13th  June,  2004  Volume 10, Issue 48

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Student complains of unfair treatment by Exams Dept.

It is generally accepted that the Examinations Department is one of those departments which was efficient in carrying out its work without bias. May be it is comparatively efficient but still there are some haphazardly conducted sections in the department for which remedial measures have to be taken soon.

In this regard, I wish to bring to the notice of the general public as well as the relevant authorities the utterly unfortunate and pathetic situation I was placed in when I sat the examination to select English stenographers for Sri Lanka missions abroad at the Lumbini MV, Havelock Road recently.

It is also the generally accepted rule that especially in public examinations of this nature, seats are not allocated according to each candidate's index number during the dictation of the short hand passage. Seats are allocated with the candidate's index numbers only for the transcription of the shorthand passage. But unfortunately my seat was almost at the far end of the hall. Heavy traffic passed almost close to our hall creating disturbances which in turn greatly affected my performance in this competitive examination.

Ironically to add insult to injury only one cassette player was used for both rooms at the same time and this was placed in one classroom. As I was seated in the last row of the classroom allocated to me, I was thoroughly disturbed several times while the relevant cassette player was on as constantly heavy vehicles were passing, tooting their horns along the highway when essentially there should be pin-drop silence for a public examination to be conducted in a fair and reasonable manner.

While the examination was in progress I together with other candidates tried to bring to the notice of the supervisor the pathetic situation but he paid no heed at all. All of as were surprised at his callous behaviour. I was, therefore, unable to take down the dictation at the expected level and hardly able to transcribe what I could hear in the midst of such noisy surroundings.

Meanwhile I got information from a reliable source that already the required number of candidates have been selected on the results of this unfairly conducted examination to fill the vacancies.

Just imagine what tremendous mental agony the candidates would have had to undergo to achieve their desired targets because of the callous attitude of the Examinations Department officials.

C. Siriwardene (candidate) Ratmalana

Lies, mud-slinging part of SLFP media freedom

In parliament members cannot use the word 'LIE' as it is deemed unparliamentary. In debate they never called their opponents 'LIARS.' However, if such a word was used the Speaker would interrupt and get the member to withdraw the offending epithet. Members were allowed to use the word 'terminological inexactitute' in debate when reference was made to a twisted version in presenting facts relevant to a debate.

All this was in the distant past. Now all such standards have been swept away with the winds of time and political change. Now, apart from uttering lies blatantly, they indulge in 'mud slinging' in and out of parliament, as a matter of their right of expression.

Speaking on media freedom given by the SLFP regime the President has said they have given the people the right to abuse them even in obscene language and quoted examples, which were tolerated. So these lies, mud slinging, character assassinations are all part and parcel of this so-called media freedom given to the people, due to which the behaviour of members in parliament, even if it descends to the lowest depths are ignored by the Speaker, who can only expunge the offending speeches from the Hansard. And that too was recently resented by the offenders who surrounded the Speaker and broke into offensive songs, hoots and jeers followed by joint walk outs.

The most confusing outcome of this present trend is how the media reports one event differently and this tactic is resorted to even by politicians when they deliver speeches in and out of parliament. Due to this, the public cannot know the truth of any controversial topic.

Media freedom is definitely not the freedom to misinterpret facts and give them a political colouring and mislead the people.

Confused citizen Matale

Why free uniforms only for daham pasala teachers?

Dr. Amunugama according to a news report plans to provide free uniforms to persons he calls 'daham pasal' teachers.

A teacher may be described as a person who creates in the mind of another, receptivity and thereafter puts into it matters informative on various topics of education. Now a so-called daham pasal teacher is in no way different from this perspective to any other teacher.

Why is it that the learned doctor wants to give uniforms free only to daham pasal teachers? Is the teacher who teaches mathematics doing something other than imparting knowledge?

What does the learned doctor mean by a daham pasala? Does he include all factions of daham or only Buddha daham? Will he give uniforms free to teachers who teach Christian daham in schools in, say, Marawila or any other coastal town? Will the Muslim Sunday school teacher also be recognised as a daham school teacher? Does he want to use state money which is made up of taxes from people of all religions to pay for free uniforms for some daham pasal teachers only?

