Morning Spice by Ginger
Why only worry about Mahanama

So dropping Mahanama for the England tour has caused quite a rumpus. I wonder why. Many a cricketer who has achieved much more than Roshan has been left out of tours for the simple reason that they have been out of form when a series starts. You just cannot select a man for the sake of sentiment. Even here Hashan who has a far better batting average than Mahanama was dropped till he regained his form and there was hardly a whimper over that. The team needs new blood and also a more aggressive approach to the longer game.

In the first instance Mahanama has looked a little suspect against real pace on the bouncier wicket outside our shores with his shuffle across the wicket and his tendency to hang his bat out at the out swinger. He is, I concede quite impressive on the wicket here but what are his statistics during his career in places like the West Indies and Australia. The foreign sides would have noticed those flaws in his technique and will exploit them to the hilt. In any case there is nothing to prevent Mahanama coming back with a bang. It need not be the end of the road for him. So why this cavil? Our real concern should be to find a couple of pace bowlers who know where they bowling.

Awful habit of smoking
What is the bad news smokers have got about this awful habit that many of us have got into. They must have given you the usual lecture that you are a candidate for a heart attack and how smoking can clog up your arteries. Did they tell you that you were possibly heading for a stroke or that you may develop lung cancer.

They were possibly right. In fact ginger is grounded and can't leave the island because most flights are non smoking flights. Now they add to the gloom around a smokers horizon by saying that you could grow deaf by smoking. They have discovered that it can damage the arteries that supply blood to the inner ear.

A threat for marine life
Mankind has shown a genius for cutting the grass from under his own feet. The way fishermen all over the world deplete the number of fish inhabiting the ocean could mean real disaster in time to come. The worse threat to marine life seems to come as a result of what they called bottom trawling.

These trawlers that engage in this type of fishing haul huge weighted nets from the bottom of the sea. The fishermen usually go for around feeders like cod, haddock and halibut. The nets also pick up anything on the way and nearly thirty million tons of dying and dead fish are thrown back into the sea. They also tear up the sea bed depleting the food available for such fish to feed on.

A danger signal from the president to the state pensioners

At the recently held annual general meeting of the Sri Lanka Administrative Service Officers Association, our President had made some disconcerting remarks to the consternation of all government pensioners.

Her statement construed by some as quite uncharitable, was a warning tantamount to a danger signal - the very words being "anathuru engaweemak" - in so far as the poor pensioners are concerned. She had stated that about 25 per cent of the national revenue was spent for payment of pensions.

Her claim was that Sri Lanka has a staggeringly large number of pensioners who swallowed up a huge slice of the revenue and that the prevalent situation cannot continue for long and some remedial action has to be taken to offset that heavy expenditure.

This pronouncement on the part of the president, greatly regrettable as it is, calls for some explanatory submissions from the pensioners who had given the best years of their lives to the conduct and maintenance of the administrative machinery under whatever government that was in power. Having given all their life's worth to that end the present lot of pensioners - generally known in other countries with the sympathetic epithet of "senior citizens" - who are mostly in their dotage are - solely dependent on their meagre pension for their subsistence. They would feel greatly disturbed at the very thought of any reduction or stoppage of their only means of livelihood.

Unlike most of the present day government servants the older lot had conducted themselves conscientiously with an interest and concern to serve the general public in accordance with the wishes of the ruling sector.

The pension payment ratio of the older pensioners who had retired from service prior to 1985 is almost a pittance and they are constrained to drag on the remaining years of their lives entirely dependent on it for essential requirements and to meet the ever increasing medical bills.

It is a strange quirk of fate that most pensioners have been discarded by their offspring - the more affluent the off spring, the greater is their unconcerned indifference to their senile parents. That is the general social aspect prevailing all over but in countries like Great Britain the state provides to a reasonable degree subsistence facilities and sustinance with care and rehabilitation to their senior citizens - a greater number of whom are state pensioners.

The reasons that may be proffered for any reduction or discontinuance of pension payments will quite certainly be that the state has to meet heavy running expenditure to maintain the life of the community by providing their vital needs of education, health care and housing - and also to keep the economy ahead with various development projects and infrastructure stabilisation programs. These reasons are quite acceptable and are well and good. But the irony of it is that the ruling hierarchy has turned a hard blind eye to the collossal waste of public funds for their own use and benefit in the form of princely salaries and luxuries to themselves - parliamentarians and the upper grades of administrators - and also to those parliamentarians thrown out after five years, in providing them large pensions and other amenities.

This aspect is never mentioned by those who run the government. National revenue along with large funds of foreign aid is squandered on most improperly inadequately assessed unproductive ad hoc projects conceived at their whims and fancies ostensibly for the benefit of the people. Some of these projects in reality, are unsuited to the extant ground conditions and related situations. The vast amounts that could de conserved by good project management could be channelled for welfare meassures for the people inclusive of the pensioners.

In any case it will be a mentally disturbing and physically debilitating matter for the helpless pensioners - expecially so when they contemplate that of all pensions the president - the highest in the land who should exemplarily extend sympathy and fairness to the helpless pitiable sectors of the nation - herself is attempting to tamper with the existing pension schemes instead of finding other ways and means to continue and enhance the accepted norms of giving succour to the pensioners.

