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Morning Spice by Ginger
X'mas is like a tornadoThe old belief was that Christmas comes but once a year. I remember the old Yule tide couplet saying that ''Christmas comes but once a year and with it came something, and good cheer.' I forget what the other thing was for the life of me, but it sounded good and noble. Now at the rate time flies Christmas seems to come every three months or so and you are ruefully turning your inside pockets out to see if you have a coin or two left in any of them. It hits you like a tornado that sweeps everythings before it. Generally, Ginger flinches at this seasonal extravaganza that marginalizes the infant messiah considerably.
Ever since Santa turned against his old buddies and struck a deal with the captains of commerce all over the world, the season got tougher and tougher for the average believer. Ginger does not know whether it was just abiding faith or a deep reverence for the Jones family but the Christians in town gripped by a dangerous fit of recklessness at about this time forget the red line on their bank statements and splash their cash around as if every house had a counterfeiting maching in it. That after all is the spirit of Christmas. Just forget the original message.
Cocaine addicts
There have been many drugs tried on cocaine addicts but few have proved to be of any use. In fact, many labs are full of drugs that they have tried on drug addicts but have not been of much use in reducing the craving for cocaine in those who are confirmed addicts and considered beyond help.At long last researchers seem to be on to a drug that can reduce the craving for cocaine. A drug that is used for epilepsy called G.V.G. has shown very favourable results when tried on animals because it reduces the level of dopamine in the brain which is what causes the craving for cocaine.
A castle in New Zealand
New Zealand seems to be the least likely place to have a castle considering its comparatively recent contact with the western world. Yet this country of sheep and sheep farmers boasts of the only castle south of the equator. It is a massive and impressive mansion built by a politician called Larnach in the latter half of the last century which he built in the lines of a castle.Now this castle provides just the place to spend some time in the most attractive part of its coastline Ñ see the wild life sanctuaries close to it and have a good look at Maori culture at the Otago Museum. It also has some superb restaurants around the place. You can get a room in the former stables of the castle for around sixty dollars or room for just over 150 dollars that has a king size bed made out of an old horse cart.
Higher education and employment
It need not be emphasised that, education, higher education and employment are interrelated and deserve careful scrutiny by society, because, graduate unemployment seems to be on the increase.
With the introduction of free education, children from poor families in remote villages got the opportunity to study in English, which opened the door to scientific knowledge. The fifth standard selective test went a long way to help poverty-stricken parents to get their bright children educated. Very often sons of virtually un-educated parents became doctors and administrators with due qualifications in course of time, which fact should, definitely, bring pride to our nation, and speak volumes for the intergrity statesmen of a yester-year, who put nation before self to see that the next generation is able to look after the nation in the absence of the white sahibs.
With the introduction of 'Sinhala only', many opportunities opened up for those who had only a knowledge of Sinhala to become nurses and clerks and other important government officers. After 1968 translation of books for higher education into Sinhala stopped and English tended to become the essential tool, aptly called the 'Kaduwa'.
In Sinhala areas, however, science education took a back seat and arts students were being produced in their thousands. Very often you could easily come across a school where there is a lab without a science teacher and another school that has a science teacher but no lab! Therefore, Sinhala students got a lop-sided education.
This is the calamity that has produced the present problem of graduate-unemployment.
On a further study of this problem it can be questioned what effect an increase in science graduates will have on graduate unemployment. In countries like Britain, more than university degrees, AMICE, A.M.I.CH.E and other similar charter qualifications are preferred by employers. Similarly, in Sri Lanka, too, technological qualifications will be of value from a national point of view.
And , how far is that qualification going to take one up the employment ladder? As things are, it is not in our hands, but in our stars, that our destiny lies, because, we do not know in which field foreign investors will come and dump their millions!
And, highly qualified employees will request high salaries. When that problem arises foreign investors will run away!
