Sri Lanka's Cinderella

By Carl Muller

On August 15, 1996, a final report was made by the Presidential Committee to investigate into and make appropriate recommendations on the socio-cultural problems in the plantation community. Special focus was on plantation youth.

A lot of good intentions. The Committee comprised Professor S.T. Hettige who holds the Chair of Sociology, University of Colombo; Sunimal Fernando, Deputy Secretary-General, I.R.E.D., and K. Marimuttu, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Media, Tourism and Aviation. G. D. Cyril Gunapala, Additional Secretary to the President, served as Co-ordinator.

The report, all-embracing, laid strong emphasis on many socio-cultural problems of estate workers - unemployment and under-employment, their educational, social and cultural advancement, the perennial problem of national identity cards, citizenship issues, housing, water and sanitation, health care, basic amenities, etc. The recommendations of the Committee were most specific. It also urged that a Coordinating and Monitoring Division be established under the President and that things begin to move before the end of 1998.

Apparently, things did not move. So it was that, with some dismay, a special Workshop held at the Taj Samudra Hotel on Friday, February 25, had to stomach a bitter truth. A huge vacuum seemed to exist between what was proposed and what was done. Rather, the Workshop, which saw the best in the business gather to take stock, identified a whole raft of problems - many that were old enough to remain firmly embedded, as well as new problems that had surfaced to bedevil the 'best laid plans'.

The Workshop on 'The Changing Roles in the Plantation Sector and Their Impact on the Estate Labour Population,' was jointly organised by the Centre for Anthropological and Sociological Studies (CASS) of the University of Colombo; the Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES); the German Agency for Technical Cooperation (GTZ) and the South Asia Institute (SAI) of the University of Heidelberg, Germany.

It was certainly a 'happening' with the plantation companies represented, the trade unions, CARE International, Satyodaya, Tea Development and Plantation Reform Projects, the Planters' Association, the ADB, the Centre for Development Alternatives, the universities, the CEA, NGOs, Ministry of Plantation Industries and many more. In his welcome address, Dr. R. Bolz, Director GTZ, remarked on the need to ascertain what had become of the 1996 report and what could now be addressed in the light of the new social climate, the immense changes and the need for a harder look at both economy and ecology together with the understanding, that the plantations could become new theatres of conflict.

D. Kneitschel, Resident Representative, FES, insisted on the working of a 'democratic culture' - dialogue, a sharing of opinions, consensus. 'What is necessary,' he added, 'was to develop this Workshop into a permanent Forum.'

As Professor Hettige pointed out, there is this 'enclave' situation. True, the plantations underwent rapid change - nationalization, privatization, political integration - but the enclave remains, and it is this that causes so many problems. 'We must think that the estate workers, the estate youth, are part of our national society - not marginals or human discards.'

In truth, the plantations remain the Cinderella of Sri Lanka. Estate youth especially face what could be termed huge national discrimination. Professor Hettige pointed out that in the 1970s, a scary 46% of estate youth with A. Levels remained unemployed. True, educational levels increased rapidly in the Eighties, but the discrimination stayed like an insistent leech.

M any estate youth are treated as non-citizens, many are not issued with national identity cards, many find no opportunity of employment and those who do secure work outside the estates are invariably compelled to abandon everything and return to the plantations because they have no identity cards or because they are picked up by the security forces. The question is why are these young people made the whipping boys of a system that cold-shoulders them and looks on them as the pariahs of society?

S.M.J. Bandara, Project Manager, Ministry of Plantation Industries had other issues to raise in the presentation of the policy framework relating to the plantation sector. 'We still lag behind,' he said, 'despite our recognition of the need to accelerate economic growth and the role of the private sector. We need to integrate with the global environment and concentrate more on policy packaging.'

It was R. Amerasinghe of CARE International who got to the gullet of the many plantation problems. After all, the Central Bank did state, in 1998, that the plantation sector provides employment to 20% of the population of Sri Lanka. 'Yet,' said Mr. Amerasinghe, 'the plantation residents remain one of the most disadvantaged groups in the country.'

The constraints that face the estate workers may be, on one hand, self-inflicted, on the other hand, thrust on them, but they remain in total in a very sorry and indeed sordid situation. He highlighted the following:

'Mismanagement of resources and indebtedness. This was a severe problem. Up to 40% of a household income was spent on alcohol and betel leaf. 'This mainly results from feelings of hopelessness and powerlessness brought about by social isolation, poor community participation and a seething sense of marginalisation.'

Poor food and inadequate nutritional intake among women and children. Fifty-two percent of plantation children are underweight. In 66% of the homes, only two items make up a meal and usually the women and children eat last and least. Many mothers find little time to prepare food and, what is more, there is little knowledge of what constitutes a nutritious diet.

