27th June 1999

• A small break and then a comeback
• We have bled too long
• That stinking truth
• The story of Kashmir
• It's your money so don't be duped

A small break and then a comeback

I too agree with Athula Senanayake in his article of June 15 that we must support our cricket team in good times and in bad. It may have been the lacquered white Duke ball against black sight screens in cold cloudy conditions which cramped the style of our players.

When Arjuna and our team won the World Cup in 1996 the headlines read "Sri Lanka conquers Everest". Everybody was thrilled for Sri Lanka and it also brought some sunshine and hope into our lives dogged by the on-going North-East war. People who never watched cricket were enthusiastically cheering Sri Lanka on to winning the coveted World Cup. When we finally did, so many of them were so thrilled (especially retired planters and people abroad who have had close links with Sri Lanka) as they knew how much it meant to us. It was a fairy-tale come true. But my father reminded me that Dave Whatmore had said at that time that Sri Lanka has a 'long, long way to go' and how right he was.

I was astounded that two weeks after we won the Cup the President of the BCCSL was removed! I think that was ingratitude at its highest. Next to go was Dave Whatmore. He may have gone for personal reasons but I don't think any effort was made to keep him back either! We will never know the truth as in his contract with the BCCSL, he was not allowed to speak to the press!

Arjuna and his team have brought much glory to us. At the Emirates Trophy final at Lords and the one-off Test just last year Sri Lanka came up trumps. Ivan Corea reported that sections of the British press have blasted the World Cup organisers and said that it has been one of the most boring World Cups. England planned it for May and June in the hope of gaining some advantage which backfired on them and I was more than pleased when they were also knocked out in the first round. Arjuna has taken a lot of whiplash from people like Alec Stewart, Shane Warne, Ian Healey and the British/ Australian press. He stood up to them and they hated his guts. They thought they could brow-beat us, the minnows. Not any more. We gave as good as we got - in English as well as in our own language which they didn't understand.

Arjuna stood by Murali too in thick and thin even though I thought he should not have raised his finger at umpire Emerson but said what he had to with his inimitable smile (at least to disarm the T.V. cameras)!

I would like to thank Arjuna for all that he has done for Sri Lanka cricket. I feel that now he just needs a total break from the game for a few years and then maybe he can come back refreshed and give us his expertise. Until then he must stay out of the BCCSL and its affairs and so must his brothers. Having them around in the BCCSL has not helped his cause. If Arjuna was my brother I would have shied away from the BCCSL altogether.

Ahilya Salgado
Colombo 2

We have bled too long

Too long have we let our country bleed. Too long have we suffered seeing our youth, the men of tomorrow, on whom will rest the future of Sri Lanka, making the supreme sacrifice that we may live. Too long have we concentrated on development everywhere except in the North and East where there is a crying need not only to end the war but also to provide our brothers and sisters in these areas the urgent need for human development that is sorely lacking there.

Now that the hurly burly's done,the battle is fought and won (with apologies to Shakespeare), the Government has a sacred duty to set its sights on ending the war and restoring PEACE.

The greater majority of our people want peace. We are not for peace at any cost. Neither, do we wish a Pyrrhic victory. We want an honourable peace that will usher in a glorious period of peace.

Sri Lanka has had some offers from foreign countries to serve as facilitator or even negotiator in this National crisis. To keep on saying on public platforms that the ethnic crisis is an internal issue and hence foreign intervention is not necessary is neither politically wise nor economically sound.

"People's Power" has won many a time ending a political crisis and bringing about peace, law and order. It is not necessary here to give a list of such instances for I refer to the historic peace efforts of recent history. Even as I write these lines the print media announce "Today we embark on the path of peace," (Kofi Annan) as NATO made ready to send peace-keeping forces to Kosovo.

The people of our country have not resorted to armed attacks or vociferous slogan-shouting demonstrations. But rather have we made peaceful efforts through such bodies as the National Alliance For Peace, the Commission for Justice and Peace of the Catholic Church on behalf of the Sri Lanka Bishops' Conference, the Inter-Religious group of Venerable Bikkhus and Bishops and the business community.

This ugly monster, the ethnic war, has to be defeated as a matter of top priority. May nothing, neither developmental work nor political impasse impede the onward march of the peace crusaders.

R.Anthony
Matale

That stinking truth

During the Wayamba Provincial Council election campaign the garbage was not collected in the Dehiwela-Mount Lavinia Municipal Council area. When the garbage collectors did turn up, their excuse was that the vehicles had gone to Wayamba for collection of garbage there and even the workmen had been taken there for electioneering purposes ! They boldly make these utterances because if you look for the City Fathers to complain they are away campaigning.

This situation repeated itself again with the Southern Provincial Council Election campaign. The powers-that-be in the Municipal Council cannot be contacted when Dehiwela-Mount Lavinia is stinking.

I cannot understand what political clout a City Father has outside his domain except to mark his appearance and show his or her face to the President, the Ministers and the People's Alliance high-ups.

Derek J.P. Fernando
Colombo 12.

