|
|
 |
 |
 |
| Thursday, 19 August 2004 |
 |
|
 |
Letters | |
| News Business Features Editorial Security Politics World Sports Obituaries
|
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. Rising oil and currency prices Unlike in the good old days, lately the Central Bank allowed value of the Sri Lanka rupee to float freely with other foreign currencies and to find its own value thereby. In other words, it was allowed to find its value by the interaction of market forces of supply and demand just like any other commodity such as oil or grain. If these markets operate purely on the interaction of supply and demand without interference by other artificial forces, States or individuals, then the value of the article decided by such market forces is bona fide or genuine. But that genuine operation does not take place always. When markets develop, simultaneously with such development, controlling interests in such market develop. For example, the natural rubber is produced in other countries, than the United States of America (USA) but the USA stockpiles natural rubber and controls the price of natural rubber by releasing stockpiles when prices try to rise by the market force of demand. During the East Asian currency crisis in 1998, the then Malaysian Prime Minister, Mahathir Mohamed, arch critic of the foreign currency market system of the West, said "Deliberate devaluation of the currency of a country by currency traders purely for profit is a serious denial of the right of independent nations. It leads to inflation and economic regression. It negates many years of hard work and sacrifice. A world trading system cannot rely entirely on these market forces. It is time that we draw up fair rules for the market place." Although he said so heart of hearts he knew that it was a pipedream. Our own celebrated economist, Dr. J. B. Kelegama in a series of article then published in the print media, had expressed a similar opinion during the South Asian currency crisis. Mahathir Mohamed's analysis of the so-called market place was indeed down-to-earth or realistic. Perhaps he is the father of modern Malaysia and an erudite yesteryear politician of high calibre. In this backdrop, I suggest to consider getting the rupee out of the free market and control its value through a basket of suitable foreign currencies, as it was done earlier. RANJITH DODAMPEGAMA, Ratmalana The sea will eat up this valuable land in Boossa Even though many a project to protect the coastal belt in Boossa area against sea erosion was launched ever and anon since 1995, a stretch of about 300 meters of this coastal belt from Boossa Army Camp junction to 68th mile post was excluded from every such project. There is no gainsaying the fact that this unprotected small stretch of land in- between the protected portions is invariably rendered more vulnerable to sea erosion than it was before. Every previous sea erosion has taken a heavy toll of valuable land coconut plantations and buildings. It is therefore succinctly clear that unless protective measures are taken to safeguard this area, the sea will definitely keep eating further into the land until it reaches Galle-Colombo highway, as has happened in several places on this coastal belt. Persistent representations made in this regard by the hapless residents (I am included), who had hitherto suffered stupendous loss of valuable land together with coconut plantations and everything else stood thereon each time there was coast erosion, unfortunately failed to evoke any response from the authorities concerned. It is pertinent to highlight herein the latest bizarre predicament, the residents of this stretch of land are plunged into, which is seemingly worse than ignoring the appeals for redress. I submitted a paper-cutting of one of the many letters I wrote to the media on this crucial issue, which appeared in Daily News of 11.07.2002 to the then Minister of Public Administration, Vajira Abeywardena, who also represented Galle District to seek his help on this issue. When all my subsequent attempts to meet him at his office in Galle failed, I met his Coordinating Secretary, who found the paper-cutting missing. At his request I handed over a photocopy of the same, which he in turn forwarded to the Regional Engineer, Coast Conservation Dept. Galle with a stereo-typed letter a routine matter and put paid to it. However, as revealed by the Director's letter No. WI/C/2000/11/Vol.11 dated 2002.11.27 addressed to the Minister, Abeywardena with a copy to me, the Regional Engineer had been duty conscious enough to have inspected the unprotected stretch of land and submitted a report to the effect that it needed protection against sea erosion. Subsequently, somewhere in January 2004, Regional Engineer, intimated to us that action was being initiated to launch the long over due process of this stretch of land, brought and piled up the boulders required for the purpose in several places provided by the residents, who were enthralled by the good news. The sequence of events that followed is realy startling and poignant. The Coast Conservation Authorities, after having capriciously transferred out the Regional Engineer jettisoned the envisaged process of protection and resorted to removing these boulders to another location in Pitiwella to strengthen the revertments already built there. Upon enquiry, the new Regional Engineer, who was attending to the strengthening of the revertments in Pitiwella responded by saying that he was merely carrying out the orders of his superiors and declined to elaborate further. The Chief Engineer could not adduce any cogent reason for their complete volte-face they made vis a vis this crucial issue, but was meandering and beating about the bush. Meanwhile, reinforcement of the revertments in Pitiwella was hurriedly completed before the general elections held in April. Now it has become a fait-accompli. Thus the burning issue was conveniently placed in limbo, while this remaining bit of land so precious to the residents is being cast aside to be devoured by the ruthless sea, which is indeed an outrageous crime against not only these poor residents but also the society at large, since sacrificing land to the sea in this subversive manner by the very same people responsible for its protection, will invariably make our small island smaller sooner than later. In this context, the onus of taking positive remedial measures to prevent the stretch of the coastal belt in question is now on the new Government, which forsooth may do well to hasten the Coast Conservation Authorities to recommence the process of protection that was abandoned forthwith utilizing the boulders that are still lying in several places in the vicinity without procrastinating until it is too late. It is also imperative that this sordid episode be probed into simultaneously and disciplinary action taken against those responsible for this faux-pas and the related acts of misconduct so ignominious, and thereby bringing the Department to disrepute, whether they were politically motivated or otherwise. P. HERBERT MENDIS, Boossa Several letters have appeared in the national newspapers recently highlighting the delay in paying the revised pensions. Many have expressed their disgust at the inordinate delay. Whilst some Divisional Secretaries have already started making payments. Many Divisional officers are silent on the issue. Recently a pensioner had highlighted the manner in which this problem was tackled by the Panadura D.S. In order to find out how our revisions are being attended to, I visited the Kolonnawa DS' office on a Wednesday morning - Public Day. There are over 4000 pensioners paid from this office. Two female officers comprise the entire Pensions Branch. Of course, there is an Accountant to look into the financial functions of the entire office. When I visited the office, it was around 9 am in the morning and I was surprised to see these two officers at their desks with a bundle of files before them already at work at the time. Revision of pensions on a large-scale is no easy task. Each file has to be studied and the correct conversion arrived at. The work of one officer has to be checked by the other before it is finally sent to the Accountant for certification. It is only then that the file goes up to the DS for authorization of the payment. This is a long process but nevertheless this procedure has to be followed in order to avoid under-payments or over-payments for which the ultimate responsibility filters down to the bottom viz, the two officers in the Pensions Branch. In this manner so far over 900 revisions have been made and every effort is being made by this office to finish this work as early as possible. The officers are dedicated and committed. They are ably assisted by the Accountant and the young and energetic Div. Sec. continues to oversee the work on a daily basis. I was told that the District Sec, too is interested and regular enquiries are made by him to assess the progress. We pensioners must realise that it took over 10 years to convince the governments, prior to 2004, of the grave injustice meted out to the pensioners and now that at least one Government has initiated to rectify the anomalies, why should we not wait at least for one year to reap the benefits of this exercise? We congratulate the Kolonnawa DS for the action taken so far in this regard and hope that they will be able to clear all the cases by at least the end of the year. KW, Gothatuwa New Town |
|
News | Business | Features
| Editorial | Security
Produced by Lake House |
