Letters
View(s):Wastage mounts as more and more rot sets in
Deans Road
Going by the statements made to the radio and TV channels by many people, it has become very clear that most are disappointed and angry that they have been misled by false promises made and ‘fairy tales’ told at the last election. In most statements they speak of deals being struck between some of the parties and the ever present commission and how this seems to be the main occupation of our elected MPs. This, they say, is the curse of the country, and the garbage problem is a result.
We as individuals feel ashamed that garbage is being shifted from one place to another and that the leaders of our country can do nothing about it except roam the globe. What are we to tell our friends abroad?
No one ever expected the present regime to copy all the wrongs and wastage of the past government. Most irritating is the waste of foreign exchange for the luxury Land cruiser for the President and the former President. In addition to this is the increase in MPs allowances.
With all these garbage piling around Colombo and its environs , is it appropriate to have May Day rallies?
Jinthupitiya
Patient onlooker
Via email
No one is against chanting pirith, but no one wants to be disturbed by it either
I saw a report in a Sinhala paper on April 24, that some of the Chief Prelates of the south have informed Minister Mahinda Amaraweera, that if a court order is given to stop the practice of chanting of pirith at 5 a.m., it would be a blow to all religions which practise a similar system.
As a Buddhist, I see that there is no harm in chanting pirith, hymns, stanzas and other religious songs in places of worship early morning as it is an inspiration. But it should be confined to the premises without disturbing the peace of neighbours, as this is a multi-ethnic, multi-religious society where everyone wants to live peacefully and in harmony. Everyone has chores to do early morning at home without getting their ears blasted.
Buddhism does not advocate such activities (forcing people to listen to pirith or stanzas or regular attendance at temples for sermons). Buddha has formulated a set of rules to follow if anyone wants to and he further stated that no one should believe what he says, everyone is free to study and question what he has preached and come to a clear understanding without following the Dhamma blindly.
It is ironic that the Karaneeya Metta Sutra one of the Pirith Sutras that is broadcasted through loud speakers in its third stanza says: “One should never resort to doing anything so mean whereby the rest of the wise world would reproach him. May all beings enjoy happiness and comfort. May they feel safe and secure.”
Most TV and radio channels begin their broadcast with the chant of pirith at 5 a.m. Anyone can listen to it at a volume suitable to his/her ears at home so that it won’t be necessary to broadcast pirith from temple premises .
The case in the court is not against chanting of pirith, but the nuisance it is causing to the public due to use of the loudest of horns (not speakers) with very high volume. I think a section of the population have misunderstood this issue.
May all beings be happy!
Sumith de Silva
Kesbewa
Condominiums should be built with recycling, composting facilities in mind
Condominiums have come to stay and so has the problem of garbage collection from the condominiums.
After the Meethotumulla disaster, there is a lull in the collection of garbage from the Colombo condominiums. Thus, garbage is piling up in the premises, emanating a nauseating odour. Cockroaches and worms are seen freely moving about and playing hide and seek in and about the garbage collection areas.
I live in a condominium flat in Wellawatte, where there is an international restaurant frying chicken and potatoes .This, was and is, causing additional problems not only to the occupants in the condominium building but also to other residents in the vicinity, in that, we are compelled to breathe unpalatable smells and hear the noise, particularly in the nights, when the exhaust is operated by the restaurant. In addition to the above, there is another perennial problem of toilet leaks from the restaurant, which ooze into the apartment building’s basement car park. The polluted water stagnates there. The management corporation has been fined a couple of times for breeding mosquitoes.
The management corporation’s half-hearted efforts to impress upon the restaurant authorities the need to remedy the situation did not bring the desired results. A suitable remedy is in their hands but it appears that some are reluctant to put their foot down, as they want to be in the good books of the restaurant for reasons best known to them.
It is suggested that condominiums with over 50 apartments and large hotels and restaurants be provided with facilities at the time of construction itself, to recycle/compost the garbage in their own premises and thereafter arrange for disposal. This process may not only mitigate the garbage problems, but also create avenues for earning an income to defray the cost of recycling.
K.Anaga
Colombo 6
Stop this unhealthy act of selling fish outside public toilets
For the past several months I have been observing with horror, between 8 a.m and 8.30 a.m., the sale of fish being carried on just outside the public toilets at Kochchikade junction, Colombo 13.
I wonder whether the PHI of the area has turned a blind eye to this.
I believe the relevant authorities should take immediate action to stop this as it is most unhealthy and unbecoming. Or will it just be ignored like all other matters that are brought to the notice of the authorities?
Aloma Gamage
Via email
The slumbering KMC Works Dept.
I wonder whether the Works Department of the Kandy Municipal Council too went into slumber when this council was dissolved. I complained about the poor state of the road branching off Riverdale Road in Kandy near my house and the Chief Works Engineer inspected this road about 11 months ago. He promised to (a) construct a drain along this road (b) provide a catch-pit near my house and (c) provide an asphalt pre-mix surfacing on this road.
I had to go abroad about a month after the site meeting and when I returned after 10 months, I found that none of the items of work mentioned had been carried out. I wrote officially to the Chief Works Engineer informing him about the situation and since he did not respond I spoke to him over the telephone. Then he informed me that he was attending to a more important job and cut the line. I wonder whether these officers feel that they are doing a favour to the ratepayers when they carry out an official job occasionally. When the ratepayers make a complaint about something not functioning properly they are requested to write officially. These officers seem to have misunderstood their official duties. It looks like all they do is travel about in official vehicles without attending to facilities that need immediate attention. The Works Branch of the Kandy Municipal Council is the most inefficient.
