In the case of the Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry and its Missions abroad, the culture of sexual harassment has a different outlook.
by Our Diplomatic Editor-
( August 3, 2018, Colombo – London, Sri Lanka Guardian) Like many other places around the globe, sexual harassment against women, mainly at working place, has become a widespread phenomenon in Sri Lanka, today. The authorities have not yet been able to present a workable solution to this problem. Lack of trust in the legal system in the country, social stigma and negative publicity given to such incidents in the social and mainstream media often discourage victims resorting to legal action. More importantly, relative or absolute power of the perpetrators in the realm of political arena has also a reason for the victims to think twice before reporting such incidents to the relevant authorities. Therefore, very often the victims have been silently succumbing to their ordeal. There is also an inclination among the female employees, especially in the government sector, to accept the phenomenon of sexual harassment as a part of their working culture.
Friday, 3 August 2018 I am writing in much lighter vein today, having dispensed with the drug mafia last week. But don’t let that weigh heavy on your barometer or allow your windsock to flop. Since there are some smiles in the mix together with the satire. However diabolical these goings-on may seem, there’s always a cloud in the silver lining. Therefore remind yourselves that if angels can fly, it’s because they take themselves lightly.
Before we get our tails caught in a crosswind, let’s rehash the basics of the Beaufort scale – an internationally recognised measure of weather.
BS1: Calm
BS2: Light air
BS3: Light breeze
BS4: Gentle breeze
BS5: Moderate breeze
BS6: Fresh breeze
BS7: Near gale
BS8: Gale
BS9: Strong gale
BS10: Storm
BS11: Violent storm
BS12: Hurricane
Sail on now, silvery moon… reportage being based on recent celestial events such as lunar eclipses and aeronautical eventualities like airports:
BS1: CALM. Stay calm. Customs officers at BIA keep their cool despite a Kuwaiti couple losing their shirt over a brace of canines being declared as contraband. These Arab tourists have gone to the dogs… now keep your shirt on!
BS2: LIGHT AIR. The century’s longest lunar eclipse proves to be a no-show due to inclement weather. In addition to the blood moon, the red planet plus the international space station were reputedly visible to stargazers across six other continents. Sri Lankan sky-watchers were doubly disappointed – Moon and Mars in one night – but brushed it off with a light air on social media. (If you’re on Facebook, you’ll know immediately that this is Fake News.)
BS3: LIGHT BREEZE. An irked Airport and Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) Ltd. strongly warns those dangerous criminals, the country’s children and other juvenile joyful playing people, that kite flying is strictly prohibited in a radius of five kilometres around any of the nation’s 14 airports. An irate taxpaying public wonder who will strongly caution those other puerile players, the national carrier’s clock watchers and pencil-pushers on the take, about ripping off a state asset with their waste, mismanagement, bureaucracy and the big C. “Go fly a kite!”
BS4: GENTLE BREEZE. The incumbent administration can barely contain its glee at the announcement last month that the Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport is to be closed – due to low (read nil) demand, despite the venue once being popular for the temporary storage of paddy. “What a breeze it’ll be,” wheezed a former prez, an old geezer, out of breath at the prospect of airport, port, port city, etc. being named after him.
BS5: FRESH BREEZE. The criminally propagandistic cabal defending an erstwhile regime rattles sabre by pointing out that in April of this year, an Antonov An-225 (NATO or North Atlantic Treaty Organization codename: ‘Mriya’) touched down at the MRIA (NATO or No Action, Talk Only codename: ‘Mria’).
BS6: STRONG BREEZE. The erstwhile regime can barely contain its glee as a second Antonov – the world’s second-largest cargo carrier – touches down at MIA – er, MRIA. Stony silence from criminally propagandistic incumbent administration apologists.
BS7: NEAR GALE. Incumbent administration proudly announces the Greater Trinco area development plan, positioning Hingurakgoda Airport (codename: HA) as the gateway to the east.
BS8: GALE. Erstwhile regime points out that Batticaloa Airport (codename: BA) had previously been launched under the same banner. HA! HA! laugh the lackadaisical laggards, who dare not say BA! to leading lights.
BS9: STRONG GALE. Aviation and aeronautical experts scratch their heads in mutual mystification. Who do these politicos think they are? Loonies!
BS10: STORM. China claims that China Bay area (codename: CB) must be developed by China, because it bears a Chinese name. A previous president (codename: CBK) scoffs at how these Chinese roll (codename: ‘Chinese rolls’).
