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This simple gesture recently in the Ratnapura/Avissawella depots
should have the desired effect and augurs well for an ultra transport
administration, already in motion as can be seen by the extra red
vehicles jostling in the Sri Lanka traffic of our roads, to come!
The Minister with his evident zeal will eventually with his team
study research on SLTB problem, come to realise that the poor and
pathetic commuter (sans trishaws and taxis):-
Viz:- A) Aged people
B) Sick and the weak category
C) Fragile frisky children
D) Mother with a straddle child etc. are at the cruel and morbid whimsy
of an SLTB driver noted for his:-
A) Violent and jabbed brakings
B) Knee wrenching starts and take-offs
C) Body balancing cuts/swerves and swings.
D) In/out footboard travel peril
E) Speeding
A very effective and planned remedy for the foregoing driver lapses
should be a select squad in civvies follow up with offenders ending up
serving a stint at the Driver Training School.
Another long felt shortcoming is that of indistinct illpositioned
destination boards - as a start a 1” thick black on white lettering on a
6” sq. alu sheet displayed boldly positioned above the left hand
(nearside) headlight will help a traveller much.
Buses seen ‘cheek by jowl’- queries aimed from the body side of the
bus to conductors falls on deaf ears a rectangular destination board on
the footboard side will immensely help.
W. MEADOWS
Dehiwala
The recent execution of Sri Lanakan workers on the pretext that they
committed armed robbery, and physically attacked Middle East nationals
need to be used as an opportunity to teach an important lesson to some
of the Sri Lankans who think violence could be used to resolve issues.
The lesson is that violence and physical attacks are not the solution
to any problems anywhere in the world. Too often, Sri Lankans try to use
physical force to achieve their objectives, whether they are right or
wrong. If the news items are correct, the reason for the arrest is that
the workers have attacked their employer due to non payment of salaries.
Employment is a simple contract and if the salaries are not paid,
they should have returned home or gone back to the embassy to be sent
home. If they did this, they could have saved their lives.
People must realise that going overseas for these non skilled jobs
are not worth the money they have to pay to get their opportunities. If
they really want to earn a living working hard, they could always do so
by using the opportunities available to them in Sri Lanka.
To succeed here they must realise that they should learn a skill.
Hemantha Manapperuma
Narahenpita
I would be failing in my duty if I don’t express publicly my sincere
thanks to 1919, the centre for any information on Government
establishments for their politeness, promptness, efficiency and above
all their knowledgeable performance which is not second to that of any
of the so-called highly developed countries of the first world.
1919 is a wonderful idea.
JAYATISSA PERERA
Colombo 4
As a Sri Lankan citizen I have come across a few occasions where I
felt that in sometimes Sri Lanka, whether it is in the public sector or
private, we are treated as second class citizens by our own people.
In the mid eighties, when we as a young married couple, spending our
honeymoon in a four star hotel in Negombo went down to have a late
breakfast.
The breakfast room was practically empty except for the two of us and
a group of Swedes with their families, numbering about twelve, seemingly
Mahaweli Project people and a single waiter. I called the elderly waiter
in a clean white sarong and shirt who went past us a couple of times to
the Swedes without noticing us.
Even without looking at us he went past again saying that he will
come. After a half an hour’s wait and many trips by the waiter to the
Swedes they settled the bill. The waiter passing us commented in
sinhalese, to another waiter who just happened to come out to the
breakfast room, “Got only two rupees, men!”.
That was what he got as the tip after all that shuttling he did
bypassing us, in the hope that a white guests will give him a good tip.
I called the man and asked for his name. “Pius Sir” he said. I retorted,
you will fuse the Pius, if you keep on working like that! I also
complained to the manager, with no avail! Alas! That was the private
sector!
The second incident happend arriving from Europe a couple of years
ago. I remember joining a queue at the immigration desk in Colombo
Airport to get my passport stamped.
A group of foreigners from a Western country in their thirties may
be, arrived at the queue after me. The leader took one look at the long
queues, then looked around and a single custom officer in an adjoining
room.
He walked straight to him sat down in a chair across his desk,
started chatting and after a while turned back while seated, called his
group in to the room, handed over all the passports to the officer. The
officer promptly stamped them and out they went smiling.
I was flabbergasted. All this was done by passing the queue while all
others patiently waited! For me, who has been away for 35 years but has
re-visited the country every year since, this act by the custom’s
officer was the most humiliating thing by our own people in our own
country.
The third instant was in an Air Lanka flight returning from Europe
again. The stewardesses looked so ignorant and accomodating to a western
tourist who obviously was making use of the free flowing liquor of Air
Lanka and by now was heavily under the influence of it, drunk in other
words, was seated on the arm of a vacant seat across the aile next to
his friend chatting and obstructing a stewardess in getting across to
the other side.
She was very accomodatingly stopped at the obstruction, did not utter
a single word or request him to make room for her. After a minute or so
standing still she squeezed between the two on to the other side.
However, we the Sri Lankans in the same flight had to ask many times to
get just a glass of water.
In contrast, most other nations in the West give their own citizens
first preferance over a foreigner. I have seen with my own eyes, a
foreigner some times a low level worker in his own country gets better
treatment over us.
Knowing this, they sometimes dictate terms to our officers too and
even get away with it, not abiding by the rules. In the past we lost our
independance to the foreigners due to this attitude and we still seem to
harbour the same attitude.
We need to get over it, and be educated that all human beings are the
same irrespective of whether they are white, brown, yellow or black and
that there is no need to stoop down towards Westerners.
In the recent past I have noticed some change of attitude in some
places, but overall, it still stays the same.
GAMINI RANJIT
via email
As a result of the increase of the price of wheat flour twice by the
Prima Company last year within a period of a month by Rs. 3 and Rs. 4
per kilo respectively, the price of bread and flour based items was
increased.
Wheat flour is a product under the price supervision of the Consumer
Affairs Authority. Hence the approval of the CAA was required for the
price increase.
Although it was reported that it had been done without due approval
of the CAA and was contemplating to take legal action in this regard, no
action was taken and the increased price continued without any change.
Thus, the CAA failed to exercise its powers under the Consumer
Protection Act.
Now the Prima Company has again increased the price of wheat flour by
Rs. 5 per kilo without due authority and some bakeries have already
increased the price of bread by Rs. 2 which has a direct impact on the
Cost of Living.
In the interest of the consumers, it is hoped that the CAA will at
least now enforce the provisions of the Act and fix a reasonable price
for wheat flour to enable the price of bread and other flour based items
to be determined accordingly.
H. W. GOONESEKERA
Panadura |
