Ceylon Today Editorial

Developing school athletes no easy task

17 December 2016

Up to the 1960s there was no political involvement, especially, in school sports events like the junior national and the public schools meets. We do not mean by that, school children should be banished from being in the limelight in sporting programmes. If activity related to traditional dance rituals and entertainment needs to be carried out by them it would be quite alright with their involvement in such activity at these events. It should be done not only with the idea of happiness in the minds of the VIP attending these events, but school children participating in these entertainment proceedings should also gain from it as well. At the moment there seems to be the feeling that all such activity, not having any costs attached to it, is done for the mere promotion of ministers' stature and it is nothing but political.

In the year 1962, in which year were the national sports festival was introduced it ended up as a never before seen event that was very successful, there was a need to have the programme held annually. Sadly while this new culture got in the act and developed, the public schools meet with a long tradition with adornments such as the John Tarbet and Jefferson and a host of other trophies decorating the 'Pubs' as it was fondly known was lost in the power of ministerial corridors, but, John Tarbet still holds sway. This should never have happened. Also losing were the athletic clubs that had meaning in the promotion of athletics to a great degree.

The new programme that is being introduced now is a very good programme if it is properly guided along. Regulating all sports is a must at this present situation. For it to fall into the proper track, then, athletic clubs should also make a comeback. The schools programmes according to what Sunil Jayaweera the author of this new programme was heard saying is that once the athlete came out of the school it is the federation's responsibility to get him to the international stage. If you look at the most successful of all sports in Sri Lanka Cricket, it definitely requires the cricket clubs to develop players' as well as the new evolutions coming through to the game. So does football which has lost its capacity to grow as a result of not having a proper club structure. It is only the top rung clubs that get the limelight due to their capacity to promote political agendas. In the lower level picture clubs suffer due to neglect. This is because the lower rank football leagues as with track and field that gets the opportunity, has no chance to promote activities of those who matter.

It is only athletics, next to cricket that has made any kind of impact internationally. Then what has kept Sri Lanka away from the glory it deserves in the international arena. Sunil Jayaweera in a recent TV discussion said that his new programme for sports will make certain that Sri Lankan schools will have a proper programme introduced to develop the kind of athlete necessary to get on the international stage.

From what has been seen in the past only two sports have gained from the programme introduced by the British who introduced modern sports to the island. All sports that were introduced had similar programmes but never got off to a start but for cricket, track and field that did well internationally. Most sports did have programmes for physical fitness and training but with the growth of sport was the requirement for newer methods but that got lost with Sri Lanka not having the potential with locals that were capable of introducing such a programme in sports.

Now Sunil Jayaweera has appeared with this new publication that gives the much needed potential for coaches and trainers to get involved with the making of the proper athlete. According to him, this will enable the physical trainers of the children to develop them into being international class athletes. Even in Europe and the USA the planning of athletes for the international stage begins at their schools. That is the age where the children grow, and according to Sunil, very soon we will have the athlete that can match their opponents in size as well as strength, and that had been missing in Sri Lanka except for some in the urban areas.

But, there is the sixty four thousand Dollar question to be answered, going from the latest school curriculum: who is going to be in charge of furthering their progress to fit these athletes in the international stage? Is Sunil Jayaweera interested in seeing all the milk going down the drain after going through his newly developed theory? Is it not the place to give it back to clubs and put it in the hands of experts; and if concurrently done, these specialists should also be developed alongside the programme either locally with foreign coaches and trainers or by being sent abroad through the clubs. This can be done by strengthening the clubs with proper financial backing. This is where the dormant National Olympic Committee can play a reasonable hand doing the spade work on this. That way they can serve the country better after all these years of helping only themselves.

Daily News Editorial

A boost for Lanka-Malaysia ties

17 December 2016

Sri Lanka and Malaysia have always been very close friends – the two countries are celebrating 60 years of diplomatic ties this year. Malaysia is less than four hours from Sri Lanka by air and can be considered as a neighbour in the Asian region. Malaysia firmly stood by Sri Lanka during its long battle with terrorism despite certain domestic political considerations.

In this context, the State visit of President Maithripala Sirisena to Malaysia heralds in a new era of friendship and cooperation between the two countries. This is the first visit to Malaysia by a Sri Lankan Head of State since 1997, when President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga paid a State visit. In July this year, Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi visited Sri Lanka.

President Sirisena’s talks with Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Haji Abdul Razak are expected to focus on a wide array of bilateral issues. Five Memoranda of Understanding would be concluded between the two countries covering the areas of tourism, youth development, culture, arts and heritage, foreign workers as well as scientific and technical cooperation.

The visit is expected to deepen the economic, cultural, linguistic, social and tourism links between the two countries. Malaysia is home to a vibrant Sri Lankan-origin community that exceeds 300,000 people. The British sent many Ceylonese to assist the administration process in Malaysia. Following the Pangkor Treaty of 1874, the British started the construction of roads, railways, schools, hospitals and Government offices in the Malay Peninsula to develop the country and to increase its revenue.

With the establishment of the Federated Malay States, a large number of clerks, surveyors, hospital assistants, teachers and technical assistants from Ceylon began to arrive. They maintained their cultural and linguistic practices in Malaysia. The Sri Kandasamy Kovil in Kuala Lumpur, inspired by the famous Nallur Kandasamy Kovil in Jaffna, is a well-known landmark that attracts Hindus from all over the world. Later, they organised themselves politically under the banner of the Malaysian Ceylonese Congress. Several well known figures in Malaysia were of Sri Lankan origin, including R. Navaratnam, D.R. Seenivasagam and E. Thuraisingham. Well known Sri Lankan politician S.J.V. Chelvanayakam was born in Malaysia.

