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Mr. M. H. M. Ashraff, well said Sir!
by E. M. G. Edirisinghe"Sri Lankan Buddhists are only nominal Buddhists. Gambling and drinking is rampant in the country. To call it a Buddhist country the Buddhists must live according to the principles of Buddhism.’’ Though this remark of Mr Ashraff is not altogether correct as there are millions of good Buddhists here, I welcome his observation at a time like this. One may object to him and say ‘’You mind your religion and we mind our religion’’. But, I disagree because Buddhism is not a closed religion as many other religions are. It is open like the gates of heaven are open to the righteous.
When all the adults believed that the king had donned divine clothes, it took only a child to point out that the king was in the nude. I endorse the Minister’s remark to a national weekly not in the sense of a minor seeing the obvious but a member of a minority community sensing the reality in the country. However, before I set out to explain the implications of the observation by the Minister, I am inclined to define the attitude of the Dhamma to consumption of intoxicating drinks.
In the first instance, both words ‘alcohol’ and ‘arrack’ are gifts from Arabic to English language. Alcohol means the intoxicating drinks and arrack means alcoholic drinks made out of dates or grapes.
It is material to note here that Buddhism has no commandments. It only shows the way to make oneself one’s own master to be achieved through self-reliance without depending on any external being. A good Buddhist fears no god, ghost or demon because the gods are at the service of man who follows the five precepts, at least. It is only those nominal Buddhists who do not conduct themselves in the Dhamma, falls at the feet of gods real or imaginary, and make vows the fulfillment of which is promised at the grant of a favour or a disfavour to the adversary. So, one cannot expect the fear in which the principles and tenets set out in another religion are obeyed to sway and submit the Buddhists to honour the five precepts.
To confirm what Mr. Ashraff says, alcoholism is a shame on this land and the enemy number one of our people. It is the main cause of economic and moral poverty in Sri Lanka. Since this reality has fallen on deaf ears of almost all, at least you have opened their eyes with a characteristic bold remark.
Since Buddhism does not forbid consumption of liquor, it is relevant here to lay down the Buddhist stand-point in this regard. A Buddhist is expected to observe on his free will, the precept of abstaining from consumption of intoxicating drinks for several reasons and not because of a command. Its consumption is referred to as an institute for sin because it (1) incites quarrel, (2) acts as an agent for diseases, (3) makes one disgraceful, (4) causes impudence, (5) diminishes wealth, and (6) weakens wisdom. And, that is why one should abstain from taking liquor the production, sale and consumption of which are undertaken by those who are unmindful or unconcerned of these consequences.
Incidentally, one may ask how Sri Lanka a Buddhist country can witness so much of crimes and violence. This has a two-way answer. It means it does not matter if there is violence in a non-Buddhist country. It matters only when it happens in a Buddhist country. Why? Buddhism exudes compassion unparalleled in any other religion, extending even to animals making all living beings one whole family. So it is unimaginable to witness the occurrence of terror and violence in a country imbibed in the spirit of Buddhism. On the other hand, only when it is fitting to denounce this country for any lapses or mishaps it is considered a Buddhist country and not otherwise. Then it is a multi-ethnic, multi-religious, multi-linguist country. Within this context, how can this country for instance reconcile itself with the concept of Holy war recognised in Islam, Christianity and Hinduisim with the unequivocal commitment to compassion in Buddhism. Animal slaughter and temperance too, is the same. Within these contradictions in the society, it is difficult to draw a set of a moral code to steer the country to moral and economic prosperity.
On the other hand, it is the spirit of Buddhism that had made this country the home for diverse denominations and nationalities to co-exist with the minorities aquiring a disproportionate share of responsibilitiy and resources. A glimpse of the recent history will show that when the Portuguese Catholics persecuted the Muslims and when the Dutch Christians persecuted the Catholics, it was the Kandyan king who gave them land and shelter in the Kandyan country for them to live, and most important they were given the full freedom to practice their respective religions too. Where else in the world something of this nature could happen other than in a Buddhist country. Hospitality, tolerance, patience and kindness are some of the qualities the Buddhists have inherited from the practice of their religion which made every nationality to live in peace and harmony until the British introduced the policy of divide and rule under which we are still suffering.
Buddhism teaches that one who is an addict to liquor, gambling and women will bring ruin upon himself. So Mr. Ashraff you hit where it hurts most and as a Buddhist I appreciate your courage and forthrightness in your reference to vices in this country for which the Buddhist should get the biggest share of blame. Your statement carries a stamp of weight and authority. I hope one day wisdom will dawn on everyone and the environment facilitating and inducing distillation, sale and consumption of liquor will be removed or minimised as a first step to bring about a fresh beginning to realise a Lanka rich in morals and free of violence.
