Ceylon Today Editorial

Brace Yourself: Dengue Outbreak Expected

03 November 2016

Every year we experience at least two dengue outbreaks. Both of which are accompanied by the monsoon rains. This year, sticking to its strict schedule has turned up again to cull our population.

This year the last dengue outbreak was reported in July where 10,636 cases were reported, by and large the highest number of cases reported this year. During the last 11 months of this year, 44,535 suspected dengue cases have been reported to the Epidemiology Unit from all over the island – among them 13,806 cases were from Colombo, while Gampaha came in second with 5,766 cases. Approximately 50.58% of dengue cases were reported from the Western Province.
The total death count for this year until August alone is 52.

The dengue outbreak is a recurring case and easy to predict. The pattern of increasing numbers correlated with the monsoonal rains (from May to August and November to January) has allowed the local health sector to come up with a battle plan against the disease. Accordingly, the Colombo Municipal Council's Health Department issued a notice to all hospitals and medical institutes in and around Colombo, advising them to be prepared for another dengue outbreak this month.

The scattered monsoon rains which are expected this November, which is disturbing Colombo at present, will lead to an outbreak of the disease.

Similarly, the Colombo Municipal Council has initiated a plan to identify potential dengue mosquito breeding sites in the city of Colombo. This Anti-Dengue Drive has already issued red notices to the owners of 623 residences following inspection by officials, earlier this week.

It is obvious that dengue has come to stay with us. The reasons for this are innumerable and multi-faceted. Colombo (including other areas as well) still suffers from a bad drainage system. Once the monsoonal rains starts pouring down, the drains fill up flooding the road and nearby empty lands. The lands congested with water become a breeding ground for the disease carriers. Thus, the mosquito population increases and the number of dengue cases increases alongside.

Even though the work done by the Colombo Municipal Council is commendable, it is obvious that more can be done and more should be done regarding this matter. Steps and strategic plans should also be taken to develop and increase the infrastructure of the metropolitan areas which is one of the main reasons of urban diseases such as dengue.

Not only this, the Colombo Municipal Council should also concentrate on proper garbage collection and disposal methods. Even the latest method implemented by the Municipal Council of collection/disposal of garbage by using colour coded garbage bins is not taken seriously by the populace.

This new solid waste management system conducted by the Municipal Councils should adopt a stricter policy to take action against those who do not follow the system and continue to practise irregular disposal methods. Absolutely no one should be allowed to throw their unsorted garbage bags wherever they want. Currently the Municipal Council plans to refuse the collection of garbage from those who do not follow the waste disposal system. Going beyond that, the Municipal council should penalize the defaulters with fines or even legal action against them.

The most deadly animal in the world is the mosquito. It might seem impossible that something so miniscule can kill so many people, but it's true. According to the World Health Organization, mosquito bites result in the deaths of more than 1 million people every year – meaning that these tiny insects kill more humans than human murderers. The majority of these deaths are due to malaria, with dengue in the second position.

It is not just the authority's responsibility to prevent this bug from killing more humans. It is also our responsibility to protect ourselves as well as others.

Daily News Editorial

A boost for reconciliation

03 November 2016

Sri Lanka is now treading on the path of reconciliation after nearly three decades of conflict. The previous Government headed by former President Mahinda Rajapaksa was not so keen on the concept of reconciliation and appointed the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) only under immense international pressure.

On the other hand, the National Unity Government that came to power on January 8, 2015 has taken a genuine interest in achieving reconciliation among all communities and religious groups in the country. Both President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe have been personally committed to fostering reconciliation among all communities from day one. Both of them have visited the North several times, meeting the ordinary people and solving their problems.

In fact, this Government has taken upon itself the task of implementing most of the LLRC recommendations which were either neglected or ignored by the previous one. Its commitment to reconciliation and lasting peace has never been in doubt. Unity among different communities will be one of the main planks of the new Constitution which is slowly but surely taking shape with the participation of all Members of Parliament and other stakeholders.

However, reconciliation cannot be achieved overnight after decades of discord and rancour. It was a brutal conflict that pitted brother against brother and even if the physical scars heal, it is rather difficult to heal the mental scars. Many countries where similar conflicts ended several decades ago are still grappling with reconciliation, because it is a complex process that has no easy answers or short cuts. Sri Lanka is no exception. This is exacerbated by the actions of extremists on both sides of the ethnic divide who strive to fan the flames of hatred and communalism. They will seize every opportunity to derail the process of reconciliation and take Sri Lanka back to the dark ages, because they can only thrive electorally in an environment of fear and suspicion. In other words, their only political mantra is unabashed racism.

These elements have reacted with glee to several recent events in the North, with the usual refrain that the “LTTE is regrouping and the war is about to start again”. The recent killing of two university students, the subsequent attack on two Police intelligence officers and the emergence of a gang called “Aava” in the North have provided them with enough ammunition to take their communal agenda forward.

