Ceylon Today Editorial

DEALING WITH ANARCHY

12 March 2017

The government has at long last decided to introduce legislation to ensure that the democratic right to assembly and peaceful protest demonstrations in public places will not be abused anymore by default.

That these rights have been grossly abused has been exclusively the fault of the government whose pacifist approach to gross abuses of the law has been standing out like a sore thumb as a sign of weakness masquerading as yahapalanaya. Yahapalanaya can never be effective when it is weak and reneges on its obligation to secure the greater rights of the masses to their safety and convenience in the public space. This attitude of weak passivity has emboldened these anti-social politico-social tyrants who have even been emboldened to treat the Speaker of Parliament with scant regard by crossing swords with him and impeding the smooth progress of public business of the House which is the sole purpose for which Parliament meets.

PARLIAMENT IS NOT A PUBLIC PLACE WHEREIN A TYRANNICAL OPPOSITION SMARTING UNDER THEIR WOUNDS OF ELECTORAL REJECTION BY THE PEOPLE SEEKING TO VENT THEIR PET HATREDS, ANGER AND FRUSTRATION IN A MANNER THAT APES THE ROWDY BEHAVIOUR OF SCHOOL BOYS CLASHING ON THE ROADS ON A BIG MATCH DAY. PARLIAMENT IS NOT THE PLACE FOR A REPEAT OF ANY ANANDA-NALANDA TYPE OF CLASH BY OVERZEALOUS TEENAGERS WHO ARE YET TO LEARN THE FINER POINTS OF SOCIAL CONDUCT.

The Narcissistic personality disorder is one of several types of personality disorders, a condition in which the near insane have traits that cause them to feel and behave in socially distressing ways, limiting their ability to function in relationships and other areas of their life, whether at home, school, office or Parliament.

They are conceited, boastful and pretentious, always seeking to monopolize the space in which they find themselves, belittling the good and hailing the bad. They only thrive when they are the cynosure of all eyes...even feel entitled to special attention and recognition. Some call it the Hitler Gene that will push a man to even mass murder if there's no other way to grab the limelight.

They want 'the best' of everything when they are not entitled even to the least in genteel society. They can't handle anything approximating criticism, purely because they are themselves drowned in feelings of insecurity, shame (born of guilt resulting from bribery and corruption). Psychiatrists hold that such people, to feel better, often react with rage or contempt and try to belittle others to make themselves appear superior. They do this because they have the inner conviction that they fall far short of the perfection achieved by their betters.

But the government has for too long tolerated this rampant destructive social evil masquerading as a legitimate, constructive political opposition.

The government simply does not have the right to subject the nation to this evil anymore...an evil that's growing into a hydra-headed monster rising up in every city, town and down every road, nook and cranny of the nation.

Enough is enough Mr. President. Enough is enough Mr. Prime Minister. Ye Cabinet of Ministers, enough is enough.

When a government wilts under blatant rowdy-ism that's threatening to tear the socio-political fabric of the country into shreds, it's time to blow the whistle, to sound the sirens which say that the enemy's knife is laid against the nation's jugular.

Hesitation will be fatal for the entire country and not for the government alone. One needs to recognize the fact that we are not up against forces which appreciate and know how to legitimately exercise their democratic rights, but against a force that's driven by – and is in turn driving – a mob uprising, with every sign of inhuman unconcern.

When the country has been allowed to deteriorate to the abyss of wanton socio-political destruction, it's time the government stood up and gave account of its performance in the sphere of effectively thwarting the forces of social destruction which menacingly stalk the corridors of legislative power and gets the rowdy hordes to hold society and government to ransom behind a mask of democratic dissent.

The government was changed two years ago...but not the tyranny that was lurking just beneath the surface, and is now emboldened by the government's lukewarm attitude towards this national menace.

There was every sign that the government was in retreat against these forces, but alas has apparently decided to at least introduce legislation, if not exactly meaningful and effective action - to dispatch this menace out of the farthest reaches of society.

One of the most ugly sights we've seen in decades was that of Vasudeva Nanayakkara warning the Police in Parliament that the Joint Opposition would retaliate in like fashion if the Police were to even lay a finger on any MP other than Dinesh Gunawardena.
That was straight out of books on anarchy.

The Nation Editorial

Dear man….

