Letters

Motorist must make way for lord in khaki

There was a news items in a Sunday newspaper recently that a petitioner who filed a fundamental rights case against the police officer who assaulted him for the delay in allowing the police vehicle to overtake his, has been getting death threats. He and his family have been threatened with death if he fails to withdraw his case. Who is behind these death threats is not difficult to guess.

Leaving aside the death threats, it is well known that any ordinary citizen driving a vehicle, who does not slow and get to a side to allow some of this khaki clad boors to overtake them, stands a very good chance of not only getting insulted but also assaulted. If any resistance is shown, there is also a possibility of getting a trumped-up charge.

The IGP who seems to be all out to wipe out crime - should give priority to curb this type of behaviour by his officers. It is strange that no action has been taken in spite of the fact that a cabinet minister was reported to have been a witness to the assault on a citizen whose only crime was not taking his car into the drain to allow the lord in khaki to overtake him.

Hats off to the petitioner for having the guts to stand up for his rights

W.R. de Silva
Dehiwala

Costly Buddhagaya ritual not necessary for tsunami victims

A news item disclosed a religious function to be held in Buddhagaya in commemoration of the dead victims of the tsunami of December 26 last. According to the news item, a special ceremony including a colourful procession with traditional drummers and dancers, a grand pirith chanting a grand pahanpooja and an offering of dana to 1000 bhikkhus was being planned to be held during the three days of November 11, 12, 13 at Buddhagaya in India.

Practices of Buddhists in Sri Lanka have been spoiled with non Buddhist practices that have no real meaning. bodhipooja, noisy pirith chanting, a pooja of millions of oil lamps pahan and flowers, cloth pooja where tree structures and statues are wrapped up with valuable cloths are some of those non-Buddhist practices. All of these are not recognised in the Buddha's teaching as amisa pooja because they are really activities leading to waste of money and manpower. It is not necessary to consider all of them to convince an intellectual of the ill-effects.

One event is mentioned here as an example, the recent Kataragama pahan pooja (March 26) where 40000 coconut oil lamps were lit. According to the present price of coconut oil and the transport costs of the several thousands of the people who participated in the ceremony, the entire cost would not have been less than Rs. 1.3 million. What is the ultimate result of the burning of such a big amount of money, other than the addition of pollution to the atmosphere? What did the tsunami victims get from the pooja. Nothing! A lot could have been done for the innocent victims with the money and manpower wasted on the pahan pooja.

The thinking of the majority of Buddhist people and monks has been polluted with meaningless practices copied from other religions which are based on a series of beliefs and concepts. Most of the monks who have commercialised the amisa pooja for their own benefit, are leaders of these programmes where innocent people are cheated in the name of amisa pooja. The main objective of such pooja is collection of money and entertainment which are never mentioned in the Buddha's teachings. The latest of this kind is the proposed Buddhagaya religious ceremony.

One can sit down and work out easy equations to calculate the least expenses needed on such a celebration in India. Travelling of participants (politicians, representatives of religious institutes, drummers, dancers and others) from Sri Lanka to Buddhagaya and back alone will exceed Rs. 50 million. (It is assumed that the 1000 monks invited are Indians). If you include all expenses associated with the pooja this is going to cost more than Rs. 100 million, I guess.

I request the intellectuals of our country to answer the question whether we want to have a very expensive pooja costing more than Rs. 100 million to remember the dead tsunami victims? Has Buddha taught us that we can send the dead to heaven with a pooja in Buddhagaya?

Many of the tsunami victims are still living in very pathetic conditions inside small tents with their children and elderly family partners. I request Buddhist leaders to visit the rehabilitation centres and the tents and see what could be done to ensure a better life for them instead of planning billion rupee ceremonies abroad. I also like to draw the kind attention of the President, Prime Minister and the Minister of Buddha Sasana to this proposed event and take immediate and intelligent action to stop such luxury ceremonies in the name of tsunami victims.

K. P.  Abhayasingha
Menikdiwela

Maladministration in memorial hospital

Vijaya Kumaratunga Memorial Hospital which completed a term of five and half years on April 6 has been a comedy of errors right from the inception.

The hospital recruited a manager, erroneously in place of a director, who left after nine months. This post was advertised twice in the Sunday newspapers and though there had been applicants suitable for the post, no one was recruited to make way for a medical officer in charge (M.O.I.C). who has no administrative qualifications or experience to be in charge of the hospital.

A psychiatric clinic was started in February 2002 with eminent psychiatrist Dr. Neil Fernando in attendance. But it came to a halt in February 2003 due to a disagreement with the management. He was followed by a RMP who left at the end of 2003.

At present it is conducted every Friday by the M.O.I.C. herself who does not have either the qualifications or experience in the field of psychiatry. The Sri Lanka Medical Council should take note of this before more patients are affected.

