|
The above editorial (Daily News October 10) superbly analyses the
multifaceted aspects of animal rights: nevertheless I would like to make
these observations.
Quite rightly the editorial states that ‘animal rights’ was never an
issue in the past where a people brought up in a Buddhist culture always
showed compassion towards animals. Well, why shouldn’t it be so even
today?
Who or what is responsible for turning the wheel of Buddhist culture
which showed loving compassion (‘Ahimsa’) as preached and advocated by
the Buddha to all animals (which includes also ‘man’ who is none other
than a ‘social animal’).
In my view, it is the adoption or the ‘embracing’ of alien culture
and customs which may be considered anathema to devout Buddhists (and
Hidnus too).
The observance and practice of ‘Ahimsa’ applies to all Hindus too,
but as in the case of the majority of Buddhists many of the Hindus in
Sri Lanka today only pay ‘lip service’ to ‘Ahimsa’ and consume liberally
animal flesh to sustain themselves and this flesh or meat is obtained by
the cruel slaughter of innocent animals, birds (‘chicken’) and fish.
(The fish is not a ‘vegetable’ but an ‘animal’ and its biological name
is ‘deadus fishus’ - the description of which is a ‘cold blooded
animal’, living wholly in water).
The editorial further states that ‘there is no statistics or proof to
indicate that the public have been weaned away from meat consumption. It
is very true indeed but then where does the fault lie?
In the present day set up, ‘human life’ has lost its respect and
become ‘very cheap’ in particularly Sri Lanka where violence and
killings have become the order of the day and in this context the
observance of ‘Ahimsa’ or reverence to life has lost its value and
virtue.
It is here that the clergy (both Buddhist and Hindu) have failed or
not ‘played’ its role in educating and instilling into the minds of
‘ordinary’ men and women, the virtues of ‘compassion’ and ‘non killing’
of animals for one’s sustenance - killing an enemy in a war or a
poisonous snake which might otherwise take your own life does not come
under this purview.
The Buddhist clergy/monks should be in the forefront in this regard -
practice and preach ‘Ahimsa’ or ‘loving compassion’ for the layman to
adopt/follow. Unfortunately what we see is just the opposite - for
example vegetarian Buddhist monks comprise only a minority; very sad
indeed. compassion or loving kindness (Ahimsa) should not be
confined/restricted to only ‘Poya’ days or important ‘religious
festival’ days but should be observed and practised ‘every day’ by every
right thinking Buddhist or Hindu.
This is what both the Buddhist and Hindu clergy should ingrain in the
minds of their religious followers rather than for Buddhist monks to
indulge dominantly in politics/and or governance.
It is enlightening to note that in the West, more and more persons
are becoming vegetarians not on religious grounds but because of the
growing concept of love and compassion for animal life/reverence for
life that is being instilled/ingrained into their minds by
societies/organisations such as the Vegetarian Society of the United
Kingdom (the oldest Vegetarian Society in the world founded in 1847) and
the ‘Viva!’ - acronym for ‘vegetarians International Voice for Animals’.
It is reported that there are more than three and a half million
persons who are vegetarians in the United Kingdom (U.K.) today. Should
not this figure at least open the eyes of our Buddhists and Hindus in
Sri Lanka, an island visited and venerated by the great Buddha. Another
popular misconception which prevails in the minds of many Hindus is that
only the cow’s flesh (beef) is taboo or forbidden to them.
This is because they consider the cow to be a ‘sacred’ animal. This
is a travesty of the truth: it may be so in ‘popular Hinduism’ but not
so according to the tenets of true or properly understood Hinduism.
Infact, Hinduism forbids the consumption of ‘fertilised’ eggs of any
bird species such as the hen, duck or turkey.
It might be pertinent to mention here that the ‘Vegetarian Society’
referred to above considers ‘free range’; eggs (that is non-fertilised
eggs) only as suitable for their approval for vegetarian consumption.
