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Everywhere one turns
There stands a policeman
Or an army
Soldier with a loaded gun.
Checkpoints and barriers -
Have returned.
It all happened before -
And it is happening now.
We are living in fear again.
Fear of going to school –
Or going to work –
Or even going to a market –
To buy food to eat –
Is life to come to a stand still
Because terrorists can choose
To go anywhere
And call the tune
Anytime they want?
Targeting people
Killing children
Wounding bystanders.
What is the point of more and more security –
When terror hides in vehicles
And garbage bins?
Without stepping up security –
Please bring in PEACE

I appeal to the authorities to name the Marine Drive Lakshman Kadirgamar Mawatha as a tribute to the great leader who tirelessly fought for the wellbeing of the Tamils. Marine Drive runs through Wellawatte and Bambalapitiya both densely populated by Tamils and it is appropriate that this highway should be named after this great statesman. Mr. Kadirgamar fought against tyranny and oppression of the Tamils and paid the supreme sacrifice. He fearlessly fought against child recruitment when the so-called elected representatives of the Tamils conveniently chose to keep mum over the issue because of their own survival.

Thanks to Prabhakaran a whole generation of Tamil youth are being wiped out. Mostly all of them are from poor illiterate families like the children of farmers, labourers, masons etc., who can easily be brainwashed and transformed into suicide bombers. The rich and powerful send their children abroad or to Colombo for education, like Prabhakaran’s own children. As quite rightly pointed out by someone, Prabhakaran has proved that he is no different from any other southern politician. Kadirgamar was called a traitor by the people who killed him. But history will reveal at a future date who are the real traitors.

Coming back to the Marine Drive, numerous appeals have been made to the relevant authorities to light up the road. But this has fallen on deaf ears. So I make this appeal to the President to see that this place is fully lit up before naming it after this great leader and patriot.

It is reported that Rs. 1000 Million is being spent to stage the South Asia Games here. This is a colossal waste of money, which a poor third world country like Sri Lanka could ill afford, when nearly half the population is leading a hand to mouth existence.

It is worthwhile if it is some kind of Asian Games, where one or two Asian Giants are competing, but to pump so much money into an insignificant one like this is beyond my comprehension.

There are only three athletes from Sri Lanka and another four or five from India who are of Asian standards.

Others sad to mention are way behind. In countries like Maldives, Bhutan, Nepal and Bangladesh, the standards in sports are also low. Is it not better to stage a three cornered contest against India and Pakistan?

It was reported that Rs. 1000 Million is inadequate to stage the Games and they need some more, but I think it is much more a meritorious act if this money can be utilized to feed the poorest of our poor, who do not even have one square meal a day.

Hope I have not disturbed a hornets nest.

I work as an Operations Manager for a leading human resources consultancy company in Sri Lanka specializing in local and overseas HR consultancy services. After having served for nearly 15 years in the Gulf, and having generated valuable foreign exchange for the country as well as for myself and for my family, it is disheartening to note that Sri Lankans who still decide to embark on a journey to the Middle East countries to earn some extra money for their future and for the country are still facing the lopsided and lackadaisical procedures which are not only causing great inconvenience but also the chance of losing employment opportunities and valuable foreign exchange for the country.

During a recent business visit to the UAE and Qatar, we observed that the employment opportunities particularly in UAE and Qatar are encouraging.

There are so many doors open for us Sri Lankans as these countries are booming. Qatar being the newest destination, it is time that our authorities take stock of these opportunities to streamline systems and procedures to ensure that our people get to their destinations in the fastest possible time.

About three years back the UAE imposed a new regulation to get Educational Certificates attested. It became a horrendous task for candidates to get these attestations done due to the time frame required between applying for the certificate and the attestations by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the UAE Embassy.

It took between 1-2 months for these documents to be attested, and over a period of time many clients were so frustrated that they looked for alternative countries. Hats off to the Education Ministry which streamlined the system within one month so that candidates were able to obtain their certifications within 1-2 weeks.

In Qatar, a new regulation has now been imposed. The 15th Asian Games which is to be held in Doha at the end of this year, with 90 participating countries, will generate between 40,000, to 50,000 employment opportunities in Qatar alone. But the Qatar Embassy is now insisting on a Police Report and this is going to cause a lot of headaches for the Police Department in Sri Lanka.

All candidates must now produce a Police Report to enable employers to apply for visas. The procedure is very lengthy at the moment, and according to the ALFEA (Association of Licensed Foreign Employment Agencies) there are 4600 applicants awaiting clearance which it will take some months to expedite. Due to the delays, large numbers of visas will expire and the opportunities of employment will be lost forever. The first batch of candidates for Qatar, candidates who applied through our company, are in a dilemma trying to get their police reports expedited, and the procedure according to the candidates is so arduous that they are now thinking of not taking up overseas jobs.

