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Morning Spice by Ginger Has the cholera scare ended or have further detection been made since by the AUTHORITY? We hope it has abated. The more dangerous situation is that it could have gone underground. The lower the general level of education in a locality where the patient lives the greater will be the chances of the case being hidden. The possible is that they would run to some quack and try to get some kind of relief and by the time they finally decide to take the patient to a hospital, it is too late to save the patient. The greater tragedy is that many more would have contacted the disease from the same source as these people who get diseases like cholera tend to live in more crowded areas where hygienic standards are appalling. Now the health department may not have the resources to open out centres all over the country. But it should open a few of them where the slums and the poorer segment in urban areas live. Another risk parents take is that they give their children money to have their lunch out. That could be risky’ It may be wiser to give them a pack of sandwiches to take to school and give them strict instructions not to eat any thing from outside. Have the school authorities checked the sources of supply to their tuck shops. Chinese delicacies You may be the worlds leading gourmet but it takes a lot of hard, work patience and cholesterol to find out where you can get the best Chinese meal. Possibly Chinese cuisine is a favourite in many parts of the world. John Krick a travel writer and his fiance visited 18 countries to find out where you could get the best Chinese food. It was quite an odyssey. The writer fiance Mei is a Chinese so they made her home the starting point of their journey. From there they went from country to country relying mainly in what they heard from one eating place to another. They then wrote a fascinating book in Chinese food, China’s history and politics and save accounts of the food they ate. They made a list of the restaurants one I should visit if they want the best of Chinese food. Largest dam The Chinese believe the Yaungtze river running through the three gorges was the work of a goddess. She is supposed to have petrified 12 dragons and used them to guide the river along its present course. The state however decided that despite the efforts of the goddess it was necessary to build the world’s biggest dam at a cost of 24 billion dollars. Over 40 million tourists had flooded the area in search of the sight that captivated to be completed last year and this would mean that it would be no longer be possible to travel through the three gorges. Though official permission to build the dam was given in 1992 plans to do so were afoot as far back as the mid fifties. Spending long hours on two consecutive nights at the Banadaranaike International Airport last week, I was able to observe a few situations that may require the attention of the relevant authorities who man activities of various types, intending to offer passengers and visitors what service they could within the framework of the security that such an important institution needs. 1. The passenger list of a few flights were not posted on the notice board provided at the Arrival Section, till many of the passengers and visitors had left the premises. The purpose for which these lists are made available to the visitors is to check whether their respective passengers had flown on the scheduled flight. This information I believe would help the visitors to decide to await their passenger or return home, in the event the passenger had missed the flight at the last airport from which the flight took off. On June 15, Flight 313 due from Kuala Lumpur was delayed by almost 24 hours. Finally the plane touched down at 1955 hours. However the passenger list did not appear till the last passenger had left the airport for home. Flight CX 701 which touched down at 2025 hours too failed to post the passenger list on the Notice Board. So it seemed that none of the passenger lists on both these flights made their appearance in time to enable visitors to make arrangements to receive their respective passengers. Some relatives had come from as far away as Nuwara Eliya. Years ago, the passenger list was ready immediately after touchdown. I wondered whether provision could be made to fax the list from the closest airport from which the flight was due to leave for the entering airport. 2. When a delay of a flight is announced and the word "delayed" is on the board for several hours from the time the flight was due, visitors naturaly get alarmed, and rush to the Aviation Services Information Centre for information. The young ladies there are helpless and have no explanation to offer. Meanwhile rumours float around with various information, each rumour in conflict with the other. If the delay is due to an operational hazard, no official can determine when the repair is over, except the officers attending to the repairs, who normally would do a trial run, before the passengers board the plane. Perhaps if visitors could read a permanent notice in bold and clear letters to request them not to pester information centres, it may at least reduce the number of irate visitors. 