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Citizens Mail
The President's exhortation to State officials in Vavuniya, is an
eyeopener for all Sri Lankans. He emphasized that all citizens must be
treated equally "without taking into consideration their caste, ethnic,
religious and other differences." In short, it means that there cannot
be discrimination under any circumstances including economic status or
political views. This is in accordance with the provisions of our
constitution on fundamental rights.
It is fitting that the President himself has drawn attention to these
vital matters in Vavuniya, the capital city of the Vanni, in the
aftermath of the war as a result of which the people of that area have
suffered immensely and will continue to suffer for a very long time.
The President and Government have an arduous task to create the
environment essential for reconciliation and reconstruction to prevent a
recurrence of the horrors of war and violence. It is our duty to assist
actively to achieve this objective sooner than later.
Practice is better than precept is a well-known premise. The head of
a family, principal of a school, heads of departments, Ministry
Secretaries, elected leaders of local bodies and Parliament and
Ministers must set the correct example. The police have a very vital
role to play. All these persons are duty bound by the Constitution and
now the orders of the President to serve the people with honesty and
integrity. Obviously, that is not happening and hence the President
himself has to spend his time talking of broken bridges, potholed roads,
dilapidated school buildings etc.
Actions of some Ministers bring the President and the Government a
very bad name.
An example or two would be appropriate to understand the problems
caused by Ministers. Earlier this week I needed to meet a Grama Seva
Niladhari to get a document signed. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday were
blank days. Thursday was the designated day for the public, from 8.30 am
to 11.30 am. But a notice at the office on Thursday morning stated that
Grama Seva Niladhari is not available as a Minister had summoned a
meeting which went on till about 12.30 at the Divisional Secretariat.
Minister could have arranged his meeting on some other day.
Another day I had to go to a timber shed at Rajagiriya for an urgent
purchase. Normally it is just a five minute drive. Unfortunately the
road to Parliament was closed for a VIP to pass, without prior notice or
warning. People were held up in traffic for hours. It was noon and very
hot. Scores of people were affected. It took me one and a half hours.
Our elected representatives and high officials must be more considerate
and thoughtful of our welfare.
Nissanka de Silva - Rajagiriya
English language is considered as one of the most popular languages
in the world. Today, almost all the countries in the world use English
language extensively for communication, especially in the fields of
business, education, administration, medicine etc. At present, the
proficiency in speaking, reading, writing and listening in English
language has become a basic qualification and a requirement in order to
secure a good employment even in our country. Taking this situation into
account, the Government of Sri Lanka led by President Mahinda Rajapaksha
has taken meaningful measures with the ambition of improving the
knowledge of English language among school and university students of
our country.
According to a concept of President Mahinda Rajapaksha, national task
force has been formed and it is headed by Sunimal Fernando to improve
the spoken English ability among teachers of English, as well as
principals of Government schools in our country. In my opinion, this is
a timely and commendable effort taken by the Government. Under this
program, the students are encouraged to speak standard Sri Lankan
English Sri Lankan way with confidence. This new project known as
'English as a life skill' paves the way for students to deviate from the
misconception that they should speak in the way of the native English
speakers.
Upto this day, under the present educational system in schools, we
see that only the writing and reading abilities in English are given
much prominence with no regard for the spoken ability of the students.
To remedy this situation, the government has taken forward strides to
include communicative English as a subject in both the syllabus and the
examination system under this new project known as 'English as a life
skill'.
Minister of Higher Education, S B Dissanayake has already declared
that from nest year 95 percent of the University degree courses of our
country are planned to be conducted in English. If our university
degrees are to be internationally recognized, this program should be
carried out in English medium and the learning of English language
should be made compulsory. Otherwise, students and parents will not take
it serious and they never realize the importance of learning English for
their own future benefits.
Therefore, we can come to the conclusion that this new concept
'English as a life skill' introduced by the Government is a timely and
job-oriented program with a vision. Therefore, we all should realize the
importance of these types of programs. It is our paramount
responsibility to extend our cooperation to carry out these program
meaningfully as far as possible.
S M Anupama Priyadarshanie - University of Kelaniya
Requests have been made time and again by the residents of Samagi
Mawatha, Magammana area in Homagama to the National Water Supply and
Drainage Board and to the Minister to supply them with pipe-borne water.