Therefore, if we give a meagre education to the younger generation we can always rely on foreign investors to put up garment factories and the like to give employment!
If a high grade technological education is given to the younger generation we can tackle our own problems in our own way. In addition, the government can make money from state enterprises, with the result that, loans will not be required.
A patriotic leadership should think on these lines.
C. J. Senasinghe,
Wadduwa.
Justice delayed is justice derailed
Leading a leisurely and unhurried life in retirement, I had occasion to visit our halls of justice, or to put it more mundanely our court houses, not as an accused, but to give a helping hand to poor folk in the locality.
It happened this way, when two police officers came to this shanty area to apprehend a criminal sort who was in the illegal drug trade, two young women bathing by the street tap took umbrage and assaulted the policemen! Ofcourse they went back to the police station and returned with a jeep load of policemen, and with rough tactics, usually associated with the police, took the wanted man, together with the women, who were then remanded. I stood in as surety for the women (not the man) knowing them from their childhood days, when an appeal was made to me, and they were released on bail. The police quite rightly filed action against the accused women for assault, and this case has been postponed on more than ten occasions over a period of two years. Every few months the women appear in courts and the attorney at law charges them a fee of Rs. 500/-, marks his presence and most obligingly agrees to get another postponment at the request of the police. So actually without any trial or justice being done, the women continue to be penalized with this recurring fees! A delay of two years is minute when you consider some criminal and civil cases which have gone on for twenty years, and in the process the judges, lawyers, police involved in such cases have died due to natural causes, and so have the accused, this I suppose is what we call 'natural justice. In short 'justice delayed is justice derailed'.
M. Rexy,
Colombo 06.
The party system has been the bane of Sri Lanka politics ever since it was introduced by the Britishers. When the People's Alliance defeats the United National Party and vice versa, the winning party always goes on blaming and speaking ill of the other party and tries to undo or decide the latter's work. The proportional representation is such that seldom the ruling party has a majority and it has to depend on the minority party votes and the minority takes full advantage to become 'king makers.''
The U.N.P. came to power by blaming the '7 years' curse'', and the P.A. came to power by blaming the '17 years' curse', and these curses will continue so long as the party system endures. Even at present the incumbent Government has to fight the war on two frontsÑfirst against the LTTE with weapons and second against the UNP with rhetoric. While the LTTE remains bent on carrying out Eelam others are in two rival blocks the UNP and the PA-always putting the interests of the party before the interests of the country.
As the LTTE has already rejected it, Prof. G. L. Peiris should now concentrate on not the ways and means of pushing through but introducing amendments constitution to change the unsatisfactory system of party system and revert to the Donoughmore system of executive legislature, as suggested in the budget speech of Minister W. H. M. Ashraff and as advised by so many patriots like the late Mr. Gamani Jayasuriya Prof. Peiris can rest assured that in this respect not only the UNP, but also the whole nation will be behind him in support.
GP,
Mt. Lavinia.
A very welcome feature. Cleared pavements (sidewalks). Cleared of parked vehicles. Finally the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) has taken the bull head on and decided to have the pavements for pedestrians only and not as parking lots. The CMC has erected concrete blocks (call them what you may) and prevented vehicles being driven across the pavement for parking. Well done, Mr. Mayor. We need more people centered actions from the CMC.
We pedestrians say thank you to the CMC (and also to the Kotte MC for doing the same at Nugegoda) and want this idea extended to all areas where pavements are used for parking. After all, if one cannot appeal to the good sense of motorists and is also unable to station policeman every 100 m, the workable option is physical prevention.
In this country 'awareness creation' does not work. Our people are very selfish. One has to adopt tougher measures to make a more civilised society. That is how Singapore became 'civilised' and law-abiding.
This CMC move also keeps pedestrians on the pavements and does not push them onto the road at risk to limb and life. It helps smooth traffic flows, minimises accidents, reduces cost of motorist travel, among a host of other good attributes.