BS11: VIOLENT STORM. India jumps in on the side of CBK – having previously parachuted parippu as an airdrop over JR – to say that it must have a share of Hambantota since the harbour area is famous for its humbugs (AKA ‘the Regime’).
BS12: HURRICANE. The USA looks askance at all of these goings-on in the South Asian region, begging to know what gives India the right to air their graces around an Ocean mistakenly named after the Indian subcontinent by an erstwhile empire (AKA ‘the Empire’ or BE – and not to be confused with ‘the Regime’, whose motto was never ‘To BE or not to BE’). And never mind how the Chinese rolls, if there’s oil in the Gulf of Mannar – moon or no moon – we’re in like no one’s business, by Mars! by Jove! (Just trying to BE like the British, but with more money and pizzazz – not to BE confused with pizzas, which are a type of Indian ‘Chinese roll’).
(Journalist | Editor-at-large of LMD | Writer #SpeakingTruthToPower)
Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) Western Provincial Councillor Nishantha Sri Warnasinghe, a witness in the controversial RADA case yesterday told the Colombo High Court that Tiran Alles, the first accused in the case, at a media briefing in 2010 had mentioned how he witnessed bags containing millions of rupees been given to a LTTE leader Emil Khanthan.
Warnasinghe, the first witness in the case revealed these facts while he was cross-examined by defence counsel Nalin Ladduwahetty PC when the case filed against former MP Tiran Alles and three others in connection with a Rs.200 million fraud that had allegedly taken place at the RADA in 2006 was taken up for trial yesterday.
Warnasinghe said Tiran Alles had convened a press briefing at his Nawala residence on January 22, 2010 when his residence came under a grenade attack. He further said he is in a position to present the concerned video if necessary. ‘This financial transaction with the LTTE had been revealed in Parliament by late MP Sripathi Suriyaarachchi,’ the witness said.
Meanwhile, Nishantha Warnasinghe said he and a group including Ven.Athuraliye Rathana Thera were asked to move out of the Mavil Aru area by former President Mahinda Rajapaksa in July 2006 questioning as to how we fight with the LTTE if government entangled in a war.
The witness said at that time JHU leader Champika Ranawaka had been summoned to Temple Trees by former President Rajapaksa and asked to call back the group led by Rathana Thera. The former President had informed Champika Ranawaka that the situation can led to a war unless they were moved out of the Mavil Aru area.
The witness reiterated that they were asked to move out of the Mavil Aru area by former President Mahinda Rajapaksa and former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa since they were negotiating with a former LTTE finance head Emil Kanthan and a LTTEer called Elilan.
In reply to a question posted by Defence Counsel, the witness affirmed his previous statement that he and a group including Ven.Athuraliye Rathana Thera, Akmeemana Dayaratne Thera who reached the Mavil Aru area to open the Mavil Aru anicut sluice gate from the clutches of LTTE were told to move out of the area by the then President and Defence Secretary.
Meanwhile,the Defence Counsel tendered in court an affidavit given by Ven. Akmeemana Dayaratne Thera that he and others were not asked to move out of the Mavil Aru area by former the President or the former Defence Secretary. However, the witness rejected the facts mentioned in the affidavit and confirmed the validity of his earlier evidence.
The Defence counsel further tendered in court affidavits given by Ven. Ulapane Sumangala Thera, Counsel Maithri Gunaratne citing that they did not peruse any document pertaining to RADA fraud after being the members of the Anti-Corruption Front.
Warnasinghe said Rs.200 million had been given to the LTTE through Emil Kanthan and LTTEer called Elilan on the pretext of constructing houses in the Northern and Eastern provinces.
Witness Nishantha Warnasinghe was testifying before Colombo High Court Judge Vikum Kaluarachchi and evidence was led by Deputy Solicitor General Dileepa Peiris. He was cross-examined by President’s Counsel Nalin Ladduwahetty. The first witness will be further cross-examined on August 2.
The Attorney General had filed indictments against four accused-former RADA Chairman Tiran Alles, former North and Eastern Provinces LTTE Financial Head Emil Kanthan, former Chief Operating Officer (COO) of RADA Saliya Wickramasuriya and Dr. Jayantha Dias Samarasinghe in connection with controversial RADA fraud.
The media and politicians regularly include “Democracy” in their speeches and writings. This is to be expected in a country that titles itself as a “Democratic Socialist Republic”. This is negated by a perceived dominance of undemocraticand anti-socialist actions and desires. In the popular perception, the words that spring to mind as symbols of democracy are “The Franchise” and “Political Parties”. Both are misleading as criteria of democracy. It has been said that in Democracy your vote counts, whereas in Feudalism your Count votes.
