Morning
Spice by Ginger
Lylie — truly
a magnificent obsession
They would sing paeans for him,
make orations and pay tributes to him. But would
he want any of that? Lylie was one of those who
firmly believed that we passed this way but once
and did what ever he could for others through
that brief and selfless journey never thinking of
gains or praise he would earn in the process. His
life was as rich as his bass baritone that
thrilled thousands throughout Sri Lanka. His was
truly a magnificent obsession — to bring
light and joy to all around him.
Perhaps he was among the least
mercenary of all our musical performers. What
egged him on through life was a compulsive
yearning to pass on what he knew to others to see
that musical talent spread itself as widely as it
could so that as wide a spectrum as possible of
music lovers could benefit by the talent he
possessed. Lylies voice rang clear and rich for
over five decades and all who had the good
fortune to hear his rendering of "Old Man
River" or the "Honey of the Kithul
Tree" would not fail to say that this was
truly god given talent — a voice that comes
once in a way out providentially for all music
lovers Lylie did not reserve it only for those
who could pay to listen to it.
Demise of Jean Dixon
Was it just a fluke. Anyway
when Jean Dixon died at seventy nine recently she
was probably the best known female American
astrologer of her times. It was she who predicted
that who ever was elected president in 1960 would
die while holding office. She became rather
popular in Washington when she gave psychic
readings to servicemen during the second world
war.
She really shot to fame when
she had predicted to a magazine earlier in 1956
that a Democratic President with blue eyes would
die suddenly. Ever since then she got herself a
horoscope column that predicted the fortunes of
the rich and the famous. However she fell flat on
her face when she said that the third world war
would start in 1958 and a Russian would step on
the moon before anyone else.
Treatment for brain
tumour
There are very few persons who
are not scared of a brain tumour. Very often it
means surgery and even that does not mean your
troubles will end there but now there seems to be
a treatment that obviates the need for surgery
and is also supposed to be a fairly certain way
of treating brain tumours known as malignant
meningioma.
The drug used to treat this
conditions is already known to many. Interferon
has been in the market for time now. Researchers
are of the view that Inteferon acts on such
tumours because it shuts off the vessels that
carry blood to the malignant tumour and thus
inhibits its growth.
University examinations – a
mockery, a farce
University examinations in Sri
Lanka have become a mockery, a farce. The manner
in which students in the prime of their youth are
mercilessly victimised collectively by faculty
and also individually by members of staff should
certainly be a cause for grave concern. Yet,
students who have suffered nor their parents are
ever able to voice their grievances for fear of
consequences.
If an isolated complaint comes
up at intervals the University system has a thick
carapace to protect itself. Imagine a complaint
made to a Vice-Chancellor or Dean of a Faculty.
The head of the department who is called upon to
explain can get away with any frivolous excuse.
The ones who complain against malpractices are
made to look stupid. This reminds me of the
haughty aristocrats prior to the French
Revolution in 1789.
In the Physics Department of
the Faculty of Science, which I have had occasion
to observe, there is no scheme of continuous
assessment, no systematic method of evaluation.
The future of a young man is determined by the
personal likes and dislikes of some of the
faculty and only on the basis of the results of
one examination. Classes at final examinations
are awarded on a ludicrous system of appearance.
A student however good his average, has to show a
certain number of As and Bs to qualify for high
classes.
If the faculty decides to
deprive a student of a good pass, they have only
to keep the required number of As and Bs way and
out of reach. In the same manner the faculty
could also treat their favourites with iced cake
in terms of any amount of As and Bs even when
they do not deserve such grades.
Special degrees are even
awarded to students who have not done any
independent research, dissertation or a
presentation at a seminar. Out in the world of
work how would such a student fare if after four
years of course work, he is not able to do
anything creative or productive. Would not his
employer look into his credentials and wonder how
he obtained that special degree! How could one
account for a highly professional and original
presentation where the presenter fielded all the
questions put forward by the panel intelligently
and soundly, being given a B grade whilst one
that was extremely sub-standard and had many dark
areas being presented with an A?