So please instal more concrete blocks along the city pavements.
The CMC should also pay attention to eliminating other pavement nuisances such as hawkers, repair units, tyre shops and sweep booths.
Agricola,
Mt. Lavinia.
The learned Minister for Constitutional Affairs must enlighten the public about the present attitude of the government and the Cultural Ministry with regard to the rights preserved in the Constitution to protect Buddhasasana. How can the Halal Draft and the Sasana protection be accommodated in the same constitution at one and the same time, as the two issues are contradictory? Over to you Mr. Minister.
A Buddhist Citizen.
Master plan to liquidate Buddhism?
We would firstly wish to extend our thanks to the Editor of the Island for his courage and forthrightness in publishing the article appearing under the above topic sent in by Mr. Jayasooriya.
As regards the said article I wish to state that I fully affirm and endorse the sentiments expressed in it. There is one aspect in that comprehensive presentation that I want to highlight. There is a subtle attempt to denigrate and dilute the Buddha Dhamma in order to make it innocuous and parallel to the other prevalent theistic doctrines. This has been effected in two ways (1) By preparing the Dhamma school texts as a mere historical narrative embellished with some folk tales (2) The Question papers in public exams such as the G.C.E. (OL) comprising very prosaic and general questions so as to make it possible for students to obtain high grades but ultimately knowing nothing worthwhile of the Dhamma.
The Buddha Dhamma, per se is a corpus of a very deep and abiding Philosophy. It exceeds the realms of science, for science has not gone beyond the physical world. The Dhamma encompasses the entire physical and mental world. This fact has been humbly acknowledged even by scientists like Einstein; or modern nuclear physicists such as Capra of the Berkly University, (USA).
It stands to the entire credit of the Dhamma that every new discovery merely further ratifies the Dhamma. The fact that, babies can be generated in test tubes. That the process of creation is still going on. The prevalence of destructive natural phenomena or of death dealing virus, bacteria etc. which cannot be reconciled with the presence of any compassionate merciful God presents no problem to the Dhamma. The Dhamma is a personal experience of man, not something from outside.
The fact that the Dhamma is not being presented in its fullness ultimately makes the recipient of such Dhamma to be easy victims of designing groups, surreptitiously carrying out campaigns of 'conversion''. This is the main thesis of Mr. Jayasooriya's article.
A person who has acquired a comprehensive knowledge of the Dhamma has the necessary mental poise and confidence to carry out a life of peace and contentment, to him Gods or Gods men are totally superfluous and meaningless.
It is indeed a severe indictment that in this island, which is considered to be the repository and the epicentre of pure Theravada Dhamma, that the Dhamma is treated with such perfunctoriness and indifference. There are many high powered Buddhist associations scholars and no end of politicians paying lip service to the Dhamma. There is a Buddha Sasana Ministry and soon the vexed question that is in the mind of every one is ''Whatever has this Ministry and the rest ever done for the people and the Dhamma. All that one clearly notices is that the other religious organisations have proliferated as never before, both in terms of numbers and in terms of places of worship. All this at the total expense of the helpless and tolerant Buddhists. Can such a thing happen, say, in the Middle East? Is there a secret hand behind all this?
Devendra,
Maharagama.
In the recent past, Sri Lankans have been taking a great deal of flak from zealous embassy visa officers who are reluctant to grant even visitors visas to us on the basis of past unreliability. Relations between the general public and these embassies are a trifle strained these days. It is therefore, an excellent moment for me to highlight a cultural programme being done solely for the pleasure and entertainment of the children of Sri Lanka by a lady from one such embassy. I refer to Mrs. Susan Donnelly, wife of the Ambassador of the United States of America, whose recent performances are keeping audiences of school children in gales of laughter.
At dinner tables round Colombo conversations are going something like this:
'Guess who gave us a clown's performance in school today Daddy?'
'Who?'
'The wife of the American Ambassador. That's who.'
