Love Lanka and save its good name
The much awaited Presidential elections have come and gone. Each election brings more and more violence into society and is now becoming institutionalised. In fact, it is now becoming the norm, the moment an election is announced.
Never in the history of this country has the President’s Security Division been used to intimidate, assault and even kill innocent people simply because they hold opposing political views. Our young people are being killed every day due to a senseless war and now the political leaders are killing off the rest. If we go on like this, very soon, this country will be bereft of young people who will some day lead this country. The President herself miraculously escaped death a few days before the elections. This should be a sobering thought to a leader of this country. If she, as President, with 1600 bodyguards plus the Armed Forces and Police to protect her is subject to attack, how can the ordinary, helpless citizen protect him/herself against armed thugs let loose by politicians.
Each election brings its own horrendous stories of thuggery. Now stripping women is part of the political fabric. Don’t these hoodlums have wives, mothers, daughters or sisters? How would they like if their female family members are subject to this degradation? Any society respects its women. Today, Sri Lanka is taking inexorable steps towards the 21st Century. However, our political behaviour is more reminiscent of the dark ages. Computers will not solve this fearsome degradation, only the firm insistence of our Political Leaders will. It seems a joke that the President has to summon police officers or issue orders for them to maintain law and order without fear or favour. Isn’t this their bounden duty? Need the Head of State "remind" them to do so? However, when police officers are foolish enough to take her word for it, they are punished, transferred and political influence is brought to bear.
During the time of the Senanayakes and Kotalawala and even during the time of the late S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike, there was no need for foreign observers. Now even a Provincial Council Election needs these, people. Isn’t this an insult to our country which boasts a long history of adult franchise?
Whilst we are ever ready to brag about our past, we certainly disgrace the future with our actions. However, getting these foreign observers is merely cosmetic, because violence continues to escalate, the outcome is forgone and no action of a deterrent nature is ever taken.
However, if the political leadership of this country can give an unequivocal assurance to all the people, and ensure that the law is followed without fear or favour, and the full force of the law will be brought to bear on miscreants, we will not need these foreign observers, which in itself is an admission that our political fabric has gaping holes in it.
This recently concluded Presidential election saw large numbers of innocent people being killed for the simple reason of holding their political views. Meetings were disrupted, goons were sent into action and for the first time in our political history, a Party Headquarters was attacked. Another disgusting feature was the daily roll out of lies and damned lies in the government press.
If the Minister of Media and his subordinates believe that readers are gullible, then they are living in a dream world. Please stop this bogus propaganda. The figures given for rebels killed in the North far exceeds the population of the North, unless of course Prabhakaran is importing his fighters.
We all believe that the President "just scraped through" this time. All citizens know that ballot boxes were stuffed, voters intimidated to achieve success at any cost. When the President sits in her Presidential chair, let her conscience take over, and let it ask her whether she is really, the "popularly elected" President of this country or is she in that seat due to lack of free and fair elections.
The winners will continue to enjoy all the perks that go with the job. The losers will go back to their comfortable homes and continue to enjoy the life styles they are accustomed to. Spare a thought for the hapless poor voter, who might have lost a loved one, lost his/her property and have to live through humiliation suffered at-the hands of political thugs.
Please think of them too. Unfortunately, you will think of them just prior to an election. It is high time, the so-called leaders of our country thought of the disgrace they are bringing on this country, because we are fast receding to the dark ages. If you people have any pride in and love for your Motherland, get together to usher in an era of decency and tolerance for your fellow citizens of this country.
Robert Perera
Open letter to President Kumaratunge
Your address over Rupavahini on the night of Monday January 3 was a disaster, to say the least. It was, I believe your first address to the people of Sri Lanka in the new millennium that everyone is talking of. More significantly, it was the first address of your next term in office and the first for the year 2000. Surely it could have been a presidential address of dignity, mapping out your plans for the country in the new year and your new term of office.
