Wednesday, 25 August 2004  
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No discipline

For a country to develop, you do not need only money, what you need is Discipline. If the motorists and the public are disciplined we can save fuel without having traffic blocks. The pedestrians cross the road even when the red lights are on, not allowing the motorists to proceed.

The public pollutes the environment, which causes the spread of many illnesses such as Dengue in the country.

In sports, our Captain to the Olympic Games goes to Athens and proudly announces her non participation. Is this an example to the youth of this country?

Our politicians behave badly in Parliament setting a bad example to the people.

Do the above issues need a great deal of money? Only discipline. We need strong leaders who will ask the Police and the officials to act properly irrespective of the person involved in offence.

HAMLET WIJESUNDERA, 
Colombo 5

Sri Lankan Olympic team

Like most Sri Lankan expatriates I am quite disappointed that Sri Lanka's only hope Susanthika is not running this time.

With her historic bronze in Australia, every immigrant Sri Lankan was rooting for her to win this time. All the rich top-ranked athletes in her events have had to drop out because of doping scandals; Marion Jones withdrew in shame and Tori Edwards was expelled. It is indeed a disappointment not to see the third world Diva running in what is her last Olympics even if she did not medal.

On the other hand, everyone is expressing concern about the very high ratio of so called officials and experts who are accompanying the handful of athletes. It is reminiscent of the Cold War days where the Communist nations sent guards, spies and a whole lot of government agents (more than four times the number of actual athletes) to prevent defections to the free-world!

I am sure there is some perfectly characteristic twisted Sri Lankan logic that the Sri Lankan Olympic Committee, the Sports Ministry and ever present interfering politicians (who dabble in everything) will offer as explanation for the free junkets to carnivals.

MANO RATWATTE , 
USA

Pension arrears

I understand that some pensioners have already been paid their pensions at the enhanced rate on an 'ad hoc' basis without any consideration for their age or seniority, which means that while the juniors receive their arrears, the seniors will have to wait till doomsday. In the meantime, the latter would be dead.

I am afraid the whole thing is getting into a mess because it has been foolishly decided by the Director of Pensions to calculate arrears on an individual basis, which even the Minister of Administration and Home Affairs had admitted is a stupendous task, owing to thousands, nay lakhs of individual accounts.

In a vast majority of cases, particularly the old ones, paying officers will never be able to make their calculations accurately in the absence of files, registers and other documents, which have been misplaced or lost or destroyed. This is an unprecedented state of affairs, as even in the colonial times, salaries and pensions have been increased on a percentage basis -- vide the letter of a pensioner reproduced below--

"The Director of Pensions should study the recommendations made in the Administrative Reforms Committee Report No. 4 of Sept. 1987 headed by H. S. Wanasinghe, with particular reference to Para III (b) which reads thus: 'The Committee feels that it may be cumbersome to make revision of individual pensions based on revision of individual salaries. Instead, it recommends that the average percentage by which the salaries of public servants is revised be calculated and such percentage be applied for increase in the pensions.'

"If the principle stated in the above recommendation is applied, grouping pensioners according to the category they retired from, viz. clerical (GCC, Grades 1,2,3 Super Class) Administrative (Class 1, 2, 3) Technical, Accounting etc. and applying the percentage increase, all pensioners will welcome same and the increase can easily be granted in August/Sept. pensions." (DN July 26)

A. P., Mt. 
Lavinia

Towards an accident-free society

Your sister paper 'Dinamina' (18/8) reported that a young environmentalist died on the spot as a result of a fatal road accident in Angoda. This is not the first of its kind which has claimed valuable lives on our highways. The Inspector General of Police recently stated that six persons, lost their lives due to the 'highway killers', in our country. So far, we have lost many lives and many have become disabled forever.

It is obvious that the Police is also faced with this grave social problem which snowballs into epidemic proportions, today.

It needs hardly be said that the loss of lives is the loss of human resources that require for the development of this country. Therefore, it is clear that a concerted effort is needed to bring this situation under control.

I recently received a leaflet which depicts a new strategy for minimising the road accidents. A young social worker is instrumental in creating an awareness among the people through a programme organised by him. Sponsored by the People's Bank 'Sisu Udana' A/C, the organisers are going to create an awareness among the people through the school children. The organisers emphasize the fact that the Police alone cannot accomplish the mission of minimizing the road accidents. Therefore it is not a traffic warden system.

The main objective of this programme is to help create a group of students who can make a great impact on their adults who are mainly responsible for this situation. It is said that the child is the father of man: The man can learn a lot of things from children in this way.

The children can compel their adults to refrain from driving vehicles under the influence of liquor which is a main cause of accidents. The adults can be directed to become law-abiding citizens to save the future generation. The children are encouraged by the organisers to discuss the directions of this programme with their class-mates and thereafter guide their adults familywise towards this goal. It is not only the drivers of vehicles but also the pedestrians who use the highways, are encouraged to adhere to the instructions. These instructions have been prepared in association with RMV driving licence guides and the instructions of traffic police.

