Listen to the people! Include health as a fundamental right in new constitution 

by Professor Saroj Jayasinghe-October 11, 2016, 8:18 pm

MBBS, MD (Col), MRCP (UK), MD (Bristol), PhD (Col)

FRCP (Lond), FCCP.

In its most simple form, health means to be well or contented in the key dimensions of life (i.e. physical, mental and social dimensions). In other words, all our struggles, investments and conflicts are ultimately aimed at living a good quality life to a maximum. These are the fundamental goals of human existence from a secular point of view. It is therefore essential that such a basic dimension of existence should be included and enshrined as a fundamental human right in our constitution. The public consultations done by the government overwhelmingly supported this line of thinking.

The next few paragraphs outline the proposal in further detail.

Proposal

The new Constitution should include a clear statement on the right to health. This includes a right to reasonable healthcare, but extended to other determinants of health. The latter is essential because, people fall sick BEFORE they come to healthcare (i.e. visit a clinic, pharmacy or hospital). For example, if the state ignores taking any action on air pollution, we will all choke to death or suffer from diseases such as asthma. Though the precise wording can be improved, examples of such statements include:

"The Constitution guarantees the progressive realization of rights that will enable everyone to enjoy the highest attainable standard of physical, mental and social dimensions of health"

Or

"Every citizen has the right to a reasonable standard of living, adequate for the health and well-being of himself or herself and of his or her family, including the access to medical care, preventive services, basic amenities and social services".

We need such an explicit statement because the current Constitution does not explicitly include health as a fundamental right, and has only an indirect statement (Article 27 2 (c): "the realization by all citizens of an adequate standard of living for themselves and their families, including adequate food, clothing and housing, the continuous improvement of living conditions and the full enjoyment of leisure and social and cultural opportunities").

Common misconceptions

There are four common misconceptions that are used to oppose the inclusion of health as a fundamental right.

1. "Countries cannot afford the right to health". This is absolutely wrong. The level of implementation of any fundamental human right in a constitution is governed by the availability of resources at that time. 

While the detailed steps depend on the context, the state should show progressive movement towards meeting its obligations to respect the right to health. It cannot use the argument of inability to afford, to delay their obligations indefinitely. This is clearly stated in the document The Right to Health: Fact Sheet 31 by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and WHO, available freely in the internet.

2. "The right to health is the same as the right to be healthy". A right to health does not mean that the state guarantees that everyone is in perfect good health. Good health is influenced by several factors that are outside the direct control of the state (e.g. individual’s genes, biological make-up and socio-economic conditions) and partly the personal responsibility of the individual.

3. "The ‘right to health’ is the same as the ‘right to healthcare’ ". The right to health is over and above healthcare. It includes healthcare and other determinants of health. As described previously, an example of ‘other determinants’ is air pollution. Interpreting a right to health in this context does not mean that there should be no air pollution. Instead, it means that the state should demonstrate that reasonable and affordable actions have been taken to control rising levels of air pollution.

4. "A ‘right to health’ would permit the judiciary to overstep their role". Judicial interpretations exist in many countries with Common law systems, including our own, contributed to developing ideas on human rights and strengthening their implementation. In fact, the role of the judiciary in this process will promote a change in the political culture, an avowed goal of the current government.

What are the global trends?

There are several other countries and UN organizations that have included or supported health as a fundamental right in their constitutions:

I. The Universal Declaration on Human Rights (UDHR) in Article 25(1) states that "everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including... medical care and necessary social services...

II. The World Health Organization states the following in its constitution: "The enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health is one of the fundamental rights of every human being without distinction of race, religion, political belief, economic or social condition".

III. The UN’s International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) describes the right to health in article 12.1 as "the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health."

IV. The trend is for countries to recognize health as a fundamental right in their constitutions. A study done on 191 countries in 2011 showed that almost 70 countries guarantee the rights to overall health or medical care. (Refer to paper available on-line in Global Public Health 2013; 8:639-653). A few examples are given below:

a) Constitution of South Africa (1996):

Chapter II, Section 27: Health care, food, water and social security:

"(1) Everyone has the right to have access to a. healthcare services, including reproductive health care; b. Sufficient food and water; […]

(2) The State must take reasonable legislative and other measures, within its available resources, to achieve the progressive realization of each of these rights.

(3) No one may be refused emergency medical treatment."

b) Constitution of India (1950):

Part IV, art. 47, articulates a duty of the State to raise the level of nutrition and the standard of living and to improve public health: "The State shall regard the raising of the level of nutrition and the standard of living of its people and the improvement of public health as among its primary duties…"

c) Constitution of Ecuador (1998):

Chapter IV: Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, art. 42: "The State guarantees the right to health, its promotion and protection, through the development of food security, the provision of drinking water and basic sanitation, the promotion of a healthy family, work and community environment, and the possibility of permanent and uninterrupted access to health services, in conformity with the principles of equity, universality, solidarity, quality and efficiency."

v. Finally, Sri Lanka has endorsed the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of which Goal 3 is explicitly on health ("Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages" is articulated through 9 targets for implementation). As such, inclusion of Health as a Fundamental Right in the new Constitution will give effect to this goal in a concrete manner.