Limitless are the ways in which
manipulation occurs within this infamous
department. How interesting it is to note that
Projects Co-ordinator for the entire group is
also the supervisor of some individual projects
(which probably may be good for the
supervisor-don to earn points for promotions.)
Thus favouritism becomes the
order of the day. It is time that serious public
opinion is generated in respect of malpractices
at university examinations, just like it has
happened in the case of ragging. Let our hallowed
halls of learning be not polluted by misdeeds of
university dons that would affect the youth of
our land.
Alert Parent
Mayor
and Kanatte
A few days ago, I had occasion
to visit the General Cemetery, to pay my last
respects to a very dear old friend, who had
passed on to his well earned eternal rest.
I was however hugely amused by
the sight of the Municipal Heavy Road equipment
hard at work metalling and tarring the roads
inside the cemetery and the buildings receiving a
general "paint and colour wash"
‘face lift’!
Now, you and I, citizens of the
metropolis are, daily, painfully aware of the
pathetically, deplorable state of the city roads,
after almost two decades of complete, wanton
neglect by the U.N.P. administration and the now
well known, unbelievable corruption prevalent
upto now.
Two questions presented
themselves to my mind.
(1) I was wondering whether the
present Mayor of the City of Colombo, feels that
his party’s chances of harvesting ghostly
votes, are better than "live votes".
(2) With his incisive
perception of coming events, is he getting the
cemetery all spruced up for the last journey his
party is due to embark on, in the not too distant
future?
Could it be that his message to
his party is R.I.P.!
Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust,
if bribery doesn’t take you, corruption
must.
Over to you, my dear friend
— Your Worship The Mayor.
J . E. Bubsy Philips.
Colombo.
Speeches at weddings and
funerals
It has been a national trait to
make lengthy speeches at weddings and funerals.
This is a time consuming business as five to six
speakers speak and try to outwit each other.
At a wedding, hosannas are sung
about the two families and the absolute good
character of the man and woman who entered
wedlock.
At a funeral, of even a well
known criminal, speeches are made praising him to
high heaven sometimes in dirge.
Recently I had the misfortune
to attend a wedding in the deep south of a close
relation who is a professional. Believe me one
nut made five speeches all by himself. At the end
of every speech made by others he made a brief
resume of it and spoke all over again. This was
very annoying as relations who have come from far
away had to get back to their homes early. The
second gentleman made two speeches and the third
gentleman too made two speeches. Therefore these
three gentlemen taken together have made a total
of 9 speeches.
The subject matter dealt by the
speakers were also hilarious.
One gentleman who was a widower
said that when his wife was alive and when he had
to go out she would place her hands on his feet
and worship him and now that he is a widower he
used to worship his late wife’s photograph.
He advised the newly married couple to follow
suit.
The second speaker vehemently
condemned birth control methods and requested the
new couple to produce 14 children to form a
football team to play some day for the World Cup.
He further went on to advice the newly married
husband, who I said earlier is a professional,
not to resort to strike action. There were his
friends of the same profession who were trying to
suppress their laughter at this advice.
The end result of all this
jaw-jaw was a delayed honeymoon for the newly
married couple.
For the Good lord’s sake
cannot we have some law/guidance/rules/maxims to
stop this nonsensical nonsense.
Advice for a newly married
couple is uncalled for because they must know
what they should do in adult life.
Bandula Seneviratne,
Colombo 2.
Privatisation of industries
The Editorial (The Island
— Oct.29) is an appropriate expression of
the collective complaint of the great mass of
people who are compelled to endure the travails
of living in the conditions imposed by the
privatisation of industries which are of vital
importance to the economy.
Referring to the shortage of
gas cylinders, it is said that the matter is
probably not worth writing home about. However,
it is but one important aspect which has been
affected by privatisation done on the urging of
the World Bank. One glaring but lesser known
example is the privatisation of the GOBU of
Ceylon Oxygen by the previous regime. A
mid-summer madness which gifted the industry 100%
for all time on the whim of a politician. It is
reported that an official inquiry into the
allegedly corrupt deal has been stalled by
influence.
