Letters
View(s):SLFP should help the President fulfil his promises
I read with great interest K.U. Pushpakumara’s letter published under the headline “Mr. President, focus on pledges, not party politics.”
The people voted on January 8 for common opposition candidate Maithripala Sirisena for three reasons: (1) Change; (2) creating the necessary conditions for clean politics; and (3) taking action against the corrupt politicians.
In his manifesto, a 100-day programme was spelt out to be implemented in two stages. In the first stage, the focus was to be on urgent issues – to enact constitutional reforms, creating conditions for clean politics and punishing the corrupt, after forming a national government with Ranil Wickremesinghe as Prime Minister.
The manifesto also stated that Mr. Sirisena as President would require the assistance of parliament to fulfil the promises, foremost among which were the abolition of the Executive Presidency or pruning its powers, and the introduction of electoral reforms based on the first-past-the-post and the proportional representation systems.
Though the SLFP opposed Mr. Sirisena during the run-up to the election, it later pledged its support for his 100-day programme. The Cabinet was expanded to include the SLFP ministers.
The people who voted for Mr. Sirisena have not forgotten the purpose of electing him. They have also taken note of the pledge of support extended by the SLFP for the 100-day programme, and expect that the party would stand by its pledge.
The wish of 6.2 million people who voted for Mr. Sirisena is to make 2016 a “Make or Break Year” for a prosperous Sri Lanka, especially for its youth and the “yet to be born generation”. On that score, Mr. Sirisena must remain focused on the three main pledges, which the majority of Sri Lankans voted for. Therefore, the President must manage time and energy to fulfil the pledges.
A similar plea goes to the senior leaders of the SLFP. They should further resolve to stand-by their pledge of support, and must persuade those who are disruptive — a minority who are seemingly acting on narrow party politics — to work collectively, without distracting the focus of the President to issues which of little relevance to the general public.
Seemingly, it is also the time to test the strength of the leadership of the SLFP, and demonstrate to the public as to who call the shots, whether it is some of the constituent UPFA members or the core SLFP. My plea for senior leaders of the SLFP, a party that produced the world’s first woman Prime Minister, is to bring back the party to its former glory without allowing some of its members to resort to ugly behaviour in the media.
P. Fernando
Moratuwa
Yala drivers ruled by the law of the jungle
I write to bring to your attention the serious risk to wildlife and visitors to the Yala National Park as a result of reckless driving both in and around the sanctuary. Unfortunately, traffic laws do not seem to apply in that area, which is being treated by the police as a separate state.
As a nature lover and wildlife enthusiast, I frequently visit Yala and Wilpattu parks and I am appalled by safari jeep drivers’ callous disregard for road rules and the police inaction. There has also been reports of animals being run over.
I have learnt that most of these drivers are not competent to operate vehicles. Although it is mandatory for every vehicle to obtain at least a third-party insurance cover, most of these vehicles have neither insurance policies nor revenue licences.
What is more shocking is that both police and the wildlife authorities turn a blind eye to this open breach of motor traffic laws.
The excuse of Wildlife Department officials is that they are not empowered to check whether these vehicles have their paperwork in order. However, these vehicles are driven on public roads from Tissa and Kirinda — a distance of more than 20 kilometres — without being booked by a policeman.
One can only conclude that there is some sort of a tacit understanding between them and this requires the attention of the Commission Investigating Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC).
The careless jeep drivers actually endanger national interest. Should there be some horrendous accident involving foreign visitors to the park, the country’s tourism image could suffer immense damage.
It is time for the police and the wildlife authorities to take a stand and show that they are not involved in this organised racket. I hope the Inspector-General of Police will take note and order a crackdown on the illegal practices in this area.
Dr. S. M. S. Senadhipathi
Mirihana, Nugegoda
Bring back GPO to old stately buidling
The Queen Street in Fort, Colombo is now a freeway without chains and barricades. Easily the most beautiful building on the Queen Street is the old General Post Office (GPO) in front of President’ House. I can say not only on Queen Street but in the whole of Fort, there is no other building so majestic.
Now that terrorism in Sri Lanka is done away with, the GPO can be re-established in this building. I am a retired postmaster in the seventh decade of my life. I served as a postmaster for 16 years and out of these, almost 10 years were at the GPO on Queen Street. At GPO we had a service which only a few countries had. That was the Poste Restante Counter. The enquiries counter was open 24 hours of the day. Poste’ Restante’ (PR), in French means resting at the post office. Tourists and sailors without fixed abode got their mail directed care of PR. On proving their identity with the passport they collected their mail, profusely thanking the counter officer and some even offered few foreign cigarettes as a token of friendship.
The GPO building, then not only housed the post office, but several other sections of the postal department. They included the Post Master General’s office, the accounts branch, expenditure branch, the Shroff’s office and the stamps branch. In all these branches in 1960, the year I joined, there were more Tamil officials than Sinhalese. But I could assure that there were no differences amongst us. We were all brothers in arms and helped each other like brothers.
