The government spends so much money for alcohol and smoke related diseases in Sri Lanka and this money could well be spent to save people from any other diseases rather than smoking and alcohol related diseases. It has been proved that the main cause for lunge cancer is smoking and kidney and liver failure due to alcohol.

The Health Department should also conduct rehabilitation centres for those who like to give up smoking and drinking habits.  Scientists have proved that passive smoking also causes damage to the health of people. It is time legal provision is made for spouses and children to complain against their spouses, fathers or mothers who smoke inside the house putting innocent children’s health at a risk. I am so happy to hear that the duty free shops at Katunayake International Airport have stopped selling tobacco products to locals, and the government should introduce a total ban of smoking in all restaurants and hotels islandwide.

I saw a letter from another reader complaining that some people still smoke inside trains. Passengers should be encouraged to stand against these law breakers and ban people smoking anywhere on public transport. 

Mr. President I salute you for taking this very important decision for the sake of our health and hope you will support more and more to build a healthy nation.

What exactly are we to make of the UNP crossers-overs? The prominent political issue that arises is whether President Rajapakse has made the right move on the political chessboard as opposed to the uninterrupted continuance of the MOU with the UNP.

While on behalf of President Rajapakse it may be said that in seducing the UNP’s crossers-over he is engaged in political power-play to keep afloat, a huge ethical cloud would certainly hang over the crossing MPs of the United National Party raising concerns for the government and wider society. The SLMC has always been a capricious decision-maker and one need not waste time in writing about the latter.

 Muralidah Reddy, a reputed Indian political analyst writing to the Hindu newspaper  (on January 29), takes the position that President Rajapakse has made a move which is going to be counterproductive and eventually costly to him. Reddy states that it would have been better had the President continued graciously with the MOU signed with Ranil Wickremesinghe rather than abrogating it this way.

Reddy’s conclusion is based on assumptions such as that the defecting UNP group is likely to retain a different identity and a different stand on the key issues critical to the country today, especially the national question.

 My own view is that Reddy may be wrong in the latter assumption. It has been patently clear from the outset that this breakaway group had been eager to get into the seats of power and enjoy the perks for hopefully the rest of their career rather than remain in opposition. This group will therefore be very much part of the establishment and will kowtow to President Rajapakse at every turn.

Furthermore, although called ‘the Karu Group’ this group is far from homogenous and each one will go their own way to further their personal interests.

 From the outset, a discerning observer could have spotted no genuine concern for the party by this group. The protests about the need for reform within the party have been in my view mere hocus-pocus.

Firstly, until the time of Ranil Wickremesinghe’s (RW) election defeat the latter had been good and Mahinda Rajapakse was evil. People like Rajitha, Lokuge etc. slandered Mahinda Rajapakse during the campaign. With RW’s defeat, the latter suddenly became terribly bad and suddenly the party gravely needed large-scale reform.

The fact is that from the point of view of the aggregate electorate (voting and non-voting electors) RW had in fact won, the loss was more of a technical nature. Hence, RW did not do badly although he may be judged as having had bad luck, whatever metaphysical meaning that may have. Besides, RW had eventually agreed on a timeframe for reform and the group had collectively expressed assent to that.

 I suppose one cannot expect any morals from our ‘pollies’ these days. The right thing for dissenting party members to do is to resign, as people like Gamini Jayasuriya did in the bygone era of honourable leaders. The crossers-over had been elected primarily because of their party and only on a preference basis as individuals. The party did not become bad suddenly after the elections; it was the same party.

Had this group joined government eschewing portfolios they would have looked better. Even their threat of signing a MOU with the President is now seen in retrospect as a face-saving bluff as it never materialised. On the other hand, they clamoured for the plums of office. The next step is to get the cars, positions for their family members and the whole works.

 The ethical implications and consequences are nakedly clear. These politicians have deceived the electorate for their own gain. In this sense, they have undermined the working of the country’s fledgling democracy.

From a wider societal point of view, these ‘crossies’ have sent down the wrong message to our young and old, namely that no act is inherently right or wrong and that it is only thinking that makes something right or wrong. This is a dangerous message to our society at large

 President Rajapakse will have to watch these guys as they are going to milk the government and, if possible, be smarter than him. Milinda Moragoda is particularly to be watched as he is allegedly the man who spoiled RW’s chances by announcing at election time that the latter had manipulated Karuna’s break away thereby angering the LTTE which blocked the Tamils in the north- east from voting for RW.

