Letters to the Editor

Mental Health: Action and reaction
"We would appreciate comments and reactions to our recently released Mental Health Policy, for Sri Lanka, 2005," said the Director of Mental Health, on a recent occasion when we were sitting next to each other at a seminar.
My personal reaction, that proved to be volatile after a period of one week, was to create a mental barrier around myself, composed of just a fraction of the trillion brain cells, which by some miracle still remain intact after four score years. However, before resigning myself to mental oblivion, I felt it was my duty to make an effort to stem the tide of fantasy that stood no chance of being converted into reality, within my lifetime.

Speaking on behalf of the mentally ill which I have the authority to do, being one of them myself, I have hand-picked a vital three, out of the 300 'comments and reactions' that sprang up in my mind by the time I reached page 30 of the final edition of the Mental Health Plan for Sri Lanka.

1. It is a human necessity for survival to learn to walk before we attempt to run. In my humble opinion we are - mental health policy implementation-wise - still in the cradle. Therefore a practical timeframe for implementation of the Mental Health Policy could be considered at the next meeting of the Committee Members.

2. Sri Lankan society is multi-layered, according to many traditional hangovers. Caution should be observed in shifting from the familiar hospitalization to community-based care. I am not a researcher, but I speak from an on-going observation of life around me at village level.

3. In brief, "man proposes, but God disposes" so some mention of spirituality would not come amiss in the creed of the Mental Health Plan 2005.

The best! you must be joking
According to a news item dated April 28, the Dehiwela-Mt. Lavinia Municipal Council was selected as the best Municipal Council in the Western Province, in a competition organized by the Western Province Department of Local Government.

The thought that came to my mind on reading this was that it was a belated April Fool’s joke, a figment of somebody's imagination or that the Council would have been the best of the bad lot. An opinion poll of the people in the area would have revealed the following shortcomings.

1. Garbage bags are thrown all over the roads. Warning notices/boards should be erected informing residents that throwing litter on the road is a punishable offence and offenders will be dealt with severely.

5. Streets lights are switched on early in the evening when there is sufficient daylight - Street lights are switched off late in the morning - incurring additional expense to the Council. I trust the authorities concerned will give these matters their immediate attention if they wish to maintain their position as the "Best Municipal Council in the Western Province."

Open the way for honest administrators to act
In every sector in Sri Lanka there are many organisations responsible for controlling the performance of governmental administration. Normally, laws and regulations are the best way of running all institutions. On paper such rules are ideal, but in practice they break down, rendering the administration inefficient and obsolete. The problem is particularly acute in the financial sector.

In every country, administrative formalities are a serious impediment to the taking of rapid decisions, but in Sri Lanka the major problem is that any administrator is considered corrupt until proved otherwise. This handicaps the progress of vulnerable sectors.

All administrators are afraid of taking important decisions for fear of being thought corrupt. Not uncommonly, innocent administrators have been punished for taking courageous decisions. They are fair when speaking generally on general matters but very selfish when tackling a personal problem.

One example of administrative impediment is the Cenral Bank where the waiting list for relief by the depositors of bankrupt Hedeki Finance Co. is well over eighteen years.

It is high time especially as the incumbent government has decided to implement wider-ranging reforms, to launch a new system in Sri Lanka to tackle such social problems. The first step should consist of giving administrators more authority. They should be considered honest until proven corrupt, not the other way round and should be encouraged to take decisions, even if they make mistakes. They should be given time to act before being evaluated on results and production and not on their capacity for following minute administrative regulations.

It is time to throw open the windows and let in some sunshine in the shape and form of honest administrators. The really dishonest administrators who know all the administrative tricks in the book never end up with any sort of punishment.

What a shame for beautiful Kandy!
I visited the Kandy Lake Round Park with my grandchildren recently and regret to note it is badly maintained. It is not a place for children.The park is dirty and the concrete benches, stools and the tables are broken. There is a large pond with stagnant water and all the dirt around is dumped into it. It is a breeding ground for dengue mosquitoes.

It is a shame that there is a park in this condition in a beautiful city like Kandy.
I hope the Mayor of Kandy will take action.

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