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Morning Spice by Ginger
Injustice in selecting cricketersWhat on earth was the use of taking H. Aviska Gunewardena to Dacca if we were not going to play him in the match against New Zealand? It was just the opportunity to launch him into international cricket. As New Zealand did not have quite as formidable side as some of the other countries and we could have afforded to take a risk or, as it is the man with a question mark against his name did not do too well and so it was a wasted opportunity. One can have a good lobby but that does not mean he had the talent.
In Ginger's opinion Roshan Mahanama though possible attractive to watch did not have the right technique for international cricket. His averages testify to this impression that many have. An average below 30 with no all round ability does not justify selection. Even Hashan who is taken mainly as a test batsman may have to bow out. He seems a different player today and crouches far too much. One thing a selector has to remember is that sentiment is a luxury a country cannot afford. Prestige is the first consideration and so it is a question of form and statistics.
Putting cart before horse
We don't have them here. That would be putting the cart before the horse really. Apart from having paramedics who are at your door-step in a jiffy you are in a serious condition it is almost impossible to get the hospital staff in a hospital moving when a patient is rushed there.Should there be para medics here, they could well be guided by the American method of spotting a stroke victim. The method works nine times out of ten. The test applied is to get the patient to smile or lift their arms and squeeze the examiners digits. If they notice a one sided motor weakness the chances are that you have got a stroke.
Groceries house to house delivery
Ginger was talking some time ago about a van delivering groceries as a house to house service. Ginger is fortunate in that his grocer delivers orders to those customers living in his immediate neighbourhood. He is talking really on behalf of those living in an essentially residential area where there are no shops close by.Now in many of these places there are elderly people who find it difficult to get about and have to use their cars to make their purchases. It is a little surprising that some bright spark has not thought of such a service. The one draw back could be the delay when they call over at some house. Those interested in their services should have their list ready when the van calls over.
Trust you would permit me some space in your esteemed Newspaper to bring to the attention of the Government and the public a huge fraud being perpetrated on the country.
During the time of the Premadasa administration, many enterprising businessmen here in the Eastern province, applied for permission to establish Garment factories under the 200 factory programme. Many supporters of important politicians and also some politicians established so called 'factories' in wholly unsuitable buildings, employed a few girls and obtained Export Quotas. This was the whole aim of the exercise, namely to obtain the QUOTA. No officials from the Ministry in Colombo inspected the Factories or business premises.
They administered the programme from Colombo. The result was that the so called quota was actually sold to another garment manufacturer in Colombo by the quota holder. This of course was wholly irregular, but for reasons which are well known within the trade, the Ministry of Textile Industry (during the Premadasa and Wijetunge administrations) turned a lucrative blind eye to it. In fact the 'Quota Board' which had been set up to allocate quotas under an incorruptible ex Customs official (yes there still are and were, incorruptible officials) was dissolved and the then Minister took it upon himself to 'supervise' the granting of quotas.
The present Government re-instituted the Quota Board and quite rightly included in it the representatives of the Industry, but it too has unfortunately allowed 'past practice' to continue Ñ the result was that the non-performing 'phantom factory' owners were able to continue selling their quotas, as if nothing had changed. A truly scandalous situation therefore exists even today. Why and how the Ministry continues to turn a Nelsonian eye is beyond our comprehension.
That something is amiss once again could be gauged from the recent report that there has been an over-shipment of Jackets. It is alleged that 17000 dozens have been over-shipped. There is no question that this has been done by forging documents or indicating wrong category numbers. This has happened many times before. Exporters change 'visas' with the connivance of corrupt officials. The whole business is lucrative and affords ample opportunities for the corrupt, examples abound, there is no requirement to bring back into this country the export proceeds (IMF condition to assist Multi-Nationals in particular), the BOI allows a so called foreign investor to bring into this country luxury vehicles, a concession availed of quite extensively availed of by the Phantom Factory owners. It is such, a lucrative business that everyone keeps quiet.