Much has been written about the absurdities that manifest in the guise of democracy. Two stand out. “Democracy ensures the right of jackals to elect jackasses to Parliament” and “Democracy is based on the myth that the franchise would transform the ignorance of the many, into wisdom of a chosen few”. It is not hard to convince ourselves that democracy has terribly failed us. We have been comprehensively betrayed by almost all those who have (mis)-led us since Independence in 1948. There has been a progressive decline in quality and integrity of our representatives. Numbers however have increased and costs escalated dangerously. We could well be on the brink of becoming credit unworthy with tragicconsequencesfor our country. The system has been designed to fail. Our democracy is bad but the alternative that threatens, is infinitely worse. Politicians, seriously deficient in morality, ability, sensitivity and education, strut menacingly in the corridors of Governance. With each successive election (of which we suffer a surfeit), standards plunge.Of all the Governments that we have had, The State Council was probably the best.It had just 101 members and a Cabinet of some 14 Ministers. The country was held as a model for those recently liberated countries. By 1959 it had grown to 157 Members, then to 168 ( in 1976) andwhich grew to the present abomination of 225. The Ministries, has grown from 14 to a number of more than a hundred-a number that seems to expand by the week and we do not knowthe number which may exist by tomorrow . To make matters worse, the white elephant of the Provincial Councils have only served as schools for scoundrels by grooming then for greater things to come. Hooliganism and profanities have taken the place of useful and civilized debate. Those who watch the News Bulletins would be appalled by the proceedings at these assemblies and the neglect of rural facilities which was one of the reasons for their creation. Nothing of the sort has happened. Yet another costly gimmick, typified by the Hoaxwagen fiasco. An alarming feature is that despite their redundancy, these“Ussawas” must cost a fortune in travel costs and the inaneperformances of dancing girls, lighting oil lamps and the distributing of appointments and promotion letters – that could easily be done by post.Particularly amusing to me is the oft repeated “JanathaAithiyata Pawareema” , when the darned thing was paid for by the “Janathawa”themselves!.
The “Amathi saha manthriwaru Visala Gananak Pemina Sitiya” tells me that they must have very little time to spend doing what they are paid for and expected to do. Add the time spent on Overseas jaunts and it explains why Parliamentary proceedings are so poorly attended (especially after a sumptuous lunch at the tax-payer’s cost).
But I digress !
The Franchise
When complaints are voiced about the performance of politicians we are told“Well it is all your fault for voting in unsuitable persons”. This is grossly insulting when the mechanics of the process are examined. The nominations are usually in the hands of the leadership who pick those who will be most useful to them if elected.Ability, education and integrity are rarely among the criteria. Small wonder that the products are far removed from what the voters desire .The elections are therefore a sham, and the voters have a limited choice of picking “the least worst” on offer. Then there is the matter of campaigning. Why should there be massive expenses by contestants? The accountsare unknown, undisclosed and un-audited Only rarely (in the Sil Redi and Galvanisedroofing sheets, does the public hear). Cash, bus rides, tee shirts and caps, buth packets and booze are the stuff of our “democracy”. Others might call it “democracy” but in my book, it is naked bribery. Election expenses are therefore an investment for future pillage. Gone are days when service to the public was the goal. Today, very few decent and respected gentlemen are prepared to dive in to the cesspit that is our Parliament – despite its plush carpets, subsidized feasts, car permits, limitless jaunts and pensions, and many more aberrations. I therefore conclude that Franchise in practice is nothing more than a cruel hoax. Most distressing is the fact that the few who are exceptions do not do enough to stop this hooliganism.
Ian Paisly Junior, MP of Democratic Unionist Party who has been suspended from the House of Commons for seven weeks after breaking Westminster rules over luxury trips worth up to £100,000 has been sacked from his party in North Ireland.
Ian Paisley and his family spent a super luxury holiday package worth over Sterling Pounds 50,000 during Mahinda Rajapaksa regime. Ian Paisley is accused of receiving the holiday package as a bribe and not declaring the benefits that he and his family received from the government of Sri Lanka.
The holiday package given to Paisley and his family is alleged to have been a bribe to boost the image of the government of Sri Lanka.
On August 2, the Joint Opposition held the “Jana Bala Sena” rally, beginning at Lipton Circus and ending at the Vihara Maha Devi Park amphitheatre.