Sunday, January 28, will be written in Sri Lanka’s history books as one of the most dramatic days in the political arena and ‘it was all because of Ranil.’

Ranil may be the excuse being used to defect by the UNP rebel MPs,but the reality is that these jumbos cum federalists, couldn’t resist the plum portfolios and perks that Mahinda the genie was ready to offer.

It seems quite a waste of any reader’s time in drawing attention to the history of corruption and misdeeds that these defectors have been party to not to mention the parliamentarians in government. It is rather like a big tea party where all the merry men and women have now joined to fill their stomachs at the expense of the public. That really is the ground reality and undoubtedly the truth of the situation.

What will the ardent UNP vote base which voted for these UNPers now say? Some of these voters can only see green and are oblivious to any other colour in the political arena — will they too excuse the defectors and now put the blame on Ranil? What good would it do anyway? The carpet has slipped from Ranil’s feet and some of the UNP’s best men are now holding very lucrative posts in the ‘Chinthana government’ that they were laughing at not so long ago.

The genie is definitely having the last laugh even though it will eventually be at the expense of the poor public who will once again have to suffer to upkeep the lifestyles of these ministers, non-cabinet ministers, deputy ministers and possibly more defectors for whom the genie has still kept some vacancies. Would it not be amusing if even Ranil ends up defecting and lands up the prime minister of Sri Lanka!  

What any voter today should take serious note of is a simple truth. All politico’s have no principles, no shame and certainly no integrity.

For the purpose of grabbing votes, politicians use their rhetoric and at times their physical prowess to fool the voters. This happens time in and time out.

Our memories are too short, but a brief look down memory lane would help us remember how some of these UNPers were so critical of the UPFA members and vice versa. Yet, that Sunday they were shaking hands, indulging in small talk and having the last laugh at our cost! What hypocrites!

 With the reshuffling Sri Lanka has the most number of ministers in the Asian region.

India with a population of 1.1 billion has only 23 ministers.

Pakistan with a population of 168 million has just 16; but Sri Lanka with a population of only 20 million has 104 ministers (46% of the total membership of the House are ministers – 104 out of 225)

What more can we expect from the sons and daughters of avarice!

Dear Mr Gunawardena,

I have during these past 14 months listened to you with admiration at the manner in which you dissected the Mahinda Chinthana. According to you the country was heading towards bankruptcy because of this Chinthana and the printing of money by the Central Bank.

I now understand that you and your colleagues have decided to support the Mahinda Chinthana without any reservations.

I look forward to listening to you in the future to be enlightened on how the Chinthana will now solve the country’s problems.

I wish you well in your endeavours as the entire country is burdened by the huge cost of living and we expect an economics maestro such as you to put theory into practice and provide the solution to this problem.

We the residents of Baudhaloka Mawatha (Old Buller’s Road) are compelled to bring to the notice of the public through your newspaper the injustice done to us by the residents of 36th Lane (off Old Bullers Road) with the alleged connivance of the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) by erecting a gate preventing us from getting through to Castle Street. After installing the traffic lights at the Model Farm Road / Castle Street / Shady Grove Avenue Junction the CMC has not given us access to Castle Street towards Borella.

If 36th Lane is a private road as claimed by the residents who have now barred it, we are at a loss to understand how a ‘private road’ was rehabilitated using public funds to tar the road surface and install traffic lights. If the residents of 36th Lane use public funds provided by the government to a members of the Municipal Council to enhance road facilities, then it’s only fair that 36th Lane is opened to the public.

Furthermore this road has never been closed and by sheer usage by the general public for over 60 years it has become a public thoroughfare. Hence it cannot be considered a private road now and closed to other road users

In this matter we the residents of Old Buller’s Road have petitioned the Colombo Municipal Commissioner and the relevant authorities to give us direct access to Castle Street by relocating / shifting the traffic lights fixed at Shady Grove Avenue to Old Buller’s Road-Castle Street junction.

In the alternative the Municipal Council together with the relative authorities must see that 36th Lane is opened, as we feel our fundamental rights which we have enjoyed for over 60 years have been violated.

We are seeking to achieve our lost privilege through your media so that saner counsel will prevail.