Water Board carried out a survey about three years ago from Diyagama
Mahinda Rajapaksa Sports Complex covering the area of Samagi Mawatha.
The land of this sports complex is a very large one and at some future
date pipe-borne water will be very essential when devel oping the said
sports complex. However, the requests are yet to be fulfilled.
Milinda Gunawardena, - Homagama
Pramuka Bank was registered in the Central Bank and it was
recommended by them along with other Banks by advertising in the
newspapers a few months before closing it in 2002. This caused immense
suffering and hardships to Pramuka Depositors and also incurred heavy
financial losses on them. A few people died due to the shock and heart
attacks and some got paralysed and disabled.
This is a grave injustice. The Pramuka depositors thanked the present
government for making some refunds to the deposits they made although
the scheme formulated by the Central Bank for refunds were unreasonable.
Refund of all deposits for senior citizens is most welcome but the Jt-depositors
who were Senior Citizens received only half of their deposits because
they had one of their children as a Jt-Depositor so that the children
can withdraw the deposit in case of death of aparent (Depositor). As
such a Senior Citizen who is a Jt-Depositor should be paid the full
amount of the Deposit.
The most glaring thing is that no depositor is paid anything as
interest for the deposits they made from 2002 up to now. According to
the lowest government rates the interest accrued for the last 8 yeas is
much more than the capital invested by the depositor. It was announced
by the President of the Pramuka Depositors Association Palitha Gamage on
several occasions that the Central Bank had agreed to pay 5 percent
interest on the capital invested from 2002, but so far nothing is paid
to anybody. The main excuse they make is that they have no money.
The government had spent a lot of money in forming the Sri Lanka
Savings Bank and providing employment to so many, thus rendering a great
service. All this was possible because of the closure of the Pramuka
Bank, but it appears that nothing had been spent to help the Pramuka
Depositors, who were in great trouble due to no fault of theirs.
The main problem confronting the SLSB is to recover the loans granted
to the Public by the Pramuka Bank. The rules and regulations should be
amended to recover loans from the loan defaulters much speedily than it
is being done now or to acquire the properties which had been mortgaged
to obtain the loan.
If this is not possible immediately, the depositors appeal to the
government to intervene to settle the Pramuka Depositors capital with
full interest from the Central Bank Funds. The Central Bank can recover
the loans from the Loan Defaulters whenever they can and restore the
Central Bank fund.
D D Meegoda (Depositor) - Ratmalana
I read an news item in the media that former Army Chief Sarath
Fonseka is requesting many facilities from the Government while serving
his sentence. Is there any logic asking for facilities, when thousands
of prisoners convicted for various offences are languishing in Jail
without even the basic facilities.
Fonseka has committed an offence and a Court of Law has found him
guilty. So the law is equal to all and sundry.
If General Fonseka's family, either wife Anoma or the children who
are residing in the States makes an open plea to President Mahinda
Rajapaksa. I am sure President Mahinda Rajapaksa will forgive him.
So my only belief is that we must forget all the past differences and
get together and make Sri Lanka a blessed country and give all our
support to our President, who is a very honest, able, true and a devout
Buddhist.
Dr M G M S Zurfick - Colombo 06
There is no pot of gold at the end of the rainbow for our University
graduates. They come out of the Universities with their minds full of
specialized knowledge in various fields. Their sharp analytical minds
perceive the problems of the day. They see no avenues, to help them
solve these societal problems. Without hopes of certain employment,
without hopes of using their surging energies of youth, these precious
wealth of our land.
"Waste their sweetness on the desert air" of unemployment,
frustration and rejection.
Anticipating the fate of the future generations, the father of free
education C W W Kannangara in his report of 1944 advocating Free
Education recommended the Diversification of Education in the period
1956/62 S F de Silva, one of the greatest educationists of our time and
one time Director of Education, during his tenure of office tried to
introduce vocational guidance to our school system.
S F de Silva, got down Professor Milton. E Hahn, Professor of
Psychology from Harvard University in USA and started a project to
introduce vocational guidance into our schools.
Principals and teachers and even others in the fields of banking were
personally trained by Professor Hahn with great dedication. Dr Gamini
Wijewardena coordinated the project - a report was prepared to introduce
vocational guidance beginning with a central school as a pioneering
effort.
