Letters

Crime marches on...

Time police stepped in and halted the gory killings

It is now time that the police decide to wake up from its deep slumber. Barring a few officers who are honest, dedicated to service, determined to halt the wave of organised crime and violence - unfortunately the vast majority of police officers are corrupt, inefficient and stooges of either the political masters or underworld kingpins and racketeers. So much so, recently when the newly formed Police Mo-bike Brigade arrested a notorious criminal, a high ranking officer apparently got offended and immediately disbanded the  unit.  What action has the IGP or the National Police Commission taken thus far about this high-handed act of a single individual? Nothing. Both the IGP and NPC are deaf, dumb and blind to this high-handed act of one man. Not hundreds, but thousands are the instances that can be enumerated to prove such callous attitude on the part of our law-enforcement officers.

As far as we could see the former IGP whose term of office would have been over a few months ago was a mere political stooge at the mercy of the President. The so-called all powerful National Police Commission is a toothless tiger, only a tail twister. The NPC should either get its act together or resign in shame for they have failed to deliver the goods thus far. The President, the Prime Minister, the government, the NPC and the IGP  should all be held responsible and answerable for the unprecedentedly high wave of crime and breakdown of the law and order situation in the country.

It is on record that the police, at least the top-notch are aware who the perpetrators of crime and violence are. They are aware who the underworld kingpins are. They know who the notorious criminals of the country are. They are aware of 'contract killers' who have become a fashionable segment of today's society - thanks to the police inefficiency, inability and incapacity. It is also on record that the police are able to detect and bring to book only offenders of 30% to 40% of the total crimes committed. In effect the majority of the criminals are at large - evading arrest and living safely in our midst. Is this a healthy scenario in a just and equitable society?

Of course there are the rare instances of 'mistaken identity' in these 'contract killings.' Two good examples are the slaying of two youths from Maharagama and Homagama who had gone to Beruwela to purchase a cellular phone from a known shop whilst on their way back home in a private luxury coach. The other is the recent killing of a top-mercantile executive at Nawala. These absolutely innocent people in the prime of their youth had been cruelly snatched away - the latter, a father of a baby-daughter.

If the police, as is their usual stock excuse insist that they are not given adequate power and authority to act - then why not they insist of the law-makers, the legislature to enact more stringent laws to curb rising crime and violence? All these gory killings can be curbed, controlled and averted. Most of those who get killed are valuable humans who could be of great service to society had they lived. In such an over commercialised society as of today it is, we concede, not possible to stop crime and murder in toto.

But surely such incidents can be minimised if the law-enforcement agencies are alert and act fast. The public must keep a vigil day and night. It is their duty to bring any untoward incidents or suspicious characters in their vicinity to the notice of the police. The police in turn must spring into action instantaneously as delays will jeopardise the whole episode. Informants should be free to keep anonymity if they desire. Sometimes such information may be false - but that is okay. Yet the police should not take a chance. There should never be any political messing up, fingering or interference with the day to day affairs of the police who should be free to act fearlessly and without favour. And police officers who are above par and who act without fear or favour must be duly rewarded.

If the police say that due to the repeal of the Prevention of Terrorism Act by the Ranil Wickremesinghe administration two years ago their hands are tight and they are powerless to arrest the rising wave of bloody crime and violence, they must insist on the government to re-introduce the PTA as soon as possible.

Ranjit C. Dissanayake
Eksath Sinhala Maha Sabha

Contents in used plastic bottles turn cancerous

I have read and heard via the print and electronic media that it is injurious to health to use plastic bottles over and over again to store or carry drinking water etc. Once plastic bottles have been used for the first time after manufacture, these should be discarded or thrown away. They hold good only for the first use after manufacture. When using for the second time onwards, certain chemicals emanating from the plastic contaminate the contents in the used plastic bottle and that contamination is cancerous.

A doubt arises in my mind on this research. If plastic is bad, it should be bad from the time it is manufactured. Hence, contamination should take place even during first use. A doubt also arises in my mind as to the safety of soft drinks in plastic bottles. I know of a friend who went to Saudi Arabia and lost both his kidneys by drinking coke instead of water. I have to pass the same judgment on the popular mineral water in plastic bottles. This talk of first time use is safe, may be a marketing gimmick or trick in order to protect the massive international plastic industry, soft drink and mineral water industries.

Anyway, our national research bodies and the government should take quick action to carry out our own research and not go by hearsay market-oriented researches. We should take a lesson from the false propaganda that was carried on by the USA that coconut oil contains harmful cholesterol in order to market their vegetable oils, whereas in reality coconut oil is a tasty, cholesterol free cooking oil. Even if the same oil is used to fry over and over again, it still remains harmless.

In the same strain, the recent islandwide campaign to market iodized table salt is also a marketing gimmick in order to take away the salt marketing from the common man. Thus the common man lost a very viable self-employment avenue. Viable self-employment is getting very scarce in this country. When iodized salt is added to hot meals during cooking, iodine in the salt is burnt out and rendered effectless. I am subject to correction by the experts.