According to Buddhism trading in intoxicating drinks, arms, flesh, gambling and slavery will produce ill-effects both here and hereafter for the individual as well as the society. Finally, this is what the Buddha had to say on aquisition of wealth. ‘’Wealth by itself is neither good or bad... If a man aquires wealth by lawful means and without injuring others and is cheerful and uses it without greed or lust, and is heedful of the dangers of the attachment to wealth, if he shares his wealth with others and uses it to perform good deeds; and lastly, if he is ceaselessly aware that it is not the wealth nor the good deeds but liberation from desire and craving that is the goal, then when all things are done, truly the wealth of that person brings joy and happiness. He holds it not for himself but for all.’’—Anguttara Nikaya.
Sanitary landfill site planned for waste disposal
by Harini Dias BandaranayakeUnder the Colombo Environmental Improvement Project of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, a project funded by the Government of Sri Lanka and the World Bank, a sanitary landfill site with a daily receiving capacity of around 1,000 tons has been designed for construction after EIA clearance, as a solution for the increasing problem of waste disposal faced by Colombo residents, V.K. Nanayakkara, Secretary, Ministry of Housing and urban Development, told ‘The Island’.
Mr. Nanayakkara said in a report that this landfill is to be situated at Alupotha in Hanwella in an approxiamate land area of 60 hectares. He also said that the project would comprise a landfill, a compost plant with a minimum capacity of 100 tons a day and the associated infrastructure facilities. He explained that a sanitary landfill is a method for final disposal of garbage intended to minimize adverse impacts on human health and the environment. He said that unlike open tips, properly managed landfill sites are a very effective means of environmentally sound waste disposal.Some of the specific measures taken in the process of a landfill in the reduction of waste includes containment, collection, treatment of landfill gas leachate, minimization of the spread of dust, odour, waste and pests as well as waste inspection, compaction and covering, he explained. He said that sanitary landfills are also equipped with adequate infrastructure facilities for storm and ground water management, storage and workshops for vehicles, equipment, laboratory and service facilities for the site operators. He said that stringent monitoring would also be carried out to measure the effectiveness of the mitigation techniques and to identify unpredicted pollution sources.
The garbage disposal problem referred by Mr. Nanayakkara as the "garbage crisis", is most serious for those resident in the Colombo Metropolitan region, the report revealed. According to Mr. Nanayakkara, the current debate on the desirability of a sanitary landfill for the Metropolitan Colombo area is replete with myths, fallacies, misconceptions and misrepresentations that a meaningful dialogue has been virtually impossible.
The Secretary argues that the garbage disposal problem would only increase along with the growing population. "These trends combined with the rising per capita income and the changing lifestyles resulting in an ever mounting increase of discarded waste materials will lead to a further intensification of the municipal wastes generated in the region, further straining the capacity of urban local authorities in solid waste management " Mr. Nanayakkara said. His report has also estimated that approximately half the solid wastes (i.e. all waste arising from human and animal activities) generated within 20 local authorities in the Colombo Metropolitan region remain uncollected. He said that only 1265 tons out of 2538 tons generated are collected by local authorities in the Western Province.
Mr. Nanayakkara said that although waste collection serves about 80% of households in the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC), it serves much less in other Municipal Councils. He said that usually uncollected refuse accumulates and starts rotting on the streets, obstructing the road or is conveniently pushed into the nearest canal. This uncollected waste he explained, would encourage the proliferation of rats and vermin, posing serious health hazards to people.
"It is the poorer sections in the urban areas which generally have the least adequate garbage collection service or no service at all. Most under served settlements have very limited space which makes storage or transport of garbage to a transfer dump site difficult" Mr. Nanayakkara further explained.
Mr. Nanayakkara, in his report, has highlighted four basic elements which a comprehensive solid waste management system must consist. These include waste minimization, waste collection and transport, reduction and processing and final disposal. He said that in order to minimize the amount of waste generated, Sri Lankans should eliminate the "throw-away mentality" which involves limiting the buying of packaged goods. Buying loose goods rather than pre-packed goods, reusing polythene bags rather than accept another, segregating different types of wastes into segments so that the waste management authorities could manage each category individually were some suggestions he stated. He said that industries could contribute to waste reduction by using minimal packaging for their products. "The throwaway society is not a sustainable economy", he added.