12 March 2017

On March 8, women around the world were flooded with wishes and complementary messages. Facebook walls were filled with messages, poems and images dedicated to women.

And then, things were back to where they were from the following day.

Yes, March 8 belongs to women. But what about the other days? Does it mean that you treat a woman properly on this day?

The woman would read the online wishes, smile to herself, and close the computer.

But what happens once she steps out of her home? The irony is that the Facebook world would seem nice and pretty than reality, at least on that day.

For a woman, life within and outside her home is a struggle which no man could understand.

Some men try to. But mostly it is a struggle only she understands.

A recent study by the United Nations Population Fund said that nine out of ten women who use the public transportation system in Sri Lanka are subject to various forms of harassments and abuses. What is alarming is that only four percent of them report their ordeal to the police.

The others keep their mouth shut because of various reasons including societal constraints.

The UN study deals with the issues women face in the public transport. But is that all? How many of these women have to walk into workplaces where they face similar ordeals? How many of them would have to go back to their homes to face hardships in the hands of their own family members?

Where do these women go to?

One of the important aspects the UN study has dealt with is the lack of bystander intervention in situations of harassments on women and girls.

We have had several studies in the past, and there will be many more in the future. Would these studies alone help change the situation? Who needs to take the initiative?

The woman is blamed on most occasions. “She should not have gone in a bus or train knowing that it would be crowded,” “She should not have worn such an outfit knowing the situation in crowded buses,” are some of the phrases we hear.

While it is acknowledged that such statements could be made out of concern, it does not solve the problem at hand.

Yes, sometimes it is best to avoid a situation where you know that you have a possibility of falling into trouble. But is avoiding the best solution? Avoiding problems will never solve issues. But in this case, not all women would want to face such situations.

But the problem is never solved until a woman can get into a bus or train without the fear of being touched, or even looked in a derogatory manner.

Those who ill-treat women should understand that their mothers, sisters, girlfriends, and wives could also be facing the same predicament in a different bus or train.

You would want them to be treated with dignity regardless of their class, or even their outfit. You wouldn’t want one of your loved ones to face the embarrassment that you are about to cause to someone else’s loved one.

You do not need the UN or any other institution to tell us how we should treat fellow human beings, especially women. We know how to. But sadly, we do not do it.

Even a male who has been a loner all his life has a woman behind him, his mother. He came into being through a woman who bore him for months. Every man has a woman within him. No man is complete without a woman.

Her attire does not give the man the right to touch. She wears them because she is comfortable. She may smile at you but there is a silent cry for help that you wouldn’t hear.

She has her own issues in life, issues that only she knows of. Let her travel peacefully, in buses, and in life.

Remember, a woman is not weak, she is just sensitive and kind-hearted. She smiles, not because she likes you, but maybe because she is nervous.

She may not be strong as you, but she is tougher than any man.

Remember, you are here because of her.

So, next time you see a woman or a girl in a crowded bus, remember that she is one of you.

Keep to the simple rule, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

Sunday Times Editorial

The rights and plight of women

12 March 2017

On March 8, various events marked International Women’s Day, a day dedicated to recognise the role of women around the world and their contribution to home, society and country, indeed the world at large. To call them the ‘fairer sex’ as they were once referred to as a compliment may not be politically correct in modern times, illustrating how the lexicon has also changed with changing mores.

Equal rights are their fundamental theme – equal pay for equal work as the men; equal opportunities etc., that have also seen the downside where men no longer offer their seat in a bus to a woman as was the case in a bygone era.
It is sometimes amusing, if not annoying to see diktats coming from the outside world demanding gender equality in Sri Lanka when this country has made vast strides on that front starting from universal adult franchise way back in 1931 to universal health and education access. Yet clearly, there is more to be done in bringing about parity.

Whether a stipulated quota for women in Parliament or Local Government councils is the panacea for all ills given the male-dominated corrupt political environment is questionable. There’s so much more that can be done outside the legislative bodies in real terms by the many women already engaged in numerous social service organisations. Unfortunately, the present generation has been unable to get as actively involved as their elders due to pressures at their workplaces.

Around the globe, there was a rallying call on March 8 under the theme “Be Bold For Change” calling for “ground-breaking action” to build a more gender-inclusive world. Even in the United States, there were complaints of discrimination with a demand for a ‘Day without Women’, with women workers staying at home on that day to prove a point.