You thanked those who voted for you, but the thanks came across as a mere gesture. This was in contrast to Ranil Wickremasinghe’s message of thanks in the press, which seemed very sincere, coming from his gentlemanly heart. I was a firm supporter of yours, even though progressively since 1994, I have been disappointed by your performance as head of state. I came on holiday to my home country as a very interested and concerned observer of the elections. I wanted you to win, and you won, but your TV ‘chat’ on the 03rd made me wish you had lost. It was supposed to be an interview, but those two with you did not get any answers to their questions. And Madam, who is interested in your college days and pocket money at all? We know well about your Paris days and time in London.
Your TV interview was no interview. It was a diatribe of hate and vengeance, with thinly veiled threats of revenge. If anyone is not for you, you take it that the person is against you and deserves punishment. You said members of the armed forces and police were against you, and you would see about them. Probably they were merely doing their duty and will now be punished for being fair, non-partisan and good officers.
You spat venom and hate as you spoke about people you termed snakes of the worst Jayawardena? Why are you continuing to speak so disparagingly of J.R. He brought economic relief and a surge in the national economy which was completely stagnant during your mother’s closed economy. We are absolutely SICK of your ranting against the 17 year period of dushana and beeshana. Why aren’t you making your period one of calm and prosperity?
Madam, don’t you know that hate begets hate. Our society now is corrupt and lusting for blood. You give these elements the wrong message. Your hate and venom trickles down. Where and when is this evil of hate, revenge, burning and killing going to end? Leave the LTTE aside and let us calm down the rest of the population. You have to give the lead here. You have to firstly curb your temper, your imperial manner, your revenge seeking, your constantly harking back to the previous regime and your disparagement of your opponents whether members of political parties, or the media. The nasty elements in society and in the political arena will then have to follow you and calm down. We also understand why you favour the rabble rousers in your Cabinet.
You said you were a good Buddhist, albeit not the Bodhi tree worshipping kind. That is fine. You must at least cultivate the Brahma Viharas - metta, Karuna (particularly) and muditha and upekha ( these to help yourself). We know you do not keep the five precepts, yes even abstaining from killing since you incite people to hate and wreak revenge and that leads to killing. This is like non-vegies being guilty of taking life since they encourage fishing and cattle and chicken slaughtering. Forget the past and move on to doing something for the country. Learn to speak like a lady and behave like a statesman/stateswoman. Abjure Mariayakade language.
"The lady protesteth too much." What need is there for all the character certificates you give yourself if you are completely unguilty of malpractices? Why wasn’t an enquiry or Commission set in place to inquire into the Channel 9 problem?
I will be safe in a civilized country with gentlemen and genteel women in government and in positions of authority, so I will not be subjected to your vengeance. I will not return to my country until society is benevolent. Start governing the country justly and democratically.
Immigrant Perera
The Man of the Century
The nomination of Albert Einstein by the Time Magazine as the man of the century is no surprise. This winter remembers how fifty years ago in 1950 too, he was acclaimed as the man of the half century. At that time, the name of Mahatma Gandhi along with that of Karl Marx were proposed but Einstein won.
Einstein was not only a great scientist and a pacifist of the highest order — a man who stood for justice and equality, but was also a simple man who used to help children with their geometry problems and romp with them down the street licking an ice-cream cone during Summer time.
Strange enough, he won the Nobel prize for Physics in 1922 not for Relativity but for his contribution to the Quantum Theory which he applied to explain the photo electric effect — the emission of electrons from metals when electromagnetic radiation (including Light ) falls on them. In this theory, he introduced the concept of the ‘photon’ for the first time, which was a great step forward in the development of the quantum Theory. A photon is a discrete packet of energy sent out from a source of electromagnetic energy and has the normal properties associated with a material particle.
Although Einstein’s greatest contribution has been his theory of Relativity (special and the general ) many are not aware of his original contributions to several other branches of Physics other than the Quantum Theory. These include Brownian motion, Specific heats, Magnetism, Statistical Mechanics as well as the unified field theory bringing the two great forces of nature - gravity and electromagnetism together. It was this work that he was occupied with during his last years.