SL needs to grow at 5% till 2021 says economist

Wednesday, 12 October 2016

A top economist has called for fresh impetus to be injected into sustainable development, noting that it was crucial for Sri Lanka to survive in a highly volatile external sector and a growth projection of 5% in the next five years.

Speaking at the technical sessions of the Organisation of Professional Associations of Sri Lanka (OPA), former Central Bank Deputy Governor W.A. Wijewardena said Sri Lanka could sustain its projected growth rate only if the Government implements conscious policy action in the immediate future.

He outlined structural issues, non-competitiveness in business, lack of inventions and innovations, a low science and technology base and irrelevant human capital development as key issues for sustainable economic growth, adding that these had to be addressed on a priority basis by the Government in the immediate future.

Noting that the country’s external sector was already facing a major crisis, he stated that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) had to bail out Sri Lanka in July but Sri Lanka could face challenges in maintaining the fiscal consolidation process as the second tranche would not be delivered unless the Government planned to introduce the necessary reforms in the financial sector.

Sri Lanka slipped three positions to languish at number 71 in the latest rankings of global competitiveness by the World Economic Forum (WEF).

He said the WEF Executive Opinion Survey 2016 listed policy instability as the biggest concern followed by access to financing and inefficient Government bureaucracy and tax rates.

“No one wants to set up business in Sri Lanka because it is not feasible to start a business. Countries were assessed on 12 pillars and we are not even among the South Asian country level. The Government will have to take immediate action in order to improve all these 12 pillars,” he emphasised.

Highlighting that there was “no coordination” between the bureaucrats and businesses, he urged the Government to put the two sectors into a lab, much like the Malaysian model, and allow them to focus for six months, during which time they could make decisions on a priority basis and at the end of the six-month period they could come up with a document to implement over the next five years. (CD)

Wijewardena suggests Rs. 1 m salary scheme for Ministers

Senior economist W.A. Wijewardena said Parliamentarians should be given a “decent salary” of Rs. 1 million, pointing out that the present perk system of giving a host of allowances cost the public much more, possibly up to Rs. 6 million per minister.

“At present the salary of a Minister is at Rs. 75,000 and they portray that they are doing an honorary service to the citizens of this country.

However, unknown to us, there are all kinds of hidden benefits which Ministers are enjoying. We are in serious trouble; we have to cut down these perks of the Ministers,” the former Central Bank Deputy Governor added.

He said that paying Rs. 1 million per month was always better than spending Rs. 6 million per month.

According to Wijewardena’s calculations, the monthly cost of a Minister to the Sri Lankan taxpayers was around Rs. 6 million, which comes to around Rs. 72 million per annum. “If there are 100 ministers the amount will come to Rs. 720 million. The larger the Cabinet, the larger the money the citizens will have to pay. It is a crucial issue.”

Referring to the late Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew’s famous saying ‘If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys,’ he suggested that President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe should announce this decision on national television before presenting Budget 2017.

Whither the withering State?

by Uditha Devapriya-2016-10-11

Karl Marx was fixated on creating a classless Utopia in which laws, norms, traditions, and all other forms of social conditioning were done away with. He inferred (correctly, one is forced to conclude) that where there was a State, there was oppression.

Half a century later, Fernand Braudel would contend that the Western State, far from facilitating free market capitalism, actually hindered it by encouraging financiers, renters, and profit-makers in general to collude and indulge in anti-market activity that led to distortions in various industries and even economies. In the writings of both these social scientists, you come across the same motif: the State acted in its interest, and if that meant privileging one community over another, they did just that with no qualms.

The collapse of the Soviet Union and the consequent shift in power from the Iron Curtain to Western Europe and the United States did not, as most commentators thought, create a multi-polar world. What happened was the replacement of one class with another: as Samuel Huntington famously noted, history did not end and it transformed, slowly but surely, to a clash between two civilizations (Christianity and Islam). I suppose it's superfluous to add that while no one has won the clash, wars have been waged and won or lost, and along the way, terms and concepts which were thought immutable have been redefined to suit those who call the shots in the international sphere.

Spectres of the past

With the demise of Communism, Europe was haunted by the spectres of the past and needed a way of linking its socialist past with this new clash. It did so by retaining a key motif in Marxist thought that remains the favourite byword of self-appointed ideologues the world over today: the withering of the State.

For Marx, the State existed only to be done away with once the Revolution was over: otherwise, the government of the country in which the Revolution unfolded would want to perpetuate itself and reverse the gains made by the proletariat. I need hardly add that not even Lenin, Trotsky, and Stalin could stop themselves from institutionalizing the State.

The writing was on the wall long before the Iron Curtain opened, not surprisingly: throughout the late seventies and early eighties, Marxist movements throughout the world were (for the lack of a better way of putting it) "hijacked" by agencies hardly known for their sympathy with the Left. This to me represents the end of the Marxist movement as our forefathers knew it.