Issues like violence against women, sexual abuse, maternal mortality, femicide and HIV infection, the lack of economic security and leadership positions and the lack of respect from the opposite sex were among the gamut of issues that still concern women worldwide. In some countries women are not allowed to drive a car and girls not allowed to go to school.
Amidst all this, we keep returning to one of our biggest issues – that of working women in West Asia. Last year, about this time, we referred to these women breaking their backs doing menial jobs in those inhospitable climes, leaving their families and a string of social problems back home.

There are more than half a million of these women workers and governments continue to give them step-motherly treatment even though it is their sweat and tears that put money in our national purse. We said last year that there is a huge dearth of women diplomats stationed in West Asia to counsel and comfort these working women who have diverse needs, some of them psychological.

Alas, this call has fallen on deaf ears – for years, at Government level. At least now that there is a woman Minister of Foreign Employment, she could use her influence in the Cabinet even if the Foreign Ministry is dragging its feet on the matter. As everyone agrees, March 8 ought not to be the only day of the year to focus on the rights and plight of women.

The rice scandal

Alarm bells were rung with the dawn of 2017 that the worst drought in four decades was going to create a major shortfall of the staple food of the people of Sri Lanka — rice. Foreign Governments were asked for help. But how much of this problem is of the Government’s own making?

In 2015, Sri Lanka recorded a good paddy yield showing a 42.6 per cent increase compared to the previous year bringing in a total yield of 4.8 million metric tonnes.

The Central Bank annual report for 2015 went on to say; ‘The increased paddy production during the year and the large volatility observed in production in the past few years highlight the need for the country to build a rolling stock of paddy through improved storage facilities, while encouraging the manufacturers of value added rice based products, and exploring the possibility of exporting excess rice production’.

However, Sri Lanka has now gone on to call for food aid and import rice on the grounds of a shortage. Despite the drought conditions experienced during 2016, farmers in Polonnaruwa (a district which brings the highest paddy production along with Ampara) whom the Sunday Times interviewed this week (please see Page 10) believe that paddy production has not been that bad to have to rush to import rice.

They claim that most of the stocks end up with big-time rice millers who are hoarding stocks until the prices are favourable to them. It is the main millers — commonly referred to as the ‘paddy mafia’ who dispatch their lorries to areas where the paddy yield is high and purchase stocks. Our INSIGHT Team saw one of the Polonnaruwa storage facilities, the size of a football field. The Government’s Paddy Marketing Board (PMB) is thoroughly inadequate to meet this private sector domination. In Parliament, a TNA MP accused the PMB itself of holding back stocks — in a Public-Private Partnership of a nefarious kind. The harvesting season is just starting and the situation will be the same, farmers told our reporters.

Small-time paddy millers say they do not get sufficient stocks to be milled through the PMB and that they do not have the capacity to buy paddy from the farmers as some of the main millers do by sending containers into interior areas.
Pakistan and Indonesia have come forward to donate 10,000 M/t and 5,000 M/t of rice. It has now become a bad habit for a Government to be asking for foreign assistance at every turn without putting its own house in order.

The Government has now given permission to import 250,000 M/t of rice and the import duty on rice was reduced so that it can be sold at a lower price. However, there is evidence that the imported rice is being mixed with local rice and sold at a higher price. The Consumer Affairs Authority is conducting raids, but with limited officials it has faced problems.
As a result, consumers continue to pay a high price for rice – between Rs 80 and 100 a kg, adding to the cost of living.

Then there is the unscrupulous trader who uses a deadly dye to turn white rice to red. In Polonnaruwa, a court held that a consignment was not even fit for animals and had to be burnt as our front page picture depicted a fortnight back. The trader was fined Rs. 3,000 for this as the law stipulates. From top to bottom, the business of rice reeks.

Sunday Observer Editorial

Dengue vs. tourism

12 March 2017

Dengue is raising its head again and this country’s health care system as well as public sanitary infrastructure and urban sanitation need revitalizing and purposeful action if things are not to go out of control.

When a foreign government advises its citizens to be cautious about the dengue illness in Sri Lanka, it takes the impact of this disease beyond its direct human toll.

The warning was by the United Kingdom’s government to all British citizens intending to visit this country. The ‘travel advisory’ as these warnings are termed, warned visitors to Sri Lanka from the UK that since there is an increase in the outbreak of the disease, they face a greater risk of being affected.