It was to be called a multi-lateral school. There would be various
skills, academic and practical taught in various sections of the school.
All courses were to have parity of status. Students could shift from one
course to another according to their abilities and wishes.
There was to be a confidential record of each student's performances
maintained by teachers. This recommendation was pounced upon by Tarzie
Vittachchi, Editor of the Evening Observer.
He wrote a strong editorial on the front page as was his want, where
he stated that S F de Silva "who was the soul of liberalism" was trying
to introduce a fascist element into the educational system with secret
records on students.
Reacting in panic, the then Minister of Education W Dahanayake,
shelved the whole scheme. He did not even consider an alternative to the
confidential reports by making them open records available to parents.
The unfortunate graduates of today are the ultimate victims of this
educational system which produces a large number of graduates with
nothing to do and nowhere to go. Are they to be blamed for restlessness
in the face of an uncertain future?
"Asians power is its manpower" said General McCarther addressing the
US Congress after his return from the wars in Asia. What are we doing
with our young manpower, so educated and so full of hope? It is not too
late to resurrect the vocational guidance program and direct our
educated precious youth to use their inherent and acquired talents to
reach the pot of gold for themselves and help the country to become the
pride of Asia.
Mrs E L S Dharmatilaka Piliyandala
As many closed roads and checkpoints today are removed for the
convenience of the public. I would like to make a request to the
authorities to open the Ratmalana Airport road, which leads to many
factories, residences etc. (Eg: S P C, MAS etc.) This can reduce heavy
traffic, lots of fuel and time too, for all people who use Kandawala
Road and Borupana Road.
Hilmy Zubair Saeed Ratmalana
As I know and have been kept informed, while a few rounds of talks
have been held with the Salaries and Cadre Commission appointed by
President Mahinda Rajapaksa with regard to the above matter, no response
whatsoever has been received from them as yet.
As a result of the delay being caused in arriving at a suitable
solution with regard to the anomalies of salary scales assigned to the
Translators' Service by the PA Salary Circular bearing No. 06/2006, a
grave injustice has been caused to the translators particularly to those
who have already retired from the service after the issuance of the said
circular.
They are the badly affected, because if the anomalies are to be
rectified by a future circular, the retired translators who were in the
service at the time of the issuance of the said Circular (PA Salary
Circular No. 06/2006) will not be able to receive the rectified
benefits. Hence, it is with retrospective effect that the anomalies
should be rectified. Otherwise, should we bear the brunt of
short-sighted decisions?
I have also been made to understand that the Salaries and Cadre
Commission has admitted to the fact that an injustice has been caused to
the Translators' Service resulting in the existing anomaly of salary
scales. But no action whatsoever is still being taken to rectify the
same. But, what I have experienced according to the behaviour of the
Salaries and Cadre Commission is, that they are buying time by means of
discussions from time to time which may be a ruse to avoid the
implementation of a suitable, justifiable and deserving salary scale to
translators.
According to the PA Salary Circular 15/2003, while the annual
consolidated basic salary of Special Class Translators stood at Rs
134,100 which was later revised as Rs 187,740 with effect from January
1, 2004, the annual consolidated basic salary of officers in the Sri
Lanka Administrative Service Class II / II stood at Rs 112,500 which was
later revised as Rs 157,500 with effect from December 1, 2004 in the
meantime, there were also salary revisions proposing the salary scale of
II / I of the Sri Lanka Administrative Service to the Translators in th
e Special Class of Translators' Service.
In the circumstances, the revised salary scales of PA Salary Circular
No. 06/2006 assigned to the Translators have caused a humiliating
degradation to the Translators' Service in that the salary scale
assigned to the translators is totally not commensurate with the role of
Translators due to which Translators have been rendered desperate as to
what to do to get the anomaly rectified.
Salaries of certain posts which are below the rank of Translators'
Service have surpassed our service in salary scales reason for which is
not known which seems to be a calculated insult to the Translators'
Service.
Although the value and the usefulness of Translators' Service are
highly commended and pointed out in the print media, no attention has so
far been focused on the injustices caused to the Translators' Service as
regards salaries, due status and so on.
Therefore, I am of the opinion that prompt measures be taken to
rectify the salary anomalies and the injustices being caused to
Translators in numerous ways.
An aggrieved Translator
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