Likewise, Sri Lanka too has a relatively small (around 40,000) but vibrant Malay community who still speak a dialect of Bahasa Malaysia. Their ancestors came from the Malay Peninsula when both Malaya and Sri Lanka were part of the British Empire. The eminent educationist and politician T.B. Jayah was the most famous Sri Lankan Malay, but many other Malays have distinguished themselves in a variety of other fields including Armed Forces, politics, culture and sports. These mutual populations will always be a pivotal part of the Sri Lanka-Malaysia relationship.

Sri Lanka and Malaysia will be seeking to improve their trade and economic relationship as well. Bilateral trade currently stands at around US$ 1 billion, but there is scope for expansion. This topic will be highlighted by President Sirisena at the Sri Lanka business forum in Kuala Lumpur. The Sri Lankan delegation will showcase the investment opportunities available in Sri Lanka to Malaysian investors.

It is also vital to improve people-to-people contact between the two countries. Travel between the two countries has received a boost following the entry of new airlines such as Air Asia and Malindo Air to Colombo, which complement existing services by SriLankan and Malaysian. Although Sri Lanka already grants the Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) facility to Malaysians, the Malaysian side is still working on the e-Visa facility for Sri Lankans (it is already available to Indian nationals), but we hope the facility will be granted soon, following the Sri Lankan President’s visit. It will lead to a major boost in Sri Lankan visitor numbers to Malaysia, on a scale similar to trips to neighbouring Singapore which provides visa-free entry to Sri Lankans.

Malaysia has developed rapidly through the decades, achieving a per capita GDP exceeding US$ 10,000. Malaysia has a thriving auto and electronics manufacturing industry – one can see a large number of Malaysian cars on our roads and that nice TV set you saw in the store on your way to work has most probably been made in Malaysia.

There are many lessons that we can draw from Malaysia on matters ranging from development to ethnic harmony, being home to several communities and religious groups. The geography too is diverse and challenging, with the country divided into Peninsular Malaysia and East Malaysia on the island of Borneo, sharing borders with Indonesia and Brunei. This has posed infrastructural and logistical problems. Yet, the country has successfully triumphed over these challenges. Malaysia is indeed a good example for other developing countries to emulate. Both Sri Lanka and Malaysia are partners on the journey of development and the current Presidential visit will reinforce these bonds.

The Island Editorial

Wooing a spent force

17 December 2016

 

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and Opposition Leader R. Sampanthan have, with the blessings of President Maithripala Sirisena, sought former President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s support for the government’s constitutional efforts, according to a recent Hindu report.

Why is the government so keen to involve Rajapaksa in its constitution making process? PM Wickremesinghe has provided the answer in an interview with The Hindu: The government is confident of mustering the required numbers in Parliament to ensure the passage of the Constitution to be made, but Rajapaksa’s supporters will be crucial to a favourable vote in a countrywide referendum.

The existing Constitution is seriously flawed and the need for a robust supreme law cannot be overemphasised. But, devolution, or any other single issue, must not be the be-all and end-all of a constitution if it is to have a wider application and be acceptable to all stakeholders. Regrettably, those who have undertaken to write a new constitution are manically focused only on devolution.

Following the conclusion of the war, international pressure was ratcheted up on the Rajapaksa government to set up the Northern Provincial Council (NPC) in keeping with the 13th Amendment to solve the problems of the northern people. Has the NPC been of any help to the people struggling to rebuild their lives? The raison d’être of that provincial administration is to clash with the centre, pass resolutions against the state and demand more and more powers. Shouldn’t the NPC prove that the powers it is already vested with can be used to help improve the people’s lot before asking for more? Regrettably, the conduct of the ruling NPC members, some of whom are also involved in commemorating dead Tigers, bolsters their critics’ view that they are trying to achieve the LTTE’s goal politically by using the 13th Amendment as a launching pad for federalism with a view to achieving autonomy later on.

Let the SLFP, the UNP, the TNA, and the SLMC reveal their constitutional proposals before urging others to do so. If the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe coalition together with its partners in progress such as the TNA, present a set of constitutional proposals acceptable to all stakeholders, then the need for seeking the Rajapaksa’s help to implement the new Constitution won’t simply arise. The Joint Opposition will have to fall in line in such an eventuality. How the 19th Amendment was implemented is a case in point.

The Sirisena-Wickremesinghe administration vilifies the Rajapaksas at every turn as a bunch of thieves who have ruined this country, and Prime Minister Wickremesinghe has, in his interview with The Hindu, written off former President Rajapaksa as a spent force. So, why should the government go behind him seeking his backing for its constitution making project? Doesn’t it think its dependence on Rajapaksa will not be to the liking of its western masters and the Tamil Diaspora?

It boggles one’s mind why the government should go behind the Rajapaksas. It has within its ranks former war winning Army Commander Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka, who the UNP says, would have defeated the LTTE with or without the Rajapaksas’ political leadership for the war effort and Minister Champika Ranawaka, an ardent champion of the Sinhala Buddhist cause; it also has the backing of the civil society outfit founded by the late Ven. Maduluwawe Sobitha Thera, whose patriotism was never in question. So, the government headed by President Maithripala Sirisena, who takes pride in having served as the acting Defence Minister at the height of the war, should be able to secure the support of the majority community for the constitution to be made. After all, PM Wickremesinghe has declared in his interview with The Hindu: "We’re all patriots, we’re all nationalists ... What we will decide on the nature of the state and other issues will be acceptable to everyone."

One of the present government’s main election promises was to bring the Rajapaksas to justice for what it called the plunder of public property, abuse of power and various corrupt deals. Therefore, shouldn’t the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe administration do everything in its power to fulfil that pledge instead of trying to enlist the Rajapaksas’ support for its constitution making project?