Any autocratic decision to ill treat the pensioners will be highly deplorable. It is absolutely necessary to show some concern to the sad plight of the government pensioners.

Saner counsel should prevail before taking any hasty drastic steps to reduce or discontinue pension payments to the powerless pensioners who are now relegated to oblivion. They should not be considered as unwanted discardable inanimate objects that could be thrown to the dust heap their past services to the state and the community should be reckoned with the concern and fairness they deserve.

R. M. A. B. Dassanayake,
Matale.

Bunkers in Sri Lanka - Highest Prices

While world oil prices have dropped drastically over the past months resulting in significant reductions in the price of Marine Bunkers, Bunkers in Sri Lanka have increased in price and today are possibly the most expensive of all the major sea ports. Ship owners who serve Colombo are astonished at the reverse trend in prices that Sri Lanka has followed.

The National Ports and Shipping Policy published in June 1997 has identified the potential of developing the bunkering industry in Sri Lanka and in it's policy document clearly states that the industry must have access to competitive products. With the uncompetitive price of Bunkers in Sri Lanka, this may well turn out to be another declaration of policy that does not go beyond the printed words, unless the Ceylon Petroleum Corporations subsidiary, Lanka Marine Services (Pvt) Ltd., which has the monopoly over Marine Bunkers, supports the Government in the implementation of the National Shipping Policy.

Unless there is a radical change in the attitude and pricing of Lanka Marine Services (Pvt) Ltd., the Government must now privatize the import and sale of Marine Bunker products, if the bunkering industry in Sri Lanka is to be developed to capture the opportunities of it's ideal location to the main shipping trades.

In the meantime, many local Shipping Companies that are in the Bunkering business are facing hard times and fail to understand why the Ministry of Shipping under the Office of Her Excellency the President, is not taking action to develop Sri Lanka's Bunkering Industry as declared in the Policy document, for which competitive pricing is the most important ingredient.

A Ship Manager

Corruption and waste in Railway Department

This is an article in response to the article in the papers that the Sri Lanka Railways wishes to develop the vast land holdings under them. Is this a joke or has the authorities gone off the track (not Trains) or maybe out of their minds.

Why does not the authorities first try to end corruption and waste in the Railway Department before they try to develop properties. They can start at the Fort railway station specially at the booking counter for the observation compartment. This is the place that so much of corruption takes place. The tourists as well as our locals are fleeced by the minor staff when they go to buy tickets to travel to Kandy or Nuwara Eliya or for that matter to any place. Only four tickets are given to a person who stands in a queue from about 5 A.M. and if he requires more he cannot get it but if you pay more to the right person then you get any amount of tickets.

I have noticed that certain companies who deal with tourist are turned away and they have been complaining. When I spoke to this person he explained thaton many occasions even after having bought tickets that they have not had their paid and booked seats reserved on their arrival in time for departure. It was clear that the authorities are not interested in tourists or otherwise.

There are other ways of saving money without developing Land Holdings. Has the people who are concerned about making money ever thought of the colossal waste in the department. Why don't they take ride in their own trains may be on the coastal line. Then they will learn what waste is.

There are millions worth of steel railway lines rotting and corroding on the sides of the railway line from Slave Island to Moratuwa alone . If the authorities do not believe, then they must do a train ride or perhaps a walk along the railway line close to the sea shore. Some of the steel lines cannot be seen as they are overgrown with grass or creepers. If all these steel lines are collected and sold to the ''Parana Yakada'' man milions of rupees could be collected.

So please be realistic and do something to stop the waste and corruption. Waste is what leads to corruption like replacing old railway lines and letting these corrode and rot or allowing people close to the railway lines to use the valuable steel for their buildings. This is national wealth, which could be used to improve the railway service for our people and the country.

Reader

The new man - when will he materialise?

I refer to the very thought provoking article titled "The New Man" by Mr. Stanley Jayaweera appearing in 'The Island' of July 7. When will this New Man appear? Definitely not in the foreseeable future. As Mr. Jayaweera states "this country desperately needs a new Leadership", yes, we all totally agree on that - but is there any sign or indication that there will be a 'Set' produced from within the present set of leaders of any hue that is currently operating in our country? I do not refer only to the politicians. In every sphere, be it religion, education, administration the legal profession, medical or any other profession one can think of, one sees how moral degradation has set in.

The current man in Sri Lanka is only concerned of making money and how he does it is immaterial. He will stoop to the lowest levels, lick anyones boot for it. The current man of Sri Lanka does not care a tuppence for the country - all what he is concerned is what can I and mine get out of this. Even in sports this is reflected. See how for the lust of some, a gold Medal that Sri Lanka had a good chance to win has been thrown away. Who cares for the country so long as I get what I want.

Recently an under 19 Cricket Team to represent Sri Lanka was.selected by those who were authorised by the Board to do so, but at the eleventh hour at the request of a powerful personality in Sri Lanka cricket, three names were deleted from among those who were selected and three other names not considered earlier by the selectors included. The tragedy is this - non of the selectors had the courage or guts to protest, why? If they did so, they would loose their positions.