Ranjit Dodampegama
Ratmalana

Bar Association needs thorough clean up

I was somewhat amused reading a news item recently wherein it was stated that Ikram Mohamed, P.C. President, Bar Association and his committee had pledged their support to the President to help fight corruption in our country - very laudable indeed. This I suppose, is because Mohamed is under the illusion that everything is tickety boo in his association and what is left now is to solve the problems of the country.

I would like to enlighten Mr. Mohamed that sometime ago my wife and I sent a written complaint in the form of an affidavit to his association against two attorneys-at-law, who as joint managing directors of a finance company they had formed, cheated us and many others of our hard earned savings. They did this by giving bogus documents in the form of deeds as security for the monies invested. Sad to say, that upto now we have not received at least an acknowledgement from this august association. Nice way of trying to fight corruption.

When we realised that nothing was forthcoming from the Bar Association in the form of at least an inquiry, we complained to the Supreme Court and thanks to the present Chief Justice, to whom we are indeed grateful, these two attorneys-at-law had to present themselves before him and give an assurance that our monies would be returned, which they subsequently did, as the consequence of non-compliance would have been disenrolment.

So Mr. Mohamed, my 'two cents' advice to you is to clean up this important association by getting rid of members who have sullied its good name - a task which would require all your time and energy.

Incidentally, the other 'worthy' directors of the finance company referred to earlier are a medical doctor who is now dabbling in education, her husband a well-known medical consultant and another medical consultant attached to the Jayewardenapura Hospital who is married to one of the joint managing directors. All respected and honourable ladies and gentlemen.

Tyrone Alles
Moratuwa

Ranil - hors-d'oeuvre on President's plate

Applause! Applause! to the gem of an editorial "Come into my parlour" in your esteemed journal The Sunday Leader of September 12. It is not only Ranil Wickremesinghe who has become the 'hors-d'oeuvre' on the President's plate but the whole nation as things are turning out to be.

My personal feeling is that the UNP better look for a dynamic and fearless leader with a strong spinal cord to rid the country of the 'genus lectrodectus' before we all perish including the UNP now in senile decay 'swaying in the wind unto a bruised reed.'

Elmo Ediriwickrema
Colombo

Why are the politicians exempt from income tax?

Every citizen above the income tax threshold of Rs. 300,000 must pay income tax if he has any love for his country. After all, how is the government to look after the day to day affairs without the collection of tax? Anybody who does not chip in his share is not only unpatriotic but he can be classified as a traitor.

All citizens above the taxable threshold of Rs. 300,000 pay taxes barring the politicians and top public servants. Every single politician including the President, ministers, pradeshiya sabha members, all top public servants, judges must be by law compelled to pay income tax, to contribute to the state coffers, just as much as the existing taxpayers have been compelled to pay.

What the politicians and public servants do is that they live like pin gonas on the taxes paid by the taxpayer. The politicians and top public servants give themselves high salaries, bountiful perks and allowances, free cars, free drivers, free petrol, free telephones, free official residences, free bogus trips abroad, pensions, land for housing, housing loans at low interest and on top of that a large number of politicians and public servants amass wealth with huge bribes and commissions.

Politicians and top public servants pay no income tax on their salaries, allowances and perks and pay no taxes on their bribes. Hence the clamour to get into politics and the public service. These categories of persons have the temerity to say that the taxpayers are tax dodgers, without candidly admitting that they are the biggest tax dodgers. Can 152,000 taxpayers be burdened with this task?

And only they know the agony of paying taxes in addition to the spiralling cost of living which they have to bear. After all, why should the taxpayer pay his taxes to maintain the politicians and public servants in comfort and clover, thereby parting with his hard earned money? The President, the cabinet, ministers and all other politicians will continue to bluff the people by saying they have come to work for the people rather than feathering their own nests.

R. Kehelpannala
Colombo 6

Will the Christian pundits give an answer?

I am a Christian by birth, professing Buddhism by conviction. Albeit previously I believed in a creator god, I no more believe in that kind of theory. The reasons are very simple. No creator god with powers to create a world or a universe would have created a world with so much of disparity and diversity where one man eats from the dustbin whilst another lives in a palace.

If the creator god theory is correct, then can any Christian pundit give an answer to the following?

The bloody end to the school horror in Chechnya which culminated with the death of more than 300 people amongst whom there were over 250 innocent children. Also, the tornado which devastated the state of Florida has affected the lives of millions of people whose houses have been damaged and having to be evacuated.

It appears to me that the so called loving god has a favourite past time, that is killing thousands of innocent people on a daily basis through earthquakes, tornadoes, mud slides, earthslips, volcanoes and floods to name a few

How is it that God Almighty could not stop the devastation in Florida? Surely the Christian pundits who say that through the power of god they can cure deaf, dumb and blind people could have stopped the harricane coming into Florida.