Cosmopolitanism

What explains that? The across-the-board cosmopolitanism of the Left would have entranced these agencies, for the fact of the matter is that what they did challenged the authority of the State (which is not a bad thing) and in turn its legitimacy (which is). Now "authority" is a strong word, sometimes even a byword for authoritarianism, but legitimacy, as any student in political science will tell you, is a keystone in modern democracy. What these agencies were doing was hijacking democratically elected governments to adopt paradigms set by outfits far removed from the countries in which they operated. No legitimacy there, period.

There was a name for these agencies: they were called Non-Governmental Organizations, or more colloquially, NGOs.
The name itself tended to confuse: as Malinda Seneviratne once correctly observed, "N-G is for Non-Governmental. Thus, anything that cannot be categorized as a government institution/body would theoretically be an NGO. Every corporation is an NGO. From the most powerful and visible multinational to the petti-kade at the street corner and the malulaella and the paththara laella are countless NGOs." Malinda has a way with words and speaks his mind when he writes, but what he noted they stands to reason: NGOs could include outfits like churches, temples, and even Maranadhara Samithis throughout the country.
What differentiated these conventionally termed NGOs from all other organizations not affiliated to the government, therefore, was this: they were funded from outside and solicited funds to effect a change, Some change, in the country.

Anti-government activists

History, it must be said, does not paint a pretty picture of these organizations. As various studies have confirmed, they were funding anti-government activists in countries where leftists were in power. Dawn Paley, a freelance journalist reporting from South America and Central America, baptised this rather dubiously as the "NGO-Industrial Complex", in which NGOs were funded to oust governments not amenable to the "big shots" in the international sphere.

Paley brought up Haiti as an example, pointing out that a Montreal-based NGO promoted groups in that country hostile to the leftwing Fanmi Lavalas party (through which Jean-Baptiste Aristide had been democratically elected over the Duvaliers, who were dictators supported covertly and overtly by the US courtesy its anti-communist policies). She then observed that Haiti was chock-a-block with various groups (not affiliated to the government) which were doing a great job of bemoaning the Lavalas government as a means of soliciting foreign funds.

Sri Lanka hasn't been too open to NGO-twiddling but it certainly hasn't been immune to it either. In here the problem was compounded because of one pertinent point: the NGO sector managed to invade the Marxist movement, well on its way out long before the Iron Curtain collapsed. There are, as always, reasons for this (prime among them, the fact that such agencies needed a bulwark against the Jayewardene government, which despite its confusing stance on the ethnic conflict at least had the guts to try and end it by 1987), but the objective of this article is to track down some of the more dangerous precedents, statements, and self-contradictions birthed by this unholy alliance between the NGO mafia and the Left.

Positive review

Prof. Goonetilake is a sociologist and compiler. He writes with enough fidelity to facts to keep you from questioning his comments (which are far in between in his work) and broader canvas. His book "Recolonisation: Foreign Funded NGOs," which unfortunately never got the attention it deserved from the intelligentsia in this country (apart from a blisteringly positive review by H. L. D. Mahindapala), explores the aforementioned alliance between the political and the NGO mafia rather unflatteringly. I am no sociologist (nor am I a compiler), so I'm not qualified to question his credentials. On the other hand, I believe his book holds true on many counts in explaining the tragic impasse we as a country have allowed ourselves into.

To get straight to the point: Prof. Goonetilake cogently records some rather self-contradictory statements issued by key representatives of these agencies. These statements are self-contradictory not (only) because they were at variance with the norms of democracy and the rule of law, but (also) because they were at variance with what these representatives spouted against the previous regime. This can only be explained by what the inimitable Noam Chomsky (himself no fan of the Sri Lankan Government) once wrote on US foreign policy: "In any confrontation, each participant tries to shift the battle to a domain in which it's most likely to succeed. You want to lead with your strength, play your strong card."

That strong card here, was the minority issue. Despite its trysts with socialist governments, Sri Lanka was nominally non-aligned: even the most rightwing governments it had (under Jayewardene and Ranil Wickremesinghe) made some concessions to the Left movement in economic terms. While the battle in Latin America and Eastern Europe was based on the Left/Right dichotomy, in Sri Lanka the Left was actively used to further and entrench the doublespeak of the international community: the end-result, not surprisingly, was separatism. That determined the support of the NGO to the government and that explained its later shift to advocating regime-change whenever the State defied outside intrusion.

Indian Accord

Here's what Prof. Goonetilake wrote about the Indian Accord of 1987:
"A flawed Presidential election followed the uprising against the Indo-Lanka Accord. To avoid earlier malpractices and ensure a free and fair election, several organizations and individuals called for a set of preconditions such as the disbanding of paramilitary groups and government death squads. Later, some foreign funded NGOs, which were in favour of the Accord, also supported this move by mainly the local, non-foreign funded civil society. This election was later boycotted by the JVP on grounds that the preconditions had not been fulfilled. It also "advised" others to do the same, using more than just a hint of violence."
In a context where both the State and the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) asserted power rather crudely and bloodily, where were the NGOs? Supporting the government, of course! Prof. Goonetilake undressed them all when he quoted a key representative of the NGO sector (who will not be named):

"He said that the Sri Lankan Army was the "envy of Asia" as it was fighting for "democracy". He was all praise for the newly elected President and declared: "Let us be proud to be in Sri Lanka and stop looking abroad for countries to emulate or emigrate to". It was during this era and under this president that the most intense human rights violations took place through the activities of special units of the armed forces and other death squads, resulting in over 60,000 disappearances."