The industry is one which is
unique the only input of raw material is
atmospheric air, a National Resource as has been
said by Prof. R. P. Gunawardene of the University
of Peradeniya. There are no material input costs,
Customs duties, port charges, ware housing costs
involved in drawing air from the atmosphere. It
is available in abundance at the factory door. It
is an advantage which should accrue to the State
and the people of this country.
Since 1989, the price of
industrial gas has seen a phenomenal increase of
500% although the investor is using the same
production facility and the same Sri Lankan
technical personnel who were with the company in
1989. Since the standard of purity required for
oxygen had already been achieved any further
claim of development in technology is not
possible and in any event could be irrelevant for
the needs of Sri Lanka for the immediate future.
The high price of oxygen and
related services have sent the professional
welder and the machine shop out of business. The
price of industrial gas makes a corrosion repair
on a car uneconomical. Especially so, when the
market-place is flooded with used vehicles,
doors, cabs and complete bodies from Japan. We
were well into the reconditioning of agricultural
spares, an activity which might have led to a
manufacturing industry. Sub-standard spares from
India have flooded the market affecting adversely
the machine shop industry.
‘The Island’ is right
to say that privatisation, paradoxically has led
to the loss of sovereignty of the consumer.
‘The Island’ could render a service to
the nation by moulding public opinion in a
campaign to regain assets which are vital to our
economy. It is a small price to pay, to be rid of
these investors whose only motive is money. It is
a poor reflection on us that we continue our
apathy even when the errors of the past are
repeated ten times over. We are tying down future
generations to poverty on account of our follias
The new Colonials of the First
World though reeking with wealth from black gold
from the bed of the North Sea would milk the
starving and docile cow of the Third World.
S. Wijendra.
Kadawata.
Modera, a place that time forgot
The horrendous, dastardly and
the shocking gang rape and the gruesome murder of
the hapless Indian national Rita Manoharan, which
has stirred the conscience of the nation, did not
come as much of a surprise to me. Something of
this nature was simply waiting to happen, for
Modera if I may say, is a place that time has
forgotten.
Modera, just about 6 kilometers
away from Fort, is a beautiful place. It has lush
vegetation, the enchanting Eli House park sitting
atop a hillock on the highest elevation in
Colombo along the Aluthmawate Road with a
panoramic view of the sea and the harbour, but
now neglected, the idyllic cove at the bottom of
De Lasalle Street, famous for its fresh fish and
other seafood, the magnificent. St. James’
and St. John’s Churches (immediately one of
the prime suspects in the Rita murder case was
selling fish close to one of these churches) and
of course, the now notorious and infamous Crow
Island beach.
Modera has become haven for
thugs, criminals, drug addicts, drug pushers,
kasippu sellers, extortionists, sex perverts and
the like.
I took up residence in this
area some years ago and I am now regretting every
moment of it. Modera is crowded, noisy, filthy
and indisciplined. People have their own way in
this part of the city. Drug addicts frequently
harass the residents with lists, demanding money
for various fictitious causes. Both the main
Aluthmawatte and the Modera Streets and all by
lanes and by roads are in a shameful and a
disgraceful condition and it is inconceivable
that such roadways exist in the city of Colombo.
Pavements are non-existent. All the pavements
have been encroached upon and usurped. There are
no drains. the pavements and drains have been
extensively and heavily damaged through parking
of heavy vehicles on the pavements. Thousands of
gallons of precious water are wasted everyday
from the road-side pipes which have no taps. A
visit along the Rajamalwatte Road will prove my
point.
Part of the protective iron
railings surrounding the Pradeepa Hall have been
damaged and/or pilfered by vandals and drug
addicts and all types of unsavoury characters
have a free run of the place and the environs of
the Pradeepa Hall, with its historic Dutch
background, is a terrible eyesore, with stinking,
rotting garbage and litter piled around the
building. People now think twice before holding a
function in the Pradeepa Hall. A huge pot-hole
caused by water seepage from a leaking tap from a
public latrine which is being reconstructed and
water flow from other residences now adorns the
main road almost right opposite the Pradeepa
Hall.
