Ceylon Today Editorial

Gambling and sports go hand in glove

24 December 2016

We have been discussing corruption in sports for some time and there seems no stopping this menace that has enveloped the sporting world. Once there were sports that used to be clean and played for the sake of enjoyment: Now all that has changed. The most recent report came out of Asia where AFC champs Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors were caught in a match fixing scandal recently. They are likely to face a ban.

Professional sports began with the introduction of special sports clubs who stepped forward to conduct games between each other for the sake of audiences that were willing to pay money to watch their stars in action. There was a multitude of newspapers and journalists to carry these stories as sports news of the day and many fans were seen in pajamas opening doors early morning to catch a glimpse of these reports daily. It was sheer clean enjoyment and the family then sat around the breakfast table and discussed what had gone on the previous evening between their clubs on field.

This is how various games became favoured by the public and stimulated the interest of the owners of clubs to give a better faring to the public with the idea of drawing in more crowds to watch games. The players who were asked to get this done were professionals who were paid high salaries. These very professionals soon began to forget their fans who by then had become far too engrossed in the very clubs promoting the sport. They began to be more interested in the money aspect of their involvement, than the sport itself.

All this happened with the growth of these clubs and the monies raked in by the clubs, who by now were far richer with private companies bringing in sponsorships, to pay player salaries and to get advantage for their products, which also became a lucrative way to earn more money for the players who became their brand ambassadors. These happenings took place mainly in the USA and Europe where there were many conglomerates who jumped at the idea of using these men and women sports stars that were already idols of their fans.

Zero tolerance was what went towards corruption set by the various sports bodies that ran the sports. But, corruption raised its head in many different ways around sports. The entertainment industry also had gambling going on along with the leagues but not part of it. Most in the gambling industry promoted other sports since they too had a large fan base. Other sports drew a lot of interest with these fans who visited gambling businesses to play. But, there was nothing wrong going on. Match-fixing became a big time business run by outsiders of the gambling industry. They are the ones who set up illegal gambling run by their people who were either connected to sports and also who had a client base to run their business.

As stated earlier, it is these people who connected the Asian aspect of sports with match fixing or it may have been the other way about. But, the fact remains it is big money that is connected with the running of illegal gambling today in Asia that is bigger than what goes on in Europe and the USA. It has been a big struggle that is being faced by the Asian football authorities with match- fixing and there are many big scandals that spring up periodically.

South Korea and China have scores of gamblers who are on the lists of illegal gambling runners, this very club spoken of earlier had already been fined US$ 80,000 just six months ago. But, there is no stopping the ongoing match-fixing, since the illegal gambling operators make much more and pay those involved in setting up clubs or its players handsomely to be in their ring. Little can be done to stop these operations, as the demand for it is much greater here in Asia. Do not forget the world has become much smaller today, giving these illegal operators more power to carry on their businesses.

Daily News Editorial

Christmas reflections

24 December 2016

“I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one”. (John 10:28-30)

It’s that time of the year again. Christians around the world including those in Sri Lanka will celebrate Christmas, which marks the birth of Son of God Jesus Christ, tomorrow. It is a joyous event that celebrates the eventful life of Jesus, whose words still ring true today, more than 2000 years on.

Christmas has now become a worldwide celebration that transcends communal and religious boundaries. True, it has become commercialized to the extent that some children apparently believe they are celebrating the birthday of Santa Claus. But if one looks beyond the baubles and glitter, Christmas is still a celebration of His Story, a story that profoundly changed the history of mankind.

Christmas is all about giving – forgiving too. It is about sharing what you have with others who are less fortunate. Jesus himself was not born with a silver spoon in his mouth. He was born in a manger in a common man’s cottage in Bethlehem. “This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him”. (John 4:9)

The recent controversy over the construction of the “world’s tallest Christmas tree” at Galle Face Green brought these issues to the fore. There were arguments that it was a waste of money, which could otherwise have been spent on the welfare of the poor. On the other hand, the organisers said the aim of the entire project was to benefit charity. The ideal goal would be balancing these concerns. Remarkably, almost all the workers who were building the Galle Face Christmas tree are Buddhists. Christmas has become a national celebration in Sri Lanka’s multi-ethnic, multi-religious society. People belonging to other religions actively participate in Christmas festivities and help their Christian brethren in the Christmas activities. Christmas is indeed an occasion that unites everyone across the board.

