|
|
 |
 |
 |
| Friday, 22 October 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.
Demonstration of trishaw drivers It was quite nauseating to see on the 9 o'clock news, the other night, senior UNP (UNF?) politicians espousing the cause of three- wheeler drivers, who had gathered at the Lake House, Colombo 10, roundabout, in a lawless irresponsible demonstration, ostensibly protesting against the rising fuel prices and its concomitant effects. Scraping the bottom of the barrel is the allusion that springs to mind. This indifferent and callous behaviour of TriShaw drivers, oblivious to the needs of other road users is but an extension of their egocentric ethos. Don't we all know that they not only flout traffic regulation with impunity, but also fleece customers who are unfortunately compelled to use their services? Their charges per Km range from Rs. 30 to Rs. 50 or more depending on the customer. Women are easy prey generally and will naturally be charged more. Regular taxies are far cheaper! These self-employed persons, who have taken over most of the available parking areas in the cities, are much better off than most and are not at the top of any priority list of the needy and deserving. To my mind the real objective of the exercise was to create chaos in the city of Colombo and embarrass the Government, which has absolutely no control over the rising fuel prices. There appear to be no limits as to how low politicians will stoop, in order to further their agendas. Gone are the days when politicians subscribed to a code of ethics and acted with the sense of responsibility that their positions demanded. Nevertheless, I was amazed that politicians of such stature felt it necessary to engage in this type of protest which can only be viewed as rabble rousing. MONTE HOLSINGER A Nobel Peace Prize 2004 - for The Lord of Kalubowila I warmly congratulate Wangari Maathai, Kenya's Assistant Minister for the Environment, for being the first African lady to be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. She won this for her life-long commitment to the environment, to democracy and human rights. Quite appropriately she celebrated the news by planting another tree. I also congratulate the Norwegian Noble Foundation Peace Committee for opening their eyes after long years, for seeing not only white but black as well and recognizing not only men but also women. Maathai was barely 30 years when she started the Green Belt Movement a landmark environmental and human rights organisation in Africa that planted an estimated 30 million trees. She was the pioneer who advocated recognition of the societal links between environment, malnutrition, lack of water, firewood and cash crops. However, I fail to comprehend why this prestigious Nobel Committee is determined not to look also at Sri Lanka, in its endeavours to identify the most suitable person(s) for its peace prize. If they look in this direction, they will recognize one great man, a man who has spent over 50 years travelling all round the world healing people absolutely free and teaching practitioners Complementary and Alternative Medicines. He has healed men and women from all walks of life, from Pope, princess, politicians to paupers. A conservative estimate of the number of people he has treated would easily be over 4 million. I am not trying to trivialise the planting of 30 million trees, but surely saving (alleviating ) 4 million human beings need some kind of acknowledgment. Open you eyes Norwegian Foundation Noblemen! Thousands of suffering people from the most remote parts of Sri Lanka and the rest of the world visit the celebrated free clinics of this charismatic practitioner situated in the Colombo South Government General University Teaching Hospital, every week. Hundreds of foreigners do the same. When all other healing methods have failed, especially scientific allopathic, this great acupuncturist takes on the challenge of the disease. He is a Lord, a Pundit, a Professor, a Doctor (decertified by the Sri Lanka Medical Council), and most of all, a Human Being. He is the pioneer to establish conclusively with archaeological and palaeotological evidence that acupuncture originated not in China, but in Sri Lanka. He is the person who helped to establish Medicina Alternativa in Alma-Ata in 1962, which now is an esteemed academic institution, with branches all over the world. It is affiliated to The Open International University of Complementary Medicines. He is the person who made the case for acupuncture (and Complementary and Alternative Medicines) to be recognised by The Nobel Foundation of Sweden, tirelessly addressing them over 23 long years. The official communication by the Sweden Foundation that Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) practitioners (earlier labelled quacks) are eligible to be now nominated for The Alfred Nobel Prize is a landmark in the history of Medicines. The Sri Lanka Medical Council decertified this integrated practitioner years ago. Ever since his de-certification many doctors are queuing in line for de-certification by the Medical Council, which is considered as an archaic white dinosaur, close to extinction (living on borrowed Oxygen and time). In fact the Government Medical Officers Association (GMOA) I understand recently issued a press statement that they too would like to be decertified by The Medical Council, unless the Council disregards a decision given by the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka. This is obviously a plot they are hatching to join the prestigious ranks of this great acupuncturist (through the back-door), the only persons who is referred to, by name in the famous prestigious BBC Dictionary (Please see the BBC World English Dictionary definition of the word 'Practitioner'). Mind you the GMOA has a thousand of members. Why is the Nobel Foundation not considering Sri Lanka's great healer for its Peace and Medicine awards? Is it because this great healer has openly accused Alfred Nobel as a sinner, the biggest pre-terrorist, and the pioneer of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) - Dynamite, TNT and Gelignite? ROMEL KARUKITHTHA The Sethusamduram project of the Indian government, to cut a shipping canal through the Palk Straits has caused much concern among the Sri Lankan authorities and also the public on its likely adverse impact on Sri Lanka both economic and environmental. Consultations are apparently under way with the Indian authorities on these issues. However, it