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Instilling
principles into principals It used to be the exception, but racketeering and fraud in admitting children to the bigger schools is now routine. Education Ministers past and present have been hassled unremorsefully by this admissions issue, and tackling the problem has invariably become the story of their lives. The UNP's current leader was an Education Minister once and he knows only too well the booby traps and minefields in the admissions game. Why the former Deputy Minister of Finance, an educationist himself from his party should raise a shindig and condemn whatever moves are afoot to root out this corruption is therefore moot. Its political pettiness at its worst. Up-to-date, the decorated Bribery and Corruption Commission has not been able to snare any national school principal involved in the commission of acts related to what is (by far now) the best known secret in the field of education - that bribery and corruption are lubricants that oil the wheels of the admissions machine. The Commission, however, trapped a small mouse as a way of justifying its existence. A principal of a school in the greater Colombo area was charged with accepting a tea-set as gratification for favours granted. She eventually secured an acquittal from court anyhow. The Sunday Times has clear proof of corruption against at least one of the national school principals interdicted by the government this week, while another principal defines new heights in unmitigated gall by claiming -- with a straight-face -- that only 16 admissions, more than 10 per cent, have been improper at his school this year! Wrongful admissions are wrong, not only because they trip up the system, but because they also signify a thoroughly unfair disadvantage towards honest parents. Bribery and Corruption in general, meanwhile, is over the top. Hats off, to this Administration for at least attempting to reverse what has almost become an irreversible trend in this country in tackling the corruption ridden schools admissions morass. To
China with love But that doesn't gainsay the fact that China has been a steadfast ally ever since the Sino-Sri Lanka rice pact in 1952, maintaining its comradeship all the way to the construction of the BMICH in 1976 right through to the solid support offered to a besieged nation fighting a nasty separatist war. China's support, both in terms of military hardware and in soft-loan terms plus its support in the diplomatic arena, has been sans strings that are the core ingredient of Western donated aid, which turn roundly on the principle of quid pro quo. Usually, this aid is tied to a double standard where "negotiated settlements", or "kick-starting peace processes'' are made conditionalities, all of which sounds very rich coming from countries which advocate gung-ho military superiority to fight terrorism in their parts of the world. China by contrast has asked for one thing only in return - something very dear to their national psyche - that Sri Lanka does not recognise what they refer to as the breakaway province of Taiwan. But, there is one other subtle message Beijing has sent us, which Sri Lanka, scratching the bottom of the barrel and grovelling for aid as usual has to accept - which is that we do not recognise or have any truck with the Dalai Lama of Tibet. We have said this before, and let it be said again, that the Dalai Lama is probably the foremost Buddhist leader of the world today. He is also a symbol for Buddhism worldwide, arguably, someone in the league of a pope in terms of his global acceptance in religious stewardship. The Dalai Lama has expressed one wish, which is to worship at the Temple of the Tooth in Kandy - but we haven't relented in refusing him that visa - because of fear of offending China. We don't want to hurt a friend, and the issue was probably not even on the agenda for the visiting Prime Minster, but a diplomatic nod of approval from Beijing on this score, would strategically cement this solid relationship between our two countries all the more. Notwithstanding the Tibetan blip, however, it is only right that Sri Lanka and her people thank successive Chinese Governments unreservedly for their solidarity with this country over the decades. |
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