Snippets

Tut, tut, what an example

Last week a group of school children were brought to the gallery.

Listening to the verbal abuse between the members, a shocked teacher inquired from a scribe, whether the lawmakers were educated and if so how they could behave in this manner.

When the scribe inquired from the school children (all year 4 students from an outstation school) what they felt about the "lawmakers " behaviour, pat came one reply "loku randuwak giya". 

Another replied that they were actually planning to visit the Dehiwela zoo but were brought to Parliament instead as it was closed.

"It would have been better if we went to see the animals in the Zoo"

Mad Cow hits the House

During the budget debate Minister Mangala Samaraweera was continuously interrupted by UNP MP Azwer. With no chance of stopping the parliamentarian, the minister reportedly quipped the Sri Lankan trend appeared to be " Mad ass, and foot in the mouth disease."

Saga of facts and figures

The Minister claims that except for a foreign correspondent and an English speaking journalist, all the others were "Golu and Beeriy" (deaf and dumb) at the news conference.

But looking back one wonders who had got the facts and figures confused, with square feet and the rupees !!!!

More about houses

The Prime Minister's Chief Security who was reportedly given a judge's house while the PM was residing at Stanmore Cresent is still occupying the huge house.

Although the PM shifted to Temple Trees more than four months back the Security chap is still in the house.

The reason for the delay being his flat at Summit Flats is still being renovated !!

Whose business is it?

Surely, those so called big wigs should know that they are being paid by the people of this country and that it's not their personal fortunes.

Journalists, too can retort in the same manner the big wig did but they don't stoop to that level.

Square pegs in round holes

Some appointments are not worth talking of. It's like asking Chitrasena to sing and Amaradewa to dance.

Minister blasts budget debate

By M. Ismeth 

Minister D. M. Jayaratne, general secretary of the ruling People's Alliance, told The Sunday Times millions of rupees were wasted on the second reading and the committee stage of the budget debate though often not a dot or comma in the draft was changed. Instead of this long and meaningless process, he suggested a compromise budget whereby the government would present proposals to the opposition, come to some consensus and table the final draft for approval. 

Mr. Jayaratne referred to the massive amount spent to provide electricity for the proceedings and TV coverage, food and other facilities for MPs and staff and other expenses. He said that instead of wasting so much the MPs could be sent back to their electorates to coordinate and streamline development work.

Switching on the TV in his parliamentary office while Minister Sarath Amunugama was speaking, Mr. Jayaratne said the debate was largely on internal matters within the UNP and served little purpose in terms of development of the country.

Trouble over fish curry

The man, a tourist guide, had allegedly stolen the domestically reared ornamental Carp, about 18 inches in length and weighing two kilos from the home of a journalist. 

Historic tea auction

On Friday, the Colombo Tea Traders Association will host a special auction for 700,000 kg of low grown teas to clear a backlog. 

Tea trade sources said this was history in the making. Other than conducting special auctions for all types - high, medium and low growns - during crisis times like a plantation strike for instance, this is the first time a separate auction is being held for a particular kind. 

"New developments are taking place all the time in the industry and this is one of those occasions," noted Ravi Kumararatne, CEO of Asia Siyaka Commodities Ltd. Low growns account for more than 50 percent of the country's total tea production. 

Govt taken to courts over ILO pledge

By Laila Nasry

The petition, which was heard on Friday by Justice Upali de Z. Gunewardene calls on the government to honour its pledge given to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) committee on freedom of association and to ensure the right to organise and bargain collectively.

Such legal action by the trade union, Pragathi Sangamaya, comes at a time when the union alleges the governmetn is attempting to drag its feet from its obligations towards the ILO.

Thus many workers of the Free Trade Zone and other unorganised sectors have been harassed and victimised, the union said.

Wife alleges negligence in death of senior journalist

Prabath Manawasinghe, former newspaper editor and senior assistant secretary in charge of information at the Finance Ministry died of hemorrhage after an operation at a private hospital in Colombo recently.

His wife Nirmalee Manawasinghe has petitioned President Kumaratunga Health Minister John Seneviratne saying she had deep suspicions that her husband's sudden and untimely death was due to the negligence of the doctors and the medical service.

Ministry sources said Dr. Harsha Amal de Silva, Health Ministry director overseeing private hospitals, had been asked to conduct the inquiry.

"Mr. Manawasinghe was admitted to hospital to remove an obstruction in his urinal tract. Instead of surgically cutting open and removing the stones a tube was inserted to remove the stones. However, the tube had broken in the process causing injury to his internal organs and haemorrhage had begun," Ms. Manawasinghe said.

Among the causes for suspicion, she claimed that in spite of being aware that the stones were too big for removal without surgery they had still attempted to do this. "Not a single doctor or nurse capable of recognising internal haemorrhage was in the hospital at night and an open verdict was given as to the cause of death at the Post Mortem," she said.

FMD plummets beef sales

Western Province Ministry of Livestock director Dr. H. D. W. Piyadasa, however, has reassured the public by saying that human beings would not be affected even if they consumed FMD contaminated beef.

The FMD is a viral disease infecting the lips, tongue and hooves. Usually these portions of the animal were removed prior to cooking, he said. 

Meanwhile, the Colombo Municipality's chief veterinary surgeon Dr. S. D. Eleperuma has further allayed the fears of the public by saying the beef is 100 per cent fit for human consumption. "Beef is inspected and stamped regularly before it is sold," he said.

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