Dengue is transmitted by a certain type of mosquito and, if improperly treated, could be fatal to those affected by it. At present, there are close to 20,000 cases of the illness although fatalities are not high – yet.

The Ministry of Health currently undertakes a continuous island wide campaign to combat the disease-bearing mosquito. While the campaign may have prevented the impact of the disease from becoming a serious health disaster, the fact that there is an increase in the number of cases indicates that current levels of action are inadequate.

Generally, thanks to past generous State investment in the national health system, the country’s medical care has substantially coped with the disease. The public health system has been competent in detecting cases and ensuring rapid medical treatment so that the fatalities from dengue have been restricted.

What seems to be lacking is the ability to control the spread of the disease via the mosquito. This is not so much about medical action as about urban sanitation conditions and mosquito prevention.

Prevention of the disease can be by means of an effective vaccine on the one hand and, on the other, by the combating of the spread of the dengue mosquito. An anti-dengue vaccine yet awaits its inventor. That is something sought the world over in both, rich and poor countries.

Fighting the spread of dengue mosquitoes is the crucial preventive dimension which is a major challenge due to the sheer scale of the required action. Since the dengue mosquito is nurtured by the smallest sheltered moisture deposit –even damp sand – it is an enormous challenge to detect and fix every single such nook and cranny in every building, house compound, storm drain, roadside, and urban and rural water bodies. It involves the tightest possible management of water disposal. It must aim at controlling or stopping the reproduction of the dengue mosquito.

It is not enough to have occasional public campaigns and infrequent building and property inspections. Every local government body and local health unit must be adequately equipped for such sustained surveillance as well as guidance of the public. Every local authority must be equipped with staff and legal resources to enforce the anti-dengue regulations.

Despite the successive epidemics of dengue over the last few decades, despite the fatalities, the dengue prevention measures remain sporadic while the preventive systems remain weak in terms of staffing and other resources.

If the issue is one of budget, then the math is simple, especially, after the UK government health advisory issued to visitors from the UK. If originally the direct impact of dengue endangered the lives of just us, poor Sri Lankans, now it is a matter of an impact on the tourism industry, a most important pillar of the national economy.

Thus, any ‘savings’ by reduced investments in public health systems and urban infrastructure are likely to be off-set by the potentially even bigger losses to the tourism industry and the economy caused by the dengue deterrent. Perhaps the tourism industry might be a more effective advocate than our medical community in calling for serious public investment in preventive action against dengue.

What is needed is for governmental initiative in comprehensive preventive measures.

Political culture?

Two of the country’s most prominent politicians were in the dock, as it were, last week for their public behaviour as politicians.

Dinesh Gunawardena, the more senior and with the more distinguished pedigree, found himself in trouble in Parliament after his behaviour in the House obstructed proceedings to the extent that he had to be thrown out.

When the Speaker ruled against the recognition of the National Freedom Front as a separate political party in the legislature, Mr. Gunawardena joined fellow MPs of the UPFA dissident faction in causing an uproar. Sadly, this veteran politician, himself, the son of an early great national leader, failed to heed the Speaker’s request for calm and found himself temporarily banned from the House for a week.

If this incident may be seen as misplaced chivalry, MP Bandula Gunawardena, while not of the same august pedigree as the MEP leader, found himself in much hotter water.

He was hauled up before the Presidential Commission examining the Central Bank bonds issue for apparently making a false statement regarding the Commission proceedings. The Honourable Member did not hesitate to admit to the Commission that his statement to the media was untrue.

What both these senior politicians must keep in mind is that such violation of institutional norms have become so ‘normal’ in society. Indeed there is the danger that many citizens may even see such behaviour as acceptable.

If such senior leaders are not to set an example by their own personal behaviour, who should?

Sunday Island Editorial

Vulgar theatre

12 March 2017

 

Friday’s unruly behavior in Parliament is nothing new to Lankans who are largely acclimatized to rowdy scenes in the legislature. Although these events do grab headlines and television and radio time, as happened on this occasion, many will agree that they are hardly newsworthy – except perhaps to make people wonder yet again why their tax rupees are wasted in lavishly supporting their representatives who are embroiled in fighting each other over their own petty issues rather than effectively coming to grips with matters of importance to the country. About two years ago, Speaker Karu Jayasuriya revealed that as much as Rs. 4.6 million a day is spent on parliamentary sittings. We do not know what that figure included – possibly the mere establishment cost of the sittings excluding the ever growing fat emoluments and perks that our lawmakers enjoy. However that be, it must have surely gone up like everything else since 2015. Maybe our Parliament is better than the Tamil Nadu State Assembly at its worst. But we must be ranking high in the list of the world’s most riotous legislatures if such a list has ever been compiled.

