Very often, children forget what their parents have done for them over the years. Parents give their children a good education to face the world and have them happily married. Even after marriage, they look after the grandchildren, feed them, educate them and see them grow into adulthood. If they are lucky, they might even see their grandchildren married. There is no end to the duties of parents in caring and protecting children and grandchildren.

 However, it is sad to note that children forget all what the parents did for them to make them useful young men and women in society and also a success in life. In spite of all these some children neglect their parents when they are old. Some times they conveniently put them in Homes instead of caring for them in their old age.

Some children go abroad leaving them in Elders’ Homes and visit them once in two years or so. Some children abandon their parents altogether and leave them to languish in Homes that do not care for them properly. It is true they spend money to keep their parents in these Homes. But what they do not understand is that parents when they are old, yearn for love and warmth and wish to spend the evening of their lives among their children and grand children.

There are however instances when children resident abroad made arrangements for their parents to either live with them or have a holiday abroad. I am aware of one instance where the children living abroad take their 85 year-old mother on a wheelchair to various countries for a holiday.

The elders in this country are very often neglected. For one thing there aren’t sufficient Homes to accommodate them at reasonable prices, and even if such places are available many of them do not provide the love and warmth that these people yearn for. This is where religion and religious organisations and schools have a part to play. Schools, places of religious worship should first of all instill in the minds of children about their duty to look after the elderly, especially their parents in their old age. Religious organisations, may be, with public assistance, state assistance or donor funds should set up institutions where the elderly could seek solace.

The Government passed The Elders’ Act in 2002 to give some protection and dignity to elders. Under this Act, parents are legally entitled to complain to the Elders’ Council if they are not maintained by their children. However, this law is not properly implemented partly due to lack of funds. The State also does not give sufficient support to Homes for Elders except those run by the State.

 Some Homes run by private institutions find it difficult to exist because of the rising cost of living especially the high cost of electricity and other utility charges. Recently, one home with 25 inmates was called upon to pay Rs.88, 000 as electricity charges for the month without even realising the service rendered by them to the elderly.

 It is time the State, corporate bodies and banks get together and run Elders’ Homes and provide facilities for senior citizens especially due to the fact that Sri Lanka has an ageing population.

 On a personal note, I feel guilty that I have not done enough for my parents. They were not in need and their necessities were looked after, but the other members of my family and I failed to give them an extra bit of luxury before their demise.

 It is stated in the Bible that children who look after their parents will have long life and receive many blessings from the Lord.

 In this world where life has become a rat race, I hope the younger generation will spare some thought for their parents.

 Anton Fernando

There seems to be quite a lot of friction between the Government, represented by the Health Ministry, and the health service personnel especially doctors and nurses. This friction and consequently the unnecessary behaviour of the GMOA and the problems of healthcare service personnel in Sri Lanka can be resolved by simple means as I have outlined below.

  Being resident abroad we watch with interest the health care services rendered by the government to Sri Lankan citizens with taxpayers’ money and how some doctors who are paid out of taxpayers’ money amass wealth by fleecing poor patients.

   We have to understand that healthcare is a service like any other service that is financed by the economic success of the industries, agriculture, trade and other development. It is useless talking about the actions of doctors and the stance taken by the GMOA in matters relating to health care in the country. Every service from health care, justice, media, security and even garbage collection is unique because specific skills are required to provide these services. The doctors are needed by a small portion of the population when they are sick or injured during which the patient becomes nonproductive.

  From the past actions of the GMOA it is evident that the GMOA is an organisation that never had their brains in the right place when it comes to common sense. The problem of providing the services of doctors to troubled areas such as the north and east is a problem created by the GMOA, but is simple to solve. The GMOA should arrange for the Tamil students who come from these areas to the Medical College to go back there after their bachelors’ degrees and serve their localities for a few years no matter what.

The Government should do all it can to protect the Sinhala and other students who go to universities and colleges in these areas because they are the future of any country. Also, the Government should protect the backbone of its economy by protecting those who are engaged in development, industry, agriculture, trade and other sectors that support the growth of Sri Lanka like what is happening in all other parts of the world instead of wasting too much time on doctors.