Poor housing . Even today, despite a lot of talk about estate housing and much political posturing, 45% of estate workers live in overcrowded line rooms and 38% do not have latrines. Seventy-eight percent do not have electricity. Their living areas are leaky and badly ventilated, there are no proper sanitation facilities, garbage disposal and maintenance. Children are thus prey to a high incidence of disease. Sixty percent still live in line rooms of less than 300 sq.ft.

Education . In 1993, the Central Bank reported that the national literacy level was 95%. However, in the plantations, the level is 80% for males and a sorry 58% for females. Drop-outs, too, are high. 'Many parents send their children to work for the extra income. What is more,' Mr. Amerasinghe said, 'sons are educated, not daughters, and 16% of estate children are not enrolled in schools anyway.' The problems, again, are so obvious. Children have to make do with makeshift estate schools. There is poor accessibility to education outside and beyond Grade 5.

Unemployment and under-employment. There is no getting away from the fact that estate youth want a better deal. Actually, 48% seek non-plantation employment. But can they hope to achieve this? How many doors are slammed in their faces? The most they can hope for is to be a shop helper or a casual worker to be fired at will. They must be ready to trample on their own dreams because they lack identity cards and proper documentation.

Alcoholism. This is a prevalent problem with 75% - even 90% - of the males consuming alcohol regularly. For women, the figure is 25%. It is easy to lay the blame on difficult living and working conditions and an overall sense of hopelessness and frustration. But such high alcohol consumption also leads to domestic violence and health problems. There is little incentive to help these people manage their resources. When funds disappear, the children are pushed out to work. Child labour is very real. Even banks are wary of dealing with estate workers and language plays a part in this reluctance too.

Agrim picture, certainly, but Mahinda Amarasuriya, Chairman, Planters' Association, also outlined the situation faced by planters. He stressed how vital human resources were. 'After all, the plantations cannot do without the workers and we must see that the workers are looked after. But,' he asked, 'how?'

From 1993 to 1998 agricultural productivity kept climbing but we also know that the estates received no subsidies. Hence, there was little money for all-round replanting. 'Then, in 1998, with the collapse of the Russian economy, prices plummeted. Profit simply pancaked. What are the planters supposed to do?' He said that even today, when one considers the fact that there are over 450,000 workers on estates, even the increase of one rupee per head could have a huge impact on the estates and the estate companies.

'Also the trade unions don't understand productivity. They are in the pound-of-flesh business. All they ant is money. They don't want to see how the plantation companies are also victimised. Many estates have had prime land shorn away at the whims of local politicians. Always, the land so grabbed has good road frontage. Much of this land, arbitrarily seized for so-called village expansion, lies undeveloped. The trees have been stripped - no doubt to fatten various purses, and little else has been done.'

Mr. Amarasuriya said that he had a growing file of such cases and no one seemed to show the slightest twinge of conscience. What sort of mafia operation are the plantation companies facing? Nobody wishes to advance an answer or an explanation.

Vice President of the Ceylon Workers' Congress and M.P. P. P. Devarajah did not rise in defence of trade unions. Rather, he dwelt on the privatization process and, cannily enough, he showed how the plantation companies had also resorted to their own 'ducks and drakes' games when it came to the welfare of workers.

Naturally, the unstated fact was that trade unions would always intervene, but Mr. Devaraj insisted that, at the same time, laws must be enacted to punish errant companies and that South Asian countries adopt a common charter, laying down minimum requirements. The plea was an echo of all that had been said earlier. 'If social aspects are not properly attended to, social upheaval will be unavoidable!'

It was Bernhard Mohns, team leader of the GTZ-Estate Forest and Water Resources Development Project, Kandy, who unveiled the scariest scenario. After privatisation in 1992, he said that there had been a steady decline in the registered estate labour population from 343,000 in 1992 to 278,000 in 1998. Even the non-viable estates managed by the JEDB and SLSPC saw a decline from 33,000 to 18,000. Some plantation companies have recorded a 25% drop in labour. Mr. Mohns said that a projection up to 2010 could be influenced by

An improvement of the security situation which would encourage larger scale migration of estate workers to city centres.

Infrastructure development - highways, etc, - which would attract labour.

Establishment of further rural Free Trade Zones which would automatically create a magnet for estate workers.

'It is reasonable to expect that there will be an annual decline in the estate labour population of 13,300 per year for the next ten years. What will we have in 2010? An estimated labour force of about 125,000\'d3, he predicts. Companies may be forced to diversify into less labour-intensive crops. Low yielding tea fields will be of no use. No plantation company can afford white elephants. These fields will be diversified into timber and fuelwood, thus reducing uncultivated land from 60,000 to 50,000 hectares. 'All this will have major implications for the plantation industry. By 2010, tea will need up to 183,000 workers, but the labour availability will only be 125,000\'d3 , Mr. Mohns said.

