The Sunday Times Letters to the Editor Section

Letters to the Editor 15th July 2001

Contents Will it be a case of falsehood? Symphonic disharmony A little care won't hurt Don't forget the maids Remember she's somebody's mother Tackle the Tiger together Promises that don't ring true Will it be a case of falsehood? The news item announcing the appointment of a Presidential Truth Commission to probe the 1983 riots, is bound to attract the attention of the public considering the fate of the commissions that were appointed after 1994. The question remains whether such an investigation is possible 18 years after the event? Would it suffer the same fate as those of the Batalanda and Kobbekaduwa Commissions, to name just two? If the intention is to tarnish the image of the then government or individual politicians by an ex post facto investigation, it is unfair by the people and is counter-productive considering the expense involved. A commission probing the events of July 1983 will have to summon witnesses acquainted with those events. The witnesses may be politicians, members of the armed forces, persons holding responsible positions and persons manning institutions like prisons and other institutions responsible for the maintenance of law and order. Many of these persons are no more. In such a situation, the commission will have to depend on second-hand material in its search for the truth. Then in such a situation truth will disappear leaving room for falsehood. The rationale for the commission will lose its validity. Since 1994, worse calamities have occurred in the country which brought death and destruction to the people. No one has been held responsible or taken responsibility for the failure of the security establishment to prevent such disasters. These disasters require an explanation from persons holding high office. They have kept people in the dark by simply saying those were terrorist attacks. All these disasters require the appointment of commissions to expose the failings of persons holding high positions. If we take the case of the Central Bank bombing, the authorities knew very well that the LTTE was planning to target economic institutions. Failure to take preventive action by stopping heavy vehicles entering Fort without any checks, was a major mistake. The resulting destruction of property, death and mayhem did not serve as a lesson to prevent a repetition of such attacks on similar institutions. The next attack came on the Petroleum Corporation at Kolonnawa. No one took responsibility for the colossal loss suffered by the country. A military disaster occurred last April when the LTTE overran Elephant Pass. Nobody took responsibility for the debacle. These questions too should have been gone into by an independent commission. But what happened was that the country was put on a war-footing to hoodwink the masses. At least now let sanity and good sense prevail. If commissions are to be appointed, let it be done in a meaningful way so that people can have some confidence in them. D. de S. Kurukulasuriya Dehiwela Symphonic disharmony The chief executive of a public service organisation was given a ticket for a performance of Schubert's unfinished symphony. Since he was unable to go, he passed the invitation to his chief accountant. The next morning, he asked the chief accountant whether he had enjoyed it, and he was handed a memorandum which read as follows: For a considerable period, the above players had nothing to do. Their number should be reduced and their work spread over the whole orchestra, thus avoiding peaks of inactivity. All 12 violins were playing identical notes. This seems unnecessary duplication and the staff in this section should be drastically cut. If a large volume of sound is required, this could be obtained through use of an amplifier. Much effort was involved in playing 16th notes. This seems an excessive refinement, and it is recommended that all notes be rounded up to the nearest 8th note. If this were done, it would be possible to use parapro-fessionals instead of experienced musicians. No useful purpose is served by repeating with horns, the passage that has already been handled by the strings. If all such redundant passages were eliminated, the concert could be reduced from two hours to 20 minutes. This symphony has two movements. If Schubert did not achieve his musical goals by the end of the first movement, then he should have stopped there. The second movement is unnecessary and should be cut. In light of the above, one can only conclude that had Schubert given attention to these matters, his symphony would probably have been finished by now. Basma Azad, Colombo 3. A little care won't hurt Indifference and lack of care greet many expectant mothers who seek admission to the Kalmunai Hospital for their confinements. Some women are turned away on the grounds that the due date has not arrived, even though there is a likelihood of the baby being born early. There are also allegations that forcep deliveries result in both the baby and the mother being injured. What these women need is just kindness and care. The Ministry of Health should direct the hospital authorities to act with kindness. V.R. Kallar. Don't forget the maids Many Sri Lankan women who are compelled to go abroad to work as housemaids return with stories of torture. A large number of women are also stranded in West Asia. It seems as if the government has overlooked the plight of these women. These hapless women bring much foreign exchange into the government's coffers. It is a shame for the government to ignore the difficulties they face. The Sri Lanka missions in West Asia have also failed to fulfil their duties. So has the Ministry of Women's Affairs. It is time the government took steps to arrest this problem without delay. Migara Parakrama Anuradhapura Remember she's somebody's mother She stood at the crossing and waited long Alone uncared for, amid the throng Past the woman so old and gray Hastened the children on their way No one offered a helping hand to her So meek, so timid, afraid to stir He paused beside her and whispered low I will help you cross, if you wish to go Her aged hand on his strong young arm She placed and so, without hurt or harm He guided the trembling feet along Proud that his own were firm and strong Then back again to his friends he went His young heart happy and well content She's somebody's mother, boys, you know For all she's aged and poor and slow And I hope some fellow will lend a hand To help my mother you understand If ever she's poor and old and grey When her own dear boy is far away. Miran Perera Kandy. Tackle the Tiger together The minority parties appear to be confabulating to destabilise the nation and play into the hands of the LTTE, instead of co-operating to solve the burning problems faced by the people. The crying need is to unite, to force the terrorists to surrender arms, abandon Eelamist policies and come to the negotiating table. There was never a more opportune moment for the leading opposition party, the UNP, to join hands with the Government on this matter, since several countries including the USA, UK, India and Malaysia have banned the LITTE. Hewage Jayasena Talangama South Promises that don't ring true Sri Lanka Telecom advertised the availability of the facility of caller line identification (CLI) in some parts of Colombo and subscribers were assured it would be available nationwide from July for Rs. 50 a month. Many subscribers, especially women were pleased about this as they could see the number of the caller before answering the phone. Alas, the SLT promise seems like an election promise. Even in the areas in Colombo where CLI has been introduced, every subscriber is unable to get it due to some technical problem. Other telephone exchanges have not even got their facilities updated to accommodate this facility. Shouldn't SLT act in a more professional manner? A Subscriber Kandy.
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