The abject plight to which the pensioners in this country have been reduced has aggravated in recent years due to the gross neglect of the government. Phenomenal salary hikes have been granted to those in service from 1988 onwards without any commensurate increase to pensions. Besides in 1990 according to Treasury Circular 4/90 public servants were given the option to retire on a pension of 90% of last drawn salary. Finally in 1997 they got a salary increase of 100% in two annual stages but pensions were increased by only 10% on the same basis.

Public servants were given such salary increases purely because of the mounting cost of living. Why this invidious distinction to pensioners only. Doesn't the cost of living affect them, and some are old and feeble and mostly in need of medical attention. Most of the pensioners have equal social and family obligations to fulfil like those in service, in fact more than the latter, what with grown up children and grandchildren and their functions involving the giving of presents. Yet those who retired before 1988 are drawing just pittances as salaries then were very low and pensions were calculated on lesser percentages too.

As from 1997 teachers of all categories but more particularly the so-called trained teachers were given phenomenal salary increases. Just to point out an extreme injustice accruing to pensioners. A vernacular trained teacher who was recruited with a lowly G.C.E. (O.L.) academic attainment and mostly with mere passes in subjects like Art, Music, Religion, Needlework etc., without the more worthy English, Maths, Science etc., and not suitable for any other respectable job, but trained to teach in two years (a very dubious attainment) has from the beginning of 1997 suddenly found his/her monthly salary increased from Rs. 3,000/-to Rs. 9,000/- if having a service of twenty years, the same salary a Graduate teacher with 15 years' service gets.

It would be puerile here to point out the vast disparity between trained teachers and Graduates in background as well as academic attainment. Most of these trained teachers have come from village schools bereft of high traditions extra-curricular activities etc., unlike a teacher who had received education in an elite school and brought up in higher traditions and wider horizons especially after going through the then one and only University of Ceylon, residential and situated at Peradeniya, illuminated with broader concepts of social, cultural, and educational advancement and with a high attainment in both English and Sinhala. A teacher of the latter category may have retired before 1988 on a low pension of a little over Rs. 1,000/- after even 30 years' dedicated service.

But the vernacular trained teacher in service gayly draws a salary of Rs. 9,000/= after a mere 20 years' service. To put it in another way, even while a Director of Education or a Superintendant of Police who retired before 1988 is drawing a meagre pension of around Rs. 4,000/= these vernacular teachers can draw pensions of over Rs. 9,000/=. What midsummer madness this! The above examples highlight the blatant in justice suffered by pensioners who retired before 1988.

No government worthy of its name can allow this absurd situation to continue. The only way to bring some sanity here is to calculate pensions w.e.f. 1993 commensurate with increased salary scales as is done in progressive countries. The Wanasingha Commission recommended this principle a few years back but it fell on the deaf ears of an apathetic government. The new pensions as calculated from 1993 should be doubled as from 1998 , in as much as salaries were increased by 100% from that year.

Pensioners who retired before 1997 are writhing in discountent at the gross injustice suffered by them. It is only in the manner suggested above that some redress can be given of pensioners thereby ending their agritation for ever. Until that is done the anomalies relating to pensions connoting grave discrimination against pensioners, specially those who retired before 1988 after being on comparatively very much lower salary scales than those existent now (some categories like Interqualified teachers never saw the serious anomalies applying to their salary scales rectified despite the recommendations of the Dayaratne Commission in 1985 therefore having to retire on at only persion of around Rs. 100/= will aggravate further and further until the poor pensioners plight will be beyond redemption. Already the injustice is glaring to warrant shouting from the hill tops.

It may be said that everything in this country is done with a sense of playing to the gallery and with altruistic political motives and an eye to vote catching. Then let the politicians who seek the vote of the pensioners beware. After all there are 3.5 lakhs of pensioners which means that with their spouses, adult children, and their close kith and kin who all a like are very sensitive to the abject plight of pensioners, the no of voters espousing their cause exceeds 12 lakhs which is over half the no, of Her Excellency the President's majority at the late Presidential election. While the pensioners are eking out a miserable existence due to daily mounting living costs with meagre incomes, politicians already with high emoluments even have the brazenness to talk of salary increases for themselves. The meaningless grant of pensions to politicians on an absurd basis of 5 years' service has already sent up the pension bill sky-rocketing. Lo and behold! poor pensioner, who is going to lift you up from this morass. Who is the politician who has espoused your cause?

We hope that the present Government will at least now grant the redress pensioners and their unions have long pleaded through the print media. Pensioners all to a man and woman are thoroughly disgusted at the apathy shown them and are kicking their heels awaiting the hustings to register their feelings.

B.S.G Peris
Kadawatha

What a ban?

