10th May 1998

Survival of the fittest?

We are a group of housewives who would like to share our views with all housewives who bear the never ending burden of the escalating prices of vegetables, rice and food items, with most of us trying hard to keep the home fires burning. What of women who have five or six children to feed? How do you expect even a pregnant woman to have all the nutrition she needs for her child in her womb, when people can't afford to have the basic necessities of life? It's not just a glass of milk as the advertisements say that is going to give children all the nutrition they need, but essential items such as vegetables, eggs, beef, fish, pulses, grains etc.

The present generation will not be as strong as their grand-mothers or mothers, because they will only resort to eating junk food and end up as adults with pressure, cholesterol, heart attacks, diabetes etc.

While we women of Sri Lanka suffer in silence with our families, the politicians' salaries are increased while some of the citizens who undergo all the hardships, like the "survival of the fittest" who earn around Rs. 10,000/- a month are given a salary increase of around Rs. 500/- to Rs. 1000/- a year. Our biggest question is why are the politicians' salaries increased while everything is on the house for them?

Why don't MPs and Ministers to give one month's salary to the defence fund and the Maligawa fund. While prices of food items escalate and our salaries are the same with a big slice cut off on taxes, EPF etc., the MPs and Ministers enjoy what we are denied.

So 'Women of Sri Lanka' why don't we gather together and parade the streets of Colombo for a worthy cause, protesting against the cost of living in a big way. It's high time we took a stand. Enough is enough.

Every shining beginning

Once more a ripe gold moon
Affirms the fervour of man's faith,
Great resonant bells
Scatter their echoing chimes

Over the resonant fields.
Within the sacred doors,
A shaft of radiance
Lights the infinitely calm
And compassionate face
Of wisdom and contemplation.

A conch cracks the night
Like a whip
And opens the hills,
Where streams of pilgrims
Gleam white in moonlight.

At the altars
This morning's flowers are dead,
And the new dewy blooms
Spread over them
Are wilting at the edges

Even as the moon is,
And every shining beginning
Doomed to its inescapable ending -
All things caught in the poignant circle
Of ceaseless repetition - life and death.

Preach the gospel of love

Today, not only in Sri Lanka but also the world over we are going through and witnessing a phase - a phenomenon called EL NINO of man's creation whereby we are paying for our sins in the perpetuation of man's inhumanity to man.

"Blow blow thou winter wind,

Thou art not so unkind

As mans' ingratitude" - Shakespeare.

It is, therefore, high time and essential that we think of truth in its true perspective and face the realities of life boldly and preach the gospel of love and brotherhood of man creating ameliorating conditions we all crave for and once and for all eliminate the selfish greed for lust and power over our own species lording over the miseries of the minority by the majority, of the weaker by the stronger that belittles the dictum that MAN is of one Human Race and that everyone has his or her fundamental rights, irrespective of caste, creed or colour.

It is in this age of turmoil that we think of a complete social reformation and bring in Religion to play a paramount role to save mankind from total anihilation with the advancement of science in that it has created weapons for its own destruction instead of using it (science and technology) for the betterment of mankind.

Should Sinhalese and Tamils go for a divorce?

America and India are perceived as traditional rivals by a section of the world.

The recent visits to Sri Lanka of Bill Richardson and Karl Inderfurth from America and of N.N. Jha from India has caused mixed misgivings amongst the people of Sri Lanka. The Sinhalese have welcomed the visit of the Americans but have a lot to say about Mr. Jha's visit, whilst the Tamils welcome Mr. Jha's visit and are unhappy about the visit of the Americans. Whilst the visit of the Americans was official, that of Mr. Jha's was unofficial.

Mr. Richardson is reported to have said whilst in Sri Lanka, that he hoped that India's BJP Government will continue to give effect to the Gujral Doctrine in her relations with her neighbours. In diplomatic parlance, this would appear to be a warning to India to desist from supporting the Tamil cause in Sri Lanka.

This is an interesting statement, coming as it does from an American. Is it the principle underlying the Gujral Doctrine - the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries that is important, or is it the emphasis laid on India's neighbours, that is of paramount interest to America in the Gujral Doctrine? It cannot be the principle underlying the Gujral Doctrine that interests America because America's track record (as the Police of the world?) in countries both close to India and far flung, as Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, South Korea and Iraq, Somalia, Lebanon, Libya, Granada and Panama, suggest that America does not believe in the principle of non-interference.

But what I am interested to know is what Sri Lanka's position is. Does Sri Lanka subscribe to the policy of non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries and in the non-aligned Doctrine or is there no policy for Sri Lanka in this matter, as in other matters? Is it the policy of Sri Lanka, and of the majority of Sinhalese, that if any country or foreigner is sympathetic to the Tamils, it is interference in the internal affairs of Sri Lanka but if Kadirgamar asks America to apprehend Prabhakaran or her Green Berets to train the Pan Sinhala Army it is not interference in the internal affairs of Sri Lanka?

Who is Mr. Jha? Mr. Jha was, only the other day, India's High Commissioner to Sri Lanka. India is perceived as the leader of this Region (or is she?) Mr. Jha was here for many years during a turbulent period of the Tamil conflict and had studied the Tamil Problem minutely and is well aware of its many and multifarious ramifications. As such, one would not expect Mr. Jha to take a false step or to say something out of place unlike Mr. Richardson who was here only on a flying visit which prompted him to say that the proximate cause for America's proscription of the LTTE was the bombing of the Dalada Maligawa, when the proscription had been made many months before the bombing of Dalada Maligawa!

Does not all this show us, Sri Lankans, that the situation is far gone and that the best remedy for us Sinhalese and Tamils is that we must quickly go for a divorce and live separately and happily ever after!

Return to the Letters to the Editor Contents

Return to the Plus Contents