Fortunately, the Government reacted swiftly before communalists on both sides could incite racial passions further. President Sirisena pledged to find out the truth about the killing of the two Jaffna University students and five policemen have been questioned. Now the President has gone one step further by meeting representatives of Jaffna University students and academic staff, where he has promised to expedite the investigation. This is a laudable initiative which no other leader has taken in previous instances of this nature.

This type of incident can lead to a dent in the reconciliation process, but we hope the swift Presidential action will counter any such danger. It is vital to keep the public informed of the progress of the investigation at all stages, lest racially motivated political elements spread various fabrications that can damage ethnic unity. These are usually “shared” on social media which cannot be controlled or censored. In one instance, a picture that has actually been taken in Bangladesh has been doctored to show that soldiers were facing attacks in the North of Sri Lanka. Several civic minded websites have since published both photos and called the bluff of racialists who doctored the photos apparently with the aim of inciting hatred against the Tamil community among the Sinhalese.

While it is difficult, nay, impossible to “police” the Web, the Government and the mainstream media must do everything possible to reveal the truth to the public. No room should be allowed for communally-oriented forces from both sides to harm the fragile reconciliation and peace process.

To their credit, people in the North as well as the South have remained calm in the face of these incidents, despite the inflammatory rhetoric of extremist politicians on both sides. It is clear that the people, weary of war, have eschewed communal politics. This was evident during the last two polls – Presidential and General – where the voters rejected communally minded politics and politicians outright.

We need to create a Sri Lankan identity to go beyond the communal mentality that has kept us from realizing our full potential as a Nation. If you ask a Singaporean who he or she is, the answer will not be “Chinese, Malay or Tamil” – it will be “Singaporean”. Similarly, we must all think of ourselves as Sri Lankans. This feeling cannot emanate from the law books – it must come from within our hearts. Our hearts and minds have suffered enough over the decades and now is the time to shed petty differences and work together for the betterment of the Nation. The future generations deserve nothing less.

The Island Editorial

Signs of desperation

03 October 2016

The UNP MPs who made a futile attempt to dilute the COPE (Committee on Public Enterprises) report on the Treasury bond scams have sought to question the eligibility of the Auditor General’s Department to investigate the frauds at issue and put out a report thereon. They have blown, out of proportion, some limitations Auditor General Gamini Wijesinghe has mentioned in the report as regards the investigation in question. (What they have left unsaid is that he has compared his department’s expertise etc with those of the Central Bank.) Real professionals make no pretence to omniscience unlike politicians who think no end of themselves.

Interestingly, the protesting UNP MPs themselves have endorsed the COPE recommendations which follow from the conclusions premised mostly on the assumptions based on the findings in the Auditor General’s report. Thus, in the final analysis, these vociferous MPs have, in endorsing the COPE recommendations, subscribed to the outcome of the Auditor General’s report. (Elementary, my dear Watson!)

Having pathetically failed to frighten the Auditor General into submission with barks and affronts and incurred public opprobrium as a result, the UNP MPs are now assailing the credibility of his department. Their consternation is understandable. Having yelled at a female Central Bank official who testified before the COPE and scared her out of her wits, the heroes in kapati suit thought they could bulldoze their way through. But, when they took on the Auditor General they found themselves in the same predicament as the proverbial woodpecker which pecked on a banana trunk.

It is a pity that Central Bank Governor Dr. Indrajit Coomaraswamy has not emulated the Auditor General, who has been bold enough to brave the wrath of a bunch of conceited government MPs in the name of the truth. The country needs many more intrepid public officials like Wijesinghe to keep politicians who are full of themselves in their place.

An otherwise articulate Central Bank Governor did not sound convincing at Tuesday’s media briefing, where questions were raised on the bond frauds. He sought to obfuscate the issue with gobbledygook and cut a pathetic figure in the process.

The question is how competent the UNP MPs are to pass judgment on the Auditor General’s Department officials. Do they think they possess better qualifications than the state auditors to probe the bond scams at issue? It was Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe who told Parliament last year, when the issue of bond frauds was first raised, that the members of the House did not know a Treasury bond from James Bond. Many a true word is spoken in jest! The less said about our lawmakers’ educational qualifications the better. Thankfully, the COPE based its findings on the Auditor General’s Department report.

How can those who question the state auditors’ eligibility to investigate the Central Bank bond scams argue that Financial Crimes Investigation Division and the CID are competent to investigate financial frauds? Suspects are arrested and remanded on the basis of their findings! Our experience with the self-important CID officials who have ‘interrogated’ us over various issues at the behest of their political masters during the last so many years is that they should be sent back to school. It is thanks to them that the conviction rate remains as low as four percent. They are however much better than the members of parliament who question journalists on breach of privileges etc. We hope we won’t be denied the pleasure of being summoned by the COPE over our news items on its report. COPE findings and recommendations we reported on have been endorsed by 16 out of 26 members of the watchdog committee! We stand vindicated.

Let the ‘yahapalana’ politicians berating the Auditor General, out of sheer desperation, having failed to derail the COPE probe, be told that no amount of barking will help them dupe the public. They have laid bare their true faces.