Ceylon Today Editorial

fielding wins matches

04 February 2017

Today will decide the fate of the Sri Lanka team in the current Sri Lanka and South Africa ODI series 2017. Our colleague reporting from South Africa had a piece in Friday's Ceylon Today about what many had to say about how fielding helps teams to win matches. It speaks of Jonty Rhodes, the brilliant South African who could have walked into any international cricket side, just for his fielding. Today he is a legend and still spoken of for his match-winning efforts with his brilliant fielding. It is his superhero type of action on the field that still remains in the hearts of South African youngsters who want to be like Jonty when fielding.

Many of today's players were ones that grew up on the Jonty Rhodes fame nationally and internationally.

The most interesting part is that his efforts actually were a follow-up of what the South Africans brought forward with greats like Colin Bland, who was the most spoken of, on a long list of daredevil fielders they had been having. Although there is that famous saying in cricket and mentioned very often even today that catches win matches, no one seems to pay much attention anymore.

Sri Lanka did not take the statement too seriously the last time out with the Proteas and lost that game in bizarre fashion paying dearly for the two dropped catches (there were others too) from two centurions. This is in the backdrop that Sri Lanka too had super fielding heroes like Dilshan, Jayasuriya, Upul Chandana and even Muralitharan to name a few, but no youngster was trained to be like any of them.

As mentioned above, South Africa at the time in the 1970s were barred from international sporting activities due to their apartheid policies; they had built one of the most formidable cricket sides to appear on turfs around the world at the time. They were the down and out of cricket up to the mid-sixties, and turned it around come the seventies. Apart from their brilliant batting and fast bowling skills there was plenty of attention given to the aspect of fielding. What people like Bland did on the field with his catching and throwing was not so regular with most other Test playing nations who did have their brands of good fielders too.

South Africans who seem to pay extra attention to their fielding according to Du Plessis who has been quoted in that article goes on to say that all their fielders on the ring in the first ten overs were all cover fielders. That is saying a lot about the consideration given to their fielding. In their operation there is always someone following the fielder behind the ball that is travelling to the ropes whether it is a hit in the sky or along the ground. And something unexpected always takes place, either cutting on runs or turning a ball clearing the ground into a catch. The one close on the ropes throws it back into the playing area where the man following him is ready for the pass and hangs on to it.

They have realized the importance of that calculation of two operating together bringing in better results, without being spectators on the field. It is a well thought out plan well prepared with full awareness for the operation to work like clockwork. The fact that Du Plessis saying fielding is fun and should not be a 50% matter, which is likely to come in if you let fear of injury take over.

There is a school of thought that fielding also should have averages against the players as in batting and bowling, Cricket Australia is fixing the system at the moment. It would help all rounders in cricket to improve their trade in the three skills; and should have a system to balance it off should they be off colour in their performance of two of the disciplines. If they feel that their ratings would drop as a result of this squaring off system in the averages and are going to hurt them, it would help keeping their skill levels up.

It would also help more cricketers to become all-rounders, and that would help the future of the game if it is going to be shorter version that is going to be the leader of pack. If that can be achieved it is not only going to improve standards but also give cricket a new twist with more teams having all rounders and skilled operators in the game. It will not matter all that much having to miss a good bowler who has no other skills over having good all rounder with more skills in all three disciplines playing on the international stage.

Daily News Editorial

Reflections on Freedom

04 February 2017

Sixty nine years ago, Sri Lanka regained its independence after nearly 450 years of colonial rule. It was a tumultuous four centuries that would alter the course of history and the country’s destiny. Sri Lanka, then known as Ceylon, breathed a collective sigh of relief as colonial domination came to an end on February 4, 1948.

Today, we are on the threshold of the 70th anniversary of Independence. The last seven decades have seen many social, political and economic upheavals in this country, some of which have left deep scars in our memory. But what matters ultimately is that we are free.

Freedom means many things to different people. In a broader sense and in the context of a nation, it means that the people are free to chart their own destiny. Looking back, there are many things that we could have done better, many matters that could have been handled differently and more prudently. The twin banes of politics and division stymied or progress and clouded our vision, as a result of which we have suffered immensely.

When we gained freedom in 1948, we were second only to then war-battered Japan in terms of economic and social development. Many respected Asian leaders proclaimed that they wished to emulate Sri Lanka. Yet we managed to fall off that perch rather quickly, as our politicians entered the dangerous territory of ethnic discord for their own gain. They pitted the various communities and religious groups against each other for petty electoral gains, a tactic that would boomerang on them years later, with disastrous consequences for the entire nation. The ethnic strife that began in the early eighties raged on for the next three decades, pushing back the country’s economic and social progress and eliminating a sizeable number of young men and women on both sides of the ethnic divide. In between, we witnessed two youth insurrections in the South, caused by the leaders’ failure to address the grievances of youth. The insurrections apart, political squabbling by various political parties cost the country heavily in terms of political stability. In more recent times, Sri Lanka faced international isolation due to the shortsighted foreign policy of the previous Government.

Now that the conflict is over, Sri Lanka is once again free to realise its full potential. Although the conflict ended nearly eight years ago, the previous administration did little to address the root causes that led to it. Instead of bringing Sri Lankans together, it sought to divide them further on ethnic and religious lines for its own political survival.

However, the National Unity Government that came to power in 2015 changed this divisive narrative, giving priority to ethnic integration and reconciliation. The idea was to establish lasting peace and extinguish any communal embers. There are many other ways in which the Government is expanding on the premise of freedom, from the Right to Information (RTI) law to the restoration of law and order. By ensuring the fundamental rights of freedom of expression, media freedom and the right to live without fear and suspicion, the Government is striving to make freedom a more meaningful concept to all Sri Lankans.

