A few weeks ago I read with much interest an article in The Sunday Times that the veteran broadcaster and commentator Palitha Perera had won a prestigious international award for his outstanding contribution to sports broadcasting.
But what is shocking to note is that Palitha, the award winner was not given even a single cricket match by the S.L.B.C. (where, I understand, he works) during the World Cup matches. This, I guess is like everything etc. in Sri Lanka. There is no doubt that Palitha is one of our top-rung Sinhala sports commentators. There certainly must be some mysterious and devious reason.
While on the road during the World Cup matches, I was compelled to listen to radio commentaries, and the shocking state of those commentaries. Cricketers' names were incorrectly pronounced and lack of knowledge of the game was certainly evident.
In fact our leading English commentators too were missing. What happened? A Sri Lankan with a heavy English accent was the commentator, and it was obvious that he was an imported novice. In the final - the English and Sinhala commentaries which I think must have been from Lahore, were substandard as both men did not know if they were coming or going, as the big event must have got the better of them.
It is high time the SLBC assigns only the best, as the likes of Palitha Perera to do commentaries. Has there been victimisation by those who know nothing of sports and broadcasting?
It is high time that SLBC does some soul searching.
Nowadays, there are political parties and Groups within such parties like the 'Mulberry Group' - that alert group of backbenchers within the Govt. Party which keeps prodding the Party to action and keeps it 'on its toes'. There may be other groups with different views: the 'Blackberry Group', the 'Gooseberry Group' or the 'Strawberry Group'. There may even be a group of 'wild berries' that has to be constantly pulled up by the Party Whip for not adhering to 'Party rules'.
Leaving aside these groups of Govt. 'Berries', we may pass on to the Opposition which can also have similar groups. But these may choose to be called by nationalistic names such as the 'Rambutan Group', the 'Naran Group' or the 'Jambu Group'.
This 'Group Idea' may spread to the Media World too. And we may have morning newspapers assuming the names of familiar food items relished by Sri Lankans at breakfast, namely, 'Aappa', 'Indiaapa' or 'Pittu', and these newspapers may claim to belong to the 'Aappa Group', the 'Indiaappa Group' or the 'Pittu Group'. The last mentioned Group may now prefer to be called the 'Kate Pittu Group'. To understand this, one must remember that a question often asked in Sinhala is 'Why can't you speak? Have you 'Pittu' in your mouth? And, if this question is addressed to the Media today, all Media groups will answer in unison: "Yes, we cannot speak freely these days as our mouths are full of the 'Pittu' of Government Censorship with which we are continued to be fed by Govt. regardless of the fact that it has become both unpalatable and ineffective."
The statutory age of retirement was drastically reduced from 60 years to 55 without the slightest consideration or concern for the working population as a part of the draconian "Distant Dawn" package of doom of the United Front Government of the early 1970s. In all developed and developing countries, the statutory age of retirement is either 60 years or 65. In some advanced countries, there is no compulsory age of retirement. In deciding on the premature and relatively tender age of 55 years for retirement, the then United Front Government, was no doubt guided by the Hammer and Sickle concepts of a theoretician of a by-gone era when serving rice on more than two days a week was thought to be detrimental to the economy and check points were not meant to ferret out explosives, but paddy and rice.
Universities have become the playing fields of politicians as a result of which they are barricaded and debarred to students most of the time. Hence the working life of an average Sri Lankan begins well after 30 years and beginning of family-life takes much longer. With the reduction of the age of retirement to 55 years, the average period of employment varies between 15 and 20 years depending on individual academic and professional achievements. At the ridiculously premature retiring age of 55, children of retiring workers are in their teens and still school-going.
While septuagenarian and octogenarian politicians and their henchmen live on the fat of the land, their children enjoying the best of education in expensive International schools and foreign schools and universities, it is a struggle for survival for Sri Lankans compulsory retired at 55. If the age of retirement is to be 55 years for the working population, should it not be applied strictly and uniformly to Members of Parliament and Chairmen and Directors of state-controlled institutions as well?
The United National Party which governed the country for 17 years after the defeat of the United Front Government, failed to address the issue during its long tenure in office. The 55-year retirement age has affected even those holding high offices to the extent of compelling them to resort to the alleged criminal offense of falsifying their dates of birth. Human Resources Managers would no doubt have detected countless instances of inauthentic birth certificates intended to circumvent early retirement. Every worker should have the right to work and earn his or her living upto a reasonable age. It is a matter of paramount interest to the entire society and workers in particular although trade unions have been surprisingly silent on the issue for over two decades. It is my view that no worker should vote for any political party that does not incorporate in a "genuine" election manifesto, a declaration to restore the 60 year age of retirement. The United Front which has now emerged as the Peoples Alliance would obviously not pick up bricks that they dropped in the past!
Some time ago the government advanced the clock by one hour to try and save power by making optimum use of day light available. This probably was a good move.
Since then the school times have been advanced by half an hour and now the office times have been advanced by half an hour from last Monday. Students and office workers must account for more than 65 per cent of the urban population who consume most of the electricity. What is the logic behind this as the effective adavncement of the clock is only half an hour? Couldn't we have advanced the clock by half an hour in the first place?
The other day I read in the newspapers that the Muslims were requesting the change of lunch time so that they could pray at God's time. If the government is going to change the times to suit every Tom, Dick and Harry, we will soon be in square one again.
This reminds me of the story of the farmer, his son and the donkey. The farmer, his son and the donkey were walking down the road on their way to the market when some onlookers commented as to why the farmer was making his son walk instead of letting him ride on the donkey. So he put the son on the donkey and continued to walk. Further down the road some remarked as to why the old fool is walking and tiring himself instead of riding on the donkey. So the farmer too got on to the donkey and they were on their way to the market. Further down the road people started shouting at the farmer, calling him a cruel old fool for making the donkey carry him and the son? "You old cruel fool why are hurting that little animal by riding on him? You like a good Samaritan, should carry the donkey". So the farmer and the son got down from the donkey and ended up carrying him on their shoulders to the market.
More letters to the editor - Let harmonious relationship between man and beast continue * Sri Lanka should learn a lesson from India * A flaw in privatization
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