• Price tag to our citizenship!

• Buses for females only

• Demerger of North-East

• SLFP + UNP

• Mosquitoes - who is breeding them?

• Accumulation of rain water

• Wastage of funds through street lamps

• Floods in Rattanapitiya

  
  
  
  Price tag to our citizenship!

It's interesting to read the articles that had been published with regard to dual nationality.

I would like to stress that, it is irrelevant if a Sri Lankan born person wishes to obtain the citizenship of another country/s. Yet that person should have the God given right to demand the nationality and the citizenship of his or her's motherland.

Those who say it is not/ or those who charge money to grant these rights is guilty of violating the basic Human Rights of a person/s.

Many people have many opinions. We all can argue about this matter all day long. But we should bare in mind, as Sri Lankans we seek the international communities' assistance for most of our home-grown problems.

We as Sri Lankans have so far never found a single solution to our problems in our country. At the same time bare in mind all these Sri Lankan born overseas citizens have contributed to our motherland in an unprecedented manner.

There contributions are silent, but valuable. I strongly believe every Sri Lankan who's holding foreign nationality should be given their rightful place in our Sri Lankan society by giving their dual nationality without any cost if they can prove they were born in Sri Lanka. Its a shame that we put a price tag with money to our citizenship.

Some voice their opinion by saying... "If its too much, don't take it". Some say... "They have left Sri Lanka and given up their nationality, because they do not love Sri Lanka". These opinions are ignorant and uncivilised. I say to these people... Look at the world around us and see how the world changes.

Look at China and India, 90 per cent of the investments done in those countries are by their own people who live in foreign countries. Since our Independence, we Sri Lankans have been self centered and ignorant, at least now lets open our eyes.

LAL KEERTHIE FERNANDO, Denmark, via email.

Buses for females only

I think this is the best thing that can happen to women in Sri Lanka! (D/N Oct. 27). I hope this pilot project will be implemented in order to give the women of Sri Lanka a smooth ride for what it's worth. To be very honest with you I came to Sri Lanka after 20 years from Canada and just to get a taste of Sri Lanka I took a few bus rides and believe me they were disastrous!

Men kept harrasing, pushing, pretending to be sleeping and falling across me, keeping their hand as they were sitting in a confi chair at home, so that they could push with their elbows my waist line. If I sat on a isle seat, they kept pushing my shoulder and pointless talking about the incidents, but I am very glad about the suggestion and hope it will work.

Why don't you try this service from Pettah to Gampaha and on the Colombo-Kandy road? So that we women can have a safe and a peaceful ride home!

CHARMAINE YATAWARA, via email.

Demerger of North-East

The Northern Province is populated by Tamils. There was a time when Sinhalese and Muslims lived in amity with the Tamils in that province. Then came Prabakaran.

He gave the Sinhala and Muslim people 24 hours notice to quit the province leaving behind their land, houses furniture and all other belongings and emigrate anywhere else on pain of death for those who stayed behind.

Most went East, others South and were welcome by a humanitarian populace living in those provinces.

Pressured by India in 1987 Rajiv Gandhi the Indian Prime Minister and President J. R. Jayewardene of Sri Lanka amalgamated the two provinces of the North and East by a simple but illegal device of a gazette notification, which was renewed annually.

The JHU and JVP took the matter of the amalgamation to the Supreme Court and a learned Bench declared it ultra vires, and now the two provinces remain separated.

The authoritarian rule of Prabakaran over the North and East no longer prevails. The Tamils who mistakenly believe that they could lord over the Muslims and Sinhalese of the East clamour to have the two provinces united.

If the Government does that it is likely that supremo Prabakaran will bide his time and at the opportune moment give his customary 24 hours notice to the Sinhalese and Muslims to leave the East and emigrate to the Hills and the rest of the South, while the Government will have a preponderance of refugees on its hands.

Wise Muslims agitate for a de-merger of the North from the East for they visualise a sorry plight in the event of a merger.

