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Research for Research's Sake Or Research for People's Sake Research for Research's Sake Or Research for People's Sake

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Research for Research's Sake Or Research for People's Sake Research for Research's Sake Or Research for People's Sake The Island OPINION Tuesday 1st June, 2010 Views LETTERS 9 n 17th May 2010, India Ramachandran, Karunanidhi and banned the LTTE as an more recently Viko, Nedumaran Ounlawful association under and Tamil film director Simon from Research for research's sake or the Unlawful Activities South India acted as if Sri Lanka Research for research's sake or (Prevention) Act. The gazette notifi- were a part of India and they can cation states “the Central dictate terms to Sri Lankan people. Government is of the opinion With the defeat of the LTTE in that…activities of the LTTE contin- Sri Lanka, President Mahinda researchresearch forfor people'speople's sakesake ue to pose a threat to and are detri- Rajapaksa and other decision mak- mental to the sovereignty and the ers should act decisively to rid the territorial integrity of India.. country of the separatist political therefore, should be declared as an spectre which devoured tens of Unlawful Association.” thousands of Sri Lankan lives. A section of the Tamil popula- Taking a cue from the Indian resolve tion in Sri Lanka as well as in India new stringent laws should be intro- who desire the destruction of both duced urgently to ban all political countries to create a new sovereign and other movements threatening Tamil country even by another the sovereignty and the territorial name logically should include integrity of the land. A new, effec- Tamil Nadu. tive code of Hence, the issue ethics should be of Eelam is a introduced to subject of inter- LTTE’s manage the est especially to affairs of the n interesting news item caught my grassroots level is the destruction of time tially, the Ministry of Science and the South Asian INGO and eye in your 28th Friday newspaper. It tested extension service conducted by the Technology launched it's “VIDATHA PRO- region as a agenda and NGOs operating Awas titled ‘Kitul Treacle for Japan’ Ministry of Agriculture in the 1950s and 60s. GRAMME”. There the motto was ‘taking sci- whole. Since the in Sri Lanka and explains, by the introduction of a treat- This was the work of the then UNP govern- ence to the village’. The aim was to estab- Indian Ocean with regard to economic zone their funds and ment called ‘Kasper’, the traditional tappers ment. The Minister responsible was the late lish one Vidatha Centre in each Divisional India’s and the interna- their pro- have been able to increase the volume of Ranjan Wijeratne. Before this happened, the Secretaries Division. The centre was headed tional sea lanes grammes in Sri Kitul Treacle nearly threefold. This would divisional level extension network was head- by a science graduate. Computer and other too are closely sovereignty Lanka and over- eventually benefit them by bringing in more ed by the divisional extension officer, who necessary equipment were provided. The linked to the seas as these income, and allow them to enter the export happens to be an agriculture graduate, rural youth were the main target group. concept of a new Tamil country it activities have directly and indirect- market as well. trained in extension methods. He was assist- Dissemination of new scientific knowledge, is presumed that the intra-regional ly helped the separatists and given What is heartening to note here is not ed by a group of agricultural assistants, improving the local resource base, making interests will naturally influence legitimacy to virulent anti-Sri only the mere fact of this new discovery. But called KVSS who were also trained in train- the inhabitants self-reliant were the aims of the political and military issues Lankan programmes in the eyes of also the successful transfer of this knowl- ing centres like Pelwahara. These agricul- this programme. This is the first time that arising from such an eventuality. the International (Western) edge to the real users. It is very rarely we tural assistants regularly visited the farm- the Ministry of Science and Technology The objectives of some racist Community.While the LTTE was the have instances of technology transfer to ers, and advised them on better methods of ventured into the propagation of scientific Tamil political movements in South armed brigade of the separatists, the rural areas, except in paddy production; that cultivation, using better seed materials and knowledge, rather than confining them- India of the early 20th century from majority of the INGOs and NGOs too was in the late 50s and 60s. better cultural practices, etc…. In fact these selves in pure research inside their labora- anti Brahmanist South Indian