The street lamps near my house have not been functioning for about seven months and the whole area had been in darkness as no one else had complained about this. These officers wait until someone complains to attend to a problem. It appears that the Municipal Commissioner too is not interested in supervising the work carried out by various branches of the Municipality.
A disappointed ratepayer
Kandy
Calling for objections over name boards is like calling for objections after a marriage
While writing about the lost oasis of Kirula Rd in the Sunday Times of April 23, Tissa Devendra has mentioned that the name of Thimbirigasyaya Road has been changed to that of a Buddhist Prelate, and that of Kirula Road to that of a forgotten politician who never resided there, in both instances politics overriding reason .
The residents of 6th Lane, Rawatawatta Moratuwa have faced a similar situation where the name of the road has been changed to that of a Buddhist prelate who never resided there , or did not do anything for the common good of the residents. The naming was initiated by the previous mayor, although a written protest was made through the Municipal Councillor before the name boards were erected .
After the change was made representations were made to the Commissioner of Local Govt. Western Province, who after an investigation has written to the present Municipal Commissioner that the name boards erected bypassing the normal procedure must first be removed before any further action is taken.
The Municipal authorities called for objections after the name boards were erected which is like calling for objections after a marriage has taken place.
Concerned Resident
Moratuwa
Hambantota port begins but citizens in the dark
The Hambantota Port has been talked about for many months under the present Government, about sale or lease and loan swap and so on, followed by a one page advertisement in the Sunday Times of March 26, as a message from the Government but the public remain in the dark. Neither the Government nor the media have made things clear to the people unfortunately. This one page could have carried important salient terms in the agreement for information rather than making a showpiece using tax payers’ money.
The said advertisement states that because of the huge loan taken to construct the Port our generation and future generations will be responsible in settling the debt. But is it reasonable and justifiable to sign a 99-year lease agreement with a private party to hand over the assets built with the loan which is again tying down our generation and future generations without their consent but because of a decision made by a few politicians?
The initiative to convert the Port into a fully functional and profitable international port like the Colombo Port is credit worthy but is the procedure and process adopted with lack of transparency acceptable? No.
This process seems to have gone on for about two years but many questions abound including about the total valuation including the vast extent of land apart from the loan amount (Ports Authority had paid several millions of rupees for land acquisition) , revenue stream to the Ports Authority, how was loan repayment of about US$220 million made by the Ports Authority from Colombo earnings accounted, how a 99 year period was accepted and was it after examination/evaluation of the complete Business Plan, termination clause and hand back value and so on.
Many articles appear, debates have been held and protests by some trade unions continue over these issues. I presented some of these issues in an article in the Sunday Times of January 29. But unfortunately neither the Government nor the media has been able to present a clear view of the true contents of the so called final Agreement for the benefit of the people of this country who elected this government, a sad state of affairs.
D.Godage
Via email
An open letter to all Muslim women in Sri Lanka
You and I may not be affected, but it’s time to speak out
If you are reading this, then you probably did not get married at 12. Nor will you agree to allowing your daughter to be married off at 12. The Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act in Sri Lanka, which currently does not set a minimum age of marriage for Muslim women and girls, does not apply to women like you and me and as far as we are concerned is an issue that is far removed from our lives. However, our silence will have an impact on the lives of those young girls who are not able to voice their opinions and will be married off at 12, 13 or 14 — girls who would rather spend a few more years of their lives having a childhood and not weighed down by the responsibilities of marriage.
Islam is a religion that has always recognized the rights of the child. Parents are responsible for their children and would see arranging marriages for their children as an aspect of carrying out that responsibility. However, what is in question with this Act as it currently stands is the age at which parents feel their daughters should be married. I suppose, the reasoning for the age allowed for in this Act is that the Prophet (PBUH) married one very young girl who was a child when the marriage was arranged, although there is some doubt as to how old Ayesha really was when they started living together. In itself this was not unusual for societies when marriages were arranged to form alliances between families and served a greater purpose within a society than it does now with the concept of the nuclear family. In fact, arranged marriages between children were not restricted to the Arabs or Muslims alone, and was common practice in most parts of the world. However, in 21st century Sri Lanka it is only the Muslim community that still thinks it appropriate that a 12-year-old girl, can be legally married.
When parents arrange a marriage for their 12-year-old daughter they must think they are carrying out the responsibilities associated with good parenting in the Islamic sense. However, to carry this out according to Islam they will have to get their daughter’s consent. Before they give up their responsibility of parenting they must be sure that their daughter is willing and ready to take on the responsibility of parenting, herself. This in addition to being a suitable companion to her husband who in turn will have to be a suitable companion to her. However, this does not seem to be the case for most of the young girls who are married off at 12. Very little thought is given to compatibility as parents seem to be motivated by factors other than the wellbeing of their daughters.
As parents, before we arrange marriages for our daughters we would want to make sure they have the skills they need to be responsible wives, mothers and citizens. We extend the time we spend taking care of our daughters and recognize that while puberty brings on physical changes that change the child’s body into that of a woman, it is also a time when she is struggling to deal with all the physical and emotional changes that are a result of hormonal upheaval. We also believe that she has a right to complete her education at school and perhaps beyond. We think that by doing this our daughters will understand not just what they should contribute to a marriage but also what is within their rights to expect.
Even if we sit back in the comfort of our homes and think that these girls have little option because their parents are not widely educated or trapped in poverty, we must give these young girls a voice. And until that happens, we must be the voice. Raising the age at which a Muslim girl can be legally married is the first step to giving these girls the right to a better life. Speak up for the girls and remind your fathers, brothers, husbands and sons of what you were like at 12, so that they can add their voice to yours.
The differences between these girls and all of us reading this article may be huge, but we do have something in common. Like them we are Muslim and we are women.
Sehaam Hussein-Moheed
Auckland, New Zealand
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