Letters to the Editor

English morals and fingerprinting
A controversy has erupted over the fingerprinting of Sri Lankan visa applicants at the British High Commission. If the High Commission really wanted to check on the credentials of the applicants, it would have been better if it diplomatically requested the thumb impression of the applicant along with the usual signature, as signatures are often illegible. Fingerprinting is usually associated with criminals and is tantamount to discrediting a person.

Having served BOAC/ British Airways for 20 years, I too had a skirmish with the immigration authorities at Heathrow airport, as I had an open-dated ticket for my return journey. The officer wanted a letter from the management in Colombo specifying my leave period! To make the officer see reason I had to show my passport and point out the fact that I was born on May 4, 1924, as a British citizen and continued to be so for 24 years.

The officer relented and allowed a month's stay. He said I had a plausible case - with emphasis on plausible - and he would recommend me to the Home Office, without delay. He then went to a corner and sat there like little Jack Horner.
This episode reminded me of what Bernard Shaw said of the British: "An Englishman thinks he is moral when he is only uncomfortable"! So, is it not well-founded?

Foreign letters on fire at Mt. Lavinia
A serious problem seems to be assailing the Mount Lavinia Post Office - many sealed foreign letters have been lost in the past few years.

On a few occasions, heaps of opened foreign letters were either found burnt outside the post office or dumped in other compounds at night. Over to you Postmaster General!

A mother's advice
Walk tall, my son,
In a bent and crooked world
Where truth lies hidden behind
Walls of power

Walk tall, my son,
When all you see around
Are people strutting up and down
So arrogant, so proud.
When you feel rejected and so afraid,
Remember, son,
They've got feet of clay.

Walk tall, my son,
With humble heart and head held high,
Soften your very being to hear the sigh
Of those oppressed and weak,
To speak a word of comfort,
Lend a helping hand
For such men of valour
The Lord doth seek.
So, walk tall, my son.

Vile state of wildlife
A BBC Sandesaya programme on July 23 revealed that the Department of Wild Life has only three veterinarians to handle day-to-day matters. This was in response to a question about the death of a baby elephant, which they could not treat for four days after it was injured in a landmine explosion. Is the ministry serious about protecting wildlife?

We have strict laws about birds. It is illegal to cage birds, even parrots and mynahs. How is it that quail (watu) eggs are served at a popular eating house close to Lipton's Circus. These eggs and skinned quail are also put up for sale in showcases at a supermarket close by.

The department also sends released birds to the Zoo, which is another prison from the birds' point of view. Efforts should be made to release the birds to their habitats.

Railways on track to doom?
The late Railway Department is born again as the Railway Authority with wide powers. All component things are impermanent and so is the CGR. The death-knell has been rung and the railway set on the track to doom from July 24.

After 139 years, the Railway Department has been made an Authority, paving the way for privatization on the grounds that it will start running at a profit without being a burden on the state. What the bureaucrats need to understand is that it will never make a profit, unless the commuters are forced to pay higher fares beyond their means.

That is what happened after the privatization of the Telecommunication Department. Take the suffering of the consumer and the exorbitant prices he has to pay after the gas monopoly was given to Shell.

Railways all over the world run at a loss, but they are maintained because they are a national and essential service like the police and army. The losses are due to the failure of governments to provide adequate funds for the maintenance of the railways, especially track maintenance. This has resulted in accidents followed by increased expenditure on repairs and replenishment.

Another cause is ticketless travel, which the railway is unable to control due to the lack of a civic sense among some passengers and thuggery and intimidation of ticket examining staff. The lack of barbed wire fences or parapet walls around railway stations allow passengers to enter and leave without their tickets being checked.

The withdrawal of pension rights, privileges and facilities from the staff will make them a discontented lot, with political interference in appointments, transfers and promotions aggravating it.

The General Manager of Railways should be free to act independently as the railway is an engineering department. We hope the remedy will not be worse than the disease and the Railways will not suffer the same fate as the CTB.

Don't banish the pensioners to oblivion
The media have highlighted the fact that public servants will be given a pay hike. They are well deserving. But the government seems to have forgotten the pensioners.
Why are they ignored and marginalized? Is it fair to banish pensioners to oblivion?
Let me remind the government about the promises made to the people during the hustings.

The cost of living is skyrocketing while the price of drugs has doubled and trebled and pensioners are the worst hit. The interest rates on fixed deposits placed by pensioners with their life savings have been reduced drastically. Numerous appeals, voiced through the mass media have fallen on deaf ears.

Selective dispensation has become evident, throwing moral scruples to the wind for the simple reason that pensioners have no bargaining power compared to the working class.

Politicians and bureaucrats are past masters at looking after themselves. No harm. We do not grudge them that. At the same time they should cast a glance at the poor pensioners. Isn't this a grave injustice on people who have worked for the country?

We could take a leaf out of the book of countries which have provided their senior citizens with many concessions.

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