Morning Spice by Ginger
No more a garden city

Sooner or later, the authorities must decide whether the same architectural designs and plans must obtain for the city or whether future housing will have to go upwards and more condominiums and apartments will be built. We shall come to that later. Colombo was once known as one of the most scenic garden cities in the region. No longer. It is cramped, crowded and dirty, taking away the charm and character the city was so well known for. It is no longer a garden city but a garbage city.

The fragmentization of gardens as land values rose and the building of houses on these bits of land has deprived the city of much of its lung. Now if in future, incentives are given for those who build upwards we might still have a little greenery left in the city and the suburbs. I know that it is difficult for some to change their lifestyles and adjust to flat life. But there are advantages as well such as sports complexes, swimming pools and so forth. Shopping is also often at your doorstep and an enterprising society or developer could always provide for transport as well. Besides there is 24 hours security for most such complexes and this peace of mind you don't have in your home unless you are the affluent.

Seed power
Have you seen a rudraksh necklace! Indira Gandhi was supposed to wear one. It is a grooved brown seed from the elaceocarpus gauitus tree which grows mainly in Nepal but also grows in India and Indonesia. After they are treated and polished they are used to make necklaces and rosaries.

These necklaces are regarded with quite some reverence by those who follow the Hindu God Shiva. They believe the seeds represent the tears shed by Rudra which is one of Shiva's other names. The seed is believed to have supernatural powers and can protect you from getting high blood pressure.

Joint action
If the Australian government and port bosses thought that clipping the wings of dock workers and their unions would ease problems for them, they were in for a bit of a rude shock. On April 7, Patrick Stevedores fired about 1400 dock workers in Melbourne with the view to getting non union labour instead.

The move evidently has misfired Australian dock workers, went on strike. This was not all. Japan's long shoremen's union and some American unions joined in sympathy action against the decision to give the dismissed strikers international support. They have threatened to block Australian ships and boycott Australian products as well.

Emirates deal, fantasising alarmists and management injustices

The question is being repeatedly posed both in a section of the press and through the electronic media as to the extent of the role played by the Airlanka board of directors in the recent deal.

Does the board have any clout legally or otherwise to tilt the scale either way on the decision to divest part of the shareholding or on the terms and conditions of sale? The Treasury — to wit the government — together with two fully-owned government institutions were the shareholders. The two institutions are understood to have transferred their shares to government prior to the deal. Airlanka was, therefore, a fully-owned government concern. The board was a creature of government and was appointed by the minister to administer the airline. The issue whether or not to consult the board on this matter is discretionary. The board was only an agent or trustee of government. In this instance, the owner (State) has acted through PERC in the examination and implementational details of a decision consciously taken to part-privatise Airlanka and PERC is the statutory authority for such matters. PERC has apparently acted in liason with Airlanka in examining the detailed information. The argument, implied or otherwise, of Airlanka having a say on the decision to part-privatise and with whom and the specific terms and conditions relevant cuts across the inalienable right of the share holder (sole owner) to decide the future.

The argument does not, therefore, fall into place as the decision per sees the full responsibility of the owner. The decisions have to be implemented by the agent trustee which is the board.

It does not appear to have any choice in the matter except perhaps to express its own views which may not be binding. Transparency does not mean that government should create or invite complications to itself. The leaks that often take lace and distortions speak for themselves. The business plan and intricacies in operational aspects, for instance, cannot be open for scrutiny by all and sundry. Fantasising for sensationalism, creating alarm, suspicion and confusion in the minds of the public and vociferous condemnation superficially out of hand does not per se make it contemptible.

As regards management, there are a number of aspects the new Emirates management would do well to look into. There was the sad spectacle of successive managements pandering to union pressure even to the extent of blatant injustices which are tantamount to violation of fundamental rights. One such instance is the collective agreement which revised COL allowances among other things. The benefit was passed only to members of the particular union there-by creating a serious anomaly. It virtually devalued those who did not join the union or was not party to the collective agreement. Unfortunately to-date no corrective action has been taken, it is under stood. Can an international airline run on pettiness, inequity and decisions that are uniquely and blatantly unjust and are alien to good management practices? It is alien even to government procedure. Believe it or not, the collective agreement debars management from discussing any matters covered by the agreement with any other union or body during the period of the agreement for the purpose of enhancing the general terms and conditions of employment of graded staff!

A contented work force is the cornerstone for any business concern or industry — more so for an airline where safety standards are supreme. The new Emirates management would do well to bring its mind to bear on these matters and other glaring injustices and open its doors for healthy dialogue with those affected. It should encourage separate unions for each discipline as terms and conditions are vastly different for them to come under one umbrella which was indeed the bane of Airlanka's predecessor, Air Ceylon, in its latter stages.

I. P. C. Mendis
Moratuwa.

In defence of a remarkable novel

According to Gunadasa Amaras-ekera, as reported in 'The Island' of April 27, 'The Wild West' is at its wits end as to what strategy it should adopt to arrest the proliferation, not of nuclear weapons but of re-emerging civilizations in the Third World. He believes the West fears the re-emergence of cultural consciousness among the developing nations because that threatens Western supremacy.