The newspapers of Dec. 11 contained as usual, the reports on many events that shocked the nation. One such came from the mouths of two ministers of this government imposing an embargo with immediate effect on giving publicity to the discourses of Ven. Gangodawila Soma Thero, in all print and electronic media of the government.

Anyone would expect that the Ven. Thero had committed a grave national crime such as treason, inciting people to rebel against the government or to overthrow the government hierarchy. However if you read the announcement in the newspapers you might have split your side in laughter on the reasons given. One reason given was that the Ven. Thero was giving vent to communal views. Another was that he was trying to bring down the government by criticizing him. The third reason given was that Hindu leaders were opposing his discourses as they are anti-Hindu.

Pause a minute and ponder. Is it wrong to expound the true essence of Buddhism by a monk erudite in Buddhist teachings? Ven. monks have to expound the teachings of Buddhism. Buddhism teaches that all beings are responsible for their own actions and for their deliverance from the samsaric miseries. No god or deity can save the living beings from miseries. This is one of the main teachings of the Buddha followed during many centuries. His teachings have not evoked any communal disharmony. We have not heard of any believers of Hinduism protesting against the teachings of the Buddha as stated by these so called heroes of communal love.

Can a follower of any religion with conviction condemn person for his struiggle to create a nation free of drugs? Can anyone who bravely voices his concern to free the human beings including children from the ensnaring advertisements of the producers of drugs be muffled? These jokers should be asked to point out any person, who is against these actions of the ven. Thero other than themselves and their god fathers. Are they the owners of the media of the state? It is clear that those public institutions are being forced to close their doors to the Ven. Thero for explaining Buddhism, for going against drug use and for exposing the hollow and dangerous nature of the advertisements of the producers of alcohol and tobacco? Are they above the people of Sri Lanka who are the actual owners of the government media institutions?

Who are these puny persons who think they have the authority to deny the right to criticise and to be kept informed? Is this the type of media freedom that they are boasting of? Who are these people who go against their own Head of State who has consistently advocated the banning of alcohol and drug advertisements? Do they wield super power over the President of he country? The voters of Sri Lanka should ask themselves whether these men should be allowed to cast aspersions on the exponents of Buddhism, on persons of eminence who try to save our children and our families from the destruction caused by alcohol and drugs and who go against their own chief?

M. Samaraweera

Tamils, Malabars and the "original people" of Sri Lanka

In its letter to Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, the TULF cites the Cleghorn minute as evidence of the existence of a Tamil "homeland". The TULF quotes the Cleghorn minute as follows:

"Two different nations, from a very ancient period, have divided the Island. First, the Sinhalese in its Southern and Western parts from the river Walawe to that of Chilaw; and secondly the Malabars in the Northen and Eastern Districts" ("Malabars is used to refer to Tamils" )

Since the TULF maintains that the "Malabars" mentioned in the Cleghorn minute were Tamils, it would be interesting to see what historians have to say about the "Malabars" - who they were and their relationship to this country.

Sir James Emerson Tennent served have as Colonial Secretary under the British Administration in the middle of the last century. He wrote a comprehensive two-volume account of the country which was first published in l859. In the first volume he has a chapter (chapter 10 of Part III) entitled 'The Domination of the Malabars explaining who the Malabars were and giving a detailed account of their exploits in this country. We quote below some extracts from this work.

"It has been already explained that the invaders who engaged into forays into Ceylon, though known by the general epithet of malabars (or as they are designated in pali, damilos "Tamils") were also natives of places in India remote from that now known as Malabar. They were, in reality, the inhabitants of one of the earliest states organised in Southern India, the Kingdom of Pandya ...."

"The easy success of the first usurpers encouraged the ambition of fresh aspirants, and barely ten years elapsed till the first regular invasion of the island took place, under the illustrious Elala, who, with an army from Mysore (then called Chola or Soli) subdued the entire of Ceylon, North of the Mahaweli-ganga, and compelled the chiefs of the rest of the island, and the kings of Ruhuna and Maya, to acknowledge his supremacy and become his tributaries......"

"The second great invasion took place about a century often the first, B.C. 103, when seven Malabar leaders effected simultaneous descents at different points of the coast and combined with a disaffected "Brahman prince" of Ruhuna to force Walagambahu I to surrender his sovereignty. The king, after an ineffectual show of resistance, fled to the mountains of Malaya, one of the invaders carried off the queen to the coast of India, a third despoiled the temples of Anurajapoora and retired, whilst the others continued in possession of the capital for nearly fifteen years, till Walagambahu, by the aid of the Ruhuna highlanders, succeeded in recovering the throne,"

'The third great invasion on record was in its character still more predatory than those which preceded it, and it was headed by a king in person who carried away 12,000 Sinhalese as slaves to Mysore. It occurred in the reign of Wannias, AD 110, whose son Gaja-bahu, A.D. 113, avenge the outrage by invading the Solee or Chola country with an expedition that sailed from Jaffnapatam, and brought back not only the rescued Singhalese captives, but also a multitude of Solleans..."

