The Island OPINION Monday 24th May, 2010 Views LETTERS 9 n our journey towards special request to trade unions have been giving some loaded with officials, seems and, more importantly, the people that the achieving the status of to; thought to the confused to be playing no part in this Members of Parliament and ‘Disapathi’ always had. The O‘Asian Miracle’, it is a) Make use of Day-light as Iofficial responses to the “effort”. There are probably local bodies. Co-ordination only law that seems relevant imperative that we make far as possible during office natural disasters that have more ‘bit players’ frolicking was, thus, integral to the sys- to them is Parkinson’s Law optimum use of our limited hours. been blasting this country in these muddy waters. Once tem and the G.A. could call [work expands to fill the time power and energy resources. b) Prohibit use of lifts up to the last few days. The news in a while [as in Nuwara on his team and direct them available]. Towards this end, we at least first three floors (where have to start by promoting relevant) with provision for channels are full of state- Eliya] the Govt Agent has to handle any emergency in My suggestion is that the usage of alternative energy emergency facilities for needy. ments by a medley of offi- grasped authority and exer- his District – without await- GA should be vested with sources and at the same time c) Discourage use of air-con- cials, and politicians in cised it without waiting for ing orders from ‘on high’. unfettered coordinating pow- cutting down on wastage. For ditioners and ceiling fans. rolled-up pants promising political orders. This happened in ers when disaster strikes a this purpose, a genuine polit- d) Where possible, allow pie-in-the-sky to poor victims This was not always so. Trincomalee during the 1971 District. He already has the ical will is required. I invite employees to perform assign- sunk in the mud. Looking Till President Premadasa Insurgency when the GA not statutory authority, though the new Minister to consider ments from home for payment of back on a career in eleven clipped their wings and only coordinated civil and its exercise is often in the following propos- a special allowance, districts it is quite clear to abeyance due to understand- als. as extended office Since industries hours entail not me that there is a tragic lack able fear of political reper- consume a major por- Focus on only payment of of coordinated and decen- cussions. This is not a revolu- tion of electricity, over-time but also tralized authority capable of tionary idea or any subver- firstly,the govern- alternative additional electrici- prompt action. Today the Bring back sion of the Constitution. The ment should aggres- ty,water and other District is an administrative precedent already exists in sively promote the energy sources unproductive costs. jungle. A plethora of officials the conduct of a General ‘now-defunct’ system e) Suitable are ‘ploughing their own fur- Election where the GA is the of giving financial incentive schemes rows’. The Disaster District Returning Officer concessions to those medium and large should be launched to encourage employ- Management Ministry has a the GA? exercising the authority and scale industries/organizations using their ees to cut down on electricity wastage in own sources of power instead of the heav- offices, (uncontrolled use of electric ket- District level officer to “han- might of the Elections ily subsidized national grid. An effective tles, immersion heaters and ceiling fans) dle disasters” though not demoted them to be District Police functions but was also Commissioner, without fear promotional campaign could re-energize so that results and progress could be seen vested with any authority “Secretaries” lumping them the Competent Authority or favour from any source. this scheme with creative industrialists and felt by all concerned. over officials of other with a plethora of other ‘sec- over the Army, Navy and Air When disaster strikes the going for alternate energy sources. To state the least, these measures are Departments. Local Bodies, retaries’ [divisional, cultiva- Force. Response to any disas- Secretary to the President Secondly,as both government and fundamental for achieving the ‘power- the Urban Development tion, co-op etc]. The ter was, thus, almost instan- should immediately declare private sector offices are large-scale con- hub’ target of the government. Authority and the Land Government Agent was the taneous. that the GA of the affected sumers of electricity,the Govt. must J.B.V. FERNANDO. Reclamation & Drainage co-ordinating apex of a net- Today the district is District is its Co-ordinating make a clarion call on all of them with a Moratuwa Authority seem to be getting work of officials, right down chock-a-block with officials Authority with executive in each other’s way. The to village level. He was the of questionable authority. I authority over every govern- Irrigation Dept and statutory Deputy Head of understand that District ment Department and ‘American Idol’ finale Electricity Board irresponsi- every Department in Officials of the Disaster Statutory Institution. eason nine finale of the hugely pop- never be forgotten when the curtain falls bly let loose their impounded Colombo. As Chairman of Management Ministry are I trust this modest propos- ular American Idol is scheduled for on season nine of this popular show. water with not a thought for the District Co-ordinating not vested with any authority al of a retired GA, who has Sthis week. The programme watched I think “American Idol” is a great the poor people downstream Committee he regularly to direct or co-opt officials of seen it all, is taken seriously. by millions in the US on Tuesdays and show. It gives singers a chance to go fur- being