Denroy Etul Kotte

Public apology needed for insulting Christ on TV 

All Muslims hold Jesus Christ in high esteem as one of the mightiest messengers of God. In fact no Muslim could be categorised as a believer, if he or she rejects him, his miraculous birth or any of his many miracles, all of which are mentioned in the Holy Quran.

One can then imagine how upset Muslims were when in a trailer for the movie True Crime telecast on a private channel on  May 22 Clint Eastwood says that he does not care a 'rat's exterior' (the actual word used is too obscene to be mentioned in print) for Jesus Christ. I wish the channel had censored the word and any disparaging remark in connection with this messenger in the trailer and the movie.

What this popular channel must realise is that little children too watch their programes and such obscene words could have a damaging effect on their uninitiated minds not to mention the embarrassment it causes their elders especially when they pose questions on what they see and hear on TV.

I wish this popular channel offers a public apology for the disparaging remark associated with Jesus' name and takes extra caution in future to avoid hurting the sensitivities of any religious group by censoring any disparaging remarks about their leaders.

Hameed Abdul Karim Wellawatte

Slinging mud at SLMC leader 

I write to protest at the disgraceful and disgusting way mud was slung on the SLMC Leader Rauf Hakeem by state newspapers and state TV.

It seems our country has sunk to such low depths with buying of votes and blackmail which are much worse than what Hakeem is accused of. It seems that envy has played a part in this conspiracy in  more than one sense.

In this connection I would like to quote an anecdote from the time Margaret Thatcher was Prime Minister of Britain which seems apt at this time. She was asked to sack Winston Churchill Jnr, who was a MP, as he had been named as co-respondent in a divorce case. Her witty riposte to the request was 'If infidelity is a reason to sack a member of parliament, there would be one hell of a lot of byelections.'

The same applies to Sri Lanka. People in glass houses should not throw stones. More discipline from top to bottom, and more time and thought spent in solving so many important problems should have the sole attention of the government. Not in spending time and money in blackening someone's reputation.

The cost of living has increased considerably since this government came into power. Reducing this was part of the promises which won the election for the UPFA. Let them do something about this without wasting time plotting and fabricating stories.

Kanthimala Ratnakaruna Maharagama

Plot to tarnish Hakeem's image 

The alleged 'affair' of an opposition parliamentarian with a woman was a lead story in certain newspapers for several days, especially the state media.

The parliamentarian concerned is a highly respected politician and the leader of the SLMC. Rauf Hakeem, has also been a cabinet minister. Hence the story should not have been given such publicity without established facts and authenticity. At least the name should have been withheld as is done in respect of certain other news stories. If he had been a government politician, it would perhaps have been different.

It is suspected that there is a political conspiracy to tarnish the politician's image and end his political career. Whatever it is, the truth will emerge sooner or later.

Upali S. Jayasekera Colombo 4

Culprits must be brought to book 

Recently state TV telecast about an alleged illicit affair Hakeem is reported to have had with a woman while he was a responsible minister in the previous UNF government.

It is a very serious matter for his future leadership and it is time he took the responsibility to investigate this and bring the culprit involved to the public and inform the Muslim community that he is an innocent leader.

Abdul Hamid SLMC member Colombo 12

Howard - a chucker in his own game 

Australian Prime Minister by calling the great bowler Muthiah Muralitharan a chucker has exposed a chink in his own armour which has caused an embarrassment to his own country, a country that has produced many cricketing greats in history. His comment seems deliberate and has an underlying racist overtone.

If the Prime Minister implies that records in the game should be theirs only by legacy such thoughts are inconsistent with the enlightened age of the 21st century. It is a curious fact that Australians have been in the forefront in pointing a finger at non-Australians and especially non-whites when they achieve great heights in a game where the Australians have enjoyed an unassailable supremacy since the late 1980's. Perhaps it is this superiority complex that makes the Aussies intolerant towards others.

The Prime Minister's slur on Murali's bowling action and recent comments made by Ricky Ponting on Brian Lara's stupendous knock to re-establish his world record in batting, thus eclipsing an Australian in the process, are two classic cases to illustrate the irate Australians of the present. It is no wonder that this peculiar Australian psyche has influenced the Prime Minister in his conduct and has made him a virtual chucker where restraint should be state of the art in his own game.

Mahanama Ellepola Kandy

Pension anomalies revision payment must be expedited 

The government has decided to rectify the pension anomalies of those who have retired before 31.12.1996 vide circular No. PN/4042/E of 25.2.2004.

