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Morning Spice by Ginger
Drug related crimes on the increaseAnother individual as the allegations go has been killed by drug crazed killers or drug addicts in need of cash. ‘’To buy it or what ever the reason for it may have been. Such news make headlines normally only when someone up the social scale is victimised. This however is the trend in most countries but the fact is that the actual statistics could be more horrifying and that crime has really menaced even tenor of life more than a little in the recent past.
While reformists and others feel that one should not abandon the hope of turning a drug addict around it must also be remembered that the greater priority is to project the innocent who is under no obligation to be a martyr to facilitate such an excrcise, the question now comes to mind whether the penalties for drug related crimes are sufficient. Really there should be no reprieves and remissions for such crimes. In other words the penalties for drug related violence should be more severe than sentences for violence when one is not under the influence of drugs. It is easy to get into such a state and plead in mitigation if detected. More importantly we see rather dangerous signs that mafia is getting more open about their operations.
Ban to be lifted
The ban on the export of British beef imposed in 1996 is expected to be lifted soon. However as Britain is sorting out her problem with the E. U. and appears to be overcoming her problem Portugal apparently has caught the attention of the E.U. authorities as there appear to be quite B.S.E. cases detected there.The European Commission has banned the export of Portuguese beef and cattle for a period of nine months. Now there have been about one hundred and fifty cattle declared as having mad cow disease.’’ This is just a bagatelle as far as numbers go as Britain had almost one hundred and seventy thousand detected cases so far.
If batting comes right fielding goes wrong
What a bashing and what fielding. Has something to go wrong with our game on every occasion. If the batting comes right the bowling goes wrong and if both batting and bowling come up to expectations the fielding goes to pieces. Most surprisingly you would find one of the best fielders has been the culprit that has let the opponents off the hook.At long last Jayasuriya and Kaluwitharne came off together to show the rest of the world what a deadly opening combination they were. Useful scores from Arjuna and Hashan helped Sri Lanka reach a fomidable 259. Then came our very ordinary bowling and some of the most atrocious fielding seen recently. What is ailing our cricket?
The Athenians of ancient Greece who first introduced democracy to the world, were wary of populist and thought tyrants ought to be killed. Brutus was a good man but he killed Julius Caesar in Shakespeare’s play because he was becoming a tyrant.
Professor Karl Popper who wrote the famous work "The Open Society and its Enemies" has pointed out that the sum and substance of democracy is not government by the people, but the rule of law which ensures that a government can be changed without bloodshed. Tyrants have used the very democratic mechanisms and institutions to come to power as Hitler did in 1933. Intimidation of democratic opposition parties and terrorising the voters so that they will stay away from the poll and enable party activists to impersonate them is a strategy pursued by Premadasa in the Presidential election of 1989. This strategy sceems to be the model now followed by the People’s Alliance in the NWP council election. The then Commissioner of Elections delayed the publication of his report on the findings of that election and President Premadasa’s election was upheld by the courts. He governed like a tyrant until the impeachment motion was tabled by Lalith Athulathmudali, our one and only modern hero and perhaps a martyr for democracy too.
There seems to be a definite pattern in what is unfolding in the NWP election run-up firstly there is terror unleashed on the rival political parties by the ruling party. The other parties do have a right of self defence. The People’s Alliance says "not I sir" "who then sir"? It is upto the police they say and the President has given orders to the police to enforce the law. The IGP is the nominee of the President, favoured over the heads of several other senior officers. The DIG of the NWP and other high ranking officers who were serving in the NWP have been transferred out after the date of the nominations. The police in the NWP have so far failed to check violence. They have failed to protect the poll cards. Five thousand poll cards are reported to have been robbed. Come polling day. The polling agents of the opposition parties will be chased away, leaving the way open for the PA to impersonate. The government officers who preside at the polling stations do not check the identity of voters if they carry some polling card. It is upto the polling agents of the political parties to object to impersonators. If there are no polling agents to object, they will just impersonate. The PA police will see that the opposition candidates and their activists are intimidated. Will we see booth capturing as they do in India? Will PA activists walk into polling stations and stuff the ballot boxes.