Einstein if he were living today, without doubt would have selected Mahatma Gandhi as the man of the century. A photograph of Gandhi adorned the walls of his study in Princeton and in a message on the 70th birthday of Gandhi ( hitherto unpublished ) Einstein called him a victorious fighter who always scorned the use of force and a man of wisdom and humility. He ended up his message saying,
‘Generations to come it may be, will scarce believe that such a one as this ever in flesh and blood walked upon this earth’
L. H. R. Wijetunga
Appreciation
Dr. Hudson Silva
(Funeral oration delivered by Past International Director of Lions Clubs International, Lion Mahendra Amarasuriya)
On this very sad occasion, at the cremation of an outstanding Sri Lankan whose life was committed to the sole objective of giving sight to those who could not see. I consider it a privilege to do so, on behalf of all Lions of Sri Lanka.
When I was a child, I can recall my mother relating Buddhist Jathaka stories where it was stated that the Buddha donated his eyes, blood, limbs and other parts of the body during the countless lives he had before, ultimately attaining enlightenment. These stories sounded incredible to me, as at that time I was not aware that it was possible to transplant the various organs of the body, including the eyes. Later on, when Dr. Hudson pioneered the donation of eyes (corneas) in Sri Lanka, the truth of these stories was clearly demonstrated.
When he first got this wonderful vision of the possibility of donating the corneas of people who had passed away to give sight to the sightless, I am told that he was at the butt end of numerous critics whose scoffed at the idea and humiliated him.
Despite all these objections, Dr. Hudson had a vision of creating the Sri Lanka Eye Donation Society, which was to become the hub of the wonderful project he had in mind. I am told that when he expressed his idea and pioneered eye donation in Sri Lanka, he had to leave government service as many higher ups in the establishment were against his pioneering work.
Having a wonderful vision is great but unless such a vision is converted to action, it remains only a beautiful dream. Being a very practical man he knew how to convert his dream into action and set about establishing the vast network of eye donation societies which are active all over Sri Lanka today.
Having left Government service as a young Doctor at the age of 31, without any other source of income, it was an unending struggle for him to convert his vision into action. I can recall his wife Mrs. Irangani Silva who has always been by his side in this wonderful venture, telling me that they started their Eye Bank by storing extracted corneas in their own fridge, at home.
Collection of corneas from all over the country was a total commitment during 24 hours of the day. In the initial stages, the actual extraction of corneas had to be done by him personally and he made himself available day and night to answer any calls he had from relatives of the dead who were willing to donate their corneas. His brother-in-law, Mr. Dickson de Silva told me the other day, that when Dr. Hudson’s son Nandana, as a small child came to Matara to spend a holiday with them, he was surprised as to why his uncle Dickson had changed his clothes into a sarong at night, because he had never seen his father getting into a sarong and relaxing, as he was always dressed to be available for any calls at night.
In those early days corneas had to be extracted within a short period, after death, as modern techniques for preservation and storage were not available and unless the corneas were removed expeditiously, they would not be suitable for transplanting. Mr. Dickson Silva told me that he had asked Dr. Hudson why he was killing himself when life is short. He had replied that there was so much to be done in his life and as life is short, he has to make best use of available time.
His involvement with the Lions movement, which goes back to around 25 years ago, gave him an excellent opportunity to further progress his pioneering concept in Sri Lanka. By that time, he had been able to, with extraordinary courage and motivation to propagate the concept of getting the consent of living people to donate their eyes after death. He was able to therefore collect more corneas than required for transplant in Sri Lanka and thus began the supply of Sri Lanka corneas to other countries.
The International Lions organisation had been challenged in 1925 at the International Convention by the famous Helen Keller to "Be the knights of the blind crusading against darkness". All over the world Lions made eye care and sight restoration a priority. He was therefore able to obtain assistance from many Lions clubs in all parts of the world to which he sent corneas to give sight to blind people in those countries.
He was successful in obtaining assistance from the Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF) in building the Head Quarters building of the Sri Lanka Eye Donation Society, in which was housed the International Eye Bank.
His organisation grew rapidly and he was able to send corneas to many parts of the world in addition to providing the requirements of Sri Lanka. As you are aware, recently, the forty one thousandth cornea donated to foreign countries was celebrated in Colombo.