Recently the inmates of a house
in Whist Passage, bordering the Pradeepa Hall
were robbed of cash and jewellery worth about
five lakhs in broad day light by an armed gang
who had come in a three wheeler and up to now no
one has been apprehended. Modera has virtually
become a no man’s land, forlorn, neglected,
un-cared for and undeveloped. Therefore, with a
situation of this nature, an incident of this
type was bound to take place, some time or other.
I understand that his Worship
the Mayor is planning to name the Crow Island
beach after the ravished Indian national Rita.
This is indeed a laudable idea and the earlier
this is done is the better, so that at least this
would appease her tormented soul.
S. N. Wilfred Rajah,
Colombo 15.
Of
sparrows and crows
One of your readers lamented
that the humble sparrow has disappeared and
another consoled him that a few of the dwindling
species is yet there.
I too am not an ornithologist,
not even a bird-watcher. About a dozen tiny brown
birds visit me daily to pick worms and grains in
the garden, perch on the clothes lines and soil
the linen, force their way into my house and
explore the possibility of building their homes
in mine.
They move about in pairs, the
one slightly bigger has a black and white
distinguishing mark in the chest and is
apparently the male. The couple is devoted to
each other. I remember an incident when the
female was cut to death by the blade of the
ceiling fan, the male could not bear the agony
for about a fortnight. We called these
‘’love birds’’ in our young
days, not because they exhibited their love, but
for their attachment and familiarity that
endeared children to provide pots in their homes
for these twitters to nest. I believe these are
the sparrows your readers are worried about? If
so they are herewith us in Crow Island along with
their inseparable seven sisters and the
industrious crows.
From crows we never care to
draw valuable lessons. If only one stands and
stares at the ‘’waters-meet’’
in Crow Island one can observe some sterling
qualities in crows. They confine themselves to
the fish thrown out by the sea and river and
never go near human bodies that surface now and
then, perhaps out of some instinctive respect for
us! When one of them comes across a fish, she
summons her friends and relatives to share the
meal. At sunset you could see them collectively
bathe in the river mouth and clean themselves. If
you find crows perched on telephone wires in
pairs you get the impression that they are
monogamous?
Can any of your readers
honestly say that he has seen crows mating? No.
Only in their nests. To them sex is sacred. But
we men here alone are vile and have desecrated
their sanctum.
T.Visagapperumal
Crow Island
"Iraq
and its sad story’’
With reference to the above
article by Hilmi Junaid (The Island 26.10.98 page
7) kindly allow me to make a few observations.
The author blames the United
Nations sanctions for Iraq’s current
economic and political crisis.
The U.N. imposed these
sanctions following Saddam’s illegal
invasion of Kuwait. This ignores the fact that
even before the occupation of poor little Kuwait,
the Iraqi economy was in a battered state.
This was due to the massive
damage and over spending caused by the 8-year
long Iran—Iraq bloodbath. This hideous
conflict was caused by Saddam’s unprovoked
attempt to invade and take over oil rich Iran in
1980.
The grandiose plan badly
backfired and Iran came very close to defeating
the would be conqueror.
Thanks to massive Soviet, US,
French, Saudi and Kuwaiti aid and and support he
was able to withstand the Iranian offensives and
in 1988 was relieved when the UN pushed through a
ceasefire.
Inspite of the fact that his
propaganda machine tried to pass off this
‘draw’ as a magnificent victory Saddam
knew that his long suffering people could not be
fooled.
Despite suffering hundreds of
thousands of casualties the only ‘gain’
he could claim was a titanic mountain of debt and
a massive rebuilding bill.
This is when he decided to go
after oil rich Kuwait. He hoped that his
annexation woud be regarded as a ‘Fait
accompli’ by the West. He was disastrously
wrong.The Western powers and their Arab allies
knew that Kuwait would have been only the
beginning.
Once the dictators lust for
conquest was out of control Saudi Arabia and the
gulf states would be next.
The world’s oil supply
would be in the hands of brutal dictator!
The defeat that Saddam suffered
in ‘Desert Storm’ was one of the most
complete in military history.
Following the ceasefire the UN
imposed a set of a economic sanctions in order to
speed up the destruction of Saddam’s weapons
of mass destruction (nuclear poison gas, germ
warfare and long range missiles‚ and to
prevent him from secretly building up his
military machine.