Disappearances

Sixty thousand disappearances! Compared with that, the excesses of the previous regime seem like "kadju-kos", though no one who excused the excesses of the 1988-1989 insurrection will accept that. I'm willing to bet that for every act of defiance and for every protest made by this English-speaking intelligentsia in charge of the NGO sector, there ought to have been stronger acts and protests made against the abuses and misuses of power by the government of 1988 and 1989. Prof. Goonetilake leaves that question unanswered, not because he can't resolve it but because, given the breadth of his scholarship, the answers are there for all to see.

So, let me get this straight: a government that empowers its Army to kill over 60,000 people under the fiction of legality (the Bar Association, not surprisingly, falls into disrepute under Prof. Goonetilake's pen, owing to what he alleges as its impotency in the face of the then government) gets congratulatory messages from the same people who, when writing against a successive government that committed abuses on a much smaller scale, growl and protest at the slightest noise from those in power. Where's the logic or consistency in that? One can legitimately ask.

Compelling issues

The NGOs, like the capitalists whom the Marxists (the same Marxists who have abandoned class for race and have scripted out more compelling issues in their so-called struggle) have conveniently forgotten and/or joined hands with, called the shots always. They partied and they had a ball. That party and ball never ended. They twisted and contorted the very idea of representative democracy (which, despite its less than flattering deficiencies, remains the only channel of communication between the elector and the elected) to suit their parameters.

That is why they continue to demand for devolution at all costs, even if it means subverting the will of the numerical majority and even if it means ignoring the President's own comment about the nine provinces of the country being a colonialist construct. That is why they fudge around with the realities of democracy when they claim that a referendum should precede the North-East merger and then conveniently add, "But only when the Joint Opposition is done for good and the people are not swayed by majoritarian passions!" And that is why they will continue to ignore instances of racism, casteism, and gender-based violence in the very same communities they defend against the numerical majority on the flimsiest grounds.
The time for undressing has come, I believe. The choice has already been made. We can seize the moment or let it pass. We can take it or leave it.

UDAKDEV1@GMAIL.COM

CAN SRI LANKA HOLD ON TO ITS FRAGILE PEACE?

(A military color guard lowers the national flag on Galle Face Green, a popular park in Colombo. The country’s largest city shows few signs of the strife that divided the Sinhalese and Tamils for 26 years.)

Seven years after a brutal civil war, the South Asian nation faces the aftermath: the tens of thousands homeless or missing.

 By Robert Draper-11/10/2016

Photographs by Ami Vitale

The photograph the young woman holds is barely the size of a postage stamp. But it is the only one of her husband she could find here in her parents’ house. They had not approved of her marriage, given that he was just a fisherman from the coastal town of Mannar, while her family has lived in Jaffna, the capital of Sri Lanka’s Northern Province, for generations. But as the photo attests, her husband, a Tamil like herself—is broad-faced and confident. Staring at the tiny image of the man who went missing a decade ago, her mahogany eyes brighten as she loses herself in memories.

They’d fallen in love at a refugee camp in southern India in 1999, when she was 17. Both had escaped Sri Lanka’s wantonly vicious civil war, pitting the army, controlled by the majority Sinhalese, against Tamil rebels. She had fled Jaffna with her family, leaping over the corpses of neighbors as the military’s bombs plummeted from the sky. He had escaped Mannar after he saw an army officer shoot his youngest sister to death in their home. They had married under the withering glare of her mother.

They returned in 2002 to Mannar, where he could take his boat and his nets out to sea. They had a boy, then a girl. To supplement his modest income, he sold canisters of gasoline to Tamil resistance fighters. She saw little risk to this practice, which was common among Tamil men in Mannar. And when he said to her, “If something ever happens to me, you shouldn’t try to look for me—go back to your mother,” the words simply did not register, until December 27, 2006, when he took his motorcycle out and didn’t come back that evening or in the days that followed.

A rooster zigzags past her bare feet. Stirred from reverie, the fisherman’s wife puts down the photo and returns to the cooking chores with the other women in the ramshackle, barely lit house. Today her family has gathered to memorialize her mother’s sudden death from stomach cancer a month ago. One brother couldn’t make it. He’s in Paris, illegally and without a job. The Sri Lankan military had tortured him, and if he were to return home, he fears he might well be apprehended from the streets, as the fisherman was, as thousands of Tamil men have been—without warning, justification, paper trail, or even official acknowledgment.

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Primary minister’s primary behaviour!

Oct 11, 2016

Primary industries minister Daya Gamage toured Eastern and Western Europe recently together with foreign affairs minister Mangala Samaraweera and several other senior ministers.

Mr. Daya Gamage does not know the protocol to be followed at a meeting with a head of state. More than his ignorance, he does not care about the protocol.

No sooner the banquets and official receptions for the visiting Sri Lankan delegations are over, what he does is go to the head of the state, give his phone to someone nearby and tell him to take their pictures. At most times, the heads of state do not like that. But, as an act of consideration for Sri Lanka, they allow the primary minister’s game of photo taking. Some ridicule Daya’s behaviour, in their own languages, but the man does not understand that.

