Letters to the editor

Once again the private bus owners have begun their well used tactic of threatening the government by holding the gun to the commuters' heads. This seems to be their tried and proven tantrum whenever they feel they want a certain demand met.

The fact is that we as commuters are fed up with these people who have been given a free hand in one of the most essential services of this country.

A majority of us lowly users of the transport services, strongly feel that it is time, high time the government i.e. both the Minister of Transport and the President, put an end to these bus owners holding the people of this country to ransom. We need our leaders to improve the SLCTB and to put much more buses on the road so that the private bus owners can literally go fly a kite with their demands and their vehicles. If a poll was conducted there would undoubtedly be a overwhelming majority of the public who would support such a move, given that the government takes genuine steps to truly “improve” the SLCTB services.

The first step taken in importing buses was such an encouragement. But, alas, those lovely new buses have fast become unkempt messes. These public-owned vehicles are strewn with pieces of paper, ice cream sticks and ground nut peel that have not been swept for weeks. The seats are dusty and the fixtures covered in grease. Why is it so impossible for the SLCTB to maintain a quality service? As one who has travelled and also lived overseas and used their state-owned transport facilities, this is truly a shame for our country.

Therefore, we the public, urgently request the President to step in and ensure an efficient and pleasant bus service for us so that we can happily thumb our noses at these bus owners who run an unwisely privatized essential service with utter disregard for the public they are supposed to be serving.

On a recent trip to the Pinnawela elephant orphanage, we were shocked to discover that the majestic elephant that used to drag kitul logs for the other elephants' had been replaced by a tractor.

Both tourists and locals used to watch him spellbound. In fact some tourists who probably had been there earlier asked the employees where that particular elephant was. Was he sold to some illicit timber merchant? In fact two other large elephants seemed to be missing too.

Most of these animals come to the orphanage as traumatized babies who have lost their mothers, or have undergone a tragedy of some form.

The now grown elephant with a part of one of its legs missing is a case in point. Now eyes are being cast on adult elephants by people who wish to use them as perahera elephants.

If there is a shortage of elephants for religious festivities, elephants can be imported from India, Thailand or Burma. But hands off our elephant orphans who bring in a huge amount of money as gate fees from foreigners.

I refer to a letter published in The Sunday Times of September 3, titled ‘Usual diagnosis based on the hobby-horse of expatriate locals’, by a writer with a pseudonym ‘Another doctor’. The said letter addressed the issues I raised in a letter titled ‘Professionalism in Politics’, which appeared in The Sunday Times as, ‘When will we get a leader who can liberate us from all evils?’

Whilst ‘Another doctor’ agrees with most of what I have written, I regret that he had misunderstood some issues. Mine was an objective socio-political review made on recent occurrences in Sri Lanka, facts without emotions. Let me clarify the facts where ‘Another doctor’ misunderstood me.

1) He objects to my use of ‘we' and ‘our’ as I am writing from Australia. I am a Sri Lankan citizen, and therefore I have the right to refer to Sri Lanka as ‘our’ country and its citizens as ‘we’.

2) ‘Another doctor’ also says that we have no knowledge of the ground truth in Sri Lanka. The fact is, we get Sri Lankan newspapers daily, and unbiased news from the international media in Sri Lanka.
Perhaps we have a better understanding of what is really occurring in Sri Lanka.

3) ‘Another doctor’ wrongly says that I have praised the LTTE. I have not praised the LTTE, but stated facts, as they are obvious to anybody. The point I emphasized was that the LTTE shouldn’t be taken lightly, because of their ruthless approach during the past 20 years. No right-minded person can condone their uncivilized violence, terrorism, child-abuse and totalitarianism. The present government is credited for getting on top of the situation recently.

4) My reference to the selection of a three-wheel driver to the post of Colombo Mayor was not to undermine the profession of three-wheel drivers, but to emphasize the importance of skills, training and experience required to run effectively the Colombo Municipal Council.

5) I still consider Parakramabahu the Great, as he is known as a great king of Sri Lanka, although the said doctor does not.

6) Lastly, I have some concerns about the doctor’s prescription of three dates to improve our thinking. Most edible fruits are generally good for our body. I would take seriously the story on three dates, if there were scientific evidence of its extraordinary effects. i.e. results of chemical analysis and effects on experimental animals.