This not only causes inconvenience to the agent and the candidate, but also to the employer as well. It is so frustrating that the chances are the employers may look to other countries to hire their staff.

Some candidates are told that the Police Reports might take between 1-2 months and it must be remembered that booming countries cannot wait so long to hire people. They need instant staff.

Countries such as Philippines, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh in fact are quick to resolve these matters and get their machinery in motion to expedite such anomalies in the earliest possible time.

In all fairness to the Sri Lankan Police Department, with the present security situation in the country, they are inundated with Police Reports. This is not just only for Qatar employment but also the security aspect as well.

The Association of Licensed Foreign Employment Agencies (ALFEA) has made representations to the DIG regarding the matter, and it is hoped that some system could be adopted to streamline the system and reduce the time frame for candidates to obtain their Police Reports.

If we go by statistics in terms of revenue (this segment being one of the largest foreign currency earners to the country) an average employee will earn about US $ 350/- per month. At this rate, 50000 employees earnings in a year would amount to US $ 2.1 billion which is a colossal sum when converted to our local currency. We are only talking of Qatar. If our deployment services are expeditious it is certain we can double or treble the revenues.

Therefore, it is time that the authorities such as the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment together with the Police Department address the issue on an urgent basis, and implement a system to get the Police Reports expedited speedily so that the country need not unnecessarily burden its already burdened citizens in getting their employment opportunities.

Two of Colombo’s elite social clubs have introduced laws under the guise of a Minimum Charge, ostensibly to increase revenue.

The irony is that it has been passed by a small number and not the general membership. An attempt made by a member to put this to a vote at the A.G.M. was brushed aside on the flimsy excuse that due notice was not given, although 7 days clear notice in writing was given. This law requires a member to spend a minimum of Rs. 1500 per quarter or pay up. A classic example of the application of this law is the case of a member who spent Rs. 51,000 in the first quarter and was billed for a shortfall of the minimum charge in the second quarter, as he could not visit the club for personal reasons, whereas, any member who spends Rs. 6,000/- per annum at the correct time is exempt.

Now where is the justice, fair play and equality of these clubs? Is this not discriminatory and a subtle form of extortion?

In the past these Clubs were run by a host of honorable gentlemen and ladies who gave numerous concessions and subsidies to the membership, and would not in their wildest dreams resort to such practices to induce revenue, nor hold the membership to ransom.

It is up to the membership to abolish this law so that they could with dignity exercise the freedoms and privileges they hitherto enjoyed.

A common complaint these days is about the rising cost of living. While the blame is generally placed on the government, I wonder whether people realize to what extent the latest “Super Markets” mushrooming in the country contribute towards this burden.

Having surveyed five different Super Markets located in close proximity to one another in my locality I wish to summarize for information and guidance of the public some ruses adopted by some of them to make unconscionable profits from customers who are mostly middle class wage earners or lesser folk.

(1) Items are not price-marked even after repeated complaints to management - both oral and written. They are sold at prices higher than in other shops and at times even other super markets. Customers must ask for unit price at the purchase counter itself so that they know how much to pay the cashier and can question any over-charge.

(2) Popular brands of packeted food products which are cheaper than others are often not available. Lesser known brands from dubious producers only are available at higher prices.

(3) Some food items which have dates of manufacture and expiry clearly printed on the containers are sold on the expiry dates and at times even after expiry.

(4) Various quantities of quickly perishable food stuffs like leafy vegetables, onions, etc., are kept polythene packed in unrefrigerated open counters, so that customers buy whatever is inside unaware of their maturity and freshness and invariably in quantities in excess of requirements.

(5) Price marked items with maximum retail prices clearly marked on the containers are billed at higher prices at the cashier counter. This is a very common ruse.

The common excuse of supervisory staff is that it’s a mistake, and this is accompanied by a prompt refund of the amount over charged retaining/destroying printed receipt of purchase. Some refund the excess magnanimously claiming it is a special discount. It is of paramount importance to check on unit prices of items purchased, as marked at the sales counter against those marked on machine receipts - preferably before leaving the sales outlet. For this purpose and any follow-up action it is absolutely necessary to retain the purchase receipt.

If ever a customer experiences this malpractice he should promptly write in to:
The Director (Consumer Affairs and Information),

Consumer Affairs Authority,
P.O. Box 1581,
No. 27, Vauxhall Street,
Colombo 2,

enclosing the price-marked empty package of the food item and the machine printed receipt. He can rest assured that his complaint will be duly investigated and necessary action taken against the offender.

I am passing on this information to consumers after personal experience with a genuine desire to help reduce the burden of an increasing cost of living.

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