Morning Spice by Ginger
The importance of English

I read a letter from a reader the other day who expresses the opinion that the inability to speak and write English well are standing in the way of students getting employment in the private sector. I agree with him totally. He also suggests recruiting retired teachers and training those who have done well at the advanced level and training them while giving them attractive salaries. Ginger goes with him, part of the way.

The reason for not being in total agreement is not because he doubts the competence of these teachers but a question of time. After all, how much time does a teacher get to teach pupils in one class per day? Probably just one period a day. This may do, to just get them through. It needs much more for them to achieve fluency and the accent accepted here. So this scheme may have to be augmented with lively literary associations. Drama and even weekend inter school debates and discussions on current affairs. The main problem would be to get them to overcome their diffidence and shyness. Once this is achieved we might see some results at least. The more familiar they get with the language in an informal and natural way the faster they will pick up English the right way.

Pill for potency
Experiments with a pill that was supposed to open out blood vessels for the treatment of chest pains did precious little for the heart patient but much to the surprise of those who were carrying out the experiment it seemed to do much for those who were losing their potency. In fact Pfizer feels that Sildernafil could become one of the most commonly prescribed remedies for the condition.

In America alone some 20 million males are unable to achieve or maintain an erection and the worst of it is that doctors feel that this is due to biological and not psychological causes. They carried out tests on some 400 such cases in Europe and 80 per cent of them noticed a positive improvement in just one hour after taking the pill and came back for more.

Bribe won freedom
Indonesia seems to be as good a place as any to bribe your way to fortune or your way out of jail. Just take the case of 42-year-old Eddy Tansil. He was serving a 20 year term for bribing bank officials to give him some 436 million dollars in unsecured loans. A nice little launching pad to build a fortune.

The whole plan misfired and he was tried and sentenced but prison life was not too bad for him either. He was allowed to go out of prison when he felt like it and he was allowed to have a TV, a VCR and telephone. That was till he did the vanishing trick. Where is he now? Some say he is in Singapore and others say he is in Shanghai while there are some who feel he is with a former cabinet minister.

Shocking display of rowdyism

The Air Lanka debate which was televised was not only an expose of the racketeering that both major parties had indulged in but also an exposure of the degeneration of the debating standards in parliament which has reached a new low. To the intelligent, educated and decent voters of this country it was demoralising to learn that they had elected an unworthy bunch of representatives some of whom gave a shocking display of rowdyism in the House. These so-called legislators who should have set an example in the maintenance of dignity and decorum of the House behaved like hooligans in a 'mariya kade' street brawl.

How can these law makers expect the citizens of this country to be disciplined and respect the laws of the country when they themselves behave so disgracefully in parliament? It was pathetic to see and hear the filth and the foul epithets that were shouted at each other across the floor of the House. The Deputy Chairman of the Committees who was in the Speaker's Chair desperately made a determined effort to maintain some order and decorum. Unfortunately even he could not control this St. John's market scene although he tried his best.

He was compelled to adjourn parliament for 10 minutes to restore order. The Roman senators of yore who set the tone and standards for debates would have been turning in their graves at the parliamentary performance in Sri Lanka.

Both sides in parliament have used Air Lanka as a hunting ground for cuts, commissions and wheeler dealing. There is no doubt about it from the accusations levelled by the pots of one side trying to call the kettles of the other side black. All that they were trying to do in parliament was to use attack as a form of defence of their own corrupt activities in relation to Airlanka. It is obvious that some persons from both sides who claim honesty but do not have any integrity at all have been profiting from the transactions they have initiated on behalf of Airlanka when in power.

It was ironical that the people the government had appointed to head Airlanka were now being called traitors and information suppliers to the opposition by the same government. These politicians have still not learnt that once a crook always a crook. In any case how can they discern one from the other, when birds of a feather are flocking together for the personal gains at the expense of the taxpayers. There are only a few, perhaps, who are honourable and with integrity in the fraternity of Sri Lankan politicians.

Now the people know why these politicians cringe and beg for votes at election time. It is because some dream of making their pot of gold with their positions as members of parliament.

These parliamentarians who are the law-makers were yesterday seen to totally disregard the rules pertaining to the standards of debate in parliament. I raise my hat to Rauf Hakeem who sat in the Speaker's Chair and toiled hard to maintain the dignity of the house by informing the members repeatedly that their antics were being watched by the public. Some persons including a minister totally disregarded his warnings about keeping to times allocated and carried on as if there was nobody in the Speaker's Chair! The whole scene televised was a total disgrace not only to the parliamentarians but also to the voting public.

I strongly suggest that these parliamentarians be given a course in parliamentary conduct and behaviour including the non use of un-parliamentary language. They should be forced to watch the live telecast of the proceedings in the mother of parliaments in London. Now that is the ideal of mature democracy at work and an example of gentlemen parliamentarians whether or not they come from Oxford or Cambridge.

The unkindest cut of all was when the debate was wound up for the government by the Minister of Aviation and Tourism by stating that the action the government had taken was to make Airlanka "A National Treasure". This was the height of hypocrisy and bluff. How can Airlanka which was 100% per cent national up to March 31st be considered a national treasure when 40 per cent of its shareholding was sold to a foreign Airline. My contention is that Airlanka which was raped by the previous government in power has now been made an international broad by the Emirates deal.

It was clear to viewers that the UNP when in power had racketed on the airbus deal. It is also clear that with the Emirates deal, somebody got something somewhere at the expense of the country.