"Whatever we do, whether we recycle, compost, incinerate or anaerobically digest, ther will always be atleast 20- 40% of waste left for final disposal. Therefore, all waste management systems must contain atleast one landfil facility to dispose of the left over waste from waste reduction processes ", Mr. Nanayakkara siad also clarifying that a sanitary landfill is in no way a counter proposition to recycling. He said that according to an analysis carried out by the CMC, only 12% of recyclable waste is constituted in the total waste collected. This, he said, is the reason for the need of a sanitary landfill.
As the existing system of Local authority responsibility for collection and disposal of solid wastes provides no incentive to reduce the amount of waste, the simple and practical solution is to charge for waste disposal, Mr. Nanayakkara suggested. " Although some people may resent having to pay a fee for waste disposal clearly those who use/ abuse the environment should pay for the privilege", he added. He said that fiscal measures such as a recycling incentive tax could also be introduced to promote recycling.
Language impediments and peace in Sri Lanka
by D. Kuruneru
Avadhi LankaSince the dethron-ement of the use of English from the position it held in the state sector and the adoption in place of it of the Sinhala and Tamil languages after 1956 there have been complaints made by the Tamils indicating that the implementation of the language policy has been lackadaisical resulting in step motherly treatment to the Tamil cause. In point of fact the authorities have taken too long a time on the matter and have been trotting out rather lame excuses such as a dearth of competent stenographers, typists, translators etc. In any case what is now required is a genuine commitment to the task involved without any vacillation for quickening the peace process.
There has been much misunderstanding between especially the younger generations of the Sinhalese and the Tamils because of the isolation of one group from the other arising out of the ongoing internal war and owing to the fact that they do not know the language of each other or even the link language "English" sufficiently enough to appreciate the mutual goodness, aspirations, customs and ethos. On either side there is a rich literature from which common bonds are available for mutual cordiality.
A solution to the problem that would be highly advantageous to the economy would be to restore the foremost place to the English language. If that is not acceptable, the alternative would be to start as early as possible the teaching of both Sinhala and Tamil in all schools coming under state assistance and, within a reasonable period, to make Sinhala and Tamil languages compulsory subjects at the GCE O/L examination. During the initial stage there should be papers of a lower standard in Sinhala and Tamil, provided that any candidate should be given to choose the ordinary paper in one language and the lower standard paper in the other language. This remedy would be fair and equitable to both the major racial groups of the island.
On the issue of the homeland there should be a campaign with the assistance of the media by means of talks, dramas, songs etc. to advance the patriotism of one homeland only for all citizens of Sri Lanka. The cry for traditional homelands raised by chauvinists of the north or south or elsewhere should be debunked as a spanner in the works. In that regard it is observed that Sri Lanka is only a minor fraction of the vast continents and other territories of the world and that our homeland is virtually a very small compartment in the enormous and fast moving spaceship called the earth, in which we are all temporary passengers playing our part till we depart for good from the face of the earth.
A person is categorised to be in a particular so called race because of the fact that he/she was born by accident particularly to parents of that race: it is not known as to his/her race or whereabouts before birth (or conception) and after death. Therefore an appeal is hereby made to the government and the opposition, the LTTE and the others concerned in our country that the issues at the national level should be viewed dispassionately purely from humanism and secularism for facilitating consensus in respect of the fundamental problems to be settled. In the process it should be possible and desirable to eschew all narrow racial, religious and caste arrogance, which is a trait in the human constitution. In the endeavour for peace no credit should be given to any political or other existing party as the credit will be due to be given to the combined efforts of all parties as one team against Satan who has been ruling the roost.
The government’s proposals for devolution of power have not been accepted by the opposition, the LTTE and by many other parties. The debate appears to be in an impasse. A pragmatic way out is to apply the Greater Colombo pattern of peaceful life to the towns and suburbs of other areas. The harmonious co-existence of the diverse components of the people prevalent in the Greater Colombo area augmented by an influx of residents of the north should be taken as a model for extension to all towns and suburbs in the north end east as a first stage. This could be initiated by executive action of the President. A task force can be appointed for the purpose. Such a course of action will wean the few people from a cry for traditional homelands. There is no doubt that cry started in sheer desperation of a situation which arose out of the foul play of politics.
winning the longed for peace will not only involve the termination of all military action and rehabilitation of persons and reconstruction of property adversely affected by the war, but also the demobilisation and diversion to productive employment of tens of thousands of combatants on both sides of the present military divide. These are indeed challenges that lie ahead. They are not insurmountable provided the necessary sacrifice, commitment and discipline are applied. To that end certain policies and programmes were suggested by the writer in brief articles already published in the print media.
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