Recently applications were called for recruitment of R.M.Os, radiographers etc. and interviews, which are normally held at the ministry were held at the hospital itself on April 4 in the absence of a board representative. The chairman was out of the island at that time.

There is a circular from the Ministry of Public Administration not to extend the contract of officers over 63 years of age unless cabinet approval in this regard is obtained.

There is a member of the nursing staff who very is much over this limit but is staying on extension. The letter extending her stay is signed by the MOIC. According to the VKMH board, the bill was passed in parliament and gazetted on July 23, 1999. The sole authority on recruitment, extension and termination of service is the chairman, board of directors.

The total expenditure of this hospital is borne by the Helath Ministry including payroll, drugs, OT etc.

I sincerely hope this letter receives the attention of the minister of health under whose Ministry this hospital is functioning and he takes steps to rectify the irregularities in this institution for the welfare of the patients.

M. Fernando
Ja-Ela

Desecration of Buddhist shrine

Kandy Bahirawakande Sri Abinawaramaya is a 75-year-old Buddhist shrine where not only Buddhists but also Hindus, Muslims and Christians resort as a common nexus.

Some unscrupulous political elements are trying to desecrate it with ulterior motives despite the protests of Buddhist devotees nearby.

We hear that the Malwatte and Asgiriya prelates too have appealed against the acquisition of the land, but this appeal too has fallen on the deaf ears of the authorities concerned.

Will the Buddha Sasana minister intervene and put an end to this matter forthwith to console the heartburn of the devotees around the shrine and devotees of other religious persuasions?

M. Ramachandra
Kandy

More hardships as living costs soar

THE recent increase in the prices of fuel, petrol, diesel, kerosene, gas, electricity, water and telephone bills have caused enormous hardships to the common man.

Fuel prices are up - petrol by Rs. 6 and now Rs. 80 per litre, diesel by Rs. 4,  kerosene by Rs. 5 etc.

Laugfs has sought permission to increase the price of gas with immediate effect by Rs. 163 on a 12.05 kg L.P. gas cylinder.

Then on top of all these increases, strikes by railway staff, bus crews and threatened strikes by Electricity Board staff are having a choking effect on the cost of living by blackouts (which require other means of lighting) and causing hardships to students in not being able to attend to their studies in the night.

The meagre salary increases given sometime back, are beggarly compared to the luxury lifestyles of the parliamentarians going about in luxury cars and luxury Pajeros and Volvos and extra luxury meals with several plates (over seven) being changed, and that too for their kith and kin and catches.

In fact pensioners and others would like to keep the prices of especially essential commodities like rice, flour, bread, coconuts, vegetables, fish, fruits, milk foods, especially infant, child, invalid and non-fat milk foods down and other bills like water and electricity at manageable levels.

Another factor worth mentioning is that politicians, their henchman, catches and relatives here and abroad are renovating their bungalows at enormous cost while the poor man is unkempt and virtually starving.

V.K.B. Ramanayake
Maharagama

A good man pays the supreme sacrifice

The Dhamma states the fact that all living beings are subjected to cessation. One's karma or daivaya finally decided what is in store. It is said that the late Lt. Colonel Tuan Nizam Muthaliff had a premonition of the coming event on that fateful day.

The soldiers in battle are directly exposed to risks but the personnel in intelligence run the greatest risk between a time of war and the process of appeasement thereafter. Be it so, our citizenry repeatedly question the disgraceful attitude of our lawmakers who make hypocritical pronouncements but only pursue selfish agendas. In a disgraceful episode, one of their ilk had the gall to state that once an operative's usefulness is exhausted, there is no further need to care for him. This is the freedom  of speech of the wild ass! The forces so far have shown a remarkable sense of discipline and tolerance, let us hope we will not be hearing the sound of drums.

So why did the virtual operations head of Army Intelligence have to die like a dog on the road? It is a pathetic realisation that we cannot protect our own even in our backyard. The buck stops nowhere. Mevata kauda vaga kiyanne?

Although the plot thickens in this whodunnit saga, the brutal fact is that the  army and the country has lost one of its most patriotic and professional fighting men. Whatever the final discoveries may be, the ultimate beneficiary is the LTTE.

The tragic loss of a good man, making the supreme sacrifices for his motherland, is at most a seven day miracle of remembrance. After the initial mourning and praise, except in the hearts of his loved ones and the patriotic, he will soon be forgotten. The good that men do usually ends up being buried in their graves. This is the hallmark of ungrateful human fickleness.

Where have all the flowers gone, a long time passing?

Gone to graveyards everyone! When will they ever learn?

When will we ever learn?

True patriotic son of our motherland.

Inna illaihi Wainna illahi rajihoon

Jith Wijesekera
Thalawathugoda

No medical negligence

I write with reference to the article titled "Dengue blamed for myscarditis in Peradeniya" by E. Rutman and J. Najmuddin in your esteemed journal of April 4, and wish to place on record my views on the subject.