Hinduism considers not only the cow but also all other animals as
sacred and thus forbids the eating of flesh/meat of any animal including
the fish which by definition as already stated earlier is an animal.
So Hindus who consume all other meat other than beef do so simply to
satisfy their craving for a carnivorous appetite by giving wrong
interpretation to the tenets of Hinduism to suit their convenience.
I would like to emphasise that all what I have ‘discussed’ in this
article is addressed solely to the Buddhists and Hindus of this country
since they constitute the majority of the population of Sri Lanka with
no disrespect or controversial comments whatsoever to followers of other
religious faiths of this country which according to the teachings of the
founders of such faiths/religions may be approving meat/flesh eating or
the serving of meat to others (except that pig’s flesh or pork which is
forbidden to be both consumed or served to another according to the
Muslim faith/religion.
But let us all the Buddhists and Hindus endeavour to the best of our
ability to adopt the following ideals:
‘Live and let live’
‘May all beings be happy’
PROF. M. SIVASURIYA
Colombo 8
In 2005, there were 3.3 million mobile phone subscribers in the
country and in 2007, it has gone up to seven million. That means on
average, about 2,300 mobile phones have been sold a day. Who says our
country is economically on the decline? When the UNP requested a
two-hour switch off of the hand phones, nobody heeded it; for them, a 10
per cent tax on hand phones is nothing.
As much as the Cost of Living is rising, the income of the people too
shows a corresponding increase. For instance, in the 1960s, a mason was
paid Rs. 3.50 a day and today he is paid Rs. 800 a day.
The UNP leadership is so poor that it knows neither to choose issues
to attack nor to decide when to attack. With the anti-terrorist action
reaching a crucial stage, no sensible person wants an election, except
those who are sympathetic to the LTTE and the greedy politicians who do
not have the patience to wait and watch.
If they have an iota of intelligence, they will never call for the
resignation of the Defence Secretary and the Air Force Commander. The
Tamils in the uncleared areas or the TNA did not call for the
resignation of Prabhakaran when he lost the Eastern Province to the
Army.
E. M. G. EDIRISINGHE
Dehiwala
I sent a used deskjet printer on un-accompanied baggage from Saudi
Arabia.
When I went to clear it from the Customs at D. R. Wijewardene Mawatha,
I was told by the customs officer that my printer had to be detained and
they need Defence Ministry clearance.
He also told me that I had to pay Rs. 50 per day as demurrage/storage
charges. When I went to the Ministry of Defence, they informed me to get
a letter from the customs. While the officers I met at all these
departments were courteous, I had to waste three to four days out of my
valuable vacation time in order to get this freely available printer
released.
Fortunately I am living in Colombo.
The plights of some others were not as fortunate as they had to
travel from outstations.
What I wish to suggest is that whenever a procedure is implemented by
any Government organisation, they should keep top most in their minds
not to inconvenience the public while they achieve their objective out
of the procedure.
Officials who are responsible for such procedures should value the
time of the public and expatriates like us who come to Motherland to
spend some quality time with the families and friends.
They will do well to adapt from Immigration and Emigration Department
as well as the Motor Vehicle Licencing Office, where things move with
minimum inconvenience, all under one roof.
The inconvenience could have been easily avoided, if an appropriate
defence and a Police officer are posted in the customs warehouse itself,
to inspect/investigate the baggage items in question and do the needful
all under one roof; just in the same way as they have opened a bank
counter to help baggage owners to make any payments to customs.
Besides this point, it is hard to figure out the logic in involving
the Defence Ministry and CID, as their involvement is only in paperwork,
whereas they can easily take all the information about baggage owners of
printers from the Sri Lanka customs.
I sincerely hope, this letter will be taken into consideration by the
authorities in the right spirit and accordingly rectify the situation in
the interest of making matters easy for the public; the most important
objective to be achieved if a Government organisation desires to claim
of better/improved services to the public.
SEYED ALI
Colombo 6
|
