• Performance appraisal for Ministers

• Lakshman Kadirgamar

• Sand mining

• Garbage at Elhena Road

• 'Buddhist has no soul' - a correction

Performance appraisal for Ministers

With every change of Government it is common to see impressive policy statements and promises being made by the newly elected leaders.

However, at the end of the period when the time comes to look back on the achievements very often most of the promises have not been kept or the policy statements simply forgotten. Very often this happens because even the electorate does not hold the leaders accountable to their promises unless when an Election is around the corner. This culture has made our leaders complacent, unaccountable and prone to make irresponsible promises.

Another reason why these promises go unfulfilled is because the officials appointed to head various departments, boards and corporations very often do not share the thinking of the political leaders appointed by the people and therefore do not feel accountable to the voters.

After working in a private sector for a long period my view is that such lapses can be corrected by appraising the performance of Ministers, MPs and Heads of various departments, boards and corporations on an annual basis against targets set at the beginning of the year as done by private sector companies.

This will ensure that the targets and promises given are achieved or at least reasons for failure are discussed. Ideally, the President can appraise the performance of Cabinet Ministers and they in turn do it for their Ministry Secretaries and so on, down to at least Head of Department level. Another reason for failing to keep election promises is the appointing of wrong persons to head sensitive statutory bodies and corporations. Two such cases that stand out are the Heads of Central Bank and members of the Monetary Board. Both these are places from which one can either make or break a Government.

The decisions they make are so sensitive and important to the economy, the decision-makers have to be men of highest integrity and totally unbiased in making their decisions.

Therefore, the nominee should be those without strong connections with business or any lobby groups, thorough with the subject of public finance and economics and be of unblemished character.

Sad to say these characteristics are not seen in most of the members holding these offices at present and this is reflected by the weak decision making and passing the buck attitudes evidenced by the recent controversies surrounding attempts to take over private sector banks by a businessman with questionable credentials violating the banking laws.

Therefore, it is up to the new President and the Minister of Finance to ensure that sensitive positions such as Governor-'Central Bank and the members of the Monetary Board are filled by the right type of people who above all feel for the country and not for various pressure groups.

D. M. Seneviratne - Nittambuwa

Lakshman Kadirgamar

Many would have read Aijith Samaranayake's essay 'The Political Contradictions of LK' with great interest. There is only one comment.

The praise of Lakshman Kadirgamar has grown exponentially after his death. The shame is that there was an innate inability to spot his huge talent and give it due place in his lifetime. That he was not considered for the position of Prime Minister, nay even President, which he most surely would have adorned, is a telling testimony to our capacity to choose right people for the right job.

Death suddenly opens our eyes, but alas to what purpose. The National list provides an avenue to choose outstanding persons with the potential to perform in political office. Sadly, it is more used to put old wine in new bottles, and persons rejected at the ballot enter through the backdoor. Perhaps, CBK should be commended for discovering LK, but she failed to recognize he should have been destined for much higher office.

S. Weerasekera - Colombo 6

Sand mining

Recently there have been many articles and protests on behalf of the environment.

If we do not preserve the environment, what will happen to our beautiful country. Already it's being destroyed. What do we do when politicians and their political stooges allow sand mining.

There is large scale sand mining in the Hiriyala electorate. Recently an O.I.C. who was doing a superb job with regard to corruption has been transferred from the Gokeralla Police Station. Estate owners in this particular electorate are being harassed. Can we expect more investment when politicians interfere in maintaining law and order.

L. HERATH - Gokeralla

Garbage at Elhena Road

At Maharagama at the Elhena Road-Highlevel Road junction very close to the main Highlevel Road piles of garbage are not cleared for weeks and are lying rotting.

as a result flies, cockroaches, crows, cattle and other small insects like centipedes abound the place to the detriment and ill-health and safety of especially the little ones who come to attend the Montessori school at the Jayasundera Place off Elhena Road, besides others who use this road.

The funniest thing is that the Pradeshiya Sabha garbage big lorries and trucks pass this place up and down daily collecting other garbage down Elhena Road, but are blind to see the piles of garbage at this place.

V. K. B. RAMANAYAKE - Maharagama

'Buddhist has no soul' - a correction

Let me correct which I believe is a misconception by L. Jayasooriya (DN, Jan. 17 ) on the subject of soul in Buddhism.

Death, of course, means the cessation of all bodily functioning. What then becomes of the mind? With our modern knowledge of neurophysiology, there can be little question that most, if not all, of the things we call mental activities are directly dependent upon the electrochemical workings of the brain. When the brain ceases to function, sensations, perceptions, thoughts and consciousness come to an end. Mr. Jayasooriya agrees with what I have just stated. Buddhism teaches that mind without matter is impossible; a body is a prerequisite for consciousness. However, it also teaches that a body alone is not enough.

There is a nonphysical aspect of the human psyche which must be present before consciousness can occur. This nonphysical aspect of the mind is referred to as the Bhavanga-sota or subconscious life-stream. It is said to survive the death of the body and then manifest in a new body.

This is the basis of the belief in re-incarnation where transfer takes place of the nonphysical aspect of the mind from one body to another till you reach a state of nirvana.

In Islam and as in many other major religions, the soul and the body are together except during sleep when the soul may leave the body and come back when we wake up, or Almighty God may take the soul for good.

"It is Allah that takes the souls at death; and those that die not (He takes) during their sleep: those on whom He has passed the decree of death, He keeps back (from returning to life), but the rest He sends (to their bodies) for a term appointed. Verily in this are Signs for those who reflect." (Holy Qur'an 39:42)

Whether we call Bhavanga-sota or soul, in essence they are the same. Reincarnation is reborn many times, resurrection is one time.

Nirvana is the ultimate state for a Buddhist as Paradise is a state of bliss for a Muslim. All good deeds are rewarded and all bad deeds are punished whether you believe in Buddhism or Islam.

Buddhist believes in the natural order of things and Muslims believe in the Creator of those natural orders. In William Shakespeare's 'Romeo and Juliet,' the Bard asked, "What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet."

Tuan Riza Rassool - USA