Corrupt practice such as the instant case come to light only when the small exporter finds himself shut out as the quota has been fully subscribed. Invariably this type of problem is resolved by the 'carry over' formula and an appropriate deduction from next year's quota. All are accommodated, until the next embargo is imposed.
As a former manufacturer-exporter, I must hasten to state that not everyone in the trade indulges in sharp practice. The majority stay within the rules, though they may make use of loopholes, which is quite understandable.
As mentioned earlier, textile quotas have been synonymous with corruption. When textile quotas for the US were first introduced for the 79/80, the US authorities were said to have recommended that an effective monitoring mechanism be set up. This call went unheeded. The European Community is also said to have recommended that close monitoring be introduced to ensure, in the first instance that there would be no over-shipments, secondly to ensure that the quota is better utilized and lastly to ensure that it would be difficult to indulge in corrupt practice. The methods adopted to monitor exports, by other exporting countries was recommended. This was of course not done. The reason for this is not hard to find, it was not in the interest of the exporter, the corrupt official or the corrupt politician, they combined to prostitute the system to make their millions.
'Quota allocation' is a gold mine. Today it is a well known secret that those factories with excess production are directed to the owners of phantom factories which have quotas, by corrupt officials, who are themselves directed by persons with high connections, who are said to be in possession of the list of phantom factory owners.
This particular shipment is just another one of those things. The racket will continue until the Multi-Fibre Agreement comes to an end in 2003. Till then a good time will be had by all, particularly the Phantom Factory owners, who earn their millions not because they export garments but only because they own a piece of paper!
Former Garment manufacturer,
Batticaloa
Papaya - the king of all fruits
A kilo of Papaya of any size and shape is retailed at Rs. 80 in and around the city. This is truly an exorbitant price for a fruit grown in home gardens and village orchards. Which some call the 'king' of all fruits as the young old and even the sick are advised to consume in plenty.
This papaya affair may sound news to the importers of fruits, provided the Plant quarantine people at the Peradeniya Department of Agriculture, permits. There is also the possibility of the ministerial officials using their only known formula to reduce the prices of Papaya, which is done by allowing imports of papaya from any of the countries, under a duty rebate scheme.
A range of high yielding and disease resistance varieties of papayas developed by the Department of Agriculture were on display at the recently concluded grand horticultural exhibition at Gannoruwa, unfortunately nothing seems to have happened to boost the cultivation of papaya, as the findings and know-how has still not reached the growers through an efficient extension service system.
A few decades ago, 'papain' latex extracted from large papaya cultivation, mainly in the Kurunegala and Melsiripura areas were exported in reasonably large quantities, until a deadly soil-borne disease wiped out the plantations.
Many commercial scale growers, still living in these areas, believe, the papain industry could earn a higher income to the rural workers than any other crop and also a good foreign exchange earner of value addition. They expressed dissatisfaction about the lost opportunity, and growing international markets, for papain, and fresh papayas.
We should realise that a super rich country like Switzerland, with ice capped mountains all over the country side has started to grow excellent papayas by using waste-heat recovery system, which is a big success.
Naheer Taip,
Wattala
In every progressive country, there is an agency to promote competition. The Authority concerned is given the power to control monopolies, mergers and anti-competitive practices. In Sri Lanka this power is vested in the Fair Trading Commission.
In the U.S.A. this power is vested in the Federal Trade Commission and the Anti-Trust Division of the Department of Justice.
However powerful the companies concerned may be, the Department takes action to stop mergers which are likely to be anti-competitive.
On 23.10.98 the U.S. Department of Justice filed an anti-trust lawsuit seeking to block North Western Airlines from acquiring Continental Airlines.
North-West and Continental are huge concerns by any standard. They are the fourth and fifth largest U.S. Carriers respectively. Northwest operates hubs in Detroit, Memphis, and Minneapolis Minnesota; Continental operates out of Cleveland, Ohio, Houston, Texas and New Jersey.
