A laudable move

The decision taken by the Government to relocate casinos and nightclubs operating in the vicinity of schools is a salutary step that will win for it the praise and approbation of parents as well as the public at large.

Today these casinos have spawned a gambling industry which could have a detrimental effect on our long cherished values. It is also at variance with the country’s predominant Buddhist faith and a blot on the hitherto staid and sober cultural ethos.

It is no wonder that President Rajapaksa who hails from a milieu that underlines the value of unostentatious living and a respect for Buddhist precepts had looked askance at this casino culture that could only erode the hitherto serene fabric of Lankan society.

Announcing the decision at the closing ceremony of the Esala festival in Kandy, President Mahinda Rajapaksa called on all citizens to join hands in his efforts to rid the society of all defilements and corruption and protect the younger generation from undesirable forces.

The President also announced moves to strengthen existing laws to prevent the admission of minors into night clubs. That the highest of the land has taken upon the crusade in the battle against evil influences augers well for the well being of the future generation.

Already a decision has been taken to obliterate obscene websites that have been corrupting young minds. It is hoped that the mission of the President to rid the young of corrupting influences would achieve the same success as his Mathata Thitha programme.

Today under the prevailing laissez-faire culture the younger generation is increasingly being exposed to various vices and poisonous influences.

Parents and guardians have little say in this regard. Time was when schoolgoing youth were under strict regimentation by their parents with deadlines imposed on their time of arrival at home.

Those were the days when close tabs were kept on children by their parents and their whereabouts closely monitored. Parents were also particular on the company kept by their offspring lest they go astray and there was constant liaison between the parents and the schools to monitor the academic progress of their offspring.

Today things are different with children often left to their own devises while parents are caught up in the rat race. No supervision is made on the children or their conduct and whereabouts.

In any event it is doubtful whether the children would respond to parental admonitions any longer with the prevailing permissive culture that has debased and distorted all values that were held sacrosanct in the past.

The rapid transformation of society ushered in by the open economy also had its impact on the value systems exacerbated by the inflow of drugs and other evils as an adjunct to this liberalisation.

Experimenting with drugs became commonplace while the liberal spirit also opened avenues for other forms of vice and indulgence. Liquor shops mushroomed in every corner shattering the deep religious ambience that prevailed.

Casinos and night clubs followed often under political patronage. These casinos were called upon to bankroll political campaigns giving them carte blanche to operate with impunity. The society at large got sucked into this new milieu of unbridled liberalism which put paid to all value systems.

The new order also sapped off all sensitivity among the public which gradually became anaesthetised to the suffering of their fellow brethren. This was amply demonstrated in our attitude towards the conflict.

The partying and carnivals in the South went on full steam ahead while our soldiers were laying down their lives in the battlefield. Not a thought was spared to the villages massacred in the outposts.

True, in the present day it is impossible to live a cloistered life hanging on to old value systems.

The world has shrunk to such a degree that we all are sucked into its orbit. Today the reverberations of globalisation cannot be avoided.

But there has to be a degree of balance and circumspection. We cannot allow the permissive culture as it is witnessed today to ride rough shod on time honoured values and perspectives.

There is a need for striking a balance. It is this balance which obviously the President wants to instill into the flagrant lifestyles under this permissive culture.

It is hoped that the President’s call for a disciplined younger generation would strike a responsive chord among all concerned and lead to the control of extravagance while adhering to time honoured values.