Seeing this happening everywhere Daya goes, minister Mangala lost his cool, and when he was about to take another picture, he took him aside and told him, “Mr. minister. Do not behave like a child. Behave yourself by following protocol.”

Primary minister’s reply was, “Aney, Mangala. It’s nothing for you. You meet people all the time. We get a foreign tour once in a while. So, what is wrong if we take a couple of pictures?”

The best story about minister Daya Gamage was told by former sports minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage, who was ordered remanded recently.

“Now. See, Mr. minister, soon after you accepted the national organizer position, the opposition came to power after losing for 20 years. That is entirely because of your virtue. But, those who used that virtue and elevated to top positions gave you the primary ministership. I am very upset about that.”

Religion, Environment & Islamic Worldview

By Mass L. Usuf –October 11, 2016

Mass Usuf

The Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, had organized an International Conference on the Humanities (ICH) which was held on the 06th and 07th October at the Faculty of Humanities. This time, the theme of the conference was, “New Direction in the Humanities: Our Engagement with the Environment.” The focus was on Environmental Humanities which according to ICH is an interdisciplinary area of international research and teaching that encompasses multiple shades of learning.

Below is the full text of an abstract that was presented by me for a panel discussion on the topic “Religion and Environment”, at the Conference.

“Remember in 1975, Chairman Scorer of DuPont which made 1/4 of the world’s Chlorofluorocarbon (CFC), commented that the ozone depletion theory was “a science fiction tale…a load of rubbish…utter nonsense.” (Chemical Week, 16 July 1975). It was a scary statement. Had it been true, we would not be sitting here! Four decades later our presence today is testimony that the ozone layer is indeed depleting.

What is wrong with the Environment? The simple answer is global warming, loss of bio diversity, climate change, water scarcity, depletion of ozone layer, acid rain, toxic materials, destruction of forests, air pollution.

The Background

The Industrial Revolution of the 1700s changed the way man behaved. The anthropogenic contribution since then have produced a 40% increase in the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency carbon dioxide alone comprise 81% of all the greenhouse gases. The discovery and burning of coal and later other fossil fuels triggered the emission of greenhouse gases and the onset of environmental degradation.

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Children of a lesser god

These workers are not children of a lesser god. They are Sri Lankans who have had no opportunities in their country to raise themselves up. On their own, having paid large commissions to employment agencies, they are trying to move forward by working in foreign countries

Wednesday, 12 October 2016 

One of the realities, preferably glossed over, but due to its sheer scope and fundamental importance to the country’s economy, unavoidable, is surely the large and complex story of our exported labour; mostly blue collar, mainly to the Middle Eastern countries.

Every year domestic helps, minor staff at hotels, road workers, drivers, clerical and bank employees go in their thousands, to a hot and arid land, in search of a better pay and hopefully a better life. Sometimes, especially in the lower wage categories, their earnings in the Arab countries are only marginally more than what could be obtained here.

Considering the various adjustments the immigrant has to make in his personal life before leaving, hardly worth the effort one might think. But it is the going away, the escape from the stultification the home country represents, that matters.

Strangely, we are also a country that is talking of importing labour, said to be crucially short in certain sectors, particularly construction. Like many things in Sri Lanka, a discrepancy, awaiting adjustment perhaps. However, that is not the only question arising here. An economy dependent on providing low skill labour to other developing economies cannot be considered long-term healthy.

Apart from the humbleness of that vision, the scheme is essentially uncertain and unpredictable, based very much on the imperatives of the recipient countries. There are a number of credible researches on the social as well as psychological ill effects on the immigrants from this mindless export of cheap labour.

Apparent difference

There is no better place than the Katunayake Airport to observe the throng of the eager immigrant workers. This is the one exit point from which almost the entirety of the Sri Lankan diaspora begin their hopeful journey; for a better life, a better education, a meaningful income. Before long, the difference between the average traveller and the Middle-East bound worker becomes apparent.

Air travel imposes a certain discipline, very different to a commute in a local bus. From the requisite documentation, adherence to a strict schedule, luggage allowance, personal deportment to even the dress there are rules and expectations. By and large it seems that these are lost on or only honoured in the breach by most of them, consequently inviting rude reactions from the harassed airport staff while the other passengers stoically ignore them. Travel documents with deficiencies, overweight luggage heedlessly pushed through the crowd, shrilly voices and uncontrolled laughter a few decimals too loud to be decorous; a picture of pathos.

We boast about a high level of literacy. How then do we explain this sorry scene at the airport? Education is not just elementary reading and writing. Its aim is to produce a well-rounded personality; self-actuated, socially conscious, engaged in a livelihood with dignity.

A woman may go to the Middle East to provide services as a housemaid. That is dignified labour. If properly trained, she ought to have a better idea of household hygiene than her employer. To be effective she should also have a good knowledge of modern kitchen utensils and an above average idea of housekeeping. If lacking in her own area of service, before long the attitude of the employer is bound to change to one of contempt.