The protest at Lipton Circus was broadcast live by Hiru News and has received 1000 likes, 228 shares and over 950 comments at the time of writing.
Ending at the Vihara Maha Devi amphitheatre, the rally drew a large crowd. Below is a capture of the crowd at yesterday’s rally. Scroll below or click here to see additional photos and audio.
The speeches were emotive and rousing, with many lambasting the Government for their inefficiency. Reference was made to the number of large infrastructure projects initiated by the previous Government, such as the Hambantota Port. This Government, they charged, was “selling the country, piece by piece.” Another theme often touched upon was the end of the war, with the speakers reminding the assembled crowd how much had been sacrificed, and the pain and fear all citizens had lived under.
“Despite the defeat, Mahinda Rajapaksa is still our leader!” The cry was met with uproarious cheers.
Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, speaking later at the rally spoke about the rising cost of living and the increase of customs duty on vehicles (duty was increased on August 1 for vehicles with an engine capacity of less than 1000cc and hybrid or electric vehicles).
He too, emphasised that the country was “leasing” national assets such as the Hambantota Port and the Mattala Airport, adding that foreign countries should not accept any assets offered by the Government.
Both these projects, initiated under Rajapaksa’s tenure, have had their fair share of controversy.
The Mattala Rajapaksa Airport has been witheringly described as “the world’s emptiest airport“. The airport was left without a single carrier in June when after repeated bird-strikes, and due to lack of commercial viability, operator Flydubai stopped flights. The Government entered into a joint venture with India in an attempt to salvage losses in July. Questions are now being raised about the seriousness of that agreement, with negotiations on a business plan stalled, and the Indian Civil Aviation Authority indicating that there is no proposal to buy a controlling stake in the airport. In an interview with the Hindu, the Transport and Aviation Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva says the discussions are still underway.
The Magampura Mahinda Rajapaksa Port was, as the name indicates, initiated by the former President. Initial reports promised that 20% of shipping traffic, and especially oil tankers, would call over at the Port. Instead, the Authority had to take an additional loan from the Chinese, amounting to USD 40 million, to blast a rock that was blocking the entrance to the Port. It was soon dubbed ‘a white elephant’ with few ships docking at the Port in 2012 and 2013.
An RTI request lodged by Groundviews found that even in 2017, only 230 ships had docked at the Port. In 2012, there had been a total of 34 ships, according to the Sri Lanka Ports Authority.
Interestingly, these figures differ with numerous other reports on the number of ships docking at the port at the time, with the Daily Mirror, and the Diplomat reporting that the figure was just 18 vessels in 2012. The former President also cited different figures for ships docking at the Port in 2012 – he put the figure at 32, in a statement responding to the New York Times report. As the figures show, the Port was making a loss of approximately Rs. 1.7 billion in 2017, according to the SLPA.
This is without even beginning to consider the allegations of corruption that surfaced, implicating the Rajapaksas, in 2015. A New York Timesreport this year revived these charges, including that the Chinese had donated to the Rajapaksa’s campaign funds. Following a complaint made by MP Ranjan Ramanayake to the CID a cheque of USD 150,000 wrongfully deposited to the Pushpa Rajapaksa foundation, run by the wife of ex-Minister Basil Rajapaksa, was also made public. (Colombo International Container Terminals maintained that the money was a donation made “in good faith” for the construction of housing).
In response, the Joint Opposition MPs chose to target the Sri Lankan journalists who had contributed to the article, and threaten legal action, first against the Times, and then, later on, against a local newspaper.
The bluster appears to have worked. The allegations reported on by the New York Times have been all but forgotten, one month later, in mainstream media. Those present at the rally appeared to have forgotten too, cheering uproariously at the mention of the Hambantota Port and the Mattala Airport projects.
The Joint Opposition is now using their own inefficiency as a campaign tool – with the Government being criticised for its willingness to ‘sell the country’ as some put it – despite the fact that the two ‘national assets’ mentioned are in fact, loss-making, and have been since their inception.
Interestingly, the banners on stage displayed messages in both Sinhala and Tamil, and those speaking at the rally took pains to note that there was no real division between Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims. This was done in several ways – including harking back to the war, and noting that the fear experienced by all communities then had been vanquished by the former President. It appears that the Joint Opposition and the former President especially, has learned from his loss at the Presidential elections in 2015. The message was for all citizens to stand together as one to defeat the incumbent Government, and there were also calls to “stop dividing the country” (a rallying call also used by the Joint Opposition during the constitutional reform process to oppose any devolution of power).