These instructions have been issued to all divisional secretaries/provincial secretaries and all paying officers. However, any problems that may arise have to be clarified from the Director, Pensions. Any clarification may also be had from Mrs. N. Abeywickrama, Deputy Director of Pensions on her telephone/fax 2432008. So the government has done everything possible to grant the benefits of the rectification of these anomalies.

This process has to be expedited. The Director of Pensions should monitor these, case by case and see that the paying officers at least attend to 10 or more cases every month. Otherwise, it will take donkey's years to finish these cases and the already harassed poor pensioners will be in the next world.

The cost of living has increased by leaps and bounds like the taxi meter and the telephone and electricity bills. Pensioners and W&OP pensioners suffer in their old age. They have toiled hard to serve their masters loyally.

V.K.B. Ramanayake Maharagama

Rectify pension anomaly promptly 

Pensioners are hopeful that an increase in pension will be given by any government owing to the high cost of living but they are in a quandary as to why the anomaly in the pension has not been rectified up to now.

In keeping with the promise given before the election, will the minister kindly instruct the Director of Pensions to attend to this matter very early. May I say that failure to do so will result in the government losing popularity with the pensioners who are a little more than four lakhs in number.

S.A. Masilamany Thunnaalai Colombo 10

Appreciation Merlyn Fernando 

When I heard the news of the death of Merlyn Fernando, an exceptional human being and lady, many special memories of her flooded back to me as if it were yesterday. This was particularly significant, given that it was 32 years since I emigrated to Australia and 33 years had elapsed since I completed my studies at S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia.

I was privileged to know Mrs. Fernando from my first year in school, when I gained the benefits of important early childhood learning so effectively facilitated by her. I was doubly blessed when she became my class teacher in a subsequent year. It was during this time that she was widowed, with the responsibility of raising five young children on her own. Even though she was experiencing what must have been a most difficult time in her life, her commitment and dedication to her chosen vocation never wavered as she continued to instruct and nurture her young charges in her usual caring and considerate manner. The only visible sign of her bereavement was her white attire, something she continued to do for many years following her great loss.

When I moved from the Lower School to the Middle School, I assumed that my contact with Mrs. Fernando would cease. However, I was pleasantly surprised when she joined the tutorial staff of the middle school and continued to teach her students in her thoughtful and efficient style. Her appointment may have been a first in the annals of the college, as hitherto all the staff in this part of the school were male. Mrs. Fernando may have set a precedent, as several other women teachers were to follow in her footsteps in successive years.

Sri Lanka and the world (through the Thomian diaspora) have been enriched by Mrs. Fernando's life and example. She was a unique individual whose dedication and commitment to her students in whatever subjects she taught were incomparable. Throughout her many years on the tutorial staff of S. Thomas' College, she appreciated and valued the diversity that she perceived in the character and background of her students and always strove to elicit the best from each of them through active encouragement, support and acknowledgement of effort. As an exemplary educator, she epitomized the ethos of S. Thomas' College which fostered tolerance and respect for the individual, irrespective of his creed or ethnicity.

I am thankful for the privilege of maintaining contact with Mrs. Fernando over many years. I always telephoned her on her birthday and ensured that I saw her on each of my visits to Sri Lanka from Australia over the past 32 years. In any communication I had with her, she continued to show an active interest in my progress in life and career, just as she did with all her students. In 2002 she celebrated her 90th birthday which regretfully I was unable to attend due to some unforeseen circumstances. However, I know that it was a happy and memorable event for her in the company of her children, members of her extended family and many friends.

Mrs. Fernando is survived by her children Haridrani, Srianee, Eksith, Chira, and Gehan who can be justifiably proud and inspired by her life and example, in particular her contribution to enriching the lives of many young Sri Lankans. As one who was privileged to have known her for over 40 years, I cannot forget the significant part she played in my life-journey, not only as my teacher and mentor, but also as a true and loyal friend. She was an exceptional human being and a lady in the truest sense of the word. May God bless her soul for her selfless giving to everyone who was honoured to know her.

"Now we must walk the way ahead without her, and take for company, the echoes of her voice, the energy of her being, the security of her love, and live our lives to the fullest."

Leon Keegel Adelaide Australia