Iraq was allowed to export
enough oil to import food, medicine and other
humanitarian goods.
However, the dictator was angry
that there was to be strict monitoring of how the
money was to be spent. As a result the Iraqi
nation is suffering from various shortages.
However the ruling elite and
its armed thugs are well fed and have no trouble
posing off as ‘brave Arab nationalist’
defying the west.
When Saddam’s sons-in-law
defected to Jordan, they let the "cat out of
the bag’’ with exact details about how
Iraq was cheating the sanctions and once again
building up its military might.
For their pains they were
gunned down by their father-in-law’s gunmen
as they stepped down from the airliner that flew
them back to Baghdad.
They had been idiotic enough to
trust Saddam’s ‘solemn promise’
that he would not harm them.
The world must not make the
same mistake it made over Germany during the
aftermath of World War One.
Germany had been defeated but
was still unrepentant over its aggression.
The tough Versailles Peace
Treaty was intended to ensure that Germany would
never again be able to build a mighty military
machine. However, an effective monitoring system
backed up by the threat of force was not put in
place.
The tragic result was that the
Germans built up their army airforce and navy
well before Hitler came to power. Under his rule
arms manufacture became the nation’s sole
goal.
The Second World war that
Hitler unleashed was history’s worst
nightmare.
The modern world cannot allow
Saddam to rebuild his armed forces and mass
destruction weapons again.
A major war in the oil rich
Middle East will devastate the world economy.
As we know from the 1973 (Yom
Kippur) Arab-Israeli conflict and the OPEC Oil
price hike that followed it, it will be the poor
non-oil producing Third World that will suffer
the most.
All those who have the best
interest of the innocent Iraqi people at heart
must hope and pray that the dictatorship will be
replaced soon by a true democratic system.
Only then will this country
(once ancient Mesopotamia) that is rich in oil
water and fertile soil, become a happy land, that
flows with milk and honey.
Let her then join the great
family of democracies alongside Sri Lanka.
S. L. David
EPF and ETF Benefits to
Insurance agents
The above category of workers,
for no valid reason, have been deprived of above
benefits both in the private and public sector.
But the irony of the situation
is that they are only called upon to pay taxes.
These Insurance Agents have
worked for long periods in the public sector as
much as 30 years. They have worked hard with
their blood and sweat with no salary and
travelling over long periods.
A recent judgement given by
Justice Jayasuriya in the Court of Appeal against
Ceylinco Insurance clearly states that All
Insurance Agents are employees and not private
contractors since they have been precluded from
doing any other job.
I call upon the powers to be to
instruct the public sector to give ETF and EPF
benefits to all Insurance Agents with immediate
effect.
J.S.Fernando,
Mutwal
Ombudsman
Neglected Sri
Dharmarama Road -Ratmalana
I wish to draw your kind
attention to the present position of Sri
Dharmarama Road, Ratmalana which is narrated as
follows -
1. Full of pot-holes.
2. Drains of either sides of
the road are very shallow. The drains need
repairs - from the beginning to the end of the
road.
3. Road is fairly narrow and
hardly enough space for two vehicles to move to
different directions at any given spot, and the
situation becomes worse if it happens where the
drains are not noticeable at all. Also makes
pedestrians to be at a standstill until the
vehicles move.
There are two temples, a school
and a few industries situated along this road and
quite a number of residents/pedestrians use this
road daily. Non-maintenance of the drains -
specially as the water coming from the Galle Road
end doesn’t flow along the drains to the
other end of the road - has paved way for
mosquito breeding as well as the stink.
Please arrange to have an
observa-tion/inspection of the facts stated above
pertaining to the condition of Sri Dharmarama
Road - Ratmalana and attend to the needful,
without any further delay.
Suggest that the drains should
be deeper than the present level from the
beginning to the end of the road.
As the garbage collected/left
out at certain places along the road too has
resulted in the non-flow of drain water properly,
action should be taken to prevent garbage being
collected at either side of the road.
G. R. Arambewela
Ratmalana
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