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| Thursday, 10 June 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. Monk MPs, please resign without inviting trouble JHU monks first invited troubles by contesting elections and entering Parliament against even Mahanayakes' advice. Now they without being seated in the House go to the floor to brush shoulders with other MPs and complain they (Monk MPs) are hit. No doubt all voters condemn such attacks! Buddha said us we should not invite trouble. Why can't these monk MPs obey Buddha's teaching? If they resign their MP post and go to temples respecting the Buddha and Mahanayake, we will not hear ugly things as we did recently. We should not forget Arahath Mugalan was severely attacked in Buddha's time. K.U. PUSHPAKUMARA, Pitakotte Read this about buying bicycles in old age. It is also, perhaps, about prevailing business ethics and management. My father bought me the first bicycle. I went to Millers at Fort and rode home on a brand new Hunter. On Sunday last, after more than fifty years, I decided to buy a second one. So I walked to the Mega Shop, at Nawala Road and bought the cheapest at Rs. 6,188 with my Visa Card. I wanted to ride it home as before but the manageress of the section told me it has to be dismantled, greased, oiled and refitted at my expense at a cycle shop. So I loaded it on a three-wheeler and came home. On Monday morning I went in search of a repair shop loading it again on a three-wheeler. About half a mile from home, it was run by a father and son team. It was their first job that morning and they promptly started to take the thing apart. A chair was brought and I sat till they cleaned, greased and refitted it. Several things were wrong. A total of eleven critical ball bearings were missing. Both wheels were buckled. There was no protective lining for the cycle tube on one wheel. A nut that held the rear brake cord broke. Projecting spokes were cut with a hacksaw. But they told me all that was normal. Curious passers-by insisted that the model should have a luggage. After four hours, I rode the bicycle home, wheeling it through traffic, from fear. I telephoned and complained to the manageress. She had to inquire from the warehouse. I called the General Manager. He put the blame on the Indian manufacturer. When I said all that is irrelevant because there is nothing wrong with the money I paid, the Head Office Manager called and apologized. He agreed to refund Rs. 500 for replacement of parts and for servicing I paid to the repair men. I then sent the cycle through my servant with a letter to the Mega; and also asked the manager to write the serial number on the receipt in order to licence the cycle next day - for an annual fee of ten rupees! Thus was an introduction to a certain brand of sales practice and management. The General Manager now issued a One Year Guarantee Bicycles card, which the manageress did not. The first sentence is as follows: We guarantee that each bicycle has been carefully manufactured and is in perfect operating condition on delivery - adding, when subject to normal use and care, any part requiring replacement at any time owing to defects in material or workmanship will be replaced without charge within a period of One Year from the date of purchase. But my name is spelt wrong and I am supposed to live in Remand Avenue! My servant returned with the Rs. 500 - wheeling the bicycle! The handle had suddenly snapped down. I took it again on a three-wheeler to the repair-man. A nut was tightened and I came home in another three-wheeler with my servant riding behind it. By now, I had spent a total of Rs. 150 on three-wheelers! A young lady, an expert cyclist, then undertook to test-ride it; and showed me more defects! I have returned the bicycle to the Mega shop including the Rs. 500, demanding delivery of a bicycle just as it says in the guarantee card. So what is the point of this story? A tale told by an idiot? DR. KINGSLEY HEENDENIYA, Nugegoda The Central Bank officials who ordered the suspension of Pramaku Bank (PB) with the clear intention of liquidating the bank must be held accountable for the human costs (the number of savers who committed suicide, the number who had heart attacks, strokes etc.) and also the monetary costs. The fact that the Supreme Court held in favour of reopening the bank was surely a slap-in-the-face of these lofty officials of the Central Bank who perhaps were carrying out a personal vendetta against the PB founders. Why is the authorities keeping silent over this matter? It is common knowledge that the CB is not at all happy about allowing the bank to reopen by way of Asia Capital taking over and that they the CB will do everything in its power to prevent it. The depositors and others have justifiable reasons to take legal actions against all those officials in the Central Bank and they should. The CID were also called in by the Central Bank to investigate fraud etc. that was nearly two years ago! Nothing has been reported by the CID hence those officials of the CB must be wondering about an exit plan like Bush in Iraq! These officials of the CB must never be allowed to hold public or private sector office in Sri Lanka once the PB is (hopefully!) reopened. AJIT DE COSTA, England I highly appreciate the views expressed by a veteran journalist like Mr. Kariyakarawana regarding the importance of a Press Council.('Silumina' May 30) He stresses the fact that establishment of a press complaints commission abolishing the Press Council is not so useful. According to him, Press Council serves not only to the common people but also the journalists by way of welfare. It is a well-known fact that many journalists are not rich and some of them even live in rented houses. They are not entitled to EPF, retiring gratuites or insurance cover like other employees in the public and private sectors. It is said that there were weaknesses when it came to operating the Press Council, but the step taken by the previous government to abolish it, cannot be treated as a suitable step. I hope the Government will look into this matter and make arrangements to establish the Press Council for the benefit of all. R. SOMASIRI, Pannipitiya |
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