Christmas is a joyous occasion – there is nothing wrong in celebrating it in a materialistic way, but we must also be mindful of the spiritual importance of the day. Listening to the Christmas day sermon is not good enough – one has to follow those tenets. This goes for all the religions. In fact, many experts say that today’s society has become violent and crime-ridden, because people have moved away from religion and moral values. This is why it is important for temples, kovils, churches and mosques to get closer to their followers and congregations. The religious leaders must pro-actively spread the message of peace and non-violence. “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” (Romans 12:18)

This is essential for Sri Lanka, which is seeking lasting peace and reconciliation after three decades of discord. It is not an overnight process. Religious dignitaries and the faithful can play a bigger role in achieving reconciliation in our land. Coming to terms with the past is an essential component of this exercise. “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” (Colossians 3:13-14)

It is only through such a healing process that we can achieve lasting peace for all. In this context, we can seek solace in the core message of Jesus Christ – and Christmas – which has unchanged for centuries. His message is relevant today as it was 2000 years ago – “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you". (John 14:17)

But peace must begin from within our hearts. Shedding evil thoughts from our minds and seeing inner beauty is essential if we are to lead pious lives. We accumulate evil thoughts including jealousy, hatred and envy in the relentless pursuit of money and material gains. We engage in sin, contravening the teachings of the Great Masters including Jesus Christ. “Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy”. (Proverbs 28:13).

This Christmas should be a day for contemplating on the never-ending ‘rat race’ of life and guiding our lives in a new direction, sans wrongdoings and sins. Peace and compassion shall begin in our hearts and homes and then spread outwards. Parents have a special responsibility to ensure that their children grow up adhering to cherished religious tenets and moral values.

Christmas is not only about the birth of a Great Man, but also about celebrating his enduring legacy in a world torn apart by conflict. It is time to take His words to heart to make our world a better, peaceful place. “For I know the plans I have for you - plans to prosper you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

The Island Editorial

Daval Migels, Re Daniels

24 December 2016

 

Some of the most vociferous environmental groups campaigning against deforestation in South America are clandestinely funded by the logging industry itself to keep genuine environmentalists at bay. The tobacco industry is also notorious for using the same ruse to keep protests against its sordid operations under control. These big businesses seem to have learnt from pickpockets, who have their confederates at hand to catch them in case of a botched attempt and remove them to safety on the pretext of making a citizen’s arrest.

Many civil society groups, before the last two elections, promoted the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe coalition as a collective of messiahs who alone were capable of ridding the country of bribery and corruption and ushering in good governance. They are now screaming blue murder about the prevalence of those social evils under the present administration as well. One of them has recently accused their government chums of planning to sell a terminal of the Colombo Port to India.

These NGO activists are preaching to the choir, so to speak. The general public is quite au fait with the mega scams under the present dispensation. People were so resentful and fed up with the previous regime owing to its corruption that they voted it out of power. It was, however, a case of Hobson’s choice for them; they elected the present administration with many rogues within its ranks for want of a better alternative.

Instead of trying to educate the public who are already aware of the rackets of the current administration, will the civil society activists reveal what they are planning to do to remedy the situation? Will they at least hold a protest march to Temple Trees or the Presidential Secretariat? It is no use ranting and raving against the government leaders for public consumption during daytime while wining and dining with the same politicians at night. These hypocrites are popularly known as daval Migels and re Daniels—‘Migels during daytime and Daniels at night’.

Our Rathu Sahodarayas have taken on the government for not taking any follow-up action on the COPE (Committee on Public Enterprises) report which officially exposed the Central Bank (CB) bond scams. They have taken Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to task for undertaking to refer the report to the Attorney General; they think it is a task which should be left entirely to Speaker Karu Jayasuriya. They seem to have taken the masses for asses. Will they explain why they have left out the Prime Minister’s name in the COPE report and blamed only the former Central Bank Governor for the bond thefts?

Interestingly, the JVPers laid the blame for corrupt deals which the big guns of the previous government were involved in at the doorstep of the then President Mahinda Rajapaksa—and rightly so. They even campaigned for his ouster, claiming that there was no other way to put an end to rampant bribery and corruption on his watch. But, strangely, they are not out for the scalps of the beleaguered former CB chief’s political bosses! Their present campaign against the Prime Minister, whose name they have craftily left out, is akin to letting a cornered fox escape and chasing it with a tally-ho. It is public knowledge that the comrades would never have got the post of the Chief Opposition Whip if they had not been in the good books of the present government. Their battles with the government are like the fake wrestling matches one sees on cable TV ad nauseam.

The Joint Opposition (JO) is also full of daval Migels and re Daniels. Its cantankerous leaders have chosen to go slow on the billion-rupee bond scams and disastrous port deals. They are maniacally focused on flaying their bete noire, President Maithripala Sirisena while selectively flogging other issues mildly.

The JHU holds media briefings purportedly to expose corruption under the present administration. It has recently condemned the Hambantota port deal and asked the government tough questions, demanding answers about a vast extent of land leased out to the Chinese. It is represented in the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe Cabinet and the question is why those queries cannot be posed to the President and the Prime Minister direct at ministerial and government group meetings. It has mastered the art of running with the hare and hunting with the hounds.

People are left with no one to turn to when their interests are jeopardised. The Opposition is part of the government and vice versa. The outfit which calls itself the genuine Opposition or the JO also smooches with a section of the government on crucial issues. Ultra radical leftists, too, play footsie with government politicians under the table. Wheels within wheels and deals within deals!