In an information release to the public (who are always kept informed), the Anti-Trust Division of the Department of Justice states:
(i) A proposal under which Northwest would buy a controlling interest in Continental would 'substantially' diminish their incentives to compete against each other and lead to higher ticket prices;
(ii) This could lead to worse service for over four million passengers travelling on the routes dominated by the two airlines;
(iii) It also had 'competitive concerns' about the marketing alliance which it was considering separately from the stock deal;
(iv)Northwest and Continental are each other's main competitors for non-stop airline service in their hub cities;
(v) Northwest plans to acquire 14 per cent of Continental's equity but 51 per cent of its voting rights; while Northwest has agreed to place its stock in a 'voting trust' for six years, the Department of Justice considers that such an arrangement 'does not prevent the harm likely to result from the acquisition.'
(vi) If owned by Northwest, Continental would be less likely to pursue competitive strategies that benefit consumers but would be adverse to northwest.
The Department of Justice emphasizes that consumers deserve the vigorous competition that comes from truly independent competitors. The same principle should apply to any action taken by the Fair Trading Commission in Sri Lanka.
Action taken by anti-monopoly Authorities is always publicized. The public are entitled to know what action the Fair Trading Commission is taking to maintain competition in Sri Lanka.
F. D. C. Wijesinghe,
Past Chairman,
Chartered Institute of Transport,
Sri Lanka.
Between the Lines by Kuldip Nayar
The bureaucracy on topSix ministers wrote to Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee to transfer a particular secretary at the centre. Vajpayee kept quiet. He did not move even another secretary, who annoyed the minister so much that he stripped her of all powers. It is not ex-plainable why Vaj-payee failed to act when he has himself complained more than once that the bureaucracy has not allowed his government to function.
There can be two reasons. One, he did not want to needle the bureaucracy, which is already performing less and less. Two, he was not sure if his ministers were all that justified in asking for the transfer of certain officers. Probably, there is some truth in both the assumptions.
No doubt, bureaucrats are only pushing files. They give the impression as if they do not take the BJP-led coalition seriously. But this can be because of political instability. When they hear about the threats by the AIADMK on the one hand and the Akali Dal on the other, they come to believe that they do not have to burn their fingers. Naturally, if another government is on the cards, bureaucrats play safe.
Let down
The ministers I have talked to feel let down. One of them said if they had a majority, no officer would have dared to drag his feet. 'They are like a trade union,' says Urban Development Minis-ter Ram Jethmalani. 'You touch one, others come to his or her rescue.' But he blames the Prime Minister for 'not acting.'Welfare Minister Maneka Gandhi says that during the V.P. Singh regime (she was also a minister then), bureaucrats took the initiative to put forward suggestions and carried out orders willingly. 'Now they only prepare fat files tagged with just one remark, 'Note for minister's order.' They believe that the government may fall at any time and hence it is better to lie low.'
Commerce Minis-ter R.K. Hegde feels that the bureaucracy has got politicised. It is coming in the way of delivering the goods. His impression is that they have become 'lords unto themselves' and they have to be disciplined if any government is to move further. What he says about politicisation is correct because some bureaucrats have come to owe allegiance to the BJP, some to Congress, some to the Communists and some to the parties of Dalits and the backward.
Bureaucrats
Bureaucrats serve the interests of parties which pamper them and consider them their own. This has destroyed collective functioning. In fact, the bureaucrats allied to one party see to it that even the routine work of the opposition party is blocked. The worst aspect is that even the topmost secrets are conveyed to respective political parties. Some ministers confess that they do not express their views frankly in cabinet meetings because the officers are present.This is a serious matter, which all political parties must ponder over. Theirs may be a small gain. But the nation's loss is enormous because no officer feels accountable. He or she gets away with everything because of protection by political parties. This is reprehensible and all parties are blameworthy.