inundated.. The chaired a meeting with all divisional or village level. the elimination on Wednesdays is equal- ther in their life-long dreams of singing Provincial Councils, over- these officials, the Police Nor has he the acceptance by Tissa Devendra ly popular in the other parts of the career. I thought Michael Lynch should world, including the Kingdom. have been in the top three, because he is Since it is telecast by MBC on a unique type of singer in the Wednesdays and Thursdays, sense, he never sounded like viewers lose enthusiasm any other singer. When he ies, workshops, and other insti- because they already know came on stage, he brought tutions have proper drainage the result of the elimination singing and performing to a The avoidable ‘killer’ systems and soakage pits to from the Internet. Yet it different level. draws a large number of If one didn’t physically or at least a decade, dispose of the excess water they discharge, instead of into viewers to see the performance see him, we would not know if there have been articles of the prospective idols. Will this be he were white or black. That is the Fand letters from con- drains, streams and other the last season of the American Idol? beauty of singing. It is being yourself cerned citizens on the subject waterways. As we all know that Simon Cowell and making whatever you sing your own. of ‘DENGUE’ in the print c) Even homes, especially will be in his last year for the American It is a shame he could only reach the top Idol and many believe that without him, four! Big Mike deserved to be in the top media in addition to panel dis- in suburban areas, do not dis- charge their household water the show will not be popular as it is. two or even the winner of season nine cussions by various experts ‘American Idol 2010’ has come to the but unfortunately he could not garner and seminars and workshops into storm water drains and finale event, with the two top contestants enough votes because of his colour. conducted by health authori- avoid causing stagnant puddles left, Lee Dewyze and Crystal Bowersox. They never saw or heard the man ties, NGOs and social service of water by the roadside. America’s top reality show again has although his songs sentimentally moved It may be worth consider- successfully run through this season a female judge, who unashamedly cried! organisations. However, this with high ratings. Of course there is still In the meantime, Lee Dewyze is hot ing making it mandatory that dreaded virus which reared its one more week to see the legendary favourite to win the contest from the ugly head from time to time in institutions and households judge Simon Cowell in American Idol. young mom Crystal Bowersox. the past, may take a critical have proper ‘soakage pits’ in He has made this show big and rich S. H. Moulana turn once again in the after- order to absorb or recycle the because of his superb performance as a Riyadh excess water they discharge judge. His honesty and frankness will math of the recent rains. We where millions of mosquitoes service organisations, in addi- and avoid surface catchments are being told that fresh water breed as dirty water from tion to the measures already with stagnant water which in household utensils and stag- houses, hotels and other insti- taken by them, could take seri- allows any kind of mosquito, nant water in our home gar- tutions are fed into the storm ous action to ensure that: Blame the gods and save the humbugs let alone the dengue mosquito, eference an article by Mr. Lucien out”. We all believe that torrential rains dens are the worst breeding water drains and stagnate a) Drains are unclogged to breed. This will also be Rajakarunanayake on the above turned into floods due to not having places of the dengue mosquito. there. and cleaned up of stagnant bound to reduce the amount of Rsubject. proper channels to drain out the water. But what about the stagnant It appears that a great deal water by the relevant authori- I do not believe that the JVP is I think Mr. Rajakarunanayake has water flowing into the storm water in the drains along the of control can be exercised on ties with the onus on the resi- happy that because of the torrential gone a long way because he wants to drains and have some impact roadside and permanent pot- this growing epidemic if the dents of the area to report on rain, the people are suffering. But what criticize the JVP. May be the JVP did in reducing the ‘flood waters’ they said is because God sent heavy not believe in God in the past, but we holes? As a resident of Ministry of Health, in collabo- clogged drains or clear them, during a period of heavy rain. rains the Government couldn’t have the should be happy, if they believe in God Moratuwa, I can vouch that the ration with the local govern- themselves. Desmond Z. de Silva, Victory Day Parade. The reason is now, because that means now they have drains in the area and in ment authorities and social b) Offices, hotels, eater- “Government is keeping General Sarath reformed themselves. Panadura, seem to be places Moratuwa Fonseka in remand custody unjustly for Praneetha Perera so many months without bailing him

