Ceylon Today Editorial

Sri Lanka’s cricketing history...

25 February 2017

The dropping of Chandimal after a successful 2016 season and not getting on in the following year, is his own fault and none can be blamed for his not playing the game in awareness. There is one good thing that has come out of the recent changes that have taken place with the selection of players. The system to go for newer players according to their performances in the domestic set up has been working to an extent. The unfortunate thing is its success being only partially working may not get the wanted results in the end.

Its working partially is the fault of the tournament that leads to selecting players from a very limited field. Although the overall picture includes schools, due to limitations found in the club tournament it seems to also minimize experience so necessary for the upkeep of a cricketer. There is a tendency for most Sri Lankan youngsters to not gain minds that are well developed for sports at school level yet seldom players are found today with natural tendencies. But, there used to be schoolboys who managed to find themselves in the presence of seniors at club level while at young ages and developed their strengths further.

The scope in the premier tournament in Sri Lanka is somewhat curbed, due to a number of causes. One of main being the lack of experienced players. The gaining of experience in a tournament comprising a fewer number of teams cannot produce those desired levels. Such shortages when found in the main tournament, where they have the chance and could gain the vital strengths to cope with on-field situations found in international games, such go lacking. These are vital for developing the younger players building skills in them and also the development so vital to their confidence and consistency. These have to deal with awareness, which is the proper mind set.

These qualities that are missing in players cannot gain a worthy level while playing cricket with others who have developed these qualities. Further, with fewer numbers of teams it is not easy to get into competition with such sides having more experienced players. And yet their history with the game that helped to make good their deficiency, is the reason why Sri Lanka is yet a feared side, even though lacking those vital qualities. Winning that World Cup within about twenty years of getting into their first international competition went on to prove their capabilities to a greater extent.

Today it is the ODs and T20s that are considered the most important aspects of the game around the world. It is where all that money can be most satisfyingly gained; the recent IPL auction proved it once again, with the prices they were willing to pay the better players. Even players, who got into international level recently but proved their capabilities, got the opportunity to go under the gong at good prices.

In Test cricket what is considered the learning point of cricket is still where the qualities of players are persistently under view as explained earlier. It is the cricket that is toughest to play; it is where you need to be perfectly fit to go on for five days on the trot. And yet, play that perfect forward defence on the final day and bowl leg spinners with the most perfect action. It is where the talent is exposed and players are considered to be out of touch.

In the shorter versions, the ODs and T20s, it is a different application altogether. It is a place one would rather not be when the going gets tough. Fitness is a most vital commodity and there are no half way measures going into the field especially with a sound mind. That is where the T20 is considered the most vibrant of all cricket played on earth up to date.

Sanath Jayasuriya sent back Chandimal to get more acquainted with club cricket. But, at Chandimal's level improvement can come only with playing in the proper tournament where his mental approach can get repaired. He will not find it playing in the domestic tournament where he has already been. Either that, or keep playing him at international level as did Marvan after getting all those ducks. What happened was they found that there was a glut of wicket keeper batsmen and they could take a chance with not making Chandimal to play; only he is to blame in this instance for not being updated with as to who was ready to step into his shoes. Where Chandimal has failed constantly is in the shortest version.

Daily News Editorial

Time for stern action

25 February 2017

Every time a boat overturns in rough seas and deaths occur, there is a public outcry for tighter regulations. The authorities too promise to do the same but over a period of time, everything is forgotten until the next tragedy occurs. But the latest incident, in which at least 15 people perished when their boat capsized while going on a pilgrimage in Katukurunda, has galvanized the public, the authorities and the media like never before.

The simple fact is that this was a tragedy waiting to happen due to the lackadaisical attitude towards existing maritime safety regulations. And it was an easily preventable one. An accident of this nature happens due to the cumulative effect of several mistakes that pile up on one another.

The first mistake was using a fishing boat for a pilgrimage. That should have been a strict no-no. As the name implies, fishing boats are built for one purpose and one purpose only – fishing - and can carry only around six persons. They do not have the facilities required of a normal passenger boat, such as seats and safety equipment, although even fishing boats are now mandated by law to carry lifejackets and flotation devices.

There is a ground-based analogy – normal private buses are theoretically not supposed to operate “special tours” on hire, because they lack the creature comforts and sometimes the passenger insurance. There are a number of companies that provide licensed tour buses for such trips, but they are more expensive. Most people thus opt for the former which is arguably cheaper, without knowing the advantages of hiring a tour bus.

The same goes for boat trips. There are leisure tour boat operators who generally fulfill all safety requirements, but fishing boats are cheaper and easier to get. This is where the analogy ends - unlike the road, the sea is terribly unforgiving if you do not know how to swim. Even if you know how to swim, the sea conditions at the time of capsizing could make you drown.

The second mistake was overloading. This boat had more than 40 passengers, whereas it could accommodate only around six. To get back to our first analogy, most buses are terribly overcrowded but the bus can somehow go on without a major accident if the driver is careful enough. But on the high seas, in a fishing boat, that equation literally goes out of the water. Overloading affects the very stability of the boat and is a recipe for disaster.

The third, is the apparent lack of safety gear on board the ill-fated boat. EVERY boat, fishing or leisure, must have lifejackets and bigger vessels must have at least one lifeboat. The regulation is already in place, but implementation seems to be a problem. Other safety devices must also be carried, including flotation devices, rescue ropes and communications equipment.