It might seem laughable that the Joint Opposition simply denying that division exists would be enough to garner support, especially given the double-standards displayed by the Joint Opposition with regards to controversial statements made by former State Minister Vijayakala Maheswaran and the Anunayake of the Asgiriya Chapter, Vendaruwe Upali Thero, with one being roundly condemned and the other supported. Or when considering the vicious attacks online, leveled at Sandya Eknaligoda, in the wake of her successful contempt of court case against Gnanasara Thero, which included death threats, and which called both her and her husband, disappeared journalist Prageeth, a ‘terrorist’. Or recalling the violence just five months ago in Digana and Ampara, leveled against Muslims.
The convenient amnesia displayed by those on the stage was unsurprising, but it is less easy to explain and understand the reaction from the crowd.
Perhaps the answer comes from a recent publication by Harshana Rambukwella which examines the notion of authenticity through leaders such as Angarika Dharmapala, S W R D Bandaranaike and Gunadasa Amarasekara. Rambukwella notes that authenticity can be, and often is, constructed. Rajapaksa remains an authentic leader in the minds and hearts of those gathered at the Vihara Maha Devi Park. Given the widespread support for Sinhala-Buddhist nationalism, the use of Buddhist values to gain domestic and international support could be a key strategy for the Government, going forward. Are members of this Government willing to do this, after recent political events such as the No Confidence Motion and several Cabinet reshuffles revealing the widening split within the governing coalition? Will this Government interrogate its own shortcomings, in order to speak to the people who gathered on August 2?
The Grade Five Scholarship examination has become a debated topic in Sri Lanka’s educational system. Some have strong views that this examination must be abolished in order to relieve students and parents of undue pressure. However, it’s important to analyse both the advantages and disadvantages that this examination brings. It’s this writer’s belief that academics have a moral obligation to share their views about this controversial topic. Even last week, an article on this topic was published in the Daily Mirror. In Sri Lanka, there are about 9,904 schools, of which 335 are national schools. About 36 of these academic institutes are labelled most popular schools (e.g. Joseph Stalin, CTU,). The Grade Five Scholarship examination provides an opportunity to gifted and talented students to gain admission into these popular schools. Students from rural or remote locations and those coming from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds depend on this examination to provide them with the opportunity of realising their dreams of gaining admission to such academic institutes.
Need for distinct teaching styles
Research reveals that, based on learning ability, students can be pooled into two groups – fast learners and slow learners. It is always better to categorise students on this basis and teach them separately, as both groups require distinct teaching styles. When both groups of students are combined, this could demotivate the students and adversely affects their academic performances. This scholarship examination helps to identify the learning ability of students and teach them in the most effective manner. Scholarship examinations are not restricted to Sri Lanka. For example, in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, the State Government conducts the Selective School Examination in Grade Six, where students compete for a place across 19 ‘Fully Selective’ and 29 ‘Partially Selective’ schools, where they will complete their Secondary Education. Although this examination is administered and assessed in a slightly different manner, the overarching purpose is very similar to the Sri Lankan equivalent.
Despite these advantages, it is undeniable that there are several issues that need to be addressed. It is becoming increasingly evident that the Grade Five Scholarship Examination brings stress upon students. In addition to school hours, students preparing for this examination spend long hours at coaching centres. Some parents send their children to multiple coaching centres, in an often misguided effort, to boost their chances of success. Students may attend back-to-back classes, as they manage their increasingly busy schedules. During this time, the participation of students in extra-curricular activities, such as sport, music, reading and social activities, is severely restricted, or eliminated at worst. Students are left both physically and mentally exhausted, and deprived of the ability to enjoy their childhood, or unwind from the increasing pressure applied on them.
Parents cite many reasons to support their decision to send their children to coaching centres. Parents and students have an incorrect perception that if their child is not successful at this examination, they have a bleak, or no, future. This misguided perception is worsened by the competitive tension among students, and worse, parents. However, there is no significant evidence to support any positive correlation between the performance at the Grade Five Scholarship Examination and future academic performance or career prospects. Social stigma has led to this examination to gain elevated importance. This leads to what can only be described as a vicious self-perpetuating cycle – where the society believes that this examination is extremely important. Therefore parents want their children to pass it at any cost. As a result, parents place immense pressure on children to succeed in this examination, thereby giving this examination the same importance as other exams that drive their actions. In Asian cultures, most parents send their children to coaching centres because they believe that education obtained at school is insufficient to pass competitive exams. Competition and comparison, both of which have deep roots in Asian cultures, also encourage this behaviour, and create a similar self-perpetuating cycle.