He quotes Prof. Huntington, the President of the American Political Scientists' Association in support of this theory. Obviously he doesn't consider Prof. Huntington from whom he has borrowed this notion, a part of the 'Wild West' he denounces.

According to Amarasekerea one of the strategies used by the West to root out ÔJathika Chinthanaya' or indigenous culture in developing countries is to destroy the indigenous literature of these nations. And how does the West do that? It is, says Amarasekera, by offering carrots like the Booker Prize to writers who produce 'insipid' works like 'The God of Small Things'. To describe Arundathi Roy's book as 'insipid' either Amarasekera has not read the book or he is so blinded by hatred and rage that he cannot appreciate it.

The role of such writers like Arundathi Roy says Amarasekera, 'is to condemn national cultures and pave the way for alien values to creep in through the conduit of literature'. So he sees Arundathi Roy as a writer who has set out to destroy indigenous Indian cultural values, through her book which is being widely read all over the world.

What are these values and attitudes that come in for condemnation in ÔThe God of Small Things'? Bigotry and hypocrisy are severely condemned. Marxism in Kerala for example is attacked because it accepts the caste ridden divides while attempting to reform society, Marxist leaders go along with caste prejudices and even make use of these prejudices to their own advantage.

Such hypocrites and political opportunists are surely not peculiar to Kerala. Arundathi also exposes the brutality of the police, the self righteousness of the supposedly religious people in the Syrian Christian Community who have no place for love or charity in their hearts, and the servility of the 'Anglophiles' who fawn over the white people. Others who are condemned are child abusers, paedophiles, wife-beating patriarchs who tyrannise their families and generally all those who inflict pain on children and the powerless.

The novel also exposes the double standards that society imposes on men and women. For example a mother who readily understands hered were hardly intelligible. Perhaps the mood of the hyped-up younger generations has spread among our legislators as well. But this sound, fury and venom vented in the holiest of chambers of our legislatures, preventing the older practice of sober and logical analysis of matters before parliament, brings into question, the very purpose of parliament and parliamentary debates. The highly tensed up atmosphere that has been built up in the chamber of the House, during the past two decades, raises the question, whether parliamentary debating as it has been known, can continue for long.

We have been following the Westminster model for 50 years . After commencing on a carbon copy of the British model, we have evolved, diverging from the original model. Whether it is evolution or retrogression, we have apparently reached a stage where the attitude and conduct of many of our legislators simply do not conform to the rules of parliamentary practice that is applicable today. TV viewers would have seen how calls for ‘order’ from the Chair were consistently flouted and on one occasion the sittings of the House had to be suspended. Sri Lanka parliaments have witnessed such scenes many a time before, but such scenes are of increasing frequency and could have very adverse effect on parliament itself.

After 1956 there has been disgust expressed about the parliamentary system by the westernised elite and more particularly by those representatives of the masses, or the proletariat, as the Marxist comrades would say. Some saw the parliamentary system as a game of tennis where the government and opposition kept hitting the ball into each other’s courts, and nothing very much happened. They wanted to destroy the parliamentary system but could not think of an alternative kind. The Marxists of course spoke of the Dictatorship of the Proletariat but strangely Sri Lankan Marxists of the LSSP and the CP were exemplary parliamentarians. Trotskyite leader Dr. N. M. Perera, was considered an authority on parliamentary practice. No better parliamentarian could be found in all Sri Lanka parliaments than Pieter Keunemen of the Communist Party. They were models of parliamentary rectitude.They were never a threat to the parliamentary system.

The new generation of parliamentarians obviously have not imbibed the spirit of parliamentary democracy, so essential if the system is to survive. Tolerance, respect for each other’s privacy, the give and take of parliamentary debating, the naya'. One hopes that these ideals to be rejected do not include what Jayadeva enumerates in his marginal comments (29 April, Island) namely ' equality of opportunity, social justice, fairplay, individual freedom, representative democracy, good governance, and politics free from violence and intimidation (How refreshing it is to read Jayadeva after Amarasekera). Would Amarasekera reject these universal values as 'wild' western values?

Would he also consider the teaching of Western literature to our students as paving the way for alien values to creep into our society?

As Jayadeva points out the enemy is not out there in the West but right here within us, in our hearts and minds. Our own greed, our hatred and intolerance, our ignorance and delusion, these are our greatest enemies as every Buddhist should know. Instead of spewing venom on others, if Amarasekera could teach his followers to control, if not root out these three defilements, he could indeed be doing something towards saving Sri Lankan culture and civilizations.

Leela Isaac,
ELTU, University of Kelaniya

The greed of arms dealers

Sri Lanka is today being burdened with a staggering expenditure on defence. It is something a poor country like Sri Lanka just cannot afford. There is a moral responsibility on the part of those responsible for this defence expenditure to see that this expenditure is justified. Are the heads of the army, the air force and the navy conscious of their responsibilities, and are they discharging them in the best interests of the country and its people?