Think of any sphere in Sri Lanka and one could cite enough examples of degradation and boot licking. Yes, in a very, very rare case one may find an exception, and that individual I am sure as Mr. Jayaweera states may have born having a rare trait of what is 'right'.

I had the good fortune of having known the late Mr. Gamini Jayasuriya for a number of years. A very rare gentleman indeed, one who was principled and had noble qualities - to find another gentleman with similar qualities in todays contemporary society in Sri Lanka would be like looking for a needle in a haystack. During that period it was my privilege to have met him at least two or three times a month and had very interesting chats. On one of these occasions when we were discussing the state of the country and its people, he told me that there is no salvation for this dear land of ours in the near future. He said the leaders of all shades were horribly corrupt and despicable and had no love whatsoever for the country.

According to him Sri Lanka will have to be completely destroyed and reduced to ashes, and out of that ash will rise someone to bring forth the glory and rightful place due to this country. To me it appears to be a very prophetic saying.

CFPJ
Ratmalana

Down to Earth
1998: year of the oceans
by Derrick Schokman

The UN has declared 1998 as the Year of the Oceans to create an awareness that we can no longer be complacent about the way we treat the oceans, which are the foundation of the Earth's support system.

Seventy per cent of the Earth is water, mainly ocean. Without this vast expanse of ocean our planet would be unbearably hot or cold.

The oceans act as a great thermostat, holding more heat than the atmosphere and giving it up slowly so as to moderate temperature.

The difference in temperature between the poles and the equator is one of the main climatic engines driving the large scale circulation of atmosphere and ocean currents.

Warm air and warm water move towards the poles, redistributing heat, water, gases and nutrients on a global scale.

Ice ages come and go, continents shifts, mountains are lifted, shorelines subside, species die out, storms destroy entire ecosystems, but the seas roll on.

Byron
Two hundred years ago Lord Byron wrote: ''Roll on thou deep and blue ocean. Man marks the Earth with ruin-his control stops with the shore.''

He expressed a universal feeling that the immensity of the oceans could in no way be harmed by what we humans put into it or take out of it.

The sailing ships fishing techniques in Byrons time were incapable of harming the oceans or diminishing the number of fish in them.

The run-off and wastes from cities, factories and farms also seemed to have little effect on marine ecosystems.

Things are very different today. The life support functions of the oceans are being burdened with oily ballast dumped overboard from millions of motorised vessels, with land and air pollutants, and millions of tons of hard trash.

More important than pollution for destroying life in the oceans is overfishing. World fisheries are in a crisis today.

In the 1990s seventeen of the world's major fisheries had reached or exceeded their limits, while nine were in serious decline (Worldwatch Institute, Washington DC).

Depletion off the world's most popular fish species has led to responses that have further exacerbated the problem.

New super-trawlers, costing upto $40 million to build, are equipped with radar and sonar that enable them to locate schools of fish more easily.

Combined with larger nets, modern fishing fleets are literally seeping the oceans clean. Engineers in Iceland have designed a massive new net large enough to hold 12 Boeing jets.

Even worse
What is even worse is that many nations are gearing up to go after the remaining large aggregation of wild protein on the planet, which are the mainstay of a sustainable ocean ecosystems, namely krill, squid and certain deep sea organisms. Krill are tiny crustaceans. They are as vital to Antarctic wildlife as rice and wheat are to us humans. But they have become a prime target in a reckless sea hunt.

Tons of squid are also being extracted from open seas, with adverse effects already on albatrosses, fish, seals and other marine life which depend on these molluses for sustenance.

New technologies developed by the military have also made it possible for trawlers to fish the oceans as deep as a mile, catching species that would not have been considered edible a decade ago.

The catch is sent to seafood stores, cooked into ''fish sticks'' and processed into fake ''crab meat'' for seafood salads in fast-food chains.

Large numbers of nameless small fish are also converted into fish meal.

Food chain
Such reckless fishing at the lower end of the food chain does not bode well for chances of revival at the top end of the chain.

If these practices are allowed to go unchecked, a substantial decrease can be expected in the per capita consumption of sea food, unless there is a dramatic slow-down in world population.

Even more threatening is the wholesale collapse of marine ecosystems, ending in a marine junkyard of plankton.

That is the fear of scientists who are convinced that the present fishing policy is unsustainable. What can be done to make this policy sustainable?

Address
Scientists are thinking of three ways to address the problem. One way would be to enforce country fishing quotas, limited fishing time at sea, restrictions on fishing gear and controls on pollution.

Another would be to encourage agriculture or fish-farming. About 54,000 tons of fish, primarily trout and salmon, are raised in cages in western countries. And in Asia freshwater fish and prawns are raised in bays and wetlands along the coast.

The promotion of aquaculture is a good idea, so long as sufficient care is taken not to damage the environment and poison the fish by the overuse of chemicals.

Finally it may be necessary to create protected areas where no fishing at all will be allowed. Experts believe that no-fishing zones can be quickly created and better enforced than other control measures.

If implemented they will offer a better chance to prolong the life of the oceans into the future.