Letters to the Editor

2nd April 2000

• Road names: The untold colonial history
• People the servants of politicians
• Do something!
• Even the Pope uses coal power

Road names: The untold colonial history

A proposal to change the name of Rosmead Place attracted wide publicity and I wish to highlight an underlying issue, which is often ignored.

Firstly, we must accept that we use road names to remember individuals who have helped society in some special way. This is the reason we do not have roads named after thugs, criminals or terrorists.

Nevertheless, Sri Lanka with its warped sense of history, is an exception. We continue to celebrate our colonial masters by holding on to their names.

At least some names have been changed. But I wonder how many of us know of the tyranny of colonialism, when our human rights were violated at will.

Here are a few "distinguished" individuals from a list of road names in Colombo.

Robert Brownrigg: Military Governor who invaded the last bastion of free Sri Lanka and captured Kandy in 1815. He has the notoriety of crushing the freedom struggle of 1817 (called a "rebellion" by some, depending on which way you look at it). The campaign included scorched earth tactics of burning paddy fields and cutting coconut trees to starve the population and the freedom fighters.

Thomas Maitland: A Military Governor who enacted legislation to permit Europeans to buy land. This led the way for colonists to buy vast tracts of land at a mere pittance to grow cinnamon, coffee and tea.

The results were obvious. Speculators poured into the country, displacing many indigenous people who were sometimes forced to flee their homes because they did not have deeds to prove ownership.

Maitland also continued the compulsory service to the colonial state, introduced by Governor North. Thus in addition to taking away the land, the villagers had to serve the colonial masters without pay.

Lord Torrington: During his time (1848) the Matale struggle began. He gave orders to create kangaroo military courts, which tried several persons including Kadahapola Unnanse, a Buddhist priest.

The latter was blindfolded and executed by firing squad for treason. Several other civilians suffered the same fate.

It is sad that Sri Lankans do not know their own history.

If we knew, it is unlikely that we would continue to use the names of the killers of our forefathers, without an inkling of regret.

For those who think I am too nationalistic, try convincing New York to name a street after Stalin or ask for Hitler Lane in Tel Aviv (Israel).

K. Jayasinghe
Nugegoda

People the servants of politicians

In the olden days there were statesmen in Parliament, and they were the servants of the public.

Today, there are politicians in Parliament and the people who voted them to office, have become their servants.

Those days when the price of a measure of rice was increased by a few cents, people began to stage hartals and a popular Prime Minister stepped down saying that he could not burden the people.

Now things have changed, because the prices, directly and indirectly affecting the consumer and the services rendered to the people, are increased overnight through Gazette notifications before presenting it to Parliament, thus giving no opportunity to discuss these increases in Parliament.

After increasing the prices in this manner, politicians in Parliament vote to increase their salaries-thousands of rupees with arrears for two years, insurance policies on government account and perks they are entitled to.

The present-day politicians are not creative. Not a single one has so far brought any proposal to make the country economically sound in harnessing natural wealth and creating employment.

Even Pradeshiya Sabha chairmen fail to act in terms of the section which reads "to organize employment programmes for the inhabitants of the Pradeshiya Sabha area".

Austin D. Jayaweera
Bentota.

Do something!

The public anger that has erupted over the slaughter of animals i.e. two goats and two calves in a residence in Wellawatte on March 17 and 18, despite the objections of neighbours, demonstrates the potential for public unrest that the grant of licences for home slaughter could cause.

The Colombo Municipal Council, the Veterinary Officers in particular, who grant these licences must accept a share of the blame for the trauma and mental anguish caused to people in the neighbourhood.

It is only a matter of time before a victim of trauma in these circumstances institutes legal proceedings against the Municipal Council and its Veterinary Officers, seeking substantial compensation for the infliction of suffering and pain of mind.

There will hardly be any public sympathy for their involvement in issuing permits to ordinary, unskilled citizens to slaughter animals in their homes.

Sometimes women and children take part in these rituals contributing further to the pain and cruelty inflicted on the animal.

Section 4 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Ordinance, No. 13 of 1907 expressly prohibits the killing of animals with unnecessary cruelty.

This implies, amongst other things, that unskilled people must not carry out the slaughter. The penalties prescribed for breach of this provision include a fine or imprisonment for six months or both.

Section 12 states that all such offences are deemed to be cognizable offences within the meaning of the Code of Criminal Procedure Act, and subject to all the provisions of this Act relating to arrest without warrant.