3. The prevailing procedure is that a passenger completing the Immigration process, has to collect his/her baggage off the Conveyor Belt and head for the Customs. If this passenger wishes to make purchases from the Duty Free Shop, he/she has to push the trolley containing the baggage and head for the shop, before appearing at the Custom Counter. Here a single passenger may be seen with several trolleys not only at the Customs, but to steer the trolleys to the Arrival section, and hand over to those who have come to assist him/her. If this passenger happens to be sick and tired and weary from travelling several days, the physical state could be imagined. On enquiry from the Information Centre, I was told that only sick passengers are offerred portering services, and clearly made me understand that apparently pregnant ladies are considered for portering service on request. There is no doubt these delicate ladies need assistance, but there could be others who are not pregnant but weak and fatigued, old and weary and exhausted from travelling particularly on delayed flights that need some form of assistance. If there are porters available, these people give preference to foreigners, and completely ignore their country men and women. This really happened in June 1992. I am sure the respective officers could review the existing procedures and attempt to make travelling easier for bona fide travellers, giving concern to the important security process. T. G. Edirimanna, Rehabilitate genuine bank defaulters The government, the trade sector, the lending and borrowing sectors, Trade Chambers are all concerned about the stagnancy and the rapid downturn of the overall economy in the past few years. Inflation in the form of the depreciating rupee against the major currencies, through which most of our overseas essential purchases are made, affects everyone in the country directly and indirectly. Whereas the incidence of private sector borrowers becoming bank defaulters was a rarity in decades gone by the poor state of the economy has rendered many bank borrowers as unwilling defaulters. This is a symptom of an economy in recession. The US had to grapple with this in the 1930's subsequently referred to as 'the great depression' and Europe's turn came in after the two great world wars. Japan, the world's 3rd largest economy, is today in deep recession. The Asian currency crisis has battered Indonesia, South Korea, Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia and to some extent Hong Kong, Singapore, one of the strongest economies in South East Asia and one society that had satisfied all economic fundamentals for long and with reserves over US$100 billion, is in trouble where her Dollar that traded the US$ at S$1.40 only an year ago is now at S$1.65 and rising. In Sri Lanka everyday the newspapers report the fall of many a trading house — some respected houses of many years standing — where banks prominently display their proposed action to seize properties of borrowers in trouble. The borrowing rates range from anything in recent years from about 22 per cent upwards, (Interest rates came down to the 18-20 per cent rates only in the past few weeks) which effectively means if for genuine reason you are unable to meet your commitments in four years the interest exceeds the capital. We have reached a stage where buyers are unable to collect dues from their regular customers of many years integrity as a consequence of the chain reaction of the downturn of the economy who then become defaulters to their lending banks. With the exception of a few firms almost all business enterprises in the country are in deep trouble — for one reason or the other connected with the declining economy. What of the Bank's who are in a frenzy of hauling their customers to Courts for immediate recovery? There is hardly a bank worth its name which has not erected gleaming multi-storeyed buildings in the best parts of the country in recent years. Even the few banks that came in recently with capital in the range of Rs. 50-200 million report having made profits — after taxes — anything between Rs. 30-75 million. While I do not grudge the good performance of these banks I appeal to them to be more considerate when they deal with customers of long standing, who have now got into difficulties. I do not espouse the cause of the 7-8 digit defaulter, who in many case conspired to rob the banks — often with inside connivance from the top. My concern is the small and medium borrower, who should be assisted and rehabilitated. President Kumaratunga recently referred to a borrower, who suddenly shot into prominence as an industrial tycoon in the past few years through high government patronage. He has borrowed over Rs. 4,000 million and defaulted. In spite of this he continues to receive large sums through other banks making the Central Banks CRIB programme a joke applicable only to small fry. There is the other case of an infamous government senior official, whose name figured in every large tender irregularity