It is evident that we are not going to have a free and fair election. The election is already vitiated by the happenings in the run-up since nomination, an important period for any election. It is unfortunate that the law does not give the Commissioner of Elections the power to annul an election which is not free and fair. But one hopes the commissioner will carry out his duties with courage and record all the malpractices and incidents and submit a report to Parliament on the election.
The hypocritical rhetoric of PA Ministers should deceive nobody. The government newspaper talks of a "false fear psychosis" whatever it means. A fear psychosis certainly exists in the minds of the voters to deter them from going to the polls. Those who come to power through bogus or rigged elections turn out to be tyrants.
R..M.B. Senanayake
I have listened to some of Ven. Soma’s sermons in the electronic media and read all the letters about them. He dwells on the basic Buddhist teachings, mainly the need to have faith (Saddha) in the Triple Gem and the importance of observing the five precepts. This is what exactly the average Buddhist who cannot comprehend the abhidhamma and or do not engage in meditation has to be told.
The large majority of Buddhists know that god-worshipping has no place in Buddhism and they have been told so before by other monks as well though not in the same manner as Ven. Soma does.
Hindu gods were introduced into Buddhism and devalas became part of the temple many centuries ago. However, devalas occupy only a secondary place in the temple and all Buddhists attend to their religious observances such as lighting of oil lamps, offering of flowers and incense and observing pansil before going to the devala to transfer the merits to gods and perhaps to seek some kind of relief or redress. This is what happens in the village temple , at Kataragama or Munneswaran. This cannot be called pure god-worshipping because religious observances are given priority and some people seek no favours at all from the gods. I don’t think many or any Buddhists go to Hindu kovils outside temples to worship as was done a few years ago. Since the devalas have been part of the temple for centuries and the average Buddhist has been used to seeking favours from gods it would not be possible to remove devalas from temples or to wean away people from this practice. It has also to be noted that only a small percentage of Buddhists seek favours from gods and the majority going to places like Kataragama undertake the journey more as a pleasure trip.
These Buddhists who seek favours from gods either because it has been a custom or because they are convinced that their appeals have been favourably answered are after all not committing a sin or violating the five precepts. All of them are not murderers, rapists, burglars or drug peddlars and not anti Buddhists. Some of the monks who violate all the precepts they have undertaken to observe, engage in occult science and divisive party politics, maintain families, misappropriate temple properties to help their kith and kin, live luxurious lives, consume liquor, misbehave in public and are hauled before courts and are fined are worse enemies of the religion.
There is no dispute that Buddhists have to be convinced that god-worshipping to the exclusion of observance of religious precepts should be shunned and Ven. Soma has taken over this responsibility. The problem lies in the fact that at times he ridicules Hindu gods with questions such as whether Kataragama Deviyo has other body parts in proportion to the six faces and the twelve hands and makes irrelevant references to Muslims and birth control among the Sinhalese. This smacks of intolerance which has no place in Buddhism.
Although Ven. Vidagama Maithriya mercilessly criticised Hindu gods and brahamins it is best to avoid such criticism in today’s context where we have to live in harmony with many other communities and followers of other faiths who have made Sri Lanka their home for centuries.
Ven. Balangoda Ananda Maithriya, one of the saintliest monks, has met Sai Baba and another yogi in India and admits that they have developed certain mental powers. There are also natural forces and phenomena that defy explanation. Hence can anybody totally reject the claims made by some that gods have power to help humans in their hour of need. May be it is something that one has personally experienced. Another question that baffles is how Sakra, Sataravaram Deviyo etc. became Buddhist gods if others are not.