I do not think that a country, which eats, drinks and sleeps politics, can now turn back and agree upon keeping certain fields like administration out of politics. When ministers use bureaucrats for political purposes, it is not surprising that the latter become dilatory and defiant. All that the government can do is to make such rules as delineate the working of the bureaucracy. Once the boundary is outlined, it will be easy to spot out the evasion
Jawaharlal Nehru would openly say that one of the problems he faced was 'a reorganisation of our administrative structure.' But what surprises one is that despite many efforts. _ and good intentions _ the government offices continue to work in the rut and carry on old traditions which have little significance today. An eminent expert in public administration, Paul H. Appleby, after his visit to India in 1952, described governmental procedures as 'cumbersome, wasteful and dilatory.' Today, even after 48 years of his observation, there is hardly any change. The results of various committees and commissions on administrative reforms have been marginal in their impact.
Take, for example, the system of noting by various grades of people. This has been done away with in almost all other countries. But it continues to exist in India. Normally, there should be only one note in the file and that by the officers who can take some action on it other notes are just wasted. Nehru emphasised this point. But the system has not changed much.
'Note'
Still prevalent is the old practice of the man at the bottom of the hierarchy, generally a clerk, writing the first 'note' on a file. Whatever else is recorded subsequently, the original note forms the basis on which depends the fate of the case. There is nothing derogatory about a clerk giving his opinion. But it only shows that a case is not straightaway dealt with at a high level to lessen the red tape on one hand and to enable an officer of experience and calibre to dispose it of quickly on the other.At present, there is too much insistence on communication through formal channels, too much cross-reference, too many reviews by legal officers, too much control of details, too much pre-occupation with 'saving' rupees and too little attention to effectiveness. Administration is primarily the conduct of programmes beneficial to the nation. Hence the importance of objects, targets, results, responsibilities and the delegation of authority. Mobilisation of men, infusing them with purpose and making them responsible for producing results is the challenge before the country. If we are to work for a welfare state, the whole of our administrative structure has to function somewhat differently.
The true face of Tamil Tigers and murderer created by Chelvanayagam
'Amal' writing to Island 'opinion' column on 19-10-1998, attempts to white wash, Tamil Tigers and calls them 'Avengers' or to clothe them, with sheep skin and state that calling them Terrorists is incorrect, even after U.S.A. and India have declared Tamil Tigers are Terrorists and banned them.
'Amal' quite, conveniently, forgets many barbaric inhuman acts of violence, of the so called avengers; such as; planning plotting and killing of Rajiv Gandhi, Indian P.M. employing a female suicide member, murder of Alfred Duraiappah, Mayor of Jaffna, in 1975, shooting down of Bhikkus observing 'Sil', murder of Muslims praying in a mosque in Eastern Province. Murder of T.U.L.F. leader including, Mr. Amirthalingam; cold blooded blasting of two mayors of Jaffna, recently appointed, one after the other, no sooner they were appointed.
Doctors and civil servants, from the South, who served in Jaffna prior to 1975, are well aware, how, some, politicians like Chelvanayagam, (who was an immigrant from Malaysia, initially to study here who was not a son of the Sri Lankan soil, dreamed about an Eelam, and sowed the seeds of separatism; in the minds of smugglers, of Velvettithurai and the unemployed youths of Jaffna. Continued brainwashing of these unemployed youth of Jaffna and the sons of smugglers by the then T.U.L.F. and Chelvanayagam led them to take up to arms forming an armed wing of the T.U.L.F. and later they were named Tamil Tigers. Initially Indira Gandhi, government provided training grounds for Tamil Tigers, and paid dearly with the life of Rajiv Gandhi. T.U.L.F. which midwife the birth of Tamil Tigers, paid dearly with the life of its leaders such as Amirthalingam. Thus L.T.T.E. has notoriously, attacked the very same, people who nurtured them, when young contradicting 'Amals' nomenclature as avengers.
'Amal' laments that the need of the hour is statesmen and stateswomen, whereas, L.T.T.E. has not so far, spared any politician or leader, who had any resemblance of a future statesman or a stateswoman, using their human bomb (suicide bomber) they blasted, future, leaders such as President Premadasa, Gamini Dissanayake, Lalith Athulathmudali, Ranjan Wijeratne. Is 'Amal' thinking of a statesman or stateswoman who will offer half of Sri Lanka when 7 percent of Tamils in North and East ask for 1/3 of Sri Lanka to live in?
