors to cut his hand off and thereby save his life. They refused, and he died at a very young age. On his demise people of all walks of life, especially the poor, erected a statue to commemorate the life of this great Burgher patriot. I believe it is located somewhere in the confines of the Hospital Complex in Colombo near Ward Place. I would be very grateful if any reader could help me in this quest. I will be at the Colombo Plaza-Room 366 till March 20/04. AUBREY CORTELING HAMILTON, Prefix to surnames with abbreviations It has been reiterated as a common topic regarding 'Quacks' particularly in the medical profession who pose as qualified medical practitioners bringing dispute to the highly respected medical profession. A 'Quack' is an ignorant pretender to once own skill in the medical profession without possessing any medical professional qualification. They have earned immensely by these errant means by cheating thousands of innocent patients. The related authorities however, lately have brought most of them to book by who have foolishly instigated the ignorant patients. The Abbreviation 'Dr.' is entitled and should be given only to one who is qualified professionally with titles such as MD, MRCP, MRCOG, DCH and other post MBBS qualifications in areas of Cardiology, ENT, Surgery, Orthopaedic, Psychiatry, Rheumatology, Pathology etc., Doctorates in medicine are conferred in medical profession for those who have devised and researched on remedies to heal the sick. Those who possess the above qualifications are the Consultants, Physicians/Surgeons. Doctorates are also conferred on learned men for writing theses of outstanding matters after doing much research on selected areas accepted by panels of judges who are conversant in the respective fields. It has been a common practice in Sri Lanka, the third world developing country where facilities for postgraduate qualifications are not in existence. Most dental surgeons with the minimum qualification obtained from our local university are in the habit of adding the prefix with the abbreviation 'Dr.' to the surname, which is incorrect. In developed countries those who have completed the basic qualification only add the abbreviation 'Mr.' before their surnames. SUNIL THENABADU, When we see now the law enforcers act towards crimes which could affect their position, it would be pertinent to say that the enforcers are big asses. Nobody is above the law and the law respects no one. As reported (in DN - Jan. 12), two Ministers' sons were involved in a gang assault on relatives and friends of another Minister. The question is - is the rule of law ineffective in our country for the IGP to appoint a "TOP TEAM" to probe the attack and a special team to hunt and arrest the culprits? Are these elite type gang leaders some exclusive elements of society? Also, why a "Mediation Board" as suggested by one of the affected Ministers? Ironically DN Jan. 14, reports the father of one of the culprits, arraigned before Courts on assault charges on University students. So why should there be any distinction the old adage "boys will be boys" as much as Ministers will be Ministers is poppycock. The police officers should allow the juniors do their job and display their training skills and talent and earn honour and respect from the public. This is what is called discipline and that is how the police can earn the confidence of the public. News reports show to what extent Court powers are resorted to have a warrant issued on a prominent figure because of underworld criminal connections. Why is the Police playing hide and seek with the "ministerial" sons? Will an ordinary citizen in such a situation be able to enjoy such "privileges"? Anybody knows what the consequences will be. N.B. MELVILLE PERERA, Today the Cost of Living (CoL) index has risen to unprecedented levels and the prices of essential goods have sky-rocketed beyond tolerable limits. People who do not earn a substantial income are undergoing great hardships to meet their domestic and other expenses as well. The urban population, who are used to luxury spending to keep par with their standards of living and lifestyles are the worst affected. Those who are employed receive a fixed monthly salary, and when both husband and wife work, they receive two pay packets to enhance their monthly income. The rise in the CoL has made every wage earner undergo pecuniary embarrassments, to balance their home budgets, sometimes getting indebted to meet the ends meet. This is one reason where employees yield to bribery and corruption. Every government that came into power promised the voters to bring down the CoL but it never happened. Before an election, the politicians promise gold, but after not even silver is given. The voters repent for their folly. The rise in the CoL, specially among the urban population, has a serious impact on recurrent domestic expenditure. The settlement of electricity bills, telephone bills, water bills, payment of house rent, medical expenses, schooling of children, weddings, marriages, funerals, ceremonies etc., absorb a bigger portion of the salary. Housing loans, vehicle loans, festival advances etc., add insult to injury. Salaries of public servants have been increased, but what about private sector employees, or those unemployed, who labour to earn a living with no guarantee of their income? Salary increases are not the solution to the rise in the CoL. What should be done is to bring down the CoL within the means of everyone. In most western countries, salaries are high, but the CoL maintains an equilibrium, with no polarity. In UK and US money is given as charity (Dole) as state pay to the unemployed. Now, the war expenditure in the North is out of question, but the millions of rupees, so saved, has not been utilized to bring down the CoL. The politicians are much better off, than the voters, to live in the lap of luxury, with all free facilities, while the poor voters look up to the sky waiting for the day when the promises would be fulfilled. The businessmen, traders and other middlemen is running the money market at their will and pleasure, with no state control. ARYADASA RATNASINGHE, |
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