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| Tuesday, 21 September 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.
Clearing of vehicles in unauthorised areas Time and again the traffic police publicise through the media that vehicles parked in unauthorised areas will be towed away to the nearest police station. Well and good. But do the traffic police enforce this impartially. I have seen many instances on R. A. de Mel Mawatha where vehicles have been towed away. But this is rarely if not never done on Galle Road or Havelock Road where there is also the 'no parking' sign boards installed. There are also several places where 'tyre shops' are operating and where the vehicles are parked on the main road sometimes even 2 or 3 abreast such as on Justice Akbar Mawatha, Malay Street, Maya Avenue road end of Pamankada Road in Kirillapone and on Hill Street, Dehiwala about 50 meters from the police station. There are instances where vehicles are even parked on the pavement of bridges completely blocking the pavement and part of the road near Lake House, Galle Road bridge near St. Peter's and R. A. de Mel Mawatha bridge and Dalso near St. Peter's. The IGP who a few months ago promised to equip the police with high tech equipment should ask a donor agency or country for a few tow vehicles first. TILAK FERNANDO - Colombo 6 New ward for kidney transplant patients at Kandy To commemorate twenty years of publication of Vesak Lipi the popular Buddhist Digest, in response to the Kandy General Hospital Doctor's appeal, I undertook recently, to fully furnish and medically equip an empty Ward 70 (c) for post operative care of Kidney Transplant patients. Upto now over 130 Kidney Transplants have been performed successfully, at this Hospital, whilst the female patients have had only a single sixteen bed ward. With the opening of this female ward, there will be fifteen more beds available for post operative care. I write to thank several donors who responded to my humanitarian appeal made a few months ago. This new ward now in use as from September 15 have a patient trolley, bed side cupboards, a wheel chair, bed linen, a linen cupboard, a fridge, nurses table and filling cabinets and all the surgical equipment for ward work of doctors. A sum of about Rs. 600,000 has been collected and expended to meet the needs of the hospital. I thank Dr. Tilak Abeyesekera, MD consultant Physician in charge of the Nephrology Unit, and the Medical Superintendent and his staff for helping me, to make this project a success. UPALI SALGADO - Vesak Lipi Digest Reference Sydney Knight's letter 'Career diplomats' (DN Aug. 25). Please let me remind him that some of the most distinguished and successful Ambassadors from Sri Lanka have been from outside the career service. To name a few, R.S.S. Goonewardena, Shirley Amarasinghe, Neville Kanakaratne, T. B. Subasinghe, Wilmot Perera, Gunasena de Zoysa, Loranee Senaratne, B.J. Fernando, Mangala Moonesinghe, H. L. De Silva, Faisz Mustapha, Sam P. C. Fernando Kanakasunderam who was Ambassador to Indonesia and General Weerasooriya (a classmate of President Musharaff) The qualities required of an Ambassador to represent the nation and the President in a foreign country and interact and move with their political leaders are basically 'political'. There have undoubtedly been excellent Ambassadors from the career service like Vernon Mendis, Ben Fonseka, Manel Abeysekera and Prasad Kariyawasam but they are not representatives of the average career officer. Certainly the posts of Deputy Ambassador, Counsellor, 1st Secretary, 2nd Secretary etc. must be filled by technically qualified 'career officers.' But there is nothing in their contracts of service to say they must end up as Ambassadors. Being a good Ambassador is serious business. It would be a disaster for the country if, as Knight wants, in appointing Ambassadors 'pride of place' is given to career officers. N. DE SILVA - Colombo 5 In order to survive in the competitive environment some small-scale commercial banks have adopted certain strategies to hoodwink the public. These strategies deployed are in contravention with the accepted norms and traditions of the banking industry. These small banks with the help of officials of Central Banks of Sri Lanka (Supposed to be a controller of all the other banks) hoodwinked people (mass) by adopting many subtle strategies. A few of these have been observed as follows: (I) Opening of new branches giving vast publicity through the mass media. (II) Holding of press conferences and making superficial statements and publishing through mass media. Recently one small bank was able to obtain permission to open two or three new branches. And this same bank has recently announced that it has made 300 per cent increase of operational profits compared to the previous year. As very correctly stated by the President Chandrika Kumaratunga in recent past, this bank has not paid dividends to its shareholders for many years. But has the hardihood to boast that it had made 300 per cent increase, to mislead the public. (III) Making recruitments from other established banks offering uncustomary salaries in an unacceptable manner. Recently this bank has recruited a manager from an established bank offering six figure salary to manage one of its branches in the up country. This manager while working in his former bank (before resigning) was seen busy with hierarchy of this small bank to canvas customers. This type of unethical strategies is deployed by this bank to attract customers. While taking new staff to the bank offering unethical higher salaries it has the effrontery to discontinue service of old staff even for simple mistake or no mistake at all. The public is not aware of these things. This bank has proudly published an annual report with beautiful photographs announcing a loss of almost 200 million for the year 2003. What is distressing is the Central Bank also allows to open new branches indiscriminately, thereby perpetrating a deception upon the public. Whereas the Central Bank ought to have sounded a severe warning against this bank for its irresponsible activities. The Central Bank has shirked its duties by not monitoring these mushroom-like banks. It ought to have consolidated the main bank without allowing it to go unsupervised. This state of affair would have brought above the fate that befell the Pramuka Bank. Please note that when this bank recruits 10 