It is the same with a driver, again a service which is important to the employer and one that carries serious responsibilities. The ability to drive, which is basic, is not the only consideration when he is retained. A sure grasp of road rules, considerate and well-mannered driving and a sound mechanical knowledge would go to make him a complete driver.

Dignity of labour

In today’s global labour markets these positions are not to be looked at as a mere offering of employment to a person of lowly social or economic stature, an offer he will not refuse regardless of work conditions. These are valued occupations, with laws and rules. Those who provide these services are not some pitiable creatures, with little self-esteem, adults only in terms of years.

Now we come to a realisation. The culture of the country they come from does not accord any dignity to labour, these are functions that are looked down on, and to be done only by the humble. On the other hand, only those who sit behind a desk, are seen to pore over ‘files’, carry books in their briefcases are to be respected. The briefcase will be carried from the car to the office by a peon! The ‘labour’ of carrying even such personal items is below the dignity of the white collar worker.

By definition diminished, the worker descends to a permanent state of grovelling, immature and socially irresponsible. The ‘immaturity’ of the immigrant labour manifests itself in different ways; when on a rare occasion he becomes a service receiver displaying an extreme touchiness on being overlooked, insisting on a ‘full service’.

An air hostess once told me that she was found fault with by some immigrant workers for not serving them something that was given to a passenger on a front seat. She had given that passenger a Panadol as he had complained of a headache! Naturally, the sector between Colombo and Middle Eastern destinations is not the most popular among the airline crews.

Necessary training

If the claims about our educational standards are true, we should not be supplying low-skill labour to countries. But since that is obviously a myth, and we are a large-scale exporter of immigrant workers, it is vital that we provide them with the necessary training before departure, not only on their core skills, but also the soft skills, including the inculcating of a sense of self-worth and dignity.

Part of the training should include aspects such as conduct at airports, eating in public places, use of toilets, personal habits, spitting, noise pollution, etc. They must be given a basic understanding on subjects such as banking procedures, laws and culture of the country of employment, and the functions of our consular offices there.

These workers are not children of a lesser god. They are Sri Lankans who have had no opportunities in their country to raise themselves up. On their own, having paid large commissions to employment agencies, they are trying to move forward by working in foreign countries. But we should add value here and not send them as they are, raw and unsophisticated, to be treated with contempt by another culture. It is vital that we upgrade them and raise them up.

But the prevailing attitude of the governments seem to be that as long as they continue to send back the dollars they earn, all’s well; they may as well be children of a lesser god.

Minister of Justice Wijedasa Rajapakse the Judas among disciples..! Shocking details herein...

(Lanka-e-News -10.Oct.2016, 11.55PM) In the multiple murder of 10 students who were most ruthlessly and brutally killed after collecting extortion monies by officers in the Navy during  the nefarious decade of the corrupt criminal Rajapakses  , it is the present minister of justice Wijedasa Rajapakse who had given counsel on the sly to the murderers , based on shocking reports reaching Lanka e news inside information division. 

It is most clear based on  the shameless , sly and shallow conduct of Wijedasa Rajapakse while being within the good governance government by resorting to this nefarious and illicit activity, he has indulged  in a most dangerous and despicable conspiracy to disloyally cripple the very government he is serving . This is akin to biting the hand that feeds . Even a stray dog in the streets would have  a better  sense of gratitude than this type of scoundrels. 

The  ex Navy commander Vasantha Karannagoda was interrogated for 5 long hours recently by the CID over these ghastly murders committed during the period 2008-2009

Shockingly , on the night before the day Karannagoda was questioned , Wijedasa Rajapakse the shameless corrupt wolf in human clothing  and ex Chief justice Sarath N .Silva the most notorious and infamous CJ Sri Lanka ever produced had met with Karannagoda in a chalet ( navy officers’ home) , and proffered advice to Karannagoda on how to escape from the arms of the law. 

Both these rascals have instructed Karannagoda not to give any answers beyond what he has already furnished in writing  . Indeed Karannagoda even before he was questioned had told the CID ,Wijedasa and Sarath Silva are his pals. 

It is a well and widely known fact ,  Wijedasa  was the villainous,  slimy ,scoundrel  who made a statement in parliament that he would not  allow the arrest of corrupt Gotabaya,  a name synonymous with  murder and mayhem during his heydays.  

However this was the same Wijedasa , and not any other ‘ Baludasa’ who at the Human rights conference in Geneva gave a solemn promise that he would conduct an  impartial and independent investigation into the brutal murder of 10 students (Tamils and Muslims) committed by a group of Navy  officers  after collecting extortion payments during the Rajapkse regime ,  and the culprits will be brought before the law. 

Hence , this minister Wijedasa giving counsel on the sly to the culprits after giving such solemn assurances internationally is to disgrace and denigrate the government of good governance while still shamelessly  remaining as a minister of that very government . This  is a deliberate treachery and hypocrisy that can totally overturn  good governance and disorientate the government’s  salutary policies locally and internationally. In fact it is placing the vey government of which he is a minister in dire jeopardy. 

Above all, if such a shameless , slimy and shallow  individual is to proffer advice to criminals  while being a minister of justice of the government that came to power after promising justice , fair play and good governance to the masses , such a rascal does not deserve to be kept back in the  post of a  minister even for a second within the government of good governance.
 