write with reference to a debate in the fired almost daily in the reader forums throw stones at and demonstrate in front (a) His nephew and army command- to JR’s book in his fighting days!) He opinion pages of The Island, one aris- and feature columns, if the heads are of Judges residences. The two brothers er Tissa Weeratunga with orders to ‘crush should read more on politics and politi- Iing out of a news item on SF’s com- going to be chopped off, I’m afraid on their own drafted the ’78 Constitution the rebellion’, with no political backing or cians, books written by others on them ments after reading a book by JRJ on his Abayasekara and all her friends certainly instituting provisions empowering the planning, resulting in his soldiers com- more than their own works for under- intention to follow the foot-steps of the would miss the count. President with ‘jurisdiction’ over the mitting atrocities forcing thousands to standing the realities of politics, now that ‘great politician’ and the other initiated The editorial spoke adequately on SF’s administration of justice, and abused the seek asylum in the west creating a strong his allies having determined to continue by Gamini Gunewardene raising his con- statement on JRJ, the grandson of proctor clause by ‘sacking’ the entire Supreme Diaspora and helping the LTTE gain wide with their parasitic relationship with cerns about the independence of judici- James Alfred Jayewardene, who inscribed him. It is worth repeating a section of last para, of Nacholibre’s letter on May 20, ‘A passionate plea to President, Def. Sec. and Gen.’… “Please shed the differences, JRJ, SF, AG and ‘the admit to mistakes take a step back and forget petty political rivalry and set a self- less example for the sake of the country …… ”. concerned ladies’ AGs were unduly influenced, made to leave and replaced with members of the private bar by PM’s even in the pre ’78 ary with the AG’s department being listed his name in the annals of colonial judicial period. To quote a few instances, during under president’s direct purview, and the history, and the son of E W Jayewardene Dudley’s premiership in 65-70, as we relat- ‘stony silence’ on the part of legal bodies, KC, the highly respected Judge of the ed in detail in these columns on May 8 academics, human rights activists et al,. Supreme Court, and nephew of four legal under ‘Dudley/Sirimavo feud’. Justice JRJ during his tenure ‘earned’ a name luminaries, the brother of EWJ, who dom- Minister Felix Dias under Sirimavo, made in the echelons of Hulftsdorf for mauling inated the old courts complex in the early an ad-hoc appointment to AG’s office and the judiciary more than any of his prede- 20th century.Let us admit the fact (while abused the high seat through his cessors or successors and therefore it leaving it to the political analysts and his- appointee In ‘70-’77. President Premadasa would be prudent to tackle the two issues torians to evaluate his ‘greatness’), that promoted a junior lawyer by-passing sen- together. JRJ was a political colossus of our times. iors as Secretary to the Judicial Services There were quite a few informative The third generation of Jayewardene’s by Commission, merely to interfere with contributions in response to both includ- virtue of their historical roots, entered transfer of judges. In 88/89 during the ing the editorial on SF;s comment, the the legal fraternity too, with JRJ and two height of JVP violence contrary to AG’s response it received from a ‘concerned of his brothers, one being HW JRJ Sarath advice the IGP was forced to send woman’ and finally a letter on May 20 by Jayewardene QC. (A ‘concerned man’ on Wijedasa Liyanarachchi the “habeas cor- Anne Abayasekara. May 19 described him as “the architect of Court overnight to pick and choose international recognition and sympathy. pus” lawyer, to the infamous Batalanda Abayasekara, stressing a point, states the notorious constitution that was foist- replacements. One of the victimized (b) One of his confidants with a ‘bat- camp on a Minister’s order who is now inter alia that at an informal gathering of ed on the people of Sri L anka”), all tak- judges, later working as an administrative talion of thugs’ in a special train from clamouring from opposition for HR and friends, focusing the conversation on ing oaths as advocates in the 1930s. officer in a paint factory in an interview Kurunegala to rig DC elections, and set democracy as per former IGP’s evidence political scene, they unanimously agreed However it is a pity that they failed with a scribe explaining his woes said “I fire to the South East Asia’s best library, under oath at the Presidential commis- on deploring the ‘inroads made into the miserably in following the trend set by am now learning the art of mixing paint” which was in Jaffna. sion on Batalanda. independence of the judiciary’. She con- their ancestors, and even brought disre- (traditionally, SC judges after relinquish- (c.) His other trusted lieutenant ‘Independence of judiciary ‘have had tinues, ‘I asked one lady, “why don’t you pute to ‘Jayewardene dynasty ’especially ing their duties are debarred from practis- Lalith to handle the issue of the Indian fortunes fluctuating to variable degrees write to a news paper and air your during the JRJ regime in ‘77- ’88. It was ing as lawyers). The BASL, human rights food flotilla, with strict orders to thwart under different regimes and circum- views”, her instant reply was “are you an open secret’ that the two brothers did activists, academics and other lawyers the move, after messing up our bilateral stances in post independence Sri Lanka. mad? I don’t want stick my neck out and not like the face of the then CJ and a few forums maintained ‘a stony silence’, per- relations with them, ‘inviting’ India to “I do not belong to any political party, I have it chopped off !” She explains how members of SC. JRJ declared his infa- haps not wanting to ‘stick their necks out drop ‘Parippu’ by air, and the am a DEMOCRAT “ ! Emil Rogers— the rest of the friends present agreed that mous ‘exercise of democratic rights by and get …….!’. Vadamarachchi debacle that followed she was being ‘sensible’. However consid- people theory’ in defence of a dastardly SF would have missed reading how etc. are now history. K K S Perera ering the amount of highly critical letters act, when his henchmen sent goons to JRJ dispatched to Jaffna, — (Thank god that SF did not have access Panadura