"The Malabars,, trained to arms, now resorted in such numbers to Ceylon, that the leaders in civil commotion were accustomed to lure them in bands to act against the royal forces; and whilst no precautions were adopted to check the landing of the marauders on the coast, the invaders constructed forts throughout the country to protest their conquests from recapture by the Sinhalese... On their expulsion by Dhatu Sena, he took possession of the fortresses and extirpated the Damilos; degraded the Singhalese who had intermarried with them, confiscated their estates in favour of those who remained true to his cause, and organised a naval force for the protection of the coasts of the island."

"In A.D.1023 the Cholians again invaded Ceylon, carried the king captive to the coast of India (where he died in exile), and established a Malabar viceroy at Pollonarrua,, who held possession of the island for nearly thirty years, protected his usurpation by a foreign army. Thus "throughout the reign of nineteen kings" says the Rajaratnacari "extending over eighty - six years, the Malabars kept up a continual war with the Singhalese, till they filled by degrees every village in the island".

What is abundantly clear from the above is that the Malabars were not people of this country but marauders from India who conducted forays into this country on numerous occasions during a period extending to over ten centuries, causing tremendous destruction of the wealth of the country and suffering to a peaceful people whom Tennent describes as the "unwarlike Singhalese".

As regards the question whether anything of value resulted from these incursions of the Malabars, Tennent states:

"Notwithstanding their numbers and their power, it is remarkable that the Malabars were never identified with any plan for promoting the prosperity and embellishment of Ceylon, or with any undertaking for the Permanent improvement of the island. Unlike the Gangetic race, who were the earliest colonists, and with whom originated every project for enriching and adorning the country, the Malabars aspired not to beautify and enrich, but to impoverish and deface; - and nothing can more strikingly be speak the inferiority of the Southern race than the single fact that everything tendenting to exalt and to civilise,, in the early condition of Ceylon was introduced by the Northern conquerors, whilst all that contributed to ruin and debase is distinctly traceable to the presence and influence of the Malabars".

These are the words of an impartial foreign writes, not of a "sinhala chauvinist". So, now we know who the Malabars were and what they did to and in this country. Therefore,, the TULF by stating that the Malabars were Tamils has itself confirmed the President's statement that the Tamils are not "original people" of this country.

Dr. Piyasena Dissanayake
Secretary
National Joint Committee

Australian Cricket - "Yesterday's heros Today's zeros"

The above quotation was just one of the multitude of spontaneous expressions of indignant and poignant outbursts made by an Australian woman cricket fan through a radio talk on the recent disclosure of links between some high profile Australian cricketers and an Indian book maker - a transaction which has tarnished forever the image of Australian cricket and its controlling body.

While crickets icon Sir Donald Bradman has deplored the so-called 'stupid and naive' behaviour of Shane Warne and Mark Waugh former test cricket captain and now commentator Richie Benaud has described this whole episode as 'absolutely incomprehensible".

A judicial inquiry has now been set up to as certain whether Australia's top 25 cricketers had any shady dealings with illegal bookies. Australia is unable to comprehend as to why these two cricketers resorted to this dubious transaction when both of them are recipients of millions of dollars annually through advertising contracts with various big business corporations, anti-smoking lobby groups and as contributors to international news tabloids. In such a scenario it is most amusing to find that in spite of engaging in this shady deal which took place over four years ago Australia recently turned out a Madame Tussaud-style wax sculptured image of Shane Warne as a nations tribute to an Ausie cricket great.

In the light of the present revelations I think this statue should be improved on and upgraded by the placement of a cigarette or Cuban cigar in its mouth as well as place an attache case in one of its hands with the clear marking "TAB" representing Australia's nation wide official bookmaker.

In this connection it is pertinent to mention here that Australia is the most transparent country in our universe. The media enjoys wide freedom of expression across the six States and at times I regret to state bordering on what is enjoyed by the wild ass. Therefore it is now going to town on the present cricketing fiasco in order to save Australia's standing as a fair-play nation. Nevertheless Australia is no more the unfertilised King in the international world sport of cricket.