My opinion is that it is futile to attempt to wean away all Buddhists from seeking the help of gods as done now. Since this practice is no crime nor a violation of the five precepts those seeking such help should be allowed to engage in their harmless exercise and experience their mental satisfaction and peace, if any, treating it as entirely a private and personal affair.
Although I am not qualified to advise Ven. Soma my suggestion is that he directs his attention mainly on the younger generation who are fast distancing themselves away from the religion, the Buddhist way of life and long cherished customs and social values, the escalation of crime, drug abuse etc. and above all, a reformation of the Sangha community through a Sanghayana if he is anxious to prevent further decay of Buddhism in Sri Lanka and absolute degradation of the society — the "Sinhala Buddhist" in particular.
Finally will Ven. Soma be forgotten like the Tapasa Nikaya and Vinaya Vardhana Campaign of the 50’s when the novelty of sermons fades away?
S. Abeywickrama
Nugegoda
What has happened to the Employees Trust Fund?
My small company has been a contributor to the Employees Provident Fund from the time we started our business in 1962 and to the ETF from 1981. Our company has received the statement of year end balances very promptly from the EPF with statements received upto Dec. 1997.
We were glad to see very prominent notices published by the Central Bank in all the newspapers calling for details of remittances sent by employers in order to finalize the member statements for the year 1998. In sharp contrast we have not received our statements of balances even for the year 1995. Since some firms have received their statements for 1995 we made inquiries from the General Manager of the ETF and all he said was that we must bear up and wait some more!
The same employers who send contributions to EPF also send contributions to ETF. If EPF which has been in existence from 1958 is able to send statements to members very soon after the end of the year, there is no reason why the ETF should be over 3 years behind. The government should scrap the ETF which is clearly an inefficient organization and hand over its functions to the EPF Management. The inefficiency of the ETF is bringing the government into disrepute.
R. M. S. Perera
Randombe
I was interested to read in Dr. Kolita Weerasekera’s article "Roadside Noise — Do Sri Lankans Care?" (your issue, of 6.11.98), mention of the ‘human megaphone,’ that he believes can be replaced by proper destination boards at the front and the back of buses. As a bus-traveller I don’t think I have ever noticed an absence of destination boards. What has not struck Dr. Weerasekera is that these human megaphones came into being only with the introduction of private buses.
The "unwanted sound" is not intended as commuter—guidance, but is ruthless advertisement to fetch in the bucks. No C.T.B. conductor has I bet ever been heard at a bus-stand or en route, except to ask the people to move forward, making room for people to get in. The article speaks of road side noise, so it would not be incorrect to speak of conductor cries at every bus-stop en route, damaging the ear-drums of the traveller; and it is in an enterprise where I believe canvassing is taboo! (Minister of Transport, take note) I was told so at a Transport Conference under A. H. M. Fowzie as Provincial Council Minister of Transport.
The second point I like to stress is my belief that Sri Lankans do not care. Often I find myself at the height of exasperation saying "Me mona Kegahillak the" (What sort of shouting is this?) and the neighbour on my right or left will not even nod or smile agreement — instead, I become a curiosity. The Sri Lankan psyche loves noise as it loves physical proximity. Very few Sri Lankans can go even without pressing on the person in front with his shoulder or his arm or his file, or without blowing or sighing in his neck. (I take the precaution of standing abreast in a grave!)
For about two days prior to the President’s arrival at Princess of Wales’ College, Moratuwa, for something or the other, there was blaring noise — perhaps blaring song, also, for those who did not want to hear. How this is explained otherwise than by pre-election gimmicks I do not know, but they disturb the ear. And this kind of incessant noise for some reason or other is common in our country. If the general psyche wants noise, under what rules do we educate them? For their own health and safe-guarding? Schools should take the cue and catch the citizen young:
Chitra Jayasuriya
Moratuwa
Hinduism is not properly understood
This has reference to the letter to the editor penned by Mr. S. Gardiarachchi in your esteemed paper of 12.01.99 where he states that it is Buddhism only which preaches the doctrine of Karma. This may be due to his lack of knowledge about Hinduism.