is as though we have been sleeping all this while and have suddenly awakened to the realisation of adverse repercussions of this project which has been in the pipeline and under consideration for quite sometime. SS project was conceived by the Indian authorities a long time ago. One hopes that our diplomatic missions in Chennai and New Delhi kept our Government posted on the significance of this project and its possible adverse consequences to us at the appropriate time. Our concerns regarding the project should, more properly have been expressed at the initial stages rather than now. If we haven't done so at that time, it is that those who were in charge of the affairs of the country at the time, have miserably failed to be sensitive to the developments taking place in the region, impinging on our interests. It looks too late now to raise any objections on any aspect of the project. India will go ahead with it whether we like it or not. The indications are that the construction work would begin in the not too distant future. The Indian authorities will of course assure us that the canal is being cut through their own territorial waters and that it would pose no adverse repercussions to Sri Lanka in anyway. One thing however is certain; that the fishing banks off northern Sri Lanka in the Gulf of Mannar, would be seriously disturbed by frequent shipping and the fish might even swim away leaving a large number of both Indian and Sri Lankan fishermen in dire circumstances. The argument raised in certain quarters that the SS project would spell disaster to the transhipment business of Colombo Port is not a tenable one. Any country is free to take whatever measures to develop its shipping routes and ports. In this instance, the main objective of the Indian authorities is to facilitate their own coastal shipping between the western and eastern ports of peninsular India without having to do a circumnavigation of about 400 nautical miles around Sri Lanka. It may not be their intention to rob us of our transhipment business. After all, Colombo handles about two million containers annually which must be a negligible figure by Indian standards. It is true that with the commissioning of SS canal, transhipment of cargo to Indian ports via Colombo would be reduced to a certain extent but it may not be as extensive as is feared. SS canal might not be navigable for large Post Panamax container vessels sailing the oceans these days. Even otherwise such large vessels would prefer to unload at a convenient main line port rather than undertake a tortuous journey through the straits. As such without crying foul, what we must do is to take suitable measures now itself to meet this emerging challenge. We must modernise our ports fast and be competitive by offering efficient and reliable services and quick turn-around of vessels. Ships must be able to berth as they come in without having to wait for berths. Ports must be strike free; we should build our reputation on efficiency and reliability of service. Staying ahead of others is the way to survive in this business. It is hoped that everybody concerned, the workers not the least, would realise this and put their shoulder to the wheel without any grudge or hesitation, and help Colombo Port to retain its eminent position and improve on it in the face of emergent trends. Colombo Port is however nearing its capacity and even with the envisaged south port development the position wouldn't change dramatically in the short term. In the circumstances, there is no alternative to developing a second transhipment port and the obvious choice is Trincomalee with its large natural harbour. It is in close proximity to south and east Indian ports and if we could develop same as a major transhipment/entrepot port in the Bay of Bengal a large portion of transhipment cargo bound for South and East Indian ports could be handled there despite the SS canal. As such, development of Trincomalee harbour on a priority basis needs no emphasis. In fact we have no choice in the matter. P. G. A. HENRY Lack of interest in our treasures In the review of the Studio Times exhibition series under the heading 'The wild, the free, the forgotten' (Daily News - Artscope 13-10-04) writer Lasanda Kurukulasuriya has mentioned that the photographs "from Budupatuna, Wila Oya Basin, show the remains of these three figures from an ancient Mahayana shrine that have recently been vandalised by treasure hunters" and had also mentioned that "this site was first uncovered in 1985 by a Japanese team from the Exploration Club of Hosei University." Even after 35 years and more of our gaining independence in 1948 this site had remained uncovered by us and it had taken a foreign team to uncover it is a telling indictment on our lack of interest in our treasures. The only thing that we had done is to have allowed these treasures to be vandalised! These are the type of things that are taking place in our country in every field after we gained independence. If such matters are revealed and pressed for action the politicians will go back to an old song "the foreign rulers plundered our treasurers for 450 years" and distract the people and there will be enough people, including some intellectuals, to join the singing. Perhaps we will be singing this song for another 2500 years of the history of our country and more, while individuals will go on acquiring wealth by plundering the treasures of the country. ARUL Prepaid taxi service from Airport Instances have been reported where some who have returned to Sri Lanka for vacations after serving a period of service in the Middle East etc. have been subject to illicit losses as they were compelled to engage whatever private vehicles available at the airport to return home. Most people who do not possess their own mode of transport have suffered similar fates due to the irresponsible nature of the private vehicle suppliers concerned. From personal experience, I found that the Government of India has introduced a prepaid taxi service at Chennai and other airports. This service is very reliable as the amount payable for a journey is predetermined and paid in advance before leaving the airport and the taxi driver cannot demand his passenger to pay extra money or exploit him in any undesirable manner. In the circumstances, there is no doubt that a similar scheme will be implemented in the public interest. BANDHU GUNASEKERA |
|
News | Business | Features
| Editorial | Security
Produced by Lake House |