Lifejackets save lives, period. How many more tragedies should happen before we realise this? Again, coming back to a road analogy, motorists now buckle up almost automatically because they know that seat belts save lives. In the same way, people should be wise enough to don a life jacket as soon as they board a boat. If any boat operator says “no lifejackets”, just do not patronize his business and walk away. The Government should strictly enforce the lifejacket regulations at least now.

The authorities should also insist on the installation of stabilizers on every new large fishing or leisure vessel. They literally help boats to be on an even keel and survive formidable waves. It is a somewhat expensive solution, but it can make a boat ride much more stable.

Safety gear can only do so much, if the human element fails. There was an emotional angle to this boat ride, being a pilgrimage. But that is no reason to abandon safety precautions. Every traveller must know about safety precautions that should be followed in a boat ride. The media should also play a bigger role in raising awareness on maritime safety. The licences of all operators who fail to adhere to safety guidelines must be cancelled, as the Government has done in this particular case.

There are several places of worship around the coast that have to be reached by boat, including the famous St. Anthony’s Church in Kachchatheevu Island. The authorities should draw up plans to ensure the safety of pilgrims in consultation with the religious leaders, boat operators and the Police. The seaworthiness of these boats and their safety features must be inspected beforehand. If they come up short in terms of safety equipment, they should not be allowed on the highs seas. We can learn a few lessons from other countries that have similar events on how they ensure the passengers’ safety.

Accidents do happen despite the best of precautionary measures. It is vital to have a more organised search and rescue system around our coast to ensure that help is available fast if a maritime accident occurs. A holistic approach is needed to the whole issue, from regulations to rescue.

The Island Editorial

Cobra-mongoose cooperation

25 February 2017

 

Joint Opposition (JO) firebrand Wimal Weerawansa has been fighting quite a battle, during the last so many months, to have his National Freedom Front (NFF) recognised as an independent party in Parliament. He says he has pulled out of the SLFP-led UPFA. Strangely, resistance to his move has come not so much from the SLFP, which leads the UPFA, but from the UNP! Speaker Karu Jayasuriya has told the House that he will take up the issue with the party leaders, but it is highly unlikely that Weerawansa’s wish will ever be granted in that his move is severely detrimental to the UNP’s interests as well.

Time was when the SLFP, under former President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s leadership, defended the then beleaguered UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe and helped foil his rivals’ efforts to oust him. Whenever disgruntled UNPers staged protest marches and tried to surround their party office in a bid to get rid of Wickremesinghe, President Rajapaksa had the roads near Sirikotha relaid thus helping hold the protesters at bay. We once pointed out in this space that at the rate the UNPers were mounting protests and the RDA (Road Development Authority) was carrying out relaying projects in Pitakotte, we would have elevated highways in that area. The Rajapaksas did so not out of any love for Wickremesinghe; they knew the best way to weaken the UNP was to perpetuate its internal problems by keeping him at the helm of that party.

There is obviously no love lost between the SLFP and the UNP. President Maithripala Sirisena is consolidating his position in the government and trying to checkmate the UNP through the Treasury bond probe. The UNP is also doing its damnedest to undermine his authority. But, for their own political survival they have had to cooperate like a cobra and a mongoose holding on to the same log, in a violent flood, and helping balance it to avoid being drowned. This is why the UNP has leapt to the defence of Sirisena, troubled by the NFF’s attempt to break up the UPFA. It may not be having Darley Road relaid, but it is all out to prevent the disintegration of the SLFP-led UPFA so as to help President Sirisena retain his grip on the SLFP and, thereby, the UPFA lest the present government should collapse. The executive presidency is the linchpin which keeps the yahapalana administration together.

The NFF’s pullout from the UPFA is part of the JO’s strategy to isolate President Sirisena politically and weaken his position in national politics in time for the next electoral exercise. Sirisena’s loss will be the Rajapaksas’ gain. The JO’s battle plan is clear; it wants to enable the newly formed Sri Lanka People’s Front (SLPF) to attract the UPFA constituents and emerge as an alternative to the SLFP. Even some of the SLFPers who secured ministerial posts by siding with President Sirisena are now straddling the fence if their public statements are anything to go by; known for acting out of expediency rather than principle, they won’t hesitate to switch their allegiance to the Rajapaksas to safeguard their interests.

Weerawansa’s NFF may not be a powerful political force where its numerical strength is concerned, but its exit from the UPFA is likely to have a snowball effect. This is a worrisome proposition for the UNP, which is not yet prepared to ditch President Sirisena. For, its economic performance has been pathetic and its efforts to neutralise the Rajapaksa factor have come a cropper. The anti-incumbency factor is weighing against it. Public resentment over economic hardships, unfulfilled election promises, waste of public resources, corruption, abuse of power etc is welling up. It needs the SLFP to prop it up.

Interestingly, the UNP, which is trying to put paid to the NFF’s attempt to be independent in Parliament, forged an alliance with the SLFP, which acted independently without the UPFA’s consent, to form what is being described as a national government. The 19th Amendment provides for a coming together of the winner and the runner-up at a general election to form a national government and make ministerial appointments in excess of the constitutionally prescribed limit. But, it is the SLFP, and not the UPFA, which contested the last parliamentary election!

Weerawansa may be able to break ranks with the SLFP-led UPFA, but he is only hoping against hope if he thinks his party will be recognised as an independent entity in Parliament. All signs are that he will have to remain behind bars indefinitely.