Letters
View(s):Get the JVP involved in running the country
If everything in connection with the presidential election goes well as planned, the voters of this country would have given their verdict on January 8.
Accordingly, one of the two contestants in the forefront of the fray will win and get the contract of leading this country for five years.
A non-contestant though, there is a political party, the prowess of which is highly appreciated by all Sri Lankans. This is the JVP. The JVP leaders are educated men. They have come up from the masses and they know the difficulties of the poor. The people admire JVP’s skilfulness, straightforwardness and organisational strength. The country needs their service.
Therefore, the new leader, whoever he is, must be humble enough to invite the JVP to join the government and shoulder the burden of making this country self-sufficient in its food needs.
Although we can be complacent to a certain extent with regard to our rice production, we are miles behind in fishery; having an undisputed sea area as three times large as our land.
It’s advisable and opportune to entrust the JVP with the task of developing the agriculture and fishing industries. Let the JVP name our future ministers and deputy ministers of the said two ministries from their ranks and allow those two ministries to function as autonomous bodies.
Some dishonest big shots of the past government have, it is alleged, misappropriated public money. That’s a grave problem our leaders face and the public worry about. When the JVP is a stakeholder of the future government, it will, certainly, close the doors through which corruption enters. That would be an additional benefit to the country.
H.M.P. Wickramarathne
Kengalla
Relief from pain is the right of every patient
On a recent visit, I was horrified to observe that the World Health Organization’s (WHO) guidelines for progressive pain management procedures from non-steroidal analgesics to strong opium derivatives do not appear to be practised at Sri Lanka’s main regional hospital, the Kandy (Teaching) General Hospital.
Patients in surgical wards were literally screaming in pain for long periods on end. The staff seemed to be oblivious to the dangers of increased heart rate, raised blood pressure, respiratory issues, unhealthy hormone activation, gastric problems, muscle spasm and fatigue that result in complicating existing conditions and prolonging the healing process.
Pain could result from progression of a disease or complications, compression or distension of organs or nerves. It is understandable that needles, tubes or emotional aspects can play a role, but optimal pain management is the right of every patient, and a responsibility of health services staff.
One cannot emphasise enough, the importance of remedying this pathetic situation, which befalls the poor and perhaps not-so-poor who have no option but to seek the mercy of the state health system.
Prof. Lasantha Pethiyagoda
Navinna public grounds: The sound blares on as UC officials remain silent
It’s now 6 p.m. on Saturday, December 13, and Carnival operators having a show at Navinna Public Grounds tonight have started testing their sound system / loud speakers. This will go on till 2 a.m. in the morning, like on all other occasions.
My son is sitting for O/Ls now and he and his neighbouring friends will be disturbed by this public nuisance which will put an end to peaceful weekend group revisions / studies at home.
We live close to the grounds and are constantly disturbed by these loud speakers. Some months ago there were two, day and night events at this venue. They fixed loud speakers along the road on electrical posts for about one mile along the road, disturbing the whole of Navinna. One was a Buddhist welfare event to collect funds for rural temples, the other was in aid of disabled soldiers – we were forced to bear the sound blasts from these events, but we kept quiet, as they were very important causes.
Most of the residents have aging parents who are confined to bed or need rest. They are stressed and disturbed the whole day long. A few residents have written letters to the Urban Council (UC) on this matter, but they keep quiet.
The UC should look into this and allow us to live peacefully, by advising the organisers to fix standing speakers (not horns) within the ground area so that the sound will be limited to people in the grounds without disturbing the environment and also granting permission only up to a certain time fixed by an Act of Parliament and not allow these shows to go on till 2 a.m. We kindly request the UC Chairperson and the Maharagama Police to stop this nuisance.
Wilson de Zilva
Maharagama
Let there be people-centred development
Dr. Deepika Udagama’s article ‘A citizen’s agenda for political reform’ in the Sunday Times of December 28 is an expression of the views that very many of us citizens hold. She states very precisely the issues that are discussed in our society today, whatever our level of education or wherever we live – be it in the heart of Colombo or in the rural hinterland.
We Sri Lankans are concerned. She has documented that concern and represented our belief in our country.
Her article presents a Core Manifesto, a National Strategy for a new Government. Some of its content was taken into account in the Election Manifesto of the Common Candidate. We can but hope that that the new President will go further – that he will take all Sri Lankans into his confidence and embark on a path of people-centred development to lift us out of this economic, political and social morass into which we have been led in this last short decade.
Padmani Mendis
Colombo
Time that the CMC cleaned up its mess
The news item in the Sunday Times about the condition of eating houses in the Pettah (headlined ‘Eating in Pettah? Think twice’) was an eye-opener. In the past, there were many programmes by the previous Chief Medical Officer Dr. Pradeep Kariyawasam of the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) who was not even afraid to raid five-star hotels.
I am aware that many leading hotels improved their food safety standards due to his efforts. I see the same Public Health Inspector (PHI) in all the photographs of your news items during the past few years. Obviously he is in-charge of this area. The Medical Officer is also the same. It means they have failed in their duty by the citizens of this country as many from outstations come to the Pettah for business.
The CMC needs some officers with integrity to head the organisation. It is a pity that officers of the calibre of Dr. Kariyawasam never headed the council’s administration but were sent into retirement.
We are told that hotel food samples are sent for investigation to private laboratories. Obviously, this action is questionable. The CMC does not want its own laboratory to do the testing, when money has to be paid for the same!
Therefore, we see a bleak future for the CMC which is plagued by inefficiency, corruption and bureaucracy. The CMC needs a massive clean-up if it wants to give us a proper service.
Gamini Perera
Narahenpita
Stop the pollution of the underground water by CEB generators in the north
Sri Lanka’s area based on climate is divided into wet and dry zone areas. The Northern Province comes under the dry zone area. It means the average annual rainfall is less than hundred millimetres and within the Northern Province the Jaffna peninsula is the arid zone area. But because of its underground Miocene strata limestone there is an underground wide fresh water lake. As a result the peninsula is populated and food crops have been cultivated from ancient times.
As a result of increasing population and parallel development in housing and agriculture, the underground water has been getting polluted from unlimited use of chemical fertilizers, insecticides, improper disposal of human waste, and petroleum products namely waste engine oil from various electric generators including the huge generators commissioned by the CEB.
These generators have been disposing waste engine oil into deep wells causing severe pollution of the underground water in a large area around the CEB, Chunnakam. As a result over 700 wells (in other words 700 family house wells) are polluted with waste oil.
According to a Water Supply and Drainage Board report the polluted water contains chemical elements. These chemical elements can cause several fatal diseases to those using this water for food and bathing. Now the Local Government is supplying only drinking water to the affected families. As such the Government may declare this area as a Disaster affected Zone.
The provincial and Central Government should take immediate steps to prevent further deterioration of the underground water .UNESCO, the Sri Lanka Scientific Association and NGOs can help in this matter.
Although these (CEB) generators are for the benefit of the people it is also necessary to investigate why huge electric generator engines were installed in the midst of a densely populated area.
These generator engines can be located near the northern sea coastal area at Valalai and the power grid could be maintained at the present site.
If the waste oil pollution is completely stopped now it will take another 5-10 years to get unpolluted water from these wells; till then the people here expect the Government to make available pipe borne pure water.
Dr. V. Mahendran
Chunnakam