in recent years and now ensconced in his safe haven of London with the loot where he and his many generations to come will naturally live not only happily hereafter — but in great splendour and style. He certainly laughed all the way to the (London) Bank. That he headed some of the largest banks here when he ran the roost and helped sue other genuine defaulters is something worth mentioning. This is an appeal to the President and the Government to request Banks to be fair and accommodative when they deal with customers of standing — now in trouble. If the bank is satisfied the customer has got into difficulties due to reasons of local and global market inter-play every step must be taken to rehabilitate the customer. It is not only the widely-publicised poor farmer who committed suicide unable to meet his commitments but there are many urban borrowers who have taken their lives in shame. There may be many more ready to die because of the pressure from totally insensitive bankers. Due to requests by the President and Ministers while the 2 State banks have been somewhat reasonable some of the private banks insist on the proverbial 'pound of flesh' no matter the circumstances of the client. While some banks have as their slogan 'Bank with a ....(an important part off the body' and others follow suit. Here are extracts from a letter from one of the more successful banks, who have gained for themselves the reputation of showing little humane consideration to their customers in trouble. This bank has caused many potentially good companies to fall. 'If you encounter difficulties to repay in full we are prepared to consider a short-term repayment arrangement (meaning 3-6 months to pay several millions by a customer who is now virtually in the street)'. 'The Bank is obliged to inform the Credit Information Bureau of the Central Bank (CRIB) and the details of all non-performing accounts are being recorded with details of proprietors, partners, directors, guarantors etc., and other banks have access to recorded information. This procedure will place a restriction to obtain facilities from any other Bank. Therefore, it is in your interest to negotiate with us and make a short term repayment arrangement' (What is stated here is that even if other banks assists you in your useful work to export goods, maintain your staff et all — under this scheme you will be totally destroyed — as some indeed have been destroyed. How the Central Bank became an instrument of destruction baffles me). If the banks in the USA and Europe, referred above during the years of depression, took the cue from what Sri Lankan banks are doing today in their recovery action no doubt both these industrial power sources would never have recovered to their great position of strength, affluence and buoyancy seen today. Fortunately, for them their banking community showed much more understanding, humanism and innovative skill to structure a careful economic recovery that included rehabilitation of genuine borrowers who came by difficult times due to circumstances beyond their control. Most of our banks, and — certainly the private banks — are not going to give in easily and will point out the few cases of the many habitual and scheming defaulters. One way out is for the Government to consider appointing a Board of Review composed inter alia a senior Banker, a judicial officer, senior Trade Chamber representative et al before banks haul their customers to Court. Pro Bono Publico The Colombo Municipal Council has taken timely action to arrest the spread of cholera in the City of Colombo. Most of the hotels, tea boutiques, especially the thosai kades are the worst offenders. The Public Health Inspectors should make periodic inspections of all hotels and eating houses and if they are found to be unfit and injurious to the public, they should take immediate steps to seal and close down such hotels. Many of the hotels look nice and pretty in front but the rear portion where the kitchen is situated is horrible and unhygienic. Rats, dogs and cats and flies are found in the kitchen where food preparations are made. In the vicinity of the government and private sector 'buth parcels' are sold on pavements. And even in the campus areas 'buth parcels' are sold on pavements exposing to weather and flies. I regret to note that the Dehiwela-Mt. Lavinia Municipal Council had not taken seriously the outbreak of Cholera in the neighbouring Council area. If a personal inspection of the Dehiwela-Mt. lavinia area is made I hope that this area too will have to face the epidemic. There is water stagnation, drains are full with garbage, dead rats are thrown about the streets, stray dogs and cattle are are found on the roads and by-lanes. There are hardly any PHIs found to take action on offenders. Mosquitoes and flies are in abundance creating lot of health hazards. Hope the local authorities take positive action to arrest the spread of epidemics. Prevention is better than cure. A. M. M. Reyal, It is a common practice to advertise textiles and other products as "Export Quality" to attract the crowd. Similarly we see many ads of one thing or another thing