Recently there was a very informative panel discussion on AIDS and its prevention on TV. With due respect to the eminent participants, I must say that the discussion was lacking in one important aspect of prevention - the moral aspect of sex.
The importance of knowledge about AIDS, the rehabilitation of prostitutes and use of condoms were discussed in detail. But the panel should have included some religious leaders to discuss the importance of religions which can play a major role - in fact the major role - in controlling this deadly disease.
Prophet Mohammed (sal) predicted 1500 years back: "A time will come when depraved, illegal sexual behaviour will prevail among human beings and then they will be afflicted with diseases for which there will be no cure". The prophesy has come true today.
AIDS is spread mainly by sexual contact. It is prevalent today because pre-marital and extra marital sex, as well as perverted sex of homosexuality has come to stay among our society. This is the cause.
Instead of combating the disease and by tackling this basic root cause, what does man do? He sets up condom machines, making the condoms available even to school children! The message is clear - Go ahead and be immoral, but be careful about getting AIDS.
This is typical of today's trends - We encourage a depravity and then search for measures to combat the effects.
We widely encourage alcohol drinking - even the ministers give licences for liquor shops, and then spend millions on Alcoholics Anonymous. We widely publicize smoking and then spend profusely on chest hospitals! We legitimize gambling and then boast on successful counselling for broken families. Can the 21st Century man get any stupider?
It is a proven fact that condoms are never 100% successful - neither in preventing pregnancy nor AIDS. The one and only method to assure protection from AIDS is to strictly adhere to decent sexual behaviour.
Sri Lankans are still basically decent, God-fearing people. Whatever the religious denomination we may belong to, all religions preach that sex is only for our legal partner and that sincerity and loyalty to the spouse is essential to a healthy society. Infidelity and disloyalty brings about immense stress into the family, not only to the spouse, but also to the children as well as to the extended family. Today, society is depraved enough to give immoral behaviour, a sense of "respectability''. It is common to see people of high social standing spending weekends at 5-star hotels with 'high class prostitutes' in the name of "friend" or "companion." The law which hounds out the poor spending a night in a brothel, turns a blind eye on these partners - though often it is well known that this couple is not married and have booked into the same room. We now see appeals for "live in companion" or "relationships" under classified columns - which obviously does not include marriage and nobody seems to care.
If we want a decent society for our children, we have to stop all these perversions. Society has to take a strong stand against those who break the laws conducive for a healthy society, whatever their powers may be.
Most of all, we have to emphasize the importance of the sacredness of marriage - that loyalty to the spouse is crucial for the family in every way.
Unless we strengthen this aspect as a preventive method of AIDS, all other measures will merely be chopping off the insignificant tentacles of this monster AIDS - they will grow again - sure.
Dulanjali Jayakody and the former Mayor of Colombo clearly have no clue about the concept of democratic expression and political satire. For if they did, they would not complain about TNL's highly popular "Always Breakdown".
Surely Dulanjali must regret not being in power to control the media.
We find the show to be first class and very funny. If Shan Wickremesinghe's TNL can caricature his own brother and ridicule the President and her pandam kaarayas, he then can do the same to Lanka's so called other "great leaders". No one made any charges against President Premadasa in that particular episode.
We find the show to be on par with western political satires. Perhaps the former Mayor and Ms. Jayakody ought to live in the US or London and learn how TV and media treat their politicians. She ought to listen to the opening monologue on Jay Leno's Italian show which is shown here on ETV.
If the President and Ranil Wicremesinghe can live with it so can you. Live with it Mr former Mayor and Ms. Jayakody. We suggest you go live in the US to see how they poke fun at Clinton. Have you seen the British comedies "Yes Minister" and "Yes Prime Minister"?
Grow up and become more enlightened, more humble and examine yourselves and your own public conduct and I am sure even Mr. Premadasa who did so much for the poor perhaps will in hindsight be embarrassed by some of his family's antics, corruption and his tyrannical egocentric mannerisms and style of governance that were portrayed in the show. "Great leaders" will be great even if a TV station ridicules them for the good of the public in what afterall is supposed to be a democracy.
I am sure I'm venting the frustration of a large segment of the people who are classified as 'cricket crazy'. I am aware that we as a nation not only respect our respective religions but also revere them as our prized possessions venerating their precepts to the best of our abilities. We are also tolerant and liberal enough to see that each others rightful, innocent and legitimate wishes are not hindered, curtailed or restricted.
With these thoughts in my mind I am really sad that a very important episode in the Independence Cricket International Cup between Pakistan and India was not telecast live on our National electronic media - Rupavahini . This sadness is compounded because all other channels of our visual media were debarred from telecasting this important and exciting episode of cricket encounters of international standard. As it turned out, this was one of the most exciting episodes of cricket witnessed. Many records were either broken or established and the excitement was so great that when I was listening to the radio commentary I wished that we had sober and level headed decision makers who could decide for us without considering their own standards as a yardstick for what is good or otherwise.