Those on whom responsibility has been placed for defence purchases must bear in mind that all these purchases are for the purpose of waging a war with the Tigers, holding them at bay and eventually bringing them down. It should also be borne in mind that it is for the purpose of defending the territorial integrity of the country and its people. Defence purchases have therefore to be for the sole purpose of defending the country and for no other reason.

In Sri Lanka, however what do we find? We find defence purchase not a medium to use strong and tried weapons against the Tigers, but a means of making money ' commissions and commissions. The purpose of defending the country and its people by providing the right arms and ammunition, etc. are of no consideration. In the past purchases for Defence were generally made from country to country, to ensure a greater supervision of the equipment bought and also a kind of price control. In a sense making defence purchases more responsible and under strict government control.

But today what do we find, particularly in Sri Lanka the entry of arms dealers. Colossal amounts of money have been made by these Dealers. Sub-standard aircraft, ships, arms and ammunition have been purchased, a major part of which has been found totally unsuitable for the purpose of fighting the Tigers. Three MI-24 attack helicopters have been found unsuitable for use in Sri Lanka. Some of these have crashed and with it the lives of our brave airmen.

As a result of a recent change in the command at the Airforce, this Company that supplied the sub-standard helicopters is reported to be making its way towards the new tenders. This tenderer has even made a bid for heavy warships with a large gun pounding capacity. The short history of our defence purchases to fight the Tigers stinks and stinks. Look at the purchase of the Russian Warships in 1994 which was first rejected by the government. But later in 1995 these same ships were purchased on the basis that they were needed as a 'crisis purchase'.

The arms extravaganza has been gathering strength in the country from the early nineties. During the time of the UNP government too millions were in the making from arms deals. The UNP dealers were tuning their Orchestra to PAGA PITCH. The PA then in the opposition screamed against this and said they would stop all these corrupt practices if they came into power.

The President proclaimed that those arms dealers who fleeced the country through corrupt defence deals would be dealt with once they came to power. The president promised complete accountability and transparency in all defence deals. All these were mere words. Now the PA has taken a right about turn. The PA paga orchestra is now playing the old tunes under a new conductor. The government has started doing business with the same corrupt arms dealers, in spite of their promises to do away with it.

Today, a heavy burden has been cast on our people as a result of this staggering defence expenditure. The very livelihood of our people is being threatened. Subsidies are being removed owing to heavy defence expenditure. A defence tax is being levied on all imports, etc. There is no control over defence expenditure. All this is virtually in the hands of the corrupt arms dealers who have never had it so good.

In view of the nature of the purchase, details of quantity, quality, price are never available, and this leaves the corrupt arms dealer with all the opportunity he needs to make millions if not billions. Nothing is revealed as these are defence secrets.

When one imagines the amount of guns and ammunition alone that could be needed in one day of fighting, one can imagine the amount that could be spent on this alone. If a small pack of ammunition costs US$ 50 and is sold with a staggering profit of another 50 dollars making a sale price of US$ 100. - (the arms dealer will make 50 dollars out of which he can give 20 dollars to the guy through whom he gets the deal).

If he sells a 1000 packs of such ammunition, which is not much, the total cost will be 1000 packs at US$ 100 each will amount to US$ 100,000 or Rs. 6,400,000 to the government of Sri Lanka. 50 per cent profit will be Rs. 3,200,000 on just a 1000 packs of ammunition. For a war effort you may well order 1,000,000 packs of ammunition. This will then cost the Govt. US$ 100 million or Rs. 6 billion 4 hundred thousand. 50% of this would be a staggering Rs. 3 billion two hundred thousand. Which the Arms Dealer will reap as profit. He could even part with one billion to the man who gives him his pot of gold and still retain over 2 billion for himself.

This then is the story of how arms dealers operate. They deal in colossal sums of money. In Sri Lanka we have a breed of arms dealers who are ruining Sri Lanka and its people. They are grabbing the meagre resources of our people. Billions could have been saved if not for this utter waste, and perhaps a pound of bread could have cost the poor people a lot less than what they now pay.

One arms dealer is now trying to emerge as the sole agent or supplier of defence purchases, and is reported to have very high connections. He is now parading his wealth in the city, and is making an open exhibition of his extravaganza. His glory is there for all to see and he is proudly proclaiming it. It is like an over-size exhibition of a humpty dumpty.

It is time the PA government realised the grave injustices they are committing by permitting this staggering waste of the country's resources on this type of corrupt defence purchases. The country yearns that somebody ' someone will step in before long and stop this waste of the country's monies. The UNP ' as an alternate government, must focus their attention on this criminal waste of the meagre resources of the country.

They must call a halt to these criminal acts of the arms dealers. They must step out and threaten to deal with the arms dealers and all those aiding them with dire punishment for what they have done when they come into power. The media too should expose all these transactions. The arms dealers and their fellow travellers should be made to understand that they are doing grave wrong by the people of this country and run the risk of facing grave punishment if they are caught.

L. P. Perera
Colombo 6.