First of all as a doctor of medicine, I offer my deepest sympathies and condolences to the members of the bereaved family of the final year medical student, the late Chaya Lankeswera.

This young girl was admitted to Ward 7 of the Teaching (General) Hospital, Peradeniya on April 3 with fever, aches and pains and occasional vomiting, sure signs and symptoms of viral fever. She was examined by a fully qualified specialist physician (MD, MRCP, trained in UK) and promptly treated accordingly.

Since she was a medical student the best of attention and treatment was provided for her.

Blood samples were taken and rushed to Colombo. Reports of the test are available for anyone to examine.

I do not see any logical reason for anyone to say the certified (by a specialist pathologist) reports are "suspicious."

She was transferred to Kandy Teaching (General) Hospital where she was examined and treated by fully qualified medical specialists.

She was treated in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and given the best of care and attention.

I can vouch for the fact that there is not an iota of evidence to prove any negligence on the part of specialist doctors, the team of young doctors and the nursing staff of Peradeniya and Kandy hospitals who attended on this girl.

Finally as a fairly senior doctor, I have this to say; we treat 100 patients and cure 99. We may lose one, then the ungrateful general public forgetting the cured 99, cry oh! medical negligence! (and may even sue the docs).

Finally - If they could crucify innocent Lord Jesus Christ who in the world are we in comparison?

Dr. Arthur Kularatne
Kandy

Ego-maniacs at SLBC

Through your columns let me congratulate Upali Amerasinghe of Colombo who quite rightly spoke convincingly of the wretched state in which the Commercial Service (English) of the SLBC is. By and large, the English announcers are ego-maniacs, fond of advertising themselves and their mates.

A handful aside, who speak themselves, real ladies and gentlemen - of the likes of Dayananda de Silva, Harold Fernando, Nihal Bharathi and a sprinkling of ladies who speak themselves respectable, the others bring themselves and the SLBC into utter disrepute.

A guy who shuts his name out - N. A. - shouldn't even be tolerated around the SLBC as he swallows more words than he speaks. There are others of his ilk.

I listen only to the news twice or thrice a day but when one switches on the radio a few minutes before, one hears the jackalling sound of so-called songs. They are mostly lust songs, not love songs, utterly unbecoming of the aspirants of the sublime married state. Indeed the last songs blurted out seem to suit only adulterers or prostitutes. Is this media education?

Getting rid of some of these ego-maniacs will do the SLBC and its listeners a world of good!

C. A. R. Amerasinghe
Wattala 

Al Haj M.A.M. Hameem, fondly called Yakooth, the well-known personality hailing from a respectable and wealthy family in Matara, is no more. His sudden demise created a void which is difficult to fill as he was a multifaceted personality. He was a motor sports man, marksman, organiser of a security network in the town, social worker and philanthropist. His numerous awards displayed at his residence is  testimony to his prowess in sports. He is also one of the founder members of Ruhuna and Southern Motor Sports Clubs.

I came to associate with him closely ever since I was transferred to Matara District as an education officer in 1977. He helped me in numerous ways to organise sports, religious and social activities for the benefit of school children.

He also advocated communal amity, particularly between Muslims and Sinhalese. He was fluent in all three languages and his communication skills were excellent.

He had great belief in the lucky number 555 and his telephones, vehicles and his other utility items carried this  number and his contribution to various charitable institutions reflect this number. He helped all the communities without any discrimination. In a way this lucky number helped him to emerge as one of the leading businessman in Matara.

Hameem was very farsighted and pragmatic. On numerous occasion he told me the absurdity of widening the Anagarika Dharmapala Mawatha (Broadway Rd) in Matara town, involving only a kilometer roadway at a very high cost, running into millions of rupees, affecting hundreds of traders with destruction of their commercial buildings, thereby reducing them to destitution. Instead he suggested to construct a roadway on  a dam along the coastal area to reduce congestion on the Broadway road.

If that novel project was implemented at that time not only would the congestion have been eased, the traders saved from artificial destruction but also thousands of innocent lives would not have been destroyed due to the fury of the tsunami. Even Matara town would have been saved from this disaster.

When my family was affected by the dreadful tsunami, he and his son Ashhar willingly accommodated us in his residence and provided us with all the comforts. When we were about to leave them, after about a month, he was totally displeased and unhappy. The last words he expressed are still ringing in my ears. If you all leave, I would be very sad. This showed the depth of his kindness and generosity.

Fortunately he has left behind an illustrious and equally talented son, Ashhar to follow his footsteps and also his dear wife who has been his shadow in all his successes in life.

The vast crowd that thronged his residence within 24 hours to pay their last respects speaks for the affection the people had for him and also is testimony to his popularity.

May Allah grant him Jennathal Firdhouse
M. H. M. Shamsudeen