What’s more ? his son is holding the post of media secretary at the defense ministry .  Following the father’s betrayal it is now crystal clear and confirmed beyond doubt  they cannot be trusted , and no faith can be reposed in them  that they will not leak  out confidential state information to the enemies of good governance government .

A brief account of Vasantha Karannagoda’s student murders and infamous white Van crimes….

During the period when Karannagoda was the Navy Commander he was  bitterly hostile to Sarath Fonseka who was the army commander then. Their embitterment  was so grave  they were not even on speaking terms.  Under those circumstances Karannagoda ingratiated  himself into the favor of Gotabaya whom he thought is a better ‘catch’ to serve his selfish and sordid aims . Thereafter  , what Karannagoda did was , carrying out all the illegal orders to the letter of Gotabaya the devil incarnate.
 
Tamil youths  suspected of having links with the LTTE were abducted via the white van , killed and after severing their bodies were hurled into the sea so that those bodies will not be discovered . These operations were conducted by a group with the knowledge of Karannagoda .This bestial group who got the sweet taste of criminal operations like their mentors started abducting youths to collect extortion payments.  But the worst cruel and brutal operation of theirs was , abducting innocent youths , and killing them after collecting extortion monies . 

Right now , investigations are being conducted into only ten children (Sinhalese , Tamil and Muslim) of affluent families from Dehiwala, Mattakuliya and Trincomalee who were killed during the period between 2008 -2009 since  evidence are available only in regard to those ten children. They were children who had successfully completed the GCE adv. Level and seeking entrance to  Universities . There are also another about 38 children who were abducted to commit extortion. 

The suspect who truly led this mercenary cum murder team is Flag Officer Captain Sampath Munasinghe , who was the personal assistant to Karannagoda. Unbelievably , it is Karannagoda who had made his most closest crony and personal assistant Sampath the leader of the murder gang .This murder gang was comprised of  12 murderers attached to the Navy including Commodore D.K.P Dissanayake and  Lieutenant commodores , Ranasinghe and  Hettiarachi .

As it often happens , while Karannagoda was busy with his murder operations with mercenary objectives , his wife turned  busy starting  a torrid illicit love affair with his closest personal assistant Sampath Munasinghe . The latter who was a skilled murderer and extortionist had demonstrated  to her another skill of his by  plumbing her depths well and thoroughly. However when this came to light , Munasinghe now turned enemy of Karannagoda had fled away. His whereabouts are unknown. Karannagoda  who realized a trifle too late how much ‘plumbing the depth’ Sampath had done on his wife , gave strict instructions to Navy media spokesman  , Commodore D.K.P. Dassanayake to assassinate Sampath wherever he sees him .

Instead of carrying out  Karannagoda’s instructions , Dassanayake  on the other hand took steps to smuggle Munasinghe out of the country. The Navy Commander Karannagoda , who got wind of this ,  in order to take revenge on both Dassanayake and Sampath , handed over the identity cards of the students who were liquidated to the CID during the Rajapakse administration.

Munasinghe after coming to know that information along with evidence had been passed to the CID ,adopted a queer methodology to overcome his dire straits. He made a confession to the then army commander Sarath Fonseka . The latter and Karannagoda were deadly enemies.

Munasinghe in his confession said , the white Van operations at that time were conducted with the knowledge and consent of Karannagoda , while also requesting for  security protection.  Sarath Fonseka who gave Munasinghe the best possible advice to find an escape   route had surrendered  him  to the CID.

It was when Sampath surrendered to the CID that the media reported during that period ,  ‘Navy Sampath’ who operated the white van crimes was  taken into custody. 

Sampath  was married to the daughter of Raja Collure , ex M.P. cum member of the Communist politburo. Because of those connections , and he had committed murders on behalf of Gotabaya , he was held in  custody of the CID  until the memories of the people regarding the crimes faded . Thereafter he was released during the nefarious decade of the lawless Rajapakses without any charges being filed.

Now this incident has surfaced again. After the advent of government of good governance , at the Geneva Human rights conference , the  government of Sri Lanka,  promised that the criminals involved in this  barbaric brutal killings which are  supported with  adequate evidence will be brought before the law .It was Wijedasa Rajapakse who attended the conference as minister of justice , and hence he is fully responsible as part of the government  , and has subscribed to that view.

Currently however , Wijedasa along with Sarath Silva has made it a nocturnal habit to give counsel to the aforementioned criminals after creeping into the chalets of the Navy .

If the president and prime minister continue to remain deaf and blind even after all these treacheries, villainies  and conspiracies surfacing of  Wijedasa Rajapakse who is like a malignant cancer destroying every cell of the government while pretending to be a benignant part of it , all what we have to say is , doom and gloom is for sure looming over the country.

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by     (2016-10-11 01:43:45)

Who is preventing the arrest of former SriLankan directors, chairman and CEO?

Oct 11, 2016

The cancellation of the huge Airbus order after months and months of vacillation will now costs millions to the tax payers. Not to the President or Prime Minister , the tax payer. This is why the government needs to pass on more and more taxes on to the people.