Sri Lanka has also once again become a respected member of the International Community, adhering to universally accepted human rights. Contrary to the opinion expressed by certain Opposition politicians that adhering to human rights norms is tantamount to a loss of our sovereignty and freedom, exactly the opposite is true – the more we disregard the human rights of our own citizens, the more we are susceptible to outside interference in our domestic affairs. Human rights are universal values after all.

Sri Lanka now has a golden opportunity ahead of it to accelerate societal and economic progress in order to catch up with the decades it lost to war. The Government has laid a firm foundation for an economic overhaul with a three-year sustainable development plan. Education and health have been identified as two key pillars that will add impetus to our freedom and progress. The empowerment of women too is a key pillar of freedom. While Sri Lankan girls have full access to education unlike in many developing countries, we have not fared well in some sectors – the number of women especially in the corridors of power is pitifully small and the gender pay gap is still a problem. These are pertinent questions that policy makers must ponder on.

At the end of the day, physical and social development will come to naught if we do not evolve a truly Sri Lankan identity that reinforces our freedom, which is not just a concept, but also a state of mind. We must feel free in every sense of the word. We hope that the proposed new Constitution will address this vital issue. For far too long, we have failed to identify ourselves as Sri Lankans, putting ethnicity first and paid a heavy price. Now we have an opportunity to rectify that mistake. It is an opportunity that we as a proud and truly independent nation must not miss.

The Island Editorial

‘Independence’

04 February 2017

 

Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka celebrates its 69th ‘Independence Day’ on a grand scale today. We are sure to be treated to fiery oratory by glib politicians who will wax eloquent on what they may call achievements of the country under their watch. They will also blabber about our glorious past and invariably wrap themselves in the flag in a bid to cover up their failures, which are legion. This, we have witnessed for the last so many decades under successive governments.

We wish we could pen something positive on a day like this when patriotism spills over into streets, but we can’t bring ourselves to be so hypocritical. How can a country which is subjugated in all but name justify making a grand show of its ‘Independence’? Sri Lankan leaders shamelessly grovel before the functionaries of international lending institutions, begging for loans, and tug their forelock to foreign governments in a bid to regain trade concessions which come at a price. They have no qualms about subjugating the national interest to their economic needs and political expediency.

The two main parties, the UNP and the SLFP, which had taken turns to misgovern the country until two years ago caused a severe erosion of public faith in democracy. Today, they are doing that together! The JVP’s two abortive yet bloody insurrections and the total capitulation of the traditional left to the SLFP have made the people fed up with socialism as well. No wonder the country is neither democratic nor socialist! People are even denied their right to give vent to their pent-up anger in the form of street demonstrations without being assaulted and arrested by the long arm of the law subservient to governments in power. Protests are crushed ruthlessly and it looks as though the judiciary had become a malleable tool in the hands of the ruling politicians hell bent on suppressing dissent.

Sixty nine years on, we are still without a proper constitution, to begin with. So much for the country’s achievements under successive governments!

The ‘Independence Day’ has long lost its meaning. The country has come to such a pass that family silver is being disposed of to shore up the crumbling economy. The national legislature is full of political rejects and no different from a fish market characterised by frequent brawls and the liberal use of raw filth. Rogues masquerade as ministers and some judges are mere marionettes.

Foreign powers are acquiring national assets and precious land for a song. Ports and airports are up for sale and at this rate not even Sigiriya, Sinharaja and Sri Pada will be safe. It is widely feared that the day may not be far off when the country is cut like a melon and chunks thereof handed over to China, the US and India, perhaps, along the same ancient boundaries as Ruhunu, Maya and Pihiti.

Time was when foreigners had to use force and fight hard to grab land here but today it is being offered on a platter to them by a bunch of failed leaders in the name of investment promotion and in return for kickbacks. They are the very ones who once made elaborate arrangements, albeit in vain, to celebrate the quincentenary of the arrival of the Portuguese here!

A protracted war was thankfully brought to an end about eight years ago, but reconciliation continues to evade us and the blame for this situation should be apportioned to all political parties which use communalism to create ethno-religious block votes. Western members of the international community have been fishing in troubled waters on the pretext of helping bring about ethnic harmony.

The national economy remains growth retarded and the country spends most of its earnings to service its foreign debt. Leaders flaunt even foreign loans obtained at high interest rates as achievements and unconscionably splurge on super luxury vehicles and junkets.

Meanwhile, the corrupt continue to be protected by the very champions of good governance who captured power by promising to rid the country of bribery and corruption. The bank of the bank has been robbed in broad daylight and the robbers are protected by the powers that be. They cock a snook at the law of the land and the judicial process. There have been various rackets which have cost the state coffers billions of rupees but they have gone uninvestigated and whistleblowers are being hounded out of their jobs. The multi-billion-rupee fraudulent coal tender which even shook the conscience of the Supreme Court, the mega paddy racket and the Customs SUV fraud are only a few of them. The self-proclaimed guards who undertook to probe and punish crooks have become robbers themselves. As a local saying goes, when the ridge and the fence eat one’s paddy plants whom can one turn to for relief?

Let the present-day yahapalana rulers who abuse power, suppress dissent, indulge in corruption, shield crooks, manipulate police and the judiciary and postpone elections indefinitely on some flimsy pretext be warned that the day may not be far off when Sri Lankans emulate their Romanian counterparts. Romanians who got rid of a dictator and pinned their hopes on Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu’s government which promised them a radical break from the past and a better deal, have taken to the streets against the incumbent administration’s partiality to corrupt public officials.

The need for a truly national movement to liberate this country from the clutches of crafty crooks in the garb of politicos representing all political parties and achieving economic and political independence cannot be overemphasised.