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Rich trimmings
of poverty project If this is the salary of middle management locals one can only imagine what the expats get! How true it
is that "Foreign aid is what the poor in rich countries contribute
(by way of VAT etc.) towards the rich in poor countries." Remember
the camel when dealing with the Tiger An Arab was inside a tent while his camel was outside. Complaining of the cold, the camel requested permission to put his head inside the tent. The request was granted. Another request followed for the front legs and this too was granted. Then the camel barged in, kicked the Arab out of the tent and occupied it alone. This mirrors
real life and the LTTE too seems to be following this thinking. Play
the game correctly Muslim Ladies
which never had a playground of its own (it hardly encouraged sports),
now claims to be a great lover of sports. This school should take
an example from its neighbour St. Peter's College, and support the
country's progress. Play the game correctly, Muslim Ladies' College.
Relaunch
operation elimination One hears of
many people, especially schoolchildren who have been bitten by strays.
Victims who are aware of the seriousness of the matter get treatment,
but those who neglect succumb to rabies and die. The authorities
should relaunch the stray dog elimination campaign immediately.
Beware
of puppeteers disrupting education Under cover of various protests in the universities, JVP agitators are promoting the closure of campuses and workplaces. They create problems and when the universities are closed, get the students on to the roads. Unfortunately, innocent students have become helpless pawns. Their studies are disrupted and examinations postponed, so much so that a graduate passes out only when he/she is close to 30 years old. Anyone watching the T.V. coverage of demonstrations would not find it difficult to identify the faces of regular agitators, the common wording on placards and even the common slogans shouted. All this leads one to believe that one puppeteer is pulling the strings. That is the JVP. Having realized that armed insurrection and murder of innocents as in the 1980s do not pay, the JVP now instigates demonstrations. Rushing to be the saviours of students, workers and farmers, the JVP has no qualms about leading those who believe in them down the garden path. As a result of frequent JVP led agitation, several industries have closed down. At a time when the country needs more industries to create employment, the JVP is hellbent on causing industrial unrest. Their recent foray as the saviours of unemployed graduates marching to Temple Trees ended with broken bones but no jobs. Jobs cannot be created unless there is peace in the country and accompanying industrial and economic growth. Investors should be certain that their industries would not be disrupted by the JVP. The recent local government polls have shown in no uncertain terms that their strategy to be the saviours of the Sinhala nation has not been accepted by the vast majority. Therefore, the agitators are now getting ready to hold demonstrations all over the country against the so-called privatization and ceasefire. I see no fault
in having free education concurrently with fee-levying schools and
colleges. It is a violation of the fundamental rights of students
if they are prevented from following fee-levying courses, because
some are getting free education. These are the very persons who have been misled into agitating against fee-levying schools. Having paid their way to the university they want to prevent others from doing so. After spending their parents' money on tuition fees students enter universities with the greatest difficulty and within a few months go on strike! It is impossible to see the logic behind students' actions. I only see the hidden agenda of the JVP. Take the case
of medicine. Most countries have opened fee-levying medical colleges
and in India almost all the medical colleges charge fees. The time
has come to have a fee-levying Medical College in Colombo and earn
foreign exchange for the country while saving the money spent by
good Lankan students on education abroad. If negotiations
work, both sides win These books should be made available to the public in libraries so that the muddled reasoning that one encounters particularly in public fora with impassioned speeches, visceral outbursts, are eliminated. While on the topic of clear thinking vis-a-vis negotiations, a former member of Fortune's Board of Editors NY, Max Ways, observed: "Negotiated accords are evolutionary steps allowing a society to be both stable in its main institutions and flexible in detail. The usefulness in negotiations has logical limits. No single negotiation can be expected to produce a grand and constructive advance in human relation." Thus it ought
to be concluded that when negotiation works, both sides win! What about their
graves? We do not hear a whimper from the peace caravan about the 700 policemen murdered in cold blood after they surrendered to the Tigers, obeying the orders of misguided President R. Premadasa, deceived by wily Anton Balasingham at the Hilton Hotel talks. Why do we play
the game according to the Tiger agenda? Why act as a carpet to cover
this horrendous mass murder of 700 who laid down their arms and
their lives? Where are their graves? 'Letters
to the Editor' should be brief and to the point.
Address them to: 'Letters to the Editor, The Sunday Times, P.O.Box 1136, Colombo. Or e-mail to steditor@wijeya.lk or stfeat@wijeya.lk Please note that letters cannot be acknowledged or returned. |
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