It is unfortunate that when a member was about to divulge the sordid details of the Emirates transaction he was shouted down followed by the House being adjourned for 10 minutes. The people were deprived of vital information in regard to the Emirates deal. In both cases, I am sure the tracks have now been covered and it would need more than Scotland Yard to unravel the mystery. We know that one of the chief architects of the airbus deal wanted for many inquiries locally is living in the lap of luxury in London.

Emirates must be congratulated for concluding this deal which is very much in their favour and for getting a lot of mileage for the pittance of a payment. I do not know how far Airlanka will benefit by this deal but from the business plan that Emirates have made they will certainly enrich themselves manifold at the expense of Airlanka.

Parliament has become a house of horrors in more ways than one. The intelligent people have no respect or faith in the representatives or goings on there. There are no standards, no dignity, no decorum and no gentlemanliness and not transparency displayed in the House. It is all an eye-wash to fool the people and get their votes. In addition to the huge tax free salaries that are drawn by everyone in parliament and the luxury perks they receive at the expense of the tax-payer they still seem to be 'on the make' on both sides, however angelic they may sound in their speeches.

Our country will never progress with these pseudo standards until principled gentleman politicians enter parliament again. That, of course, is a distant dream for poor Sri Lanka! It will be like the "distant dawn" which 'never dawned' mouthed by certain politicians in the past. The country is still under a pall gloom both economically and socially.

Nissanka M. Ediriwira
Battaramulla.

Plantation executives were not deserters

"To sin by silence when we ought to protest, makes cowards of men".

I am replying Al-Ud-Nabma's letter titled "Plantation strike -- A Reply", which appeared in these columns on 9-5-98. Although I don't want to get into a writing match with him, I wish to set the record clear, for the discerning reader.

I have to reiterate my position that to our knowledge no plantation executive ever deserted their bungalows during the recent plantation strike. There was no necessity to do so as the general strike by the workers were for an increased wage and generally there was peace, good order, discipline and good conduct on the plantations. There may have been a few isolated incidents or cases but it cannot be construed by any fair means as a generality. In the past there have been situations where planters had to vacate their bungalows when there was a direct threat to their lives, as happened during periods of insurrections.

However during the recent plantation strike, which is the subject of discussion, such a situation did not arise to our knowledge. The Nuwara-Eliya District Planters' Association is the largest planting district in the island, consisting of 78 estates managed by 11 Plantation Management Companies with 169 Plantation Executives, and as the Honorary Secretary of Nuwara-Eliya District Planters' Association I boldly say that what I have stated is a fact and it is not a case of 'merely, defending the planters, although it is nothing but right to set out the facts when such inaccurate statements are sweepingly made.

Al-Ud-Nabma further says I'm "not too familiar with what is actually taking place in plantations as planters are sometimes locked up in their offices and even assaulted by workers and it may well be that Mr. Rajadurai has not experienced such a bitter predicament" and "could he deny that his family (if he has one) was transported to safer waters during the strike". In reply I wish to enlighten Mr. Al-Ud-Nabma that a few years back I myself was a victim of unruly behaviour by some workers and as a result I was locked up in the factory for over eight hours.

This incident was instigated by few workers who had vested interests and necessary punitive disciplinary action was taken against them and the situation was brought under control quickly and effectively. Such incidents occurred at the outset of the privatisation process where the workers were under the misguided misconception that such intimidatory behavior would be effective against the managements but time has proved otherwise. This does not mean such behavior would not take place in the future but if it happens necessary action has to be taken. I wish to further enlighten Al-Ud-Nabma that I and my family along with the children (the eldest of whom is only five years old) stayed on the estate right throughout the strike.

Al-Ud-Nabma goes on to state that if I conduct a survey of ununionised workers that it'll "befuddle" me. He further reiterates his previous position that companies could have sacked the ununionised workers. Since we are living and working on the estates, we know what we are writing about, unlike Al-Ud-Nabma writing from Battaramulla.

For example, Pedro Estate, which is one of the largest estates in the island and renowned world over for its high quality of teas, employees over 1870 workers and almost all workers belong to a union. This is the case in almost all estates in the upcountry. In a general issue like increased wages, which is affecting all plantation workers, it makes no difference whether they belong to a union or not or to what particular union they belong to.

They all act as one, irrespective even of nationalities as was seen so many times in the past. If that is the reality, what is the use of sacking the minute percentage of non ununionised workers?. It can only make matters worse in such a situation. Doesn’t Al-Ud-Nabma read the papers and realize that plantation workers of Sri Lanka are the most unionised of all plantation workers in the world. Two trade union leaders who are also the political leaders of two constituent parties of the government led the recent strike for increased wages for the workers, despite many negotiations. Who took what action then?

Presently most plantation companies need all available hands on harvesting and most of the estates are facing an acute shortage of workers. Already many estates are not hrvesting productive land due to the shortage of workers. How then can we sack even such a small percentage workers and compound the problem?

Al-Ud-Nabma is completely unaware of the actual ground situation and has no clue about the present state of the industry. Otherwise, he would not have rushed into such conclusions which has no rational basis. However, he should visit the up country plantations and study the actual situation in furtherance of his understanding of the subject about which he writes so strongly.If Al-Ud-Nabma can do what he very loudly trumpets, that is to sack un-unionised workers (if there is such a category) then I will take off my hat to him.

The misinformed always know too much.

Roshan Rajadurai,
Manager Pedro Estate,
Nuwara Eliya.