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| Wednesday, 28 January 2004 |
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Politicians and scoundrel sons It has become a common phenomenon in Sri Lanka that politicians and their plethora of scoundrel sons coming into limelight very often, involved in law breaking activities in brawls and unruly behaviour occurring in five star hotels, posh night clubs in Colombo and girls' schools. There has been a string of these incidents but to general public knowledge, no one has been brought to trial and justice meted out. This is a very glaring instance of politicians and their sons too, taking law into their own hands. Irrespective of the gravity of the case, the culprits are sent scot-free without any punishment whatsoever. The irony of these cases is that they are compounded with comfortable ease without going to Courts which facility is denied to the average citizen for much lesser degree of offences. The law is very lenient and flexible on them. While the average man is handcuffed and kicked into the Police jeeps, the sons of All Mighty politicos who breach the law are in the lap of their parents in their palatial residences as they are confident that no officer will dare enter their Altar of safety. And due to this leniency, the scoundrels have a hey day at the expense of the poor tax payer. Public property is damaged, there is no reimbursement of its cost. Hotels and clubs are damaged. They do not pursue action fearing they will lose business. The non-civic attitude of the public and the law enforcement agencies are the encouraging factors for these unruly, uncouth and vulgar elements to raise their heads with impunity and repeat the same indecent activities. The Police also plays pivotal part in safeguarding these culprits from the clutches of law. They are scared to arrest them, file cases against them and take procedural matters as applicable to other criminals. As the big wigs and their sons breach the law in five star hotels, they are reciprocated by meting out five star treatment. The police fear that they will be dismissed from service or transferred to a far away station. The fear in them is reasonable as politicians release the offenders in police cells by force, threaten the OIC with bodily harm and take the law unto themselves. These acts of politicians and their prodigies have become a bane on the social fabric of the society. Police Commission has been established and the primary and most exalted aspiration of the public was that the Police would be able to discharge their duties without fear or favour. But, we have to take our own stock to see whether that aspiration has been fulfilled. Although, some of us look at American and British administrations with sarcasm, the investigating authorities in those countries have no fear in cross examining and taking statements from the President himself in the USA and Prime Minister or Prince of Wales of England to make their investigations. The offender should be punished irrespective of his or her social status, so that it will be a lesson for the next in line. According to the old adage - "Law is an Ass", but Sri Lankan "Asses have no Law". J.N. This is in appreciation of views expressed by Amrit Muttukumaru in the Sunday Observer of Jan. 11. I believe, that he is the son of the first Army Commander of Ceylon (Now Sri Lanka), Anton Muttukumaru. The late Major-General who was also a political and military analyst. Amrit's succinct and realistic presentation of what the real problems that the Tamilians of our beloved island face should be studied in an impassioned manner by all political leaders. The agony, hardship, point of view and aspirations of the Tamilians cannot be put in writing so cogently and clearly as he has done. It is unwise to treat a talented, hardworking, industrious, intelligent and cultured and speakers of a language for more than 25 centuries, for granted. Once a peace loving community turned to violence for reasons explained by the writer. The violence most militants among the Tamilian and Islamic Communities had executed mostly to defend themselves against atrocities perpetrated on them and also to take vengeance against political rivals, in recent decades, is to be condemned in unmistaken terms, I grant. But let's treat all that and also the violence committed against the innocent Tamilians and other minorities by successive armed forces and indisciplined mobs of ultra nationalists and rowdy elements among the majority community, a thing of the past. Let's pray that it was a horrendous accident in our past history borne out of ignorance, not knowing the other side of the picture, and governed largely by unreasoned prejudices emphasized in legends, which are taken as undisputable historical facts. So let's start anew. Let's make a new world in our little Sri Lanka. K.S. SIVAKUMARAN Social responsibility of businessmen This refers to the news item under the heading "Sarvodaya leader wants J-Biz to win people's strength' in your issue of 13/1/04, which gives the speech made by Dr. A. T. Ariyaratne, the Sarvodaya leader, to the Joint Business Forum. Dr. Ariyaratne has said a mouthful when he correctly pointed out to the Businessmen their role in Society. It is no secret that, during election times