'What nonesense this child talks,' remarks Daddy to his wife. ' What an imagination. The American Ambassador's wife too!'
'It's true, it's true' insists the child in tears.
'I shall call your Principal this instant and find out from where all these airy fairy tales are coming.'
He does so, and discovers that, in truth the wife of the American Ambassador -is probably doing more to cement Sri Lankan /American ties than all the Ambassadors put together (no offence meant).
Mrs. Donnelly is a professional clown. In her clown costumes she is not Mrs. Donnelly but 'Coco, the clown'. She keeps audiences of varying ages enthralled for about an hour and at the end there are shouts of 'more, more'.
Her act is not just good it is magical.
In the USA, school children would pay dearly for such a solo performance but Mrs. Donnelly is doing all this free of charge...... and I, for one, feel a public vote of gratitude is needed. Anyone who brings such love and laughter into a child's world deserves all these accolades and so Mrs. Donnelly, on behalf of all the kiddies you have entertained and on behalf of those who are going to be enchanted by you in future - Thank you.
Mrs. Goolbai Gunasekara,
Principal,
Asian International School.
This refers to the letter sent by 'A Banker' appearing in your esteemed newspaper of 27/11/98.
Though Islamic banking is a well established and successful banking system in different parts of the world, it is a new concept to Sri Lanka. Most of us Muslims, let alone our brethren belonging to other communities living in Sri Lanka, do not know much about Islamic banking. The national television, the Rupavahini, has found it appropriate to telecast a programme on Islamic banking mainly to educate us the Muslims, in this aspect utilizing TV time allocated for Majlisul Islam and Valar Pirai, both of which are regular Muslim programmes catering to the Muslim community in particular.
What is that 'A Banker' has found 'unethical' in telecasting a knowledge imparting programme on Islamic banking for the benefit of the Muslim viewers, during the time allocated to Muslim programmes. It was purely an educational and informative programme like many other documentary conducted by our national TV.
We thank Rupavahini and request more such programmes in the future, too.
S. M. M. Yoosurf,
Colombo 06.
The whole country appears to be in a terrible mess, resulting in untold inconvenience, suffering and risk of life to the citizens at large, owing to police inaction on the ground that its strength is short of 10,000 men, according to the Deputy Inspector General of Police.
The police have given up their routine patrolling and the citizens are living in fear of armed gangs headed by army deserters who are well trained in the use of fire arms. Even such duties as prosecuting or at least warning errant drivers who do not stop at pedestrian crossings and obstructionists who misuse pavements forcing pedestrians to take to the high road at the risk of life and limb are not being performed.
The situation in government departments is no better. No action seems to be taken on complaints in the letters to the editor's columns. You cannot get a reply, may even an acknowledgment to letters addressed to any government department, local authority or any other statutory body.
Will the authorities concerned try to do something to relieve the suffering of the masses in spite of the constraints of the Eelam War because it is the incumbent on the government, who is being blamed for the mess? There is, undoubtedly, something rotten in the State of Sri Lanka.
Citizen Perera,
Mt. Lavinia.
Ombudsman
Irresponsible reply from vice-chancellor
Our son has been at the receiving end of an academic battering at the hands of some of the staff of the science faculty in a prestigious university here. We submitted an appeal to the Vice-Chancellor followed by another appeal by our son, also to the VC. We waited for a reply and sent a reminder too, as we did not receive replies to any of our letters for over a month. No sooner than it was highlighted in the press, we received a reply from the VC. The facts it contained were so confusing that we wrote to him again for clarification. No reply has been received yet.
Our very first appeal was dated 30th September 1998. However in his reply the VC states that our appeal was referred to the Senate at its 199th meeting held on 28th September 1998, two days earlier than the date of our appeal. We must not disbelieve him, as he is a responsible public official. Yet we are confused and even bewildered by his telepathic powers.
- Parents of M. P. Warusawithana
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