When an opposition frontbencher, unable to have his way, asked Speaker Jayasuriya to "act according to his conscience," the speaker was able to say he always does that. Given the even handed manner in which he conducts the affairs of the House and his gentlemanly conduct in and out of the legislature, there will be little disagreement on that score. The current issue the JO is fighting relates to Mr. Wimal Weerawansa’s claim that his National Freedom Front is no longer a constituent of the United People’s Freedom Alliance under whose banner he and the rest of his group were elected to the sitting Parliament. He wants the NFF recognized as a distinct independent entity. What is implied but remains unsaid is that he should be accorded privileges that go with such status including the right to attend party leaders meetings, make statements on important issues etc. When former President Mahinda Rajapaksa suffered an unexpected defeat at the prematurely called presidential election in 2015, the leadership of the SLFP was thrust on the winning candidate. There was no opposition to that from within an SLFP then licking its wounds. The president thereupon took steps to consolidate his hold over the blue party of which he had long been a loyalist and the SLFP-led UPFA. Weerawansa is very much a part of the JO and a loyalist of the former president as are many others who were elected to the incumbent Parliament on the UPFA ticket. Withdrawing from the UPFA and claiming an independent existence is no more than a barely disguised attempt by Weerawansa to butter his bread on both sides.

When the speaker permitted the JO, rather than the opposition which includes the JVP and the TNA, to vent their spleen on Friday, the Leader of the House, Mr. Lakshman Kirliella, took umbrage and led the government MPs out of the chamber. He had argued that the interminable squabbling was becoming entrenched and parliamentary time was being wasted to the detriment of government business. The speaker, who said he had agreed to let the JO have their say kept his word and the government side (for the first time in parliamentary history it was reported yesterday) walked out. Jayasuriya wisely adjourned proceedings till March 21. Whether the interim would serve as a cooling-off period or whether events occurring outside such as numerous street protests hampering traffic movements on already overcrowded roads remains to be seen. We can be happy that our legislators have at least not lost their sense of humor. An opposition colleague asked Kiriella who re-entered the chamber after the House adjourned whether he had ensured and early end to proceedings "so that you’ll can go for the match?" The smiling minister gathered his papers and left.

The country is in the throes of the worst droughts in a decade and close to a million people are in dire need of relief. Quite apart from trucking drinking water to those in acute distress, provisions will have to be made to compensate farmers who were unable to cultivate their fields the last season. Large numbers urgently require food assistance. Yet, in such a scenario, Parliament had a few days ago passed a supplementary estimate of nearly Rs. 500 million to buy luxury vehicles for 11 ministers, state ministers and others including the leader of the opposition – something a columnist writing for this issue has seen as "obscene." But the stridently vociferous JO MP’s as The Island noted on Friday was silent on "yahapalana extravagance, MPs privileges." Queried on the subject at a press conference last week, JO leaders lamely admitted that they haven’t taken a stance on such expenditure knowing, no doubt, that they had done much the same. All but one of the vehicles to be purchased will each cost the taxpayer over Rs. 40 million! The cheaper one is some Rs. 37 million! As a reader’s letter said yesterday, the picture is dismal with irredeemable debt, unfavorable markets, diminished reserves, flight of foreign capital, lack of FDI, declining rupee values and increased street unrest. "But undeterred by misfortune, if the press report is correct, the cabinet has approved and the House will no doubt dutifully follow, a massive provision of 143 million, to allow the payment of 100,000 rupees a month per MP to equip their electorate offices!"

The political class must realize that these words encompass public opinion. But we have rulers who buy loyalty by lining the pockets of the MPs, both in the government and opposition, and bestowing cabinet office with fat salaries and lavish perquisites for the sole purpose of remaining in power. People rejected by the electorate have been brought into Parliament via national lists and anointed with higher office. Given all its weaknesses let Parliament at least now reduce making the legislature a platform of vulgar theatre. Calling on the so-called "Honorable Members" to totally desist will be a waste of breath.