Unfortunately his work was not acknowledged by many in Sri Lanka and he was unfairly criticised with more brickbats thrown at him than bouquets. Many people criticised him for requesting for donations from the sponsors of the recipients of the corneas. They did not appreciate that running an organisation of the magnitude of the Eye Donation Society of Sri Lanka required funds for administration and funds were also needed for collecting corneas, storing and preserving them and despatching them to the Airport to be flown overseas. It is said most philosophers are not appreciated in the countries of their birth. This was perhaps true in the case of Dr. Hudson but his efforts were given recognition all over the world with many Heads of State conferring distinguished honours on him.
Furthermore, I am personally aware of the manner in which his work had been recognised by the Lions of the world. I have visited an eye hospital in Pakistan named after him. I have been personally present in an operating theatre in a hospital in Karachi, when one of the corneas donated through the Eye Bank was transplanted to the eye of a poor young boy and the way in which this boy’s relatives responded literally worshipping me as a representative of Dr. Hudson Silva was unbelievable.
When I contested for office of the International Director in 1987, he was at the forefront of the campaign through his friends. In Taipei, Taiwan during the International Parade on the streets of Taiwan, many Taiwanese exclaimed "Sri Lanka - Dr. Hudson Silva - Eye Ball Doctor". To them, Sri Lanka was synonymous with Dr. Hudson. Through this great humanitarian project, he became one of the most effective ambassadors for Sri Lanka, in many countries of the world.
Many layman who are unaware of the complexities of obtaining foreign assistance for any project in our country may come to the conclusion that it is very easy to obtain foreign aid from many philanthropic organisations. They little realise that this requires hard work - preparing project proposals, justifying the funds required and even more importantly reporting on progress regularly. Thus all foreign assistance obtained was the result of his total dedication and commitment to the cause.
His involvement in the Lions movement certainly enabled him to make new contacts and I believe there were many donations and assistance given in numerous ways by Lions organisations all over the world.
I did my best to recommend him to Lions Clubs International on two occasions to be considered for the award of the Lions Clubs International Humanitarian Award, but unfortunately, on both occasions, International Presidents concerned had identified other outstanding individuals from various parts of the world. He was also a very active and motivated Lion in every sense of the word.
On this occasion, when I speak on behalf of all Lions Clubs in Sri Lanka and on behalf of all Lion leaders, I wish to convey our sincere condolences to his wife Mrs. Irangani Silva and his son Nandana Silva and all his relatives. I know they will miss him very much but perhaps it is the representatives of the many eye donation societies in all parts of the country and numerous poor people who had the benefit of his guidance and treatment who will miss him even more. The people of Sri Lanka and the people of the world will also feel the vacuum that has been created by the demise of one of the greatest sons of Sri Lanka, in the 20th century and perhaps in the 2nd millennium.
The great humanitarian work he had done throughout his life will undoubtedly shorten his path in "Sansara". May he attain the bliss of "Nibbana".
R. Thambirajah
R. Thambirajah, the founder secretary of the Wattala Amateur Football Association, has left never to return. He with a band of enthusiastic soccer lovers, moved to form the Football League. Late Mr. Edward Henry the first Sri Lankan to captain Ceylon then agreed to be the founder president.
It was in 1949 at the Colombo Commercial Company grounds, Hunupitiya, the inaugural discussions took place for the formation of the Association. Messrs Edward Henry, R. Thambirajah, Denzil B. Gunasekara, B. Dias, T. Z. Allang, Jerry Paranahetty, M. M. Allong, T. M. Silva, S. Shanmugam and S. Nawasivayam were associated at the discussion. Four teams young Watts, Hell Cats, Young Dyaks and United brothers were the first teams participating for the challenge shield offered by founder patron R. A. Gunawardana.
R. Thambirajah had the unique distinction of representing St. Anthony’s College, Wattala and St. Benedict’s College as the 1st eleven goal keeper for and against.
He served as the Treasurer of the St. Anthony’s College OBA for a number of years. Due to his failing health, he served as Asst. Treasurer. He also continued to service in the committee too. As an auditor, he was able to discharge his duties well. He was honest dedicated and sincere in his dealings. People of his calibre are hard to find.
I was fortunate to have served as his assistant in both associations. He was a guide. The Wattala AFA founded by Thambirajah and others are a forgotten lot, by those presently at the helm of affairs of the League.
May his soul rest in peace.
Alhaj T. M. Pakeerally
Former Vice President Wattala AFA