• Bring back FDB's law reforms

• Create Ombudsman for local administration

• Soap and attainment of Sowan

• Import of chicken and eggs

Bring back FDB's law reforms

The current discussion about the present legal system is timely. One hopes that this does not remain as just talk but that it does lead to action.

Many of the shortcomings of our legal system arise from the fact that we have failed to adapt the system which we inherited from our colonial masters to suit the needs of our people and country at our present level of development.

Felix Dias Bandaranaike's attempt in the 1970s to adapt the legal system to meet the needs of the people of this country unfortunately proved to be a voice crying in the wilderness. He proposed a series of reforms which, had they been implemented, would have simplified the legal system in favour of the people.

One such reform would have, for instance, greatly reduced the number of cases coming to court, thereby reducing the workload of judges so that more cases would be heard within a shorter time. For example, testamentary matters in which the will is not contested. Unfortunately the powerful legal establishment opposed his proposals. As Harold Laski said, 'Vested interests do not abdicate before logic'. And so when the UNP came to power in 1977 the legal luminaries who dominated the party 'threw the baby out with the bathwater'.

The talk must end and action must begin. Increasing the number of courts and the number of judges will not solve the problem. There is a need to repeal outdated laws and introduce new ones.

The best way to do this and to ensure that justice is achieved through the law in the shortest possible time is for the Ministry of Justice to reintroduce the reforms proposed by FDB. I am sure he will have the full backing of the people.

Setting a time frame of one year for criminal cases and two years for civil cases may be a solution to put an end to the now interminable law's delays which Sri Lankans must suffer.

NALIN MENDIS, Colombo

Create Ombudsman for local administration

Active people's participation is vital to curb bribery and corruption particularly in local authorities. People have a closer contact with the officials at the local level than with their counterparts at the centre. However, inaction and lethargy and the indifference exhibited to public complains by most of the local authorities have discouraged public spirited citizens from providing the much needed cooperation to such local bodies in discharging their statutory duties.

I am constrained to write this letter to expose the deep rooted indifference on the part of the Colombo Municipal Council to public complaints. I have made a complaint to the municipal authorities against an obstruction to and the pollution of a common drain that runs across my garden. For the last two years I have written a series of letters to the authorities including the CEO of the Municipality, but yet I have failed to arouse them from their deep slumber. The minimum courtesy of replying to letters is deplorably absent in this premier local body and that makes any complainant dispirited.

Only an ombudsman for local administration could provide the answer in such helpless situations.

U. D .J. JINADASA, Colombo 6

Soap and attainment of Sowan

On the February 23 'Poya' day I watched an interview with a leading entrepreneur producing soap. The focus of the discussion was mainly on his way of life and business management fortified with Buddhist philosophy.

It was obvious that the questions and answers are pre-prepared like usual interviews but to my surprise he mentioned several times that he has attended the state of sowan. While mentioning this he compared and criticised his fellow entrepreneurs, weak management practices and praised his own as a 'monkey praises his own tail'. I had a few questions for him in the context but no telephone number was given as in other popular discussions, which encourage views and clarifications of the viewer. Hence this was a one way discussion and I selected the only alternative to use 'Letter to Editor' for the purpose.

* Is it customary to mention to the public repeatedly by self that he attained the state of sowan, which creates maana? I have never heard such occasions with Buddhist monks who devoted to a supreme way of life in hermitages.

* Is it ethical to criticise other colleagues on their personal way of life and business practices and praise his own indicating the good behaviour of staff, best supervision and the large fleet of delivery vehicles he owns? 'There is something wrong if you are always right'.

While appreciating his success of business and competing with multinational giants in soap industry using innovations, I felt that

* No one can agree with his declaration of saying that his way of business is the best of the country using a self-assessment.

* The best service he can give to the society is to discuss and advise the entrepreneurs how to improve small and medium businesses. Because there are a lot of failures in the society and develop and popularise a Sri Lankan method better than Japanese 5-S method.

* And let the learned monks to discuss on Buddha Dhamma as now there are a good number of such programs in TV channels or join them.

* It is beneficial to the viewer if the programme indicates that whether it is a 'paid advertising TV program' as in the case of newspapers, which print at the top as 'advertisement', because there are other discussions and interviews on Poya day organised by TV channels inviting scholarly monks and learned laymen on Buddhism.

* One can smell in this program that there is an implicit strategy to advertise especially among Buddhist consumers of one's products at the cost of Buddhism. If it is so, it is equally bad because a non Buddhist western company uses the Buddha image as their trade mark.

C. NANAYAKKARA, Kuliyapitiya

Import of chicken and eggs

Ref. letter 'Why not import Chicken and Eggs? (DN March 1). The poultry farm is not like a garment factory that works from 8.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. and shuts off. A poultry farmer can hardly afford to go into the business of jacking up prices. Eggs are short life produce. Chicken has to be slaughtered on time or costs will escalate.

Hoarding is not one of the possible ruses to jack up prices. To say that a few families control the industry is a failure to understand the business of poultry farming. The production of day old chicken is not what a humble chicken farmer could undertake. Hence the need for the big company.

Feed for chickens have to be produced by men who have the capital to install machinery that will grind, powder and mix the ingredients. The ingredients are seasonally produced and that means storage. Maintaining a poultry farm means hard day and night work. Collection of eggs is not once a day operation. It could not have been that the Minister of Consumer Affairs was suggesting import of poultry produce from America and India.

The Minister will know that farming gives employment. Even if we pay more, it is money in the hands of our countrymen. Import of chicken produce to 'safeguard' the interest of millions of consumers would mean money going out of the country and our country fattening the American and Indian farmers. Let us pay more for chicken and eggs and fatten our country and our farmers and take our country forward: 'Rata Perata'.

I. L. P. SAMARASINGHE, Dehiwela