Letters
View(s):War victory: Pay tribute but show no triumphalism
The Government, for the fifth consecutive year, celebrated the war victory with all the pomp and pageantry that goes with it.
‘It is better to control yourself than to win a thousand battles. Then the victory is yours; it cannot be taken from you, not by angels or by demons, heaven or hell’.—The Buddha
New mottos and maxims are created to describe the annual event on May 18 — from ‘war victory’ a few years ago to last week’s ‘peace victory’. The attitude or belief that a particular race is superior to and should triumph over the others is known as triumphalism. A triumphalist derives a sense of security, pride or virtue through a belief in superiority: “My victory is somebody else’s defeat”. Excessive celebration of the defeat of opponents within a plural society, quite naturally, would hurt the wounded party; consequentially it affects the harmonious relationships among different ethnic groups, especially in a secular state like ours.
‘Victory breeds enmity; the vanquished one dwells in sorrow; the composed person lives happily, disregarding both victory and defeat’. -Verse 201: Dhammapada.
What is unacceptable is that we disallow people within the war-affected areas to commemorate their loved ones who died in the battle. The political settlement to the national question that has been dragging for decades will drag on further with less hopes.
The JVP, which went on a killing spree in 1988/89, murdering politicians, academics, artistes and those who defied its orders, are free to commemorate its ‘heroes’ annually in a Maha Viru Day! Why these double standards? The minorities should have the freedom to mourn or commemorate the death of their loved ones as well. Issuing death threats to students and academics in the Jaffna University or closing down academic institutions during the anniversary periods will produce negative results. Subjecting the Jaffna citizens to such repressive measures will not help in the reconciliation process.
Every year on May 8/9, the world marks a day in commemoration of those who lost their lives during World War II. The day was designated by Resolution 59/26 of the United Nations General Assembly on November 22, 2004. The resolution urges member states, organisations of the UN system, non-governmental organisations and others to pay tribute to the victims of WW II.
Let us hope that the sixth anniversary of the war victory will be called a ‘Day of Paying Tribute to Victims’. The 1971 insurgency and the dark days of 1983, ‘88 and ’89 and all other political and ethno-religious disasters and catastrophes should not happen again in this ‘Thrice Blessed Island’ of ours. Let’s ban all individual or party commemorations of ‘heroes, victories or defeats’ in future!
K. K. S. Perera
Panadura
Yes, the honest policeman does exist
We always undervalue police officers. Traffic policemen, in particular, are categorised as a selfish bunch of opportunists. The honest policeman who does his duty by the book is almost unheard of. But yes, he does exist.
I am a professional tour guide. On February 21, I was on a tour with a young couple from Australia who had selected Sri Lanka to spend their honeymoon, mainly because of the friendly people, culture and the beauty of the country.
As we were approaching the Pinnawela elephant orphanage, my guest Damien started applying sun protection cream on his body. I parked the car on the right side of the road as there was no room in the car park. We went to the orphanage, spent some time there and came back to the car.
As I unlocked the car, Damien started searching the floorboard and the carpets underneath the front seats. When I inquired what he was looking for, his answer shocked me. He said it was his wedding ring. He had taken it off and kept it on his T- shirt when he was applying cream on his body, but had forgotten to put it back before getting off the car.
It was not inside the car. We started looking for it on the ground alongside. The road was filled with dead leaves and there was a drain, also filled with dead leaves and mud which made our search more difficult. A few people came to help us and there was this policeman in traffic uniform who asked us in a friendly manner what we were looking for and joined in our search.
After about half an hour I gave up hope of finding the ring, but gave more time to my guest to make a decision. At this time there was a person who found the ring and tried to conceal it by pressing it further down in to the mud. But he failed to get away from the eagle eye of the policeman. To our amazement, the officer held up the ring displaying it proudly. The young Australian girl looked at the policeman, with tears in her eyes. It was a touching moment.
Damien was so grateful and thanked the officer who had saved his honeymoon and his tour. He quickly pulled out his wallet and offered a couple of thousands of rupees, but this officer refused to accept any money. I was happy too that this man of the law offered his services to the public without being asked and did not seek or accept any reward. The couple thanked all who participated in the search especially the officer. The girl, still tearful, put her hands together and thanked everybody.
I write this experience, because I feel I should inform the public of the remarkable service of Police officer Dasanayake who was serving at the Rambukkana Police station. He made me and my country proud.
Anton C. Perera
Via email
Domed structure not Rajasinha’s dungeon
A strange little domed structure by the side of the Ceylinco building in the Fort is often publicised as the dungeon where our last king, Sri Vikrama Rajasinha, was imprisoned before being shipped off to India.
This is not correct as Dr. Sarathchandra Edirisinghe makes it clear in his article on Gaspar de Figueira [ST Plus 11/5]. It had been an ammunition store from Portuguese times. He quotes Dr. Louis Nell – “At the end of York Street…..stood an old casemated Powder Magazine.”