Also in the context of an omnipotent creator god, could a Christian pundit explain the deaths of so many innocent children in Chechnya.

Now for an answer do not tell me that it was the work of the devil  because according to the Bible, it is God who created the devil or say that those children are safely in the arms of Jesus or for that matter say that one has no right to question God.

Over to you, Christian pundits for a plausible answer.

George Fernando 
Nugegoda

Born on February 22, 1911, Cyril Linden Abeynaike was called by God to be a leader and a humble shepherd to His flock.

His early education was at the Ratnapura Convent and thereafter continued and completed his studies at Royal College, Colombo. He was an outstanding student and earned a scholarship to the University of Colombo, where too he excelled in his studies, obtaining an Honours Degree in History from the University of London.

After this brilliant performance, his friends who naturally expected him to join the Civil Service, were surprised that instead he opted to join the ordained ministry in response to God's call. He told them in private that "the call should be so clear and insistent that one could not possibly resist it." He was obviously influenced in his decision by a godly home and the parish of his youth - St. Paul's, Milagiriya.

He then joined the Divinity School where some of his early teachers were eminent priests like Dr. G.B. Ekanayake, Rev. George Jirasinha, Bertram Wikramanayake and others. Shortly afterwards he proceeded to King's College, London to continue his theological studies; here too he excelled in his studies and surprised everyone by his command of the English language. On completion of his Bachelor's Degree in Divinity, he returned home and was made a deacon in 1936. He opted to be in this position for 10 years before being ordained a priest in 1946. During this period and beyond he held many notable positions. He was Asst. Master and Asst. Chaplain of St. Thomas' College, Mt. Lavinia, for three years then on to Kandy Central Itinerancy briefly, then to Uva College, Badulla as vice principal and chaplain.

He was next appointed Principal, Christ Church College, Wattegama, proceeding to St. Mathias Church, Laxapathiya as asst. curate. His pastoral work was in Laxapathiya, Kaldemulla and Angulana. Later he was Asst. Curate of St. Michael's Church, Polwatte. After that as priest in charge, Galle Face, and then at Mission to Seamen, after which he was ordained archdeacon of Colombo and prinicipal, Divinity School, both in 1964. He was also editor, Ceylon Churchman, general manager, Diocesan Schools, general secretary, National Christian Council and rural dean, Colombo South.

In his pastoral life he chose to work among the poor and underprivileged children in far off places. He could have served in prominent urban churches, yet he chose to work among the poor and humble people in his various stations.

At St. Michael's, Polwatte he earned the name of 'Priest of the Slums'; because he not only carried on his pastoral duties, but also identified himself as one of the poor who lived in near slum conditions. He was always conscious that his directions came from God and this was the reason why he willingly accepted very junior positions adding rich quality to his own life and to those with whom he came into contact. He was also associated with ecumenical work in the Ceylon Student Christian Movement, the CCYM, YMCA, YWCA. As a pastor, he was much loved and sought after as a friend, philosopher and guide and as a good listener. 'The secret of his Christian life was his spiritual life' - being at mass, taking confession seriously, finding time for quiet days and retreats.

There was no better person to organise educational and pleasure tours and pilgrimages to far off churches, than Bishop Cyril who ran the Travel Dept. from the Church. He organised tours to ancient and modern places, for young and old alike, and finally a Church of Ceylon pilgrimage to the Holy Land. He also undertook a very successful mission to Australia to the Diocese of Brisbane.

Finally for a short period he was Metropolitan's Commissary and Legate. He was also editor, Ceylon Churchman for eight years, general manager of Diocesan Schools, general manager of the NCC of Ceylon and Rural Dean of Colombo South.

His dear wife Fidelia matched him ideally in her simplicity of living, supporting him, quietly, loyally and graciously and making her own distinction by helping to build a happy home. Bishop Cyril's life was simple and humble, almost to a fault. He is described as an 'unassuming man, never trying to assert himself, not overtly conscious of his academic achievements.' A man,

"Clothed in the garb of humble obedience

A shepherd of souls, beloved by all;

. No pageant of power, no pomp of great glory

Are his by desire, but richly his due.

From the desk of a teacher to the stand of a shepherd

Bearing his people in prayer he comes;

Not as a master but as a servant of servants

The purple of penitence, not of power he dons."

Bishop Cyril was in a true sense, a servant of the servant Lord. He was a friend of the poorest and lowliest and lost, whom he comforted and steered out of their misery by his own closeness to God.

And so came to an end a worthy life; Christ - like; well spent in obedience to his Master's call. God called him home on May 8, 1991. "Strangely he was called to rest from his labours on the eve of Ascension Day. Was it to join the Heavenly Host in celebrating the return of the Saviour whom he had known and loved for so long?

Truly he was a man of God.
Swanthri Dassenaike