In Sri Lanka too the climate is now ripe to have a close peep into its cricketing cupboard to see whether it too has skeletons in it and towards this end the Minister for Sports (provided he too is still a Mr. Clean) should appoint an independent and representative committee (comprising of say a member of the judiciary, two or three past renowned cricketers, a businessman of repute and one who is capable of determining odds and receives and pays off debts, that is, a bookmaker) to look into the track record of present and past Presidents and members of the Cricket Board.

In the meantime let us on a lighter vein recite, with a bit of editing, that of quoted ancient Manthram, as follows:

"When the great scorer comes to write against your name
He writes not whether you were bribed or not
but how you lost the game"

Stanley P Wickramaratne

Emotional intelligence the key to success in negotiations and productivity

"There is so much good in the worst of us, and as much bad in the best of us, that it will behove anyone of us, to find no fault with the rest of us."

Finding an amicable solution to the ethnic conflict and the means of increasing productivity especially in the public sector are matters of grave concern to all citizens of Sri Lanka.

Both situations require people to be motivated to think positively and act with a sense of responsibility and urgency. Emotional Intelligence may be considered as a key to success in arriving at lasting solutions to our national problems.

Whether it is negotiating for lasting peace, motivating people towards productivity, one has to interact with people holding diverse views. Interaction is primarily concerned with feelings and relationships.

The basic concept of emotional intelligence, as featured in the London Times, emanates from sensitiveness to feelings of others and is the ability to monitor and regulate one's own and others' feelings and to use feelings to guide thought and action.

Emotional intelligence revolves round managing feelings so that they are expressed appropriately and effectively enabling people to work together smoothly towards their common goals.

The basic elements of emotional intelligence comprise self awareness, self regulations, motivation, empathy and adaptiveness in relationships.

Acquiring of competencies in self awareness and self regulation requires one to have realistic assessment of one's abilities and limitation, a well grounded sense of self confidence and handle emotions such that they facilitate rather than interfere with the task at hand.

It involves acting conscientiously with integrity and taking responsibility for personal performance.

Emotional intelligence also requires the developing of skills in handling other peoples' emotions such as, listening actively, winning people over, providing inspiration and guidance to individuals and groups, recognising the need for change and removing the barriers towards that change and finally the ability to read key power relationships.

David Balasuriya

The dirty disgraceful dog pound

Very recently I had the most harrowing experience during a visit some of us had to make to the Colombo Municipality dog pound at Borella where rounded up ownerless dogs are destroyed. It was a pathetic sight to see those dogs put in four kennels, puppies separated from their mothers, all looking at us with pleading eyes. To think that in a couple of days they would be done to death in one of the cruelest ways possible in the world was unbearable. And for what fault of theirs?

This dog pound I feel is a dirty disgrace to this country. Our country has four great religions in the world being practiced by its people and of these Buddhism and Hlinduism, religions practiced by a majority, stress the value and sacredness of the life of all beings, not merely of human beings. So why does this dog pound exist which is solely maintained for the purpose of destroying en mass, in one of the most cruel ways, the life of innocent helpless animals who are completely at the mercy of human beings, rounded up by the dog pound personnel.

We are being given to understand that this is the method adopted to control the threat of rabies and the proliferation of ownerless dogs (Whether only ownerless dogs transmit rabies is another matter). Then one cannot help wondering why we still have so many ownerless dogs and rabies because this brutal practice has been going on from the time of British rule and perpetuated to this day even after independence, notwithstanding the fact that Buddhism, the most humane and compassionate of religions of the world has been enshrined in our constitution and there is a Ministry of Buddha Sasana and a Ministry of Religious Affairs to boot.

It is high time that we looked for some other, more effective, humane method of solving this problem as is done in most civilized countries without taking cover behind archaic "laws, procedures, rules, regulations etc, etc. Those responsible for formulating, policies, procedures laws or whatever should urgently take necessary action to do away with this barbaric practice, and go in for a humane method of tackling this problem. Immunizing and controlling birth could be adopted as is done in some countries. After all the maximum span of a dog is only about 13 to 14 years and if we adopt this method which may take a little more concerted effort than rounding up and brutally killing them we would be able to see satisfactory result in a couple of years.

Human beings should remember that dogs and cats even cattle (people make a big fuss about "stray" cattle also) were living in the forest which was their natural habitat according to their own Dharma without in any way interfering with man and it was the man who caught them and domesticated them to serve his own ends. So human beings have no moral right to treat these beings the way they do because they are not really ownerless but belong to all humanity whose ancestors domesticated them in the first place.

One cannot help but wonder whether one of the contributory factors for the misery that this country is going through is the retribution of the collective karma of the silent witnesses, indirect prompters, direct contributors and active participants who are responsible in relative measure over the years for the terrible agony that these animals must go through in the gas chamber before they die.

Anula Vijayasiri,
Anderson Flats,
Colombo 5.