The breathtaking building was admired by both the locals and the foreigners. I know that because at the PR counter I met people of many nationalities and their comments on the building were most flattering. When it is painted full white, as has been done always, its beauty is truly awe inspiring.
Now that Colombo is once again an open and peaceful city, bring the General Post Office back to this building.
S.R.M.Samarasinghe
Dehiwala
100-day programme: Where is the rubber subsidy?
One of the promises to be implemented in the new Government’s first 100 days was to give a Rs. 350 subsidy to sheet rubber producers.
Although we have read in the media that it is being implemented, the rubber producers are yet to know how this scheme is being implemented. The producers of sheet rubber will be thankful to the authorities if they are informed through the media of the procedure to be followed for them to get this subsidy.
L. Leanage
Ambalangoda
More on John Still and his books
I was prompted to pen this letter after reading Tissa Devendra’s letter wherein he inquired: ‘I wonder whether any copy is around’ regarding John Still’s ‘Poems in Captivity’.
The book had been published by John Lane, The Bodley Head, London in 1919 and contains in Part 1, 35 prison verses, in Part II, Wood Craft and Forest Lore 20 verses, in Part III, Tales from the Mahavamsa three verses and in Part IV, Various Songs and Sketches, making a total of 70 poems in 303 pages. There are three pages of notes at the end, with a page each for the half title, advertisement, title page, printers’ imprint, dedication to his wife, Verso blank, two pages of foreword and four pages of contents, in the preliminary pages with rough uncut deckle edges.
A photo of the facsimile of part of the manuscript of this book, the whole of which had been written on ten sheets of note paper which had been concealed in a hollow walking stick had been printed in the book.
John Still had spent three years and 84 days, in all 1179 days, as a prisoner of war. His other book ‘A Prisoner in Turkey’, being an account of the author’s experiences in captivity in a Turkish prison camp was also published by the Bodley Head.
His well known book ‘Jungle Tide’ a book of infinite charm was published in 1930 and was one of the four textbooks prescribed for English literature in the Senior School Certificate ( English) Examination in the 1940s.
John Still came to Ceylon as a tea planter in Dickoya in 1897 and then became an Archaeological Surveyor, Assistant in the Land Settlement Department, Member of the Ceylon Labour Commission and Secretary of the Ceylon Planters Society. Ancient capitals of Ceylon, paper on Ceylon Coins, Tantrimalai, Index to the Mahavamsa are some of his other literary works. He died in Port Alfred, South Africa on September 9, 1941.
One of the poems:
A Prisoner’s Song
Could I only go a-swimming
Where the rollers hit the reef
Where the rock-bound pools are brimming
I could wash away my grief
Could I only go a-swimming
Where the wild sea horses roll
All that prison is a-dimming
Might win back into my soul.
Could I hear the monkeys calling
In the forest all alone;
Could I see the torrent falling
Mist and thunder, on the stone;
Could I hear the jungle calling,
Where the storm-torn boughs are tossed,
I would soon forget the galling
Of the years that I have lost.
Afion Kara Hissar, 27.viii.1917
W. Panditaratne
Kandy
On the trail of John Still: Forgotten book found
The verses written by John Still, when he was a prisoner of war in Turkey, were published in 1919 under the title “Poems in Captivity”.
My good friend E.A.R. Anstey, a distant relative of John Still, paid me a visit in 2012. I presented him a copy of John Still’s classic “Jungle Tide”. He was elated. He inquired whether he could get a copy of John Still’s “Poems in Captivity’. We looked in at the Museum Library and the National Archives Library without any success.
He then went back to England and delved into the internet and discovered that “Poems in Captivity” was republished in 2012 under the “Classic Reprint Series” by Forgotten Books. He obtained two copies — one for himself and one for me.
The book consists of four parts: 1. Prison Verses; 2. Woodcraft and Forest Lore; 3. Tales from Mahawansa; 4. Verses, songs and sketches.
I am sure if Tissa Devendra is interested he could go to the following website
Forgotten Books :: 484,473 Free Books, World’s Largest Online eBook Library3333
K.L.F. Wijedasa
Via email
At Kalubowila Hospital, I got a new lease of life at 90
I was sent to Ward 4 at the Kalubowila Hospital from the Lunawa District Hospital on being diagnosed with a problem in the heart. I am 90 years old and so expected nothing more than death.
But it was not to be. Due to the meticulous care and efforts of the doctors and nurses there I got a new lease of life. My sincere thanks go out to the doctors, nurses and the minor staff who keep the ward spotlessly clean and attend to various odd jobs.
After a series of tests, my ailment was diagnosed and a three-day course of treatment given. Before they discharged me, they gave me prescriptions and directions to follow under my usual doctor in Lunawa.
Thank God. Now I am up and doing my usual work — teaching. God also will reward those who helped to extend my life span to serve others.
C.J.
Maharagama