21st March 1999

Invasion of the water-hyacinths

For some weeks now, there has been a steady inflow of clumps and little islands of water hyacinth plants, coming across the Bolgoda Lake, and getting stuck on the Gorakana side. The Ja-kottuwas (prawn traps) restrain the mass of weed from moving on, so boats cannot make a way through the weed. A huge area of the lake is covered by water hyacinth, and we see a lot of bird life and activity (korawakkas) among the leaves, and the flowers, which are beautiful - a delicate shade of mauve.

But the weed poses a problem. Even if a gap is cleared for boats to pass through, the gap closes up within a few hours. This poses a hindrance to boats from Ranmal Hotel, as well as privately owned boats, which are unable to pass through the water weed mass.

Water hyacinth breeds and thrives in polluted water, so this mass may be blown by winds, from the marshy areas of the lake in Ratmalana, where industrial waste and garbage are disposed of into the lake, causing a high level of pollution. Also this threat to our waterways is not confined to this area - I saw a lot of it in the Wellawatte canal, and a friend told me Lake Gegory in Nuwara Eliya is similarly affected with weeds.

Eventually, the weed will die, once the water becomes saline when sea water enters the lake, as happens seasonally. Then it will sink to the bottom of the lake. adding to the slime and mud already found there. To pull it up and dispose of it on land will be a gargantuan task, as the amount of weed is huge.

A fellow member of the Bolgoda Lake Protection Society told me that he had heard that in India, water hyacinth is used as material for Bio-gas production. It is also very good fertiliser. Could not some enterprising entrepreneur use this idea and begin a Bio-gas project?

A recent press article stated that "the Government was considering declaring the scenic Bolgoda Lake as an environmental protection zone and an ecological tourist zone." We welcome some action on this "invasion".

Nalini Ismail

Moratuwa

My vote - a protest vote

I am one of the millions - 99.999% of the population of this country who do not benefit at all, not even one cent by whoever sits on the 'throne' and rules the country. On the other hand, it is not just a case of 'changing pillows' to cure the headache, but a case of falling from the frying pan into the fire after every election.

I am just an ordinary suffering citizen who does not have any political affiliations and as such I have voted for every party at various elections - a floating voter as people say. The reason is not that I do not have fixed opinions and policies,but because political parties change their policies at their whim and fancies when it suits them. Neverthelss I have noted that the party that I (the floating voter) voted for always wins the election if that election was just and fair.

In 1977, I voted for the U.N.P. because we were fed up with the S.L.F.P. government. At the last General Election, I voted for the P.A. because we were disgusted with the U.N.P. and the dictatorial antics of the 'unwise old owl' and the rest.

At the last local goverment elections I purposely did not vote as a protest against all parties and all political kukkas because as the most popular baila depicts - all politicians (political kukkas) are selfish, self-centred, not so educated, ill mannered, and living at the expense of the suffering masses accumulating allowances and all kinds of perks.

The biggest question is "Is there a single sincere politician who is truly concerned and sorry about the suffering masses?" Most have a very thick hide. They have no sense of shame. They will come again begging, totally ignoring our hardships and sufferings but promising the moon and the stars.

I will also not vote for any party or candidate who has defaced my wall and the town with their posters. Is there anybody worthy of my vote?

I will not vote as a protest.

M.V.N.De.S

Moratuwa

Are we so hard- hearted?

I had written two letters sometime ago (i) suggesting that the National Lotteries Board should initiate a separate Humanitarian Fund to help with expeditious assistance to those needing urgent operative treatment abroad and patients who are suffering from diseases that cannot be treated in Sri Lanka, (ii) I also suggested that in case the National Lotteries Board is unable to or does not wish to comply with my suggestion that the Lions and Rotary Clubs in Sri Lanka should jointly start a separate Humanitarian Fund to help such patients in dire need of urgent treatment abroad.

Strange to say, so far there has not been any response to my two suggestions. I was wondering whether Sri Lankans are so hard-hearted and unfeeling towards their more unfortunate fellow human beings.