Had the new government taken timely decisions the loss would have been significantly much less. The new government instead of hiring good people to run the airline gave the top jobs in the airline to friends and racketeers of the Royal College network .

The Chairman Ajith Dias runs coffee shops in Colombo, the CEO is Charitha Ratwatte's brother. An airline pilot, nothing more. What can you expect by way of strategies from the duo to turnaround the bankrupt Srilankan airline? None. It was reported that the elder Ratwatte personally got involved to get his brother confirmed as CEO , when the board wanted his probation extended.

The country’s national carrier, that once offered a “taste of paradise” to srilankans, is now on life support with Treasury handouts. The enormity of its mismanaged financial debacles was known 12 months ago . But so far nothing has been done by the government to prosecute the womanizing former Chairman, the CEO Kapila, or Directors like JKH Chief Susantha, had chaired the audit committee under the Chairman, Watawala Plantations Chairman Sunil Wijesinghe, President's Council Jayamane, Mounntlavania Hotel Chairman Ukwatte, a person who benefited  from the Rajapakse era.

The Board of Directors allowed the Chairman to push through deals worth billions without having any proper evaluation or tender procedure.

The Board of Directors have a responsibility and fiduciary duty to look after the interests of the Airline and to ensure that no misappropriation, corruption or bribery is taking place.

The former Srilankan Board was responsible for approving all the proposals put forward by the former Chairman. The former Board of Directors therefore are as guilty for aiding and abetting in approving the airbus contracts by bypassing established Company tender procedures as much as the Chairman and the CEO.

The reason why they are not being prosecuted is simple . The Chairman is in business with the former CEOs BIL. The current CEO is related to a former director, the rest is all to do with business connections.

Private Sector directors of a government board was arrested few weeks ago and remanded by the FCID for approving an advertising budget. That was not even an ounce of what has gone on on at Sri Lankan Airlines.

Clearly, like former President Rajapaksa resorted to recruitment of his relatives and friends and also hired incompetent private sector rogues to state entities, this government is no better. Srilankan under the current Board will continue to cost this country billions not of rupees, but of dollars!

Civil Society needs to rise up and demand action form the President and the Prime Minister. If not they have only themselves to blame.

HC accepts Thilina Gamage’s plea to relax bail conditions

October 11, 2016

The Colombo High Court on Tuesday (11) accepted an application filed by former Magistrate Thilina Gamage seeking relaxation of conditions imposed while obtaining bail in alleged possession of an elephant calf case.

Ada Derana reporter said the former Magistrate has sought to remove the bail condition that he should appear in the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) every week.

Under the relaxed bail condition, he has been ordered to report to the CID once a month.

Magistrate Gamage, who surrendered to the Court over the alleged possession of the elephant calf, was initially granted bail by the Nugegoda Magistrate’s Court on June 02.

Colombo Chief Magistrate Gihan Pilaitiya had recently issued notice for Gamage as well as to appear before the CID to record a statement with respect to the case. Gamage has also been sent on compulsory leave due to the ongoing investigation.

Central Bank Admits Highly Confidential Document On Perpetual Treasuries Was Leaked; Hunts For Whistleblower

October 11, 2016 

The Central Bank has admitted that the highly confidential document on an on-site examination of Perpetual Treasuries Limited which was published by the media including Colombo Telegraph was in fact a leaked document, and the bank has lodged a complaint with law enforcement authorities to inquire as to who was behind the unauthorized release of the report.

Indrajit Coomaraswamy – Governor CBSL

The Secretary to the Monetary Board in a statement issued on October 10 said, “There has been widespread coverage in the press and electronic media regarding a report related on the on site examination of Perpetual Treasuries Ltd conducted by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka as the regulator of Primary Dealers operating in the Government securities market. The release of this report into the public domain has not been authorized.”

The bank also said that following this unauthorized disclosure, steps have been taken to strengthen the internal control mechanisms. “A complaint has also been made to law enforcement authorities to inquire into the unauthorized release of this report,” the statement said.

The bank said that the internal processes within the Department of Supervision of Non-Bank Financial Institutions have not been completed and the final report has not as yet been submitted to the Monetary Board for its consideration.

“At its last meeting held on 3rd October, 2016, the Monetary Board decided to hold a special meeting to consider issues related to the resolution of distressed non-bank financial institutions as well as the operations of Primary Dealers, including the current concerns regarding Perpetual Treasuries Ltd.

This special meeting will be held shortly and was scheduled before the Monetary Board was aware of the unauthorized release of the draft examination report on Perpetual Treasuries Ltd,” the statement said.

Meanwhile a good governance activist told the Colombo Telegraph that the bank has admitted the report was prepared inside the Central Bank. “The bank’s only worry is that it has been released without authority. So, the bank is going after the whistle blower; otherwise the facts are correct. Instead of taking action against the message, the messenger is to be shot,” the activist pointed out.

Following the leaking of the document, W.A. Wijewardena, a former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka said in his column that a ‘good-intentioned’ whistle blower from within the bank has released the document to the market.

Due to the scandals at Central Bank, during former Governor Arjuna Mahendran’s term, Wijewardena said that the damage done to the Bank’s reputation was far worse than the damage caused by the LTTE bomb explosion in 1996.

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