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| Monday, 17 May 2004 |
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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. Postal Department and its profits It was reported in DN April 21, that the PMG had told Lankapuvath that Sri Lanka Posts gained a profit of Rs. 2,047 billion last year. It is however necessary to mention that such a profit has been achieved after providing a service to the public which is far from satisfactory. Time and again letters have been written pointing out the appalling conditions at some main post offices and sub-post offices in the towns and more specially in the distant outstations. I wish to mention herein some of the matters that should receive the immediate action of those who are in authority from the Minister, PMG and downwards. In one sub-post office a notice was displayed asking the public to bring gum for their requirements. In some post offices gum is kept in receptacles which are even filthy to handle. There are some post offices which do not have adequate supplies of stamps. Some do not have telephone facilities leaving aside Fax and Telex facilities. Innumerable complaints are made by the public regarding the non delivery of letters, misdeliveries even when addresses are legible, and large scale pilferage especially during festive seasons when foreign mails are often tampered with and contents removed. The letters and figures on the seals on letters are hardly legible due to the use of worn out equipment and inadequate rubber stamp ink making it difficult to trace the office of origin and the date of posting. I have seen postal peons collecting letters from pillar letter boxes using 'Pora Bags' instead of the secured tappal bags, leaving the collections unattended to, while having meals at wayside kiosks. Why can't the authorities enforce that all peons be clad in their official uniforms while on duty, so that they can be easily identified? Is the profit mentioned by the PMG inclusive of the Government grant, and why not use a part of the profits to give the public a better service for which a levy is made? M. T. M. DE SILVA, Moratuwa People oriented service Arrangements for fulfilling election pledges such as graduate employment, salary increases of Government employees, TV programmes to answer questions of the public by Ministers are some of the measures so far taken by President and her new Government to satisfy inside and outside customers of the Government: inside customers are Government employees and outside customers are members of the public. It is one of the concepts of modern management that both categories of customers must be kept satisfied for the success of any organization. A Government is an organisation covering a whole country. In the above context, it is relevant to suggest for the consideration of President and the dynamic Ministers of the new Government that, all Government institutions may be ordered to take prompt action on requests of the members of public, first by responding with an acknowledgement within three days of receipt. Next by intimating progress at least fortnightly on the action taken with any reasons for the delay, if the request cannot be acceded to within less than one month. Ministers, Secretaries and Heads of Departments may meet from time to time and make genuine attempts to give final solutions for requests of people which are delayed over three months without solutions. Impossibilities should be brought to the notice of the relevant parties with appropriate advice. Though the suggested procedure seems to be a trivial one which had been in practice up to about 1960s in a slightly different form which, if restored as stated and adhered to strictly despite the inevitable resistance of parties with self seeking vested interests, the resultant general satisfaction of the public on revitalised procedures relating to public transactions with Government Institutions will have a ripping effect on better public relations and may lead to boost up the popularity of the Government. K. A. Karunaratne, Matale Jayabhoomi and Swarnabhoomi lands There are over 1.2 million families who have been granted Jayabhoomi and Swarnabhoomi lands by the previous Governments, both PA as well as the UNP. The previous UNP government was about to bring a Bill in Parliament to release all restrictions imposed on the transfer of all such lands; thereby enabling the current owners to obtain quick loans or even dispose such properties in the event they find it difficult to maintain or improve such land due to lack of finances. However, this was shelved at the last minute even though the President herself had approved such a course of action. This happened just before the last election. Now this matter is in 'Limbo'. Most of these properties are owned by the poor or middle-class category of people. They are invariably not in a position to invest capital to improve such land. Such people were hoping to dispose these lands to others who are more capable of doing so. They are still hoping that this Bill will come through. Let us hope for the best! This Bill, once passed by Parliament, will give 'perfect-title' to such Deeds. 1.2 million families means about 3 to 4 million eligible voters whose hopes have been dashed. May be, who knows this may have adversely affected the party involved in shelving this matter, at the last General Election. SA, Dehiwala World heritage site Sigiriya is what it is primarily because of the apsara frescoes of the fortress palace of King Kashyapa (527-544 AD). They surpass in excellence those of Ajanta or perhaps any other work of art in using the line as the medium of expression. The 'fact-file' on Sri Lanka given in the March-April 2004 issue of Serendib, the magazine of Sri Lankan Airlines however makes no reference to the frescoes, graffitti, kashyapa palace or the unique water gardens in its description of Sigiriya. The tourist instead is advised to reach the Sigiriya summit before sunrise for 'stunning views'! Scenic beauty of the landscape is common phenomenon in Sri Lanka. However one does not visit Sigiriya for this reason or to view the sunrise. Sri Pada, the sacred mountain of Sri Lanka has attractions other than its religious significance to Buddhists and followers of other faiths. A tourist or pilgrim would be well rewarded if present at the summit before sunrise by the view before him of the shadow of the majestic peak cast across the western slopes during sunrise or of the eastern horizon where the waves of the Indian ocean create the illusion of the sun making several dips before rising to the morning sky. The Serendib makes no mention of these in relation to Sri Pada. A. D. SUGATADASA, Nugegoda Rejected votes at the General Election - 2004 It would appear that a large number of votes have been rejected mostly due to the ignorance of the voters who did not understand the complex system of voting. When considering the huge total, it is abundantly clear that these persons did not know how to use their vote. Like in most previous elections, there were no workshops or training sessions or instructions, either in the print or electronic media for the ordinary man/woman to have any knowledge on the way to cast his/her vote, preceding the 2004 hustings. Whether it be proportional representation or the post system, I feel it an absolute necessity that the people should know how to use his ballot paper, so that in future elections, I request the Commissioner of Elections to emphasize on this aspect, i.e.: the correct use of the universal franchise. Perhaps if the sum total of the rejected votes were cast for one person or one party, the voter would have been the kingmaker as usual. BANDULA SENEVIRATNE, Colombo 8 |
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