highly recommended and patronized by loving mothers and others, just because the product is from another country. What actually happens with "Export Quality" items is that the factory rejects and show room items are passed onto us — the Sri Lankan citizens. We have been creating and developing this mentality that "for export one always makes better quality products" and that even their rejects are better than the best created for our own citizens! What a slavish mentality we are nurturing. As it is we Sri Lankans have very low self-esteem of ourselves as shown by our attitudes and responses to what's happening around us - Politically, bureaucratically, environmentally etc, this "second hand citizen" mentality in our own country is only enhanced by this attitude of "foreign product is always better, and what is produced for foreign countries is always better." We as a whole nation must resist this attitude. We must promote "Be Sri Lankan, Buy Sri Lankan" drive. If not, after 50 years of independence we'll still be proceeding backwards. Dr. Mareena Thaha
Reffai, There is no doubt, that in order to achieve high levels of economic growth, we will need a significant increase in reliably and efficiently produced electricity generation. However, in our haste for more power, we should not lose sight of the bigger picture. Economic development requires major decisions and comes at a price. Renewable sources of energy are preferable, but to economically generate the amount of electricity needed will require large scale thermal generation from fossil fuels, probably oil or coal fired power stations. Oil appears to be by far the lesser of two evils requiring significantly less infrastructure, taking up less land, producing negligible ash and with considerably less environmental damage. Heavy oil fired generation plant can achieve all this at around the same power price as coal fired power plant. Rather than requiring huge wharves, transport equipment, storage stockpiles and bunkers, the fuel can be unloaded via pipeline from offshore tankers and stored in conventional tanks, a method already successfully employed for other petroleum products imported into this country. Those making the decisions would be well advised to look at the experience of India where coal fired thermal stations have been a recipe for environmental disaster. India also has a growing environmental and economic problem in disposing of the 60 million tonnes of toxic fly ash that is produced by the coal fired plants. The health effects range from permanent respiratory disorder, aggravation of ailments like asthma, bronchitis and even lung cancer, due to prolonged inhalation. Disposal of fly ash from coal fired power plants is extremely water and land intensive. It causes degrading of fertile lands and unsustainable water usage. It forces displacement of people and leads to air pollution and soil contamination. One proposed coal fired plant in Karnartaka has requested 1,300 acres of land, out of which almost half is marked as a dump for fly ash disposal. Faced with scarcity of land, coal fired thermal plants, especially those located in cities, often pump their ash slurry directly into nearby rivers or streams. Globally, the electricity Industry is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. Around the world, it is responsible for pumping out six billion tonnes of Co2 per year and coal fired thermal power stations are by far the largest contributors. Oil fired power plants typically produce 25 per cent less CO2 emissions. Further, heavy oil plants use cheaper fuel than open or combined cycle plant that rely on higher grade fuels. N. B., Traders’ diddle, diddle, Using G.S.T. as a fiddle. Till prices climb over the moon, and consumers’ are in a swoon. The Minister of Internal Trade, of sterner stuff is made. To discipline the G.S.T. rule violaters, and grant relief to G.S.T. burdened consumers. G.S.T. has been bungled, As prices of Goods and Services have not tumbled. The P.A. has been led up the garden-path, Which has earned for it the peoples’ wrath. Prices of ‘Goods and Services’ have been on the rise, causing consumers’ great surprise. The impact of G.S.T. on prices; pundits have suppressed, resulting in people being oppressed. The sovereign people have no say, As G.S.T. pundits have had their way. The Officials’ will not bother about the peoples’ plight, as foreign jobs are in their sight. The ‘market-economy’ with a human face, is now a terrible National disgrace. Promulgated with great Gusto, as spelled out in the P.A. Manifesto. Those responsible for this G.S.T. blunder, enabling ‘traders’ to plunder. As this is high-way robbery. those responsible must be punished for treachery. For such gross incompetence by ‘revenue’ fellows, a dictator would have sent them to the gallows. To reduce the all time high level of bribery and corruption, end the Inland Revenue G.S.T. operation. To be instructed by more than one G.S.T. master, is a recipe for certain disaster. To be guided by one and harassed by the other, would cause the people much bother. C. B. Perera, |
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