No private residence should be allowed by law to be used as a place of slaughter for whatever may be the reason. People exercise their right of choice to live as far as possible from a legally designated abattoir for the simple reason that they do not wish to be tormented by the agonized cries of innocent animals and threatened by the poor standards of public hygiene usually found in such places.

These choices should be respected.

The conversion of a house into a slaughterhouse would potentially constitute a breach of the rights of the neighbour, a threat to public hygiene and inflame public anger.

It is worthwhile to note that Britain outlawed religious home slaughter with effect from March 16, 1999 through an amendment to 'The Welfare of Animals (Slaughter of Killing)' regulations, 1995. Prior to this date, animals were killed in open fields, farms and in the backyards of private homes during religious festivals.

As a result of the amendment of the law, performance of religious rituals involving animals had to be conducted within legally registered abattoirs in Britain.

The Colombo Municipal Council should stop issuing licences for home slaughter.

If this cannot be done immediately, then as a public body the Council has a civic duty to consult all the neighbours of an applicant. If there is any objection, then a permit should not be granted.

The public stature of the law would be greatly enhanced if it were seen as a force in favour of the preservation of life (including non-human) rather than as a force indifferent to the claims of the voiceless.

We have stated above the interpretation of the existing law and the legal consequences that would flow when the law is breached.

Prof. Mahinda Palihawadhana,
President, Sri Lanka Vegetarian Society and
Senaka Weeraratne,
Attorney at law,
Colombo 5.

Even the Pope uses coal power

A news item in The Sunday Times of March 19 highlighted the debate on the location of the Noraichcholai coal power plant.

The issue is whether the plant, eleven kilometres south of the Talawila Catholic shrine, is unique in its proximity to a place of religious worship.

Consider how the Vatican receives electricity.

The Vatican is the administrative and spiritual capital of nearly one billion Catholics of the world. It is a city state, surrounded by Italy. Within her very small land area, the Vatican has no space for big power plants. Therefore, it receives electricity from Italy. Italy has a large number of coal fired power plants. It also has a very large number of other smaller power plants of capacity less than 1000 megawatts.

All these huge coal-fired power plants are located along the beach in Italy, exactly like the planned site at Noraichcholai.

Italy also has fishermen as we have, and obviously they have not been disturbed by the power plants.

Italy has a lot more churches and shrines than we have, a lot more magnificent and old, scattered all over the country. Surely all these shrines are well and safe. There are no reports of any shrines being washed away or dissolved in acid-rain as some people want the Catholics in Sri Lanka to believe.

Sri Lanka is planning to build the first coal-fired power plant in Puttalam, initially of 300 megawatts, with an ultimate capacity of 900 megawatts when it is fully developed. This capacity is no match to any coal power plant in Italy.

Nearly half-a-million Catholics from the Chilaw area have migrated to Italy, to share the benefits of industrial growth there, "powered" by coal.

There are no power cuts, fears of a power crisis or price increases of electricity in Italy or the Vatican, because coal-fired power plants provide a steady, low cost electricity supply.

Even the Pope uses electricity from coal-fired power plants. He is well aware of the benefits of coal power because Poland, his motherland, gets its entire supply from coal-fired power plants.

In addition. Poland uses large quantities of coal directly for process heating requirements in various industries. Poland itself is a Catholic county, with huge churches and shrines amidst power plants and industries. What more examples do we need?

Expert studies by both Sri Lankan and foreign professionals, which are available for scrutiny by anybody, have confirmed there would be no damage to the Talawila Church from the power plant.

Within a 11 km radius of all the Catholic shrinesof Colombo (Archbishop's House, St Lucia's Cathedral, popular churches and the National Shrine at Tewatte, Ragama) there are 520 megawatt power plants (soon to be upgraded to 820 megawatts), a oil refinery and half a million diesel vehicles.

All these emit sulphur dioxide at rates double that of the coal power plant, but nothing has happened to any of the shrines.

The Pope has the wisdom to use electricity from coal-fired power plants. Why deprive Sri Lankans of the benefits of this low-cost technology? Unless, someone wants the country to remain unstable and the people in the area to remain poor, uneducated, isolated, ignorant of what happens elsewhere in the world.

Dr. Tilak Siyambalapitiya
Negombo.

Return to Plus Contents