these businessmen back politicians, and that too, for something in return! No religious group or member of the civil society should take these businessmen seriously, especially when they say that they are planning protest demonstrations or signing of petitions (an after - thought?) to bring pressure on the President and the Prime Minister who, according to them have created a "political impasse". As Dr. Ariyaratne points out, we seldom do hear of businessmen (except a handful) who sponsor projects that help the rural farmer, the urban industrial worker, or for that matter, the poor artistes who struggle to bring out a production. It was not very long ago when Prof. G. L. Peiris as Minister of Constitutional Affairs in the PA Government campaigned for devolution proposals as a solution to the ethnic - problem, getting people involved through the "Sudu Nelum" movement and the "Thavalama". What role did the businessmen play then? The President of the Forum (Mr. Mahendra Amarasuriya) who incidentally is the brother-in-law of Prof. Peiris did not deem it fit to get his forum actively involved in such campaign through demonstrations or signing of petitions to bring pressure on the then Opposition which is the present Government Party! We cannot conveniently forget that Prof. Peiris even got a new Constitution placed before Parliament (August 2000) only to be torn into bits and burnt! May I reiterate what Dr. Ariyaratne has mentioned in his talk, viz., "They (businessmen) have not understood their social responsibility". Should not this be an eye-opener for businessmen to mend their ways? To the businessmen who have now got up from their slumbers we should most politely say "businessmen, mind your own business" and leave political matters to be solved by politicians! WIMALASIRI DE MEL The bus services in Trincomalee the capital of the North East Province is in a deplorable state. People of all categories, local tourists, public officials, contractors and others have to travel to Trincomalee from Jaffna the furthest point on the North, Pothuvil on the East coast and Colombo on the West coast. They mainly depend on bus transport to travel to Trincomalee because the CGR service is hopeless and takes more than 9 hours to travel from Colombo to Trincomalee. The bus service provided by the CTB Trincomalee depot to outstation as well as the services provided by the depots of Mannar, Vavuniya, Anuradhapura, Batticaloa, Kalmunai, Ampara, Kandy, Kurunegala, Katubedda, Ja-Ela and Kirindiwala has been deteriorating over the years both in quality and the frequency of services provided. From December 2003, the daily bus service provided by the Katubedda depot has been withdrawn much to the discomfort of the public officials. The private sector provides normal bus service as well as A/C bus services. If we consider the bus service to Colombo, the private bus operators seem to prefer mini A/C buses. A journey from Trincomalee to Colombo a distance of 260 km by a normal bus takes about 7 hours. An A/C bus takes 6.5 hours. A normal bus charges Rs. 100 and A/C bus Rs. 200 for this journey. In the nights an extra Rs. 10 is charged for seat reservation. A bus leaving Trincomalee to Colombo will pick-up almost all the short distance passengers from Trincomalee up to Habarana a distance of about 90 km. So it takes about 2.5 hours travel. Even after Habarana most of the buses continue to pick-up short distance passengers up to Kurunegala. People are packed inside the buses with no consideration for the elderly, feeble, sick and children. All have to stand packed like sardines and lean on or hold one another. Every time the bus takes a turn or brakes applied suddenly they have to undergo great difficulties. In the A/C buses which normally ply only to Colombo carry an intercity board but pick-up and drop passengers en-route at each nook and corner and standing passengers are a common sight. The seats are very uncomfortable and there is hardly any leg space to move one's limbs. Once these buses leave Kanthalai some of the drivers tend to speed up much beyond the allowable speed limits at great risk to the passengers and there is nobody to check the over loading and over speeding. A time table hangs at the CTB bus stand in Trincomalee but rarely the time table is followed. Very often bus is not there, has left before time or is yet to arrive. The time keeping staff is unable to help a passenger because the service is so erratic. As for the private buses there is no time table and no office to inquire. Even here a fairly regular time table is followed by a few out station buses. I trust that this will catch the eyes of the Transport Ministry Officials in Colombo and request that they try to encourage entrepreneurs to invest in Class A normal fare buses to ply to and fro Trincomalee and help the people travelling to Trincomalee. They are also requested to check on the conditions of the mini buses now plying, the rampant over crowding, speeding etc. at least on the main Colombo route. The President of the private bus owners association is also requested to look in to these short comings and get his flock to follow rules and regulations and help the passengers to travel at least with reasonable comfort. V. REGUNATHAN |
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