Chelvanayagam is to be blamed for the present blood bath and bomb blasts and violent killing of the L.T.T.E. 'Amal' will agree that, without annihilation of L.T.T.E. the ideal of communal integration between, Tamil, Muslim, Sinhalese and Burgers that existed before 40-50 years, cannot be, ushered in Sri Lanka.
It is the power hungry, selfish succession of politicians, who contributed to the present crisis situation in Sri Lanka. Having been pampered and spoilt by the British Tamils even before Independence in 1948, clamoured for 50 percent representation in the House of Representatives in Parliament.
After Independence, if D. S. Senanayake, has paved the way for his rightful successor, S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike without grooming, Dudley Senanayake to be the Prime Minister, after him there would have been no birth of Sri Lanka Freedom party or the division of 78 per cent of Sinhalese community with all the accompanied ills.
If ambitious, S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike, did not put forward the vote catching slogan; Sinhalese be made the official language in 24 hours, and did not introduce swabhasha to education, larger percentage of Sinhalese would have got proficient in English, science and commerce, and Tamils would have not been given an excuse, to rise up in arms, to fight for non-existing Eelam. Mr. S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike, paid for his ambition, with his life and the country saw the ruination of the economy, under the rule of Sirima Bandaranaike and now under his daughter even the valuable, natural assets are being sold for a song.
I fully, agree with the suggestions expressed, in the two paragraphs; before the last, paragraph of 'Amals' letter to educate, all children, in one class room (Sinhalese, Tamil, Muslim, Burghers) from the kindergarden to university without segregating them; disregarding, their, race, cast, creed, religion, ect. prohibiting, communally segregated schools, international schools, enforcing all students to, wear the school uniform limiting, all kinds of communal, and cultural dresses, to non-school uniform, enforcing uniformity and inter-communal integration, Sri Lankan brotherhood and sisterhood.
Moreover all, political parties; with, 'prefix' Eelam, or part of the name of the political party; should be persuaded to discard or delets the Eelam Part. Communal terms, such as 'Sinhala', 'Muslim', 'Tamil', 'Malay' should be banned from being used as a part of the name of any political party in Sri Lanka.
Legislation should be enacted and then, enforced, to remove, all impediments for absolute, human rights of all Sri Lankan citizen, to buy lands, settle down, earn a living, do business or industry or agriculture, in town, or village, in Sri Lanka, in the North, South, East, West or Central Hills of Sri Lanka irrespective, of race, religion, cast, creed or political allegiance. Customs or community or tribal laws such as The Thesawalame, or any other Muslims, Tamil or Sinhalese, communal laws should be removed, and made non-applicable to enable every Sri Lanka to live in Sri Lankan within its bounderies.
Patriot J,
Colombo 07.
Islamic aspects of culture cum morality
I must strongly disagree with Ramza Hameed's contention that we cannot introduce tough anti-crime and punishment laws in Sri Lanka without at the same time adopting Islamic aspects of culture cum morality (no alcohol, 'modest' dressing for women, fasting, etc.) 'Island' 30.10.98 letter page 6.
I would like to point out that Singapore is a secular vibrant nation which has some of the most severe anti-crime laws in the world.
These include capital punishment and corporal punishment.
However alcohol is freely available, the ladies wear the most elegant and fashionable of western clothes including short skirts, figure hugging tops, bikinis and two piece swim suits (at the beach and swimming pools of course!).
Discoes night clubs, some forms of Gambling are also to be found in this garden city state.
Yet the fact remains Singapore is virtually free of violent crimes and petty theft. Muslims are a respected minority.
So there is really no need for us in Sri Lanka to be stampeded into puritanical morality just because we have a serious crime wave.
What we need is the political will to deal harshly with the criminal classes in the same way Singapore has done.
We can (in this case) 'have the cake and eat it'.
Let us bring Mr. 'Hang Man' out of his pre-mature retirement and let 'corporal punishment' spring back to duty!
'Secular Anti Criminal',
Colombo