provided the LTTE with links to the By and large our scientists do not devote officers were guides and friends of cultiva- tories. I am sure this treacle miracle is also Liberation Front to the Justice international media and the policy their time to applied research. They may be tors. one of the success stories of this pro- Party in 1938 which toyed with a makers. experts in pure research, but the practical The abolition of this excellent mecha- gramme. We Sri Lankans have a bad habit of plan of a Tamil country with the In the name of tens of thousands applications of their researches are few and nism brought about the doom of village throwing overboard even the few successful blessings of the English culminat- of Sinhala,Tamil,Muslim and other far between. For instance the department of level scientific cultivation. The subsequent results achieved, once a change of guard ing in DMK in 1949 made some civilians including the members of agriculture is full of PhD holders on various governments also failed to re-establish this occurs at the top of an establishment. One Tamils internationally think in the armed forces who sacrificed terms of a separate Tamil Land. their lives, Sri Lanka should move esoteric aspects of science, that are of very mechanism, and now there is a yawning gap would earnestly hope that this calamity Sri Lanka was the victim of this urgently to ban the separatists move- little use to the farmer in the field. in the rural areas as far as the agricultural would not befall on the Vidatha Programme. movement with the Tamil Diaspora ments and confiscate their funds etc. One major reason for the breakdown in extension is concerned. continuing to provide the interna- A stich in time,it is said, saves nine! the transfer of scientific knowledge to the It is to meet this dire need at least par- Ariyawansa Ranaweera. tional support for the dream. M.G Ranjith Soysa Use of horn to terrorise road users Religiosity in Tibet tactic that bus drivers often is also resorted by three-wheel driv- resort to scare away the ers and motorcyclists. The police Aother road- users is to use usually turn a blind eye to these praiseworthy. Judging by a the HORN continuously while rais- twin evils of over using the horns couple of TV documentaries ing the engine to the maximum to and overtaking on the left, little that I watched on the force other vehicles out of their realising that they are death traps Discovery channel, Tibet can way. Sustained use of horn upsets waiting to happen. Besides, loud be an adventurous place to road users including pedestrians tooting of horns is a major cause of any tourist whether his and leads to avoidable accidents. noise pollution on our roads, and it interests are historical or The major culprits are the bus is no exaggeration that road users cultural. drivers, who have a tendency to have gone deaf due to this evil they have a tendency to overtake Mr. David states, “It is scare other road users by the size practice not being curbed in time. other vehicles from the left. The bizarre, a culture soaked in a of their vehicles and the loud N. U. I. Perera practice of over taking on the left display of medieval religiosi- sound of their horns. In addition, Homagama ty. Let’s send the Rationalist Society and Carlo Fonseka to sort them out”. We consider it not merely as an invitation Democratizing political party leadership but as a compliment, addressed to us as well. Yes. here is much hul- cannot avoid a democrat- at such convention as happens We will do whatever within labaloo in the ic method of selection to in all organisations practicing Lhasa, Tibet our capability. With our T UNP. The party the Central Governing democracy. But if the numbers newly-started website, we are leadership is critical Committee and the key are too large then either there am indeed thankful to graphical, social, cultural now in a position to reach and has implications for office bearers. can be a postal voting system or Kumar David for writing and even political aspects. out more and more into the the choice of candidates I think the best delegates may be selected by the I‘Letter from Lhasa’ in the We, in Sri Lanka, are not wide world. and policies followed by method is to hold a party constituency committees to Sunday Island of May 30, sufficiently informed of this the party during and convention at which all attend a party convention at 2010, giving us a comprehen- Buddhist country, in my Dharmapala Senaratne after the elections. The the members are repre- which the key office bearers are Ranil sive, albeit brief, account of view. Hence, Mr. David’s President - Sri Lanka UNP claims to stand for sented and to elect the elected. Tibet. He has touched on geo- exercise is undoubtedly Rationalist Association freedom and democracy. If so, it office bearers and the committee R.
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