The TNA a band of terrorists in sheep's dressing vociferously shout in Parliament and outside for amalgamation for Prabakaran. If that happens, which is unlikely it will be disastrous for the country.

REX ABEYSEKERA, Dehiwala.

SLFP + UNP

It is our dream for Lanka to become and flourish as a peaceful nation. If opposing parties come together with open and honest minds this dream will be realised to the full.

If not, the nation will be torn apart by diverse forces for the sole benefit of killers and cut-throats ... and our children will have a bleak and dismal future!

BENEDICT ALOYSIUS, via email.

Mosquitoes - who is breeding them?

When there is an outbreak of mosquito-borne dengue infection in Colombo and the provinces, the relevant State authority and its agencies vigorously broadcast preventive measures to be adopted to deter spreading its fangs. But no sooner the monsoon rains cease, the relevant authorities lack combat readiness till the next outbreak.

Over the years, it has been seen by many Mattakkuliya residents that Sri Wickrema Mawatha, Malwatta Lane, Crows Island, Ferguson Road and Summit Pura and its hinterlands waterways (large and small) are completely or partly carpeted with garbage, decayed organic matter and water hyacinth making the flow of waste and rain water impassable.

Obviously, these eye-sore, stagnated waterways pose an ideal breeding areas for all varieties of mosquitoes. The residents living in the vicinity bear the brunt and are disgusted that there is no State authority to clean and clear these festering waterways. Consequently, they silently tolerate and pray that their children be immune from dengue and filaria infections.

There is another rotten matters to focus. The clogged and blocked decayed organic matter in these stagnated waterways, pose a serious health hazard to the teeming population living in the vicinity due to the nauseating stench emanating and fanning in all directions.

Phew! There is another glaring matter to state. Most road side drains in and round Mattakkuliya have no gradient for the quick flow of waste and rain water to the catchment points. Furthermore, there are unauthorised privately constructed drains, with the blessings of politicians' in lanes which pose a serious threat to the health of residents living in close vicinity. (One such unauthorised lane drain is adjoining the Sri Wickrema Mawatha Temple)

By these observations, many residents here are questioning as to why this big commotion over dengue when basic preventive health care steps are skipped off by the relevant authorities.

Many people are also questioning as to why there is a disparity between Mattakkuliya and the plush areas; if these environment problems were existing in plush areas, there would have been loud howls and consequently remedial steps taken to do the needful.

H. L. D. E. PERERA, Mattakkuliya.

Accumulation of rain water

With the North East monsoon now in progress, every effort should be taken to accommodate all water possible to be used during the dry spell.

Unless the above is given due consideration, the water that falls, if not properly guided and thereby accommodated would cause tremendous damage in the way of heavy soil erosion, in the course of which taking away the top soil from land to sea. Needless to mention, if the above is allowed to occur, it would cause a tremendous loss to the country.

TOMMY WANIGESINGHE, Kurunegala.

Wastage of funds through street lamps

Despite all efforts of the Ministry of Power and Energy in their recent campaign for the conservation of electrical energy in view of the prohibitive cost of fuel, it would appear that the Local Authorities have not been adequately briefed.

This is evident as street lamps continue to burn during day time, coming on at 4 p.m. or earlier and going off at 8 a.m. or later, and occasionally 24 hours. One can just imagine what colossal amount of funds utilized for the in purchase of fuel could be saved if it is made mandatory for authorities in charge of street lamps throughout the country to ensure that they are lit from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. only.

G.G.J, Kotte.

Floods in Rattanapitiya

Due to the recent rains there had been many places including the main roads which went under water.

The worst I noticed was at Rattanapitiya junction.

The Colombo-Kesbewa Road was under water and only heavy vehicles like buses and lorries could travel across in the early morning and most of the other vehicles turned to Delkanda Junction as nobody wanted to get into trouble by crossing and taking unnecessary risks.

PRADEEP, via email.