I wish to believe that it is not so, but that as a rule most Sri Lankans have the habit of merely reading all pious well meant suggestions but do not care to do anything about it. It is a National failing.

As this matter of a separate Humanitarian Fund is very pressing and essential, I would with due respect suggest that as there is what is known as The President's Fund, that the powers-that-be should without delay also start a similar fund and call it any appropriate name, but I would suggest that it be called "Our Humanitarian Fund".

I would also suggest that a Committee be appointed with the Chairman/Chairperson a very well known Social Welfare worker and three other members, also with a vast experience in social work. This Committee should have the power to attend to all administrative matters such as passports, visas, air passages and the eliminating of all red tape and unnecessary delay to send the patient to his destination.

"Is there a man with soul so dead that he has no feeling or caring for his fellow men in need of urgent treatment abroad?"

Capt. L.P. Juriansz

Colombo 2.

A suitable political structure for Lanka

The guiding principle in restructuring the political framework of Sri Lanka, is to restore her to the glory that was hers once before. To achieve this end, we must preserve, protect and maintain the sovereignty of Sri Lanka, as well as her well-integrated single nation - state character. Sri Lanka was never a "Union of Regions" . She has always been a Unitary State, and must remain so, if peace and harmony are to prevail.

The envisaged "Union of Regions" carries with it the hidden arm of communalism, and the end result will be the creation of communal regions. This is a subtle design of the co-authors to introduce Federalism through the back door! Ethnic regionalisation, though well intended, in all sincerity to usher in peace and harmony, yet in actual practice, will produce just the opposite effect, because when once separated on ethnic grounds, racial hatred and animosities will be fanned by the communalists. Finally it will engulf the whole island.

If power sharing is the principle behind the introduction of regional devolution, then why create regions afresh on communal basis to devolve that power. Was this not the basis when the principle was first applied to the North and East? But did it work and produce the desired result? Far from achieving any positive result, it only made matters worse by extending the principle island-wide, dividing the country into a mosaic of regions, an unproductive useless exercise,which is a colossal strain on the exchequer. And the war is escalating regardless.

The principle of power sharing could have been successfully and conveniently achieved, if only power was devolved to the existing local bodies, e.g. the municipalities, the urban and town councils, and the gamsabhas at the village level which will cover the whole island to the satisfaction of everybody.

The creation of an intermediate tier, the Provincial Councils interacting between the parliament, and the existing local bodies is only a white elephant.

Another consideration which should receive serious attention as a means to get the voter-member relationship closer, is to make the electorates smaller to accommodate an affordable increase in the number of members to parliament. This procedure will be more meaningful and less costly than the creation of a middle tier namely the provincial councils which falls between the parliament and the existing local bodies. This representative body is redundant and is only a white elephant - a burden to the Treasury to provide necessary finances to establish and maintain such a structure, which promotes hatred and violence. Today the Wayamba provincial election has proved this point to the fullest. Today, the motto in party politics is "win at any cost!" which only proves to what level of degeneration party democracy has fallen to. How can we extract ourselves is the question, so long as this attitude to politics lasts?

If more power has to be devolved as a means of serving the public, then why not devolve that power to the existing local bodies, which procedure will serve the public best to their full satisfaction?

What then is the most suitable system of governance that will suit us best and lead us to the next century with confidence? In the Sri Lankan context, the most suitable system, is the executive committee system of collective and co-operative governance, which was practised in Ceylon prior to independence. When we compare what we are today with what we were during the pre-independence era, the value of the executive committee system will be obvious to any impartial observer.

Thus reverting to the original system of electing members to represent the electorate by the first-past-the-post method,offers us the best democratic procedure to be adopted.

Once elected from one party a member should not be allowed to cross over to another party, midstream. If any member desires to cross over, then the correct legal procedure is for that member to resign from parliament and seek nomination to get reelected under the new party of his choice.

Individuals who aspire to be parliamentarians should possess some basic qualifications to qualify to seek election, as for example prior political experience as a member of a local body, or some minimum educational qualification.

Dr. George R. Wijegunaratne,

Colombo 8.

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