A s K. Velayuthan, Chairman, NGO Forum for Plantation Organisations observed, estate workers had led a life of isolation for more than 150 years, marked by hard labour, under a minimum daily wage system, depleted housing conditions, high rate of infant and maternal mortality and illiteracy. Independence did them no good. In fact, with disenfranchisement, they were further isolated. Why is it, he asked, that after privatisation the workers are experiencing acute poverty conditions? He had the final word, actually, when he reminded that today, NGOs with a common objective of poverty alleviation, were playing a more significant role than the trade unions who seemed to be now playing politics. 'ln the late 1980 s major unions started to shift their major concern towards political activities,' he said, 'which virtually became their major occupation.'

All in all, the Workshop had its moments. It was decided, eventually, that there should be an on-going forum with valid feed-back to be digested, rather than making future action a mere series of talk shops. What was needed, above all, was information sharing and respect for all. It was time for a new beginning.

God knows, we can set our shoulders to the wheel, but somebody has to grease the axle too!

Lots of water to fight Urinary infection

By Roshan Peiris

Urinary tract infections are becoming increasingly common in children, men and women. Consultant Urologist Dr. Anura Wijewardena says that in women, those most affected are in the 18-35 age group, while among men, those commonly stricken are over 50.

One of the common infections for women, he says is acute cystitis which is an infection of the urinary bladder. This, the doctor says, is a common UTI (Urinary Tract Infection) to which women of all ages are susceptible. A young woman passing urine with pain could be having either acute cystitis or urine bladder infection.

The symptoms of Cystitis, the doctor says, are (a) increased frequency in passing urine (b) urgency to pass urine (c) lower abdominal pain (d) occasional fever, nausea and headache (e) cloudy or smelly urine and (f) traces of blood in the urine.

Diagnosis of cystitis is based on a significant bacterial count and the passing of a higher number of pus cells with the urine.

As treatment Dr. Wijewardene recommends a suitable antibiotic after a culture test of the urine.

He says that 20-25 percent of women have generally had at least one instance of bacterial cystitis and could develop recurrent cystitis.

Recurrent cystitis in young women exacts a heavy price in morbidity, time off work and in the cost of diagnosis, investigation and treatment.

Recurrent cystitis is due to low fluid intake, low urine output and infrequent emptying of the urinary bladder.

Infection could also occur due to incomplete bladder emptying, for instance due to prolapse in the elderly and prostate gland enlargement in men causing an obstruction of the exit of the bladder.

Epithelium infection of the urinary passage could occur due to sexual intercourse and the use of condoms and spermicidal agents. For diagnosis the urine must be tested and investigations such as the ultrasound scan are necessary to look for underlying anatomical or functional abnormalities of the urinary tract. Treatment is with the relevant antibiotics.

In general, Dr. Wijewardena advises taking a large amount of fluid, emptying the bladder frequently and passing urine every 2-3 hours during the day. Emptying bladder after sex, regular washing of perineal region, from front to back and avoiding bubble baths, deodorants, diaphragms, talcum powder and spermicidal cream are other precautions against urinary tract infections.

There is also, the doctor explained, infection of the upper Urinary Tract - the Kidney.

Here the symptoms are fever with chills, joint pain with tenderness and sometimes painful passage of urine and increased frequency of urination.

Urine microscopy, urine culture and bacterial sensitivity blood tests should be done to assess the degree of infection, along with renal function tests and ultrasound scans.

There are also special renogrammes which will indicate the cause of infection such as obstruction of the urinary tract, urinary reflex and the presence of stones.

Chronic Pyleonep\-hritis is a term used to describe a variety of chronic renal conditions that result in the scarring of the kidneys, leading occasionally to impaired renal function.

Some can have recurrent pyleonephritis. If this condition affects both kidneys, it could lead to hypertension, Dr. Wijewardena said. In some cases surgery also may be necessary.

Bacterial prostatitis is a urinary tract infection that occurs among men. There are two common types - acute prostatitis and chronic prostatitis.

In acute prostatitis, the clinical features are painful urination, increased frequency of urination, urethral pain, testicular pain and fever. This can be treated with antibiotics.

In chronic prostatitis the symptoms are testicular pain and groin pain along with increased frequency and the urgency to pass urine.

Chronic prostatitis requires a long course of antibiotic therapy. These conditions if not tested on time by a urologist could lead to kidney complications and severe damage of the kidneys.

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