Dr. Edirisinghe also quotes J.P. Lewis: “I myself distinctly remember the sentry box like structure …. It stood between the …old Surveyor General’s Office and the Echelon Barracks and was not demolished but covered up”. That is, until its uncovering, and mistaken identification, in recent times.
In fairness to the Brits, our last king and his entourage were accommodated, in reasonable comfort, in Mutwal’s Whist Bungalow from where he was taken in a carriage to the harbour and into exile.
T.D.
Via email
Confirmation does not guarantee a seat on SriLankan
I came to the Mumbai Airport Terminal 2 around 11pm on May 13 and proceeded towards the check-in counter at isle “E”. There were no SriLankan Airlines officials at that time. The counter opened just after 12 am on May 14.
Two Sri Lankans were in the queue and I was the third. Later, many foreigners joined the queue.
Fifteen minutes later a SriLankan Airlines official asked us if we were Sri Lankans. When we said ‘yes’, we were asked to leave the queue and line up separately near the last counter (number E-14, if my memory serves me correct). But they let the foreigners check in at the counter.
I sought an explanation from the manageress of SriLankan Airlines. She said the flight was overbooked and some passengers would have to go on a Jet Airways flight or else go via Chennai. I told her that I had a confirmed seat on flight UL 142 and that I would not be going on any other flight. She then took my ticket and I was checked in via the Business Class counter as all the other counters were full.
It is of grave concern that having a confirmed seat on SriLankan Airlines one could still be prevented from taking the flight. I have flown many airlines but have never been confronted with such a situation. Compounding this fact is that I was the third in the queue.
I will not be flying SriLankan Airlines hereafter unless I have no option.
PK
Via email
Tobacco singlehandedly dwarfs all other evils
As expected the tobacco industry fought tooth and nail to block a pro-people measure being implemented in Sri Lanka. The issue of pictorial warnings has received unprecedented support from the general public, policy makers, religious leaders, health professionals and even smokers.
Therefore the Sunday Times Editorial on May 18, 2014, on the subject seems to be out of sync with this overall sentiment and we wish to comment on some of the statements and insinuations therein.
It describes those who are working to protect people from a merciless multi-national industry as “largely foreign-funded”. Looking at this so-called “largely foreign-funded anti-tobacco campaigners” more closely, we see the President, Minister of Health, all Members of Parliament, the four Chief Prelates, government agencies such as the Ministry of Health, professional organizations such as the Sri Lanka Medical Association, national and local level non-governmental organizations which have been working steadfastly to improve health of all Sri Lankans, the World Health Organization and almost all national newspapers and national television channels.
Therefore the implication is that when anyone or any organization opposes a multi-national industry, they are anti-national.
It is unfortunate that the writer is not up to date , or perceptive enough to understand that there is not an iota of doubt that tobacco kills. It kills one out of two users. Half of those dying die in their middle age, the most economically productive part of their lives. This is in addition to the significantly larger number of humans that become ill and are incapacitated due to heart attacks, strokes, cancers and lung diseases. These facts were not contested in the court, even by the tobacco industry. Therefore this aspect was technically not required to be proven at all. To imply that this was because of the uncertainty of scientific evidence is contextual jugglery which falls flat on its face, exposing reprehensible ulterior motives.
It is amusing to see the editorial toeing the old and outdated industry line “Why only tobacco? Why not x,y, z etc”? This is the first and most pathetic refrain of the tobacco industry anywhere in the world when faced with any action that will reduce their profits. Suffice to say it is both amusing and sad to see such an esteemed national newspaper falling for it. All the listed evils should be addressed. But priority should be given to the biggest evil of it all, as harm from tobacco single-handedly dwarfs all those listed, even if the deaths and disabilities of all those are put together. It is also surprising that the list missed alcohol which causes enormous harm, also dwarfing the harm of all others on the list. It is not clear if it is an omission by commission.
On the issue of smuggled cigarettes, just a cursory search of the internet will enlighten anyone who is interested on what entities are responsible for cigarette smuggling throughout the world and which multinational companies have been taken to court by governments elsewhere, for smuggling cigarettes. Also, there are no ‘standards’ applied to cigarettes. They kill, whichever standard, shape or form.
The Sri Lanka Medical Association is over 125 years old, and is the apex professional body of medical professionals in Sri Lanka. It has no political or other affiliations. We strongly support the proposal to cover 80 % of the principle surface areas of all tobacco packages with a pictorial health warnings, purely on technical grounds. Scientific research has shown that such warning, to be effective, should be over at least 80% of the principal surface areas. As a professional body, we fully respect the decision of the Courts, which made its determination, taking into account many considerations.
For us, it is a great pride to see the government and the Minister of Health taking a principled stand on this issue. We are also grateful to the Attorney General’s Department for the brilliant defence of this gazette notification in the face of heavy pressure. Now that the pictorial warnings have been made legal, it is up to the policy makers to make it most effective, as they have been striving for long. We will continue to support this endeavour.
Dr. Palitha Abeykoon
President
Prof. Narada Warnasuriya
Chairman, Expert Committee on Tobacco and Alcohol
Sri Lanka Medical Association