The theory of Karma has been in Hinduism from time immemorial. Incidentally Hinduism has no beginning hence there is no end. The law of karma is known by different names such as Law of causation, law of compensation, law of retribution, law of action and reaction etc.
There is no wonder that Lord Buddha stressed on Law of Karma because he was born a Hindu. People were attracted towards him not due to the superiority of his philosophy but due to the arrogance and atrocities perpetrated by Brahmins on Hindus. It is true because there is no place now for Buddhism in the land of its birth.
Lord Buddha has stated that his philosophy would exist only for 500 years in its pristine form. How true it is! Lord Buddha renounced the kingdom and worked out a system for the people to become free from miseries. But the so called followers now are deeply involved in politics and forget about Buddhist Philosophy. When Dutu Gemunu repented for killing large number of people in his war with Elara, the Bhikkus at the time said that there is no sin in killing people for the sake of religion. Probably this is what is happening today. What a Buddhist compassion!
According to Hinduism Karma is of three types. The first one is called Prararbdha Karma which is being experienced at the moment. This is like an arrow which has already been released from the bow and this cannot be recalled.
The second type of Karma is called Sanchitha Karma which is the accumulation of Karma of a person and this will be released once Prarahdha Karma is completed. This is like a stores from where goods are released. This could be compared to an arrow about to be discharged.
The third type of Karma is called Agami Karma which refers to actions of the future. It is like an arrow in quiver.
When one makes an in depth of Hinduism he will find that it reflects family bindings, management theory etc. embedded in it. It is ridiculed that Hinduism has several Gods. Here you will find delegation of functions. This is to convince the people who were living tens of thousands of years ago and who were illiterate.
Hinduism is the only religion that guides the people step by step in the individual development of spiritualism. This is like a student going from kindergarten to University Level.
The ultimate position of Hinduism is that God is within us and there is no personal God but God - state.
The vegetarianism advocated by Hindu Religion is being hailed as the best by all countries.
When we observe the present trend the time is not far away for Hinduism to become the World Religion because people belonging to different religions throng Hindu Saints for solace as seen at present.
K. Gnanendran
Clarification
Vain attemptThis refers to the opinion page of the Island paper of 20th January 1999 and a letter purported to be written by me, under the caption "Who lead National Sports Bodies?"
I totally deny having written this letter and this can be confirmed by the letter in your possession which has not been signed by me.
This is obviously the work of a twisted and perverted mind who is trying to create dissatisfaction and animosity between myself and my Chairman who happens to be the President of the Amateur Athletic Association of Sri Lanka.
Unfortunately, the warped mind of this individual does not realize that my Chairman is of a different calibre and on a much higher plane than this mentally frustrated individual. I feel sorry for him since his plan has not succeeded.
I shall thank you to give this letter the same prominence as the letter purported to be written by me.
Ashley A. de Abrew
Colombo 3
SPC replies to Mr. Abeywickrama
Price of EnamI write in reference to the letter appearing in your valuable journal on January 20, 1999 regarding the retail price of Enam (generic name - enalapril maleate). The writer of this letter Mr. S Abeywickrama is correct when he says that Rajya Osu Salas used to sell Enam tablets at Rs. 1.02 sometime ago.
However, the manufacturer of Enam (Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, India) and their local agents (Robert Hall and Company, Sri Lanka) did not quote for tenders called by the State Pharmaceuticals Corporation for this item. It is possible that Enam is now sold in the private sector at Rs 4.18 a tablet, as indicated by Mr. Abeywickrama.
However, I am happy to inform Mr. Abeywickrama, and others who have been prescribed enalapril maleate, that the 5 mg. tablet of this drug, manufactured by the prestigious Ranbaxy Laboratory in India, is now available at all Rajya Osu Salas at Rs 1.08 a tablet.
Deputy General Manager (Marketing)
State Pharmaceuticals Corporation
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