The visual media being debarred from telecasting a cricket match made no sense. In which religion or its precepts is it forbidden for its adherents to partake or participate in an innocent and legitimate entertainment? Surely, no religion expects its followers to refrain from human related requirements for 24 hours of the day.
Or is it that we are through a process to make the world aware that we are a strict religious society more holier than thou? It is sheer helplessness when we know that our mores are to be decided for us by politicians and their appointees who inevitably curry favour for their own betterment.
Cigarette and alcohol advertisements are banned for visual media but one only has to see the local print media which carries an abundance of these advertisements. Slaughter of animals and sale of liquor are banned during Wesak and Poya days, but all you have to do is just walk on the roads and you will be surprised by the variety of sweep tickets for sale and entertaining advertising shows to promote the sales of these sweep tickets on the telly. ls this promotion of gambling? Oh, no ! Mores? To hell with them if they don't suit our personal or the bosses' view.
"Those who know they do, those who don't they teach" John Milton said. Was he serious when he said it? I intend no ill-will towards the teachers of English who are working against all odds specially in the government schools when I suggest that this saying of Milton should be scratched a little to find out whether it can shed some light on the failure of teaching English in our schools. Most of the English teachers of today are the products of the senior teachers who have retired while the seniors had the command of the language their products seem to be struggling with it.
Who is to be blamed? What has gone wrong? Where have we gone wrong? Language is a mechanical process of habit formation. Therefore it must begin with skills and habits. The earlier you initiate it, the better. Have I hit the nail on the head? Is our failure due to this late start? Yes but not fully. I welcome wholeheartedly the move to start teaching English at Year One. I would like to suggest some ideas for consideration to those who have some say in the matter. The first two years of English in school should be strictly confined to oral work and listening. There should be no writing whatsoever, till they come to Year Three. Nursery rhymes, counting, songs, games etc should form the learning content of what is to be written in Year Three and should be more or less what has been spoken in the first two years.
Listening is an integral part of learning a language, because it is the first step to talking. The things that a child talks are the things it hears.
Didn't we pick up our mother-tongue that way? This aspect of learning a language is a neglected aspect as far as the English language learning in our schools is concerned. Though the present syllabus has shown a little concern about it, most teachers seem to confine it to the syllabus in the print only. Many of the students whom I have questioned on this have said so.
The best way to learn a language is to use it. How much of English is used by our students? Perhaps too much of English is taught to them both in school and tuition classes and far less is used by them. That really is the tragedy. In most schools the only aspect of English is writing. Isn't it putting the cart before the horse? Speaking must precede writing, if language is to be learned well and learned quickly. Writing of English should be one of the skills of learning and not the only one. In any case it should not be an exercise of convenience for teachers, few moments of relaxation, some of whom don't care even to correct them.
I teach in an institution where hundreds of adult students come to learn English. It is not only painful but sickening not to hear any one talking in English but blissfully jabbering away in their mother- tongue once they are out of class or during the interval. Yet they all come to learn English.
In our schools how much of our time is spent in developing this all important skill of the language? In some classes it is almost nil in others very limited. The reason is not far to see. Testing in schools for promotion and at the O/L is done only in writing. If speech becomes a part of testing at the O/L and at promotions I am sure things will improve because if a person can talk in English he will also be able to learn to write it quickly because at the initial stages the spoken and written English is hardly any different. Practical obstacles of testing in speech will be there but should we recoil and withdraw from doing it or take it as a challenge and see how this could be done? After about 10 years of learning English if our students cannot speak the language, which now seems the most practical and urgent skill needed in our country specially in the private sector, it is time for us to think very seriously on these facts.
For nearly six months I have been attempting to get the water meter in my premises repaired or replaced as it is malfunctioning. I wrote repeated letters to the area engineer - located at No: 2 Chapel Road, Nugegoda. Since there was no reply I called over at the office and made a further request.
The staff was not at all helpful. I was requested to fill a form and hand it in. This I did the same day. It is more than two months since I handed over the form. I have made a number of telephone inquiries, but no action has yet been taken.
What is annoying is the indifference and discourteous attitude of the staff. The many callous officers at the Nugegoda office, were rude and impertinent.
I cannot understand the indifference of the authorities and the inordinate delay in attending to a routine matter.
It is timely that the Water Supply and Drainage Board inquire to ascertain for themselves the deplorable manner in which the Nugugoda office functions.
More letters to the editor * Who cares for these commuters? * When ignorance is harmful * Auspicious times - a myth? * Worm infested chocolate for sale? * All is not tickety-boo down under
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