The story of Kashmir

Colonial rule in South Asia came to an end in August 1947 when the British left the sub- continent transferring power to two independent dominions - India and Pakistan. The most notable exception to the end of colonial era in that part of the world were the princely states of Hyderabad and Jammu and Kashmir. The state of Hyderabad had a Muslim ruler, the Nizam with a Hindu majority population and Jammu and Kashmir had a Muslim majority with a Hindu ruler, namely Maharajah Hari Singh.

The last British viceroy who also become independent India's first Governor General, Lord Mountbatten told the Indian Chamber of Princes that they were, "theoretically free to link their future with whichever dominion".

The constant bungling of the colonial masters on policy matters and the local rulers of Jammu and Kashmir leaning too heavily on to the Indian side laid the foundation of distrust in the minds of the Kashmiris. Indian troops landed in the state capital of Srinager on October 27, 1947.

However Jawaharlal Nehru and Mountbatten both wanted to be seen as politically correct. Lord Mountbatten wrote to the Maharajah that "In consistence with their policy that in the case of any state where the issue of accession should be decided in accordance with the wishes of the people of that state, it is my government's wish that as soon as law and order have been restored in Kashmir, the question of the state accession should be settled by a reference to the people.

The then Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru gave an assurance to the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Liaquat Ali Khan on 31st October 1947 thus in the form of a telegram. "Our assurance that we shall withdraw our troops from Kashmir as soon as peace and order is restored and leave the decision regarding the future of the state to the people of the state is not merely a promise to your government but also to the people of Kashmir and to the world." At the time India went to the U.N. Security Council to lodge a complaint against Pakistan's alleged aggression and gave the same assurance to this world body that Kashmir will decide their future. All India's assurances have turned out to be an open lie.

With the demise of Mohammed Ali Jinnah in September 1948, Pakistan's grip on Kashmir weakened.

An opportunity to regain political and even military initiative presented itself when in 1962 the Indian Army suffered discomfiture at the hands of the Chinese collaboration with Pakistan. From 1962 December to May 1963, the Foreign Ministers of India and Pakistan Sardar Swarm Singhe and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, held talks that produced no results.

Wars have been fought but no productive results have been derived. Pakistan is again faced with the challenge of standing up to its moral, political and historical responsibilities to free the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

Hilmy Juaid
Dehiwela.

It's your money so don't be duped

There are so many facilities in Sri Lanka for students to obtain recognised degrees and diplomas from foreign universities, university colleges, polytechnics and other affiliated or validated centres, that it seems unnecessary for parents of limited means to strain their financial and emotional resources to the limit by sending their children abroad to virtually unknown universities, colleges or institutions of dubious reputation to pursue higher studies. Of course, one cannot compare the value, facilities and atmosphere of a good university and if the student is particularly gifted and one can afford it, a degree from such a university could prove invaluable. But a qualification from an unknown institute, however expensive may fall well below accepted standards and hapless students and their impoverished parents may be in for a rude shock when they realise, all too late that the degree or diploma is not worth the paper it is written on.

There are quite a few institutes offering recognised degrees and diplomas locally at a fraction of the cost and it might be helpful for prospective students and their parents to consider the following facts before committing themselves to a particular course or institute.

o Rank and status of foreign university:

Most countries have a ranking system for the more recognised universities. (The United States Fulbright Commission and The British Council are excellent sources of information about educational facilities in The States and The U.K. and I have no doubt that the other foreign missions in Sri Lanka will prove equally helpful.)

o Type and value of qualification:

Is it an internal degree, external degree or a degree validated by the university specially for students overseas? Is the qualification recognised by the educational and professional authorities of that country and Sri Lanka? Are the courses fully transferable? (re credits, assignments, assessments etc.).

Professional institutes such as CIMA and CIM for example may recognise certain degrees and grant special exemptions from their examinations - in part or whole. This would greatly help the student by minimising the time taken to obtain a professional qualification after the degree programme.

o Type and value of educational centre:

Is it a validated centre which functions as a distance campus and is therefore controlled by the main body and forced to maintain the standards set by them? Such centres have to follow rigid rules with regard to the course material, conducting of classes, assignments and assessments and are by far the best option. They may be rather expensive, since Validation Fees have to be paid to the parent body, but they take complete responsibility for the student during the entire course.

There are some centres, which while functioning under the aegis of the main body still maintain a degree of autonomy, specially, with regard to the conducting of classes, assignments and assessments, and this privilege may be abused by those in charge. However, the student could contact the foreign university direct in case they have a problem and, may get redress.

Other centres, which offer various foreign courses, are merely glorified tutories, functioning independently and therefore having the greatest degree of autonomy. Very often these centres are over-crowded and under-staffed. Students end up paying vast sums of money for "full-time" courses with little more than three days of lectures, "part-time" courses which are a euphemism for ad-hoc classes held according to the lecturers' whims and fancies or "week-end" courses which start on Saturday evening and end on Sunday morning.

Such centres have no status, recognition or relationship where the foreign university is concerned. The university deals direct with the student. Study guides and model papers are provided and students are able to study on their own or under supervision according to their choice.

Don't be afraid to ask questions. You are entitled to truthful answers. If you feel you are being duped, confront the authorities. After all, it is your money, your precious time and your future and you are entitled to a fair deal.

Radha de Mel
Colombo

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