   Sri Lanka should devote more time to the development sector as a priority, than on services that just eat up the taxpayers’ money and the grants and loans from the IMF, World Bank, ADB and other donors. The Sri Lankan public should be made aware as to where our priorities lie so that they could appreciate the actions taken by the government to promote a vibrant economy and sustainable development like many other thriving nations in Asia.

The ruling of the Supreme Court presided over by Chief Justice, Sarath N. Silva, bears witness to the fact that justice in our beloved country has not taken a back seat. The people were very cynical of the system of justice here. But now the sneering disbelief has been replaced by a positive reaction, which is being shared by every good, rational and just citizen.

The sacking of the minister and his entourage had been long overdue and the people of this country can look forward to an advantageous and a constructive future.

 We would like to further emphasise the fact that the freezing of the assets, bank accounts etc., of every culprit, perpetrator and offender would further constitute a universal establishment of trust in our justice system.

 We could see that in these trying times, when our most valuable asset, the youth of this country are selflessly and unconditionally shedding their blood and sacrificing their lives for the country; these leeches and vampires are sucking the blood of the people of this country.

 The assets of these offenders should be confiscated by the Government and re-distributed to the families of our armed forces to compensate them and their families for the sacrifice and selfless service rendered by them to the nation. It is not that we can quantify or assess the invaluable service rendered by them to the country and its people by their supreme sacrifice. But whatever we do will only be a token of our gratitude

  It is our fervent prayer that this ‘justice’ continues for all time and forever.

Recently the world celebrated the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. Sri Lanka also celebrated the progress society had achieved, in the area of legal recourse to discrimination and physical violence, usually at the hands of employers and older male family members or husbands.

  Having acknowledged the successes, let me dwell on the psychological aspects of violence that often goes unreported as it is generally difficult to prove, and therefore almost impossible to establish in fact.

  While the crime of sexual harassment is often condoned if it does not extend to physical contact, it does result in much psychological stress and could even lead to abnormal attitudes and behaviours such as revulsion of males, reluctance to establish relations leading to marriage, or thoughts of vengeance often directed towards those who seem to represent the perpetrators.

Women generally feel more vulnerable due to entrenched social norms that infer guilt by ‘provoking’ a certain kind of response in culpable men, whereas in reality, such men would not need any encouragement, as it is often a case of power disparity that leads to sexual violence including rape.

  Consequently, women would find it daunting to report such crimes that damage psychologically but not physically, as the stigma associated with exposing such phenomena are ironically hugely stressful to bear in the harsh light of public scrutiny.

  Sex crimes seem to be increasing in frequency of occurrence or reporting — or both. That this should be the case in a largely Buddhist country is disheartening, especially in an environment where many young people seem to yearn for a life of piety, evidenced by the crowds at various temples attending popular discourses and programmes.

Lasantha Pethiyagoda

The JVP MP for the Matale District, Sujatha Alahakoon has proposed in Parliament on December 3, that blood test should be made compulsory for every person before marriage as a measure to prevent the spread of thalassaemia.

This suggestion is very commendable and timely as the number of thalassaemia cases is increasing either because people are ignorant of the fact that it runs in families or simply because they don’t care.

However the JVP MP referring to Health Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva has said that it is tragic that this condition existed in the country of the President of the World Health Organisation.

Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva is not the President of the World Health Organisation but is only the Chairman of the Executive Board of the WHO.

It is a pity that the people of this country including some politicians have been misled into believing that Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva is the President of the World Health Organisation when he is not.

Although Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva is the Minister of Health he does not have any specialised knowledge on the subject of Health. His specialisation lies elsewhere.

The JVP being a constituent party of the government, does the JVP MP Sujatha Alahakoon also subscribe to the theory of Dr. Gobbels that repeating an untruth over and over again will make it look like the truth?

We are in an emergency situation. Let us pool our resources for Research and Development and Market Research. Let us increase worldwide the use of the Internet, use of advanced cell phones and palm held computers for purposes of education.

Let us increase the use of alternate medicine. Let us pool our resources worldwide to produce new products that will improve our quality of life.

There has to be a substantial growth in employment opportunities and a growth in national income worldwide.

Let selected patent rights be cancelled to stimulate growth. Let there be worldwide controls and regulations so that multi national companies cease to exploit the rest of the world. Let us form a Ministry to formulate and assist the formation of a new economic order.

 Ranil Wijeyesekera