people by publishing attractive advertisements 10 people of existing staff has either left or sacked. This exposure should attract the attention of the powers - that - be. S. C. - Moratuwa 'People's Bank' which most people identify as a bank for the people by the people established in 1969 to render banking and saving facilities to all sections of society mainly the rural folks has introduced a new saving scheme for women in 1993 March 8 called the 'Vanitha Vasana'. The whole concept being to encourage women to save. The initial deposit is Rs. 500. On March 8, 2004 the bank launched a new programme called the Jaya Sri Annual Grand Draw which offers Jaguar cars as the 1st prize, 2 million rupees as 2nd prize, 1 million as the 3rd prize and so on. To qualify to this draw, a minimum balance of Rs. 25,000 for 12 months as to be maintained or Rs. 10,000 balance to be maintained for other prizes with a monthly deposit of Rs. 5,000. While appreciating the encouragement to save, yet does the 'People's Bank', considered drawing in the poor rural women into this scheme? Can a vegetable vendor, seamstress, a nurse, a clerk, a garment factory worker, a school teacher, or a housewife save Rs. 5,000 per month let alone keeping a minimum balance of Rs. 25,000 per month for 12 months? Is the People's Bank trying to compete with private foreign banks or are they encouraging only the affluent women to save and discouraging the poor rural women. Our rural working women are not interested in Jaguar cars or in millions, they would appreciate facilities to obtain small loans at reasonable interest and annual draws of Rs. 100,000, Rs. 50,000 or Rs. 25,000 in keeping with their monthly balance. 'People's Bank' was introduced in 1969 during the period of this Ms. Sirimavo Bandaranaike as Prime Minister. Her policy was to help the rural women and low income group of the society. Hence consideration should be more on this group today, taking in the cost of living, unemployment etc. into consideration. It appears that the Jaya Sri Annual draw is only for the super rich women since the Jaguar cars are ment only for them. Why not think about an Indian car or our locally made one, this will save foreign currency as well. For the 2005 'Women's Day' it would be worthwhile for the 'Peoples Bank' authorities to reconsider the minimum balance that should be maintained to qualify for a draw. do not shut out the low income group women, if they are account holders, they too have a right for these benefits. BARBARA SENEVIRATNE Readers have now and again expressed strong views on the quality and presentation of advertisements shown over the electronic media. The latest of protests comes from A.C. under the heading 'Promoting crime in advertising' - DN 6.9.04. The ad like so many others seen over the small screen are the negative sub-standards of the advertising world. However, there are the positives and outstanding ones at that, if one were to look for them, like for instance the three quality ads run by a reputed biscuit manufacturer. The first ad shows an affluent boy riding a luxury limousine stopping and sharing a packet of biscuits with a poor girl from the back-woods. This conveys a strong message to children that sharing and caring is a rich and wonderful experience. The second is of a little boy worshipping his father who is about to leave for work and which prompts the father to think long and hard and then fall at the feet of his aged mother seeking her blessings. This depicts the age old practice of our people seeking the blessings of parents and the show of reverence, love and gratitude. The final ad shows a youth comfortably seated in a crowded bus offering his seat to a young woman who was awkwardly balancing herself. One wished if the young man was seen offering his seat to an elder. What a difference it would have made - the concern and respect for the elders. Nevertheless it conveys to the youth that little courtesies and concern for the hapless makes a world of difference rather than being selfish and unconcerned. These ads convey a deep and poignant message and draws our attention to the rapidly eroding values and ethics, and of silently vanishing smiles and the simple acts of kindness and thoughtfulness which were inherent in the hearts and minds of our people. All these seemed so simple not so long ago - yet tragically and sadly today, even the little droplets like saying 'thank you', 'please' and 'sorry' have been swept away with the tide. As A.C. points out, the core values is our missing link and how it came to be undone is another chapter best left for Historians to add to the long history of our Island Home. If we all could collectively point our fingers inward and ask where have we gone wrong, the answer probably would be as baffling as unravelling a knotted ball of thread. D. C. NUGAWELA - Malabe During the freedom struggle in India, many intellectuals, professionals and others joined the Indian Congress and worked full time as volunteers. One day one of the volunteers went to another volunteer and asked for a loan of Rs. 25 for an urgent purpose. But the latter did not have the money, and told him so with much regret. After the visitor had left the house, the wife told the husband that she was having some money and could give the Rs. 25. The husband ran after the visitor and gave him the money. After the visitor had left with the money, the volunteer asked his wife how was it that she had some extra money with her when she was struggling hard to manage the family going with the meagre allowance of Rs. 30 a month which he was getting from the party and was giving to her. She told him that she was saving the Rs. 5 which he was getting from the office as an increase for the past six months and that was how she had the money. When the volunteer went to the Congress Office next day he told those who were paying the allowance to pay him from that month only Rs. 25 as his wife was able to manage the house with Rs. 25. After the independence, this volunteer became a member of Parliament, a Minister and finally the Prime Minister of India but lived frugally as before. He was none other than the late Lal Bahadur Shastri. Over to our politicians who say that they will shed their blood and even their lives for the sake of the people but enjoy and ask for all the privileges and perks, including Benz cars! ARUL - Colombo 13 |
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