One thing that is important here is drawing their attention to the maintenance side of the vehicles. The adults are directed to check the roadworthiness of the vehicles by checking specially the tyres, brakes and fuel before driving.

The first accident prevention campaign is said to have been initiated in Kalutara District with the participation of the school children attached to three colleges there, in 2002. The DIG Traffic Police has assisted them. The second programme, according to organisers has been implemented in the first week of August with the participation of Gampaha district in collaboration with three police stations there.

The organisers believe that they are able to create an accident-free environment by forming student groups all over the country. It is very important to mention here that the role played by the People's Bank in this regard is praiseworthy.

I, as a citizen of this country, hope that this campaign will become a reality as the organisers seem to have acted in good faith to serve the society.

R. SOMASIRI, 
Pannipitiya

Honey - the miracle cure

Two months back a new maid, with her mother joined my household and she had insulin dependant diabetes and a huge chronic wound on her left sole, so big you can fit an egg into it! She had been taking treatment for the past six years at various hospitals and had taken practically every antibiotic under the sun. Her leg was swollen about twice the size but she could walk around and do the household jobs.

Being a doctor, after perusing her medical notes, I decided to try honey on her leg. Her mother was very skepetic and I persuaded her that it is a medicine mentioned in our religion. We dressed the wound every other day with a gauze dipped in honey and wrapped the leg in gauze. She continued the antibiotics which she was using for a week. The wound started healing very fast and I stopped the antibiotic too. She continued to take the insulin.

In exactly 28 days her wound totally filled up, and now the size of the leg is also considerably smaller.

Two weeks back a family friend of mine, who had elephantiasis in his leg for a long time, developed a chronic wound which became infected so much so that he became septicemic. The doctors advised after intensive treatment that there is no option but to amputate the leg. He was reluctant and he asked for two weeks to decide and came home. The wound was oozing foul smelling discharge and very raw. I advised using honey and within a day the oozing stopped and within a week the wound started healing.

In western countries honey is used for treatment of burns wounds. But it has not become a household treatment.

It is safe, simple, cheap and without side effects.

Anyone who has wounds could try it out.

Dr. MAREENA THAHA REFFAI, 
Dehiwela

Oh crime thy shuddering sting

The march of crime has reached alarming proportions today. Hardly a day passes without an incident of gruesome murder, dastardly robbery, brutal rape and appalling abduction for ransom.

Several factors can be attributed to the occurrence of crimes, some of which are abject poverty, drugs, unemployment, frustrations and personal grudges. Each of them contributes in varying degrees to the high incidence of crime. Moral degradation in no small manner plays a leading role in all these instances. Drugs which are readily available arm the would be criminal with dehumanising qualities.

Once reduced to the level of a beast, he does not realize the gravity of the offence he commits to himself and the society at large. Poverty, unemployment, long standing grudges are other causes of crime.

Come what may he goes ahead. Contract killing has become the order of the day. Meticulously planned assassinations are carried out for a payment. No value is attached to human life. It has become so cheap today.

Through detection, prosecution, and conviction alone crime cannot be combated successfully. The root cause for criminal tendencies should be found out and remedied if they are to be arrested.

Studies have shown both religion and media can reform more effectively than a harsh punishment which is only a temporary solution.

Through their functions they can tap the conscience of even a hard core criminal and make him feel the horror of his misdeeds. Once changed, he should be accepted back to the society without branding him any more.

ANTON PERERA, 
Moratuwa

Millions up in smoke

It was reported in the newspapers recently that Rs. 330 million worth of cigarettes smuggled into the country and seized from a clearing yard had been destroyed in the presence of the Finance Minister and the Director General of Customs.

No doubt the customs authorities should be commended and rewarded for the detection of the contraband stock of cigarettes. I presume, an adequate penalty would have been imposed on the culprits, apart from the confiscation of the consignment. A few weeks ago another stock of contraband cigarettes had been set on fire after being crushed to pulp by a steamroller.

Looking at this in another perspective, why should all this stock be destroyed, which operation itself would have cost the authorities a tidy sum? After all, 330 million is not peanuts!

I have seen notices in the newspapers announcing the sale by auction of various contraband items confiscated by the customs Dept. couldn't the authorities have evolved a means to pump this Rs. 330 million into the Government coffers?

RANJITH G. PERERA, 
Panadura

NIC as an essential requisite to voters

This requirement that the State envisages for the voter may have sincere intentions to safeguard the genuineness of the vote cast.

But, if one remembers the past experience of certain anti-social elements who visited the residences of voters with fire-arms to threaten them and collect the Identity Cards the day before the poll, what's the plight of the voter?

ELMO FERNANDO, 
Kalutara

Career diplomats

I presume congratulations are in order, both to Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar and to you for what appears in your paper of Wednesday, August 11.

I refer to page 3, Kadirgamar orders - pride of place in Foreign Ministry to career diplomats.

I think it is high time that this was done. It is good for a researcher to make a study of all those political appointments made by the Foreign Ministry.

Political patronage is the name of the game.Thanks, Minister Kadirgamar for this timely intervention.

SYDNEY KNIGHT, 
Rajagiriya

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