Coaching centres
Parents are continually looking for any means necessary to give their children a competitive advantage over others. Coaching centres are considered the best place to obtain this competitive advantage. These centres emphasise how to prepare children for examinations. Most of the time student attending sessions at these centres are spoon-fed. When students pass this exam their efforts add to the centre’s name thus ensuring financial success. Examinations that focus on evaluating rote learning will continue to encourage this ‘coaching centre culture’, as parents will forever believe that education obtained in school will never be enough to succeed at these examinations. If examinations were to redirect their focus on evaluating students’ critical thinking, analytical and problem-solving skills, then the additional value added by coaching centres over learning in the school environment would greatly diminish. Therefore, this will reduce the importance of coaching centres and in turn reduce mental and physical pressures on students and parents.
"In Asian cultures, most parents send their children to coaching centres because they believe that education obtained at school is insufficient to pass competitive exams"
For example, consider Finland, where students are given little to no homework in school, and private coaching centres are extremely scarce. There is no ranking of students, thereby diminishing competition. Every school has the same national goals, and has access to the same talent pool of university-trained teachers. As a result, inequality is eradicated – every Finnish child has an equal opportunity at obtaining the same quality education, no matter whether he or she lives, whether it be in a rural village or a university town. Finland’s education system seeks to prepare children on how to learn,not how to pass examinations (Lyn Nell Hancock,2011). Focus has been shifted from a lifelong learning culture promoting learning for the sake of knowledge enrichment to learning for the sake of succeeding at examinations. This approach to education has resulted in Finland achieving 6th position in the Programme for International Student Assessment(PISA).
As the saying goes, “Rome wasn’t built in a day” – change is possible, however it will not happen overnight, and requires long-term planning, resources and commitment. As a short-term policy, eliminating the Grade Five Scholarship examination is an unthinkable task, however in the long-run it is possible with radical changes in Sri Lanka’s education system. By ensuring that our education system promotes learning beyond passing examinations, to learning to sustain personal and professional development – deep seeded cultural values and the importance given to certain examinations as milestones, can be changed. This will help to alleviate the physical and mental burdens placed on both students and parents, ensuring that students maintain a healthy balance between academic and extra-curricular activities. Ultimately, this will ensure that present day students are adequately prepared to serve as the leaders of tomorrow – both on a national and global scale.
(The writer is a former Senior Lecturer in Management at the University of Jaffna)
National Policies and Economic Affairs Additional Secretary Asanga Dayaratne announced recently that the Government will be appointing 20,000 graduates as Development Officers (DO) this month. This decision was taken after interviewing 57,000 graduates who had graduated on or before 31 December 2016 [1]. Additionally, the Cabinet will recruit 7500 more graduates after the elections in August, who will also be absorbed in as DOs later. [2]
Why are these graduates being hired? It appears that this is a make-work program. As per recent press reports, it appears there are no real vacancies to hire people, but since these graduates are demanding jobs, jobs are being created by the State. The number of DO’s in Sri Lanka is 50,904 (2016 data). This new recruitment drive will increase the number by almost 40%. Such a sharp increase may mean other costs – they will need office space, furniture, computers and other facilities.
We may view this charitably, why not give the unemployed jobs? The question is, who pays for this?
Sri Lanka’s budget is already overstretched, the country has run a persistent budget deficit, averaging over 7.7% of GDP since 1990. The deficit has been met partly by borrowing, which is why the debt-to-GDP ratio has averaged 89.1% during the same period, almost double that of our peer group. The recent increases in taxes, VAT, income tax and others were needed to bridge the deficit. If more people are to be recruited, the salary bill will rise and there will be a need for increases in taxation. It will not be immediate, the tax increases will come a little later, but it will need to happen eventually, just as the recent tax increases followed increments given to the public sector in 2015.
What is happening here?
The Government is giving jobs to graduates, but then taxing people to pay for it. All that is happening is money is being transferred from the general public to newly-hired graduates. The graduates will be happy, but the public who sympathise with their plight may not realise that the salaries of these people will eventually be paid by them.
People forget that they pay tax every time they go to the market. VAT and import duties add a lot to the cost of a shopping basket or to a meal in a restaurant.
Are people getting richer? No. Will the graduates who get jobs be better off by having the public pay for this? What if the private sector creates jobs? Salaries would then be paid by businesses that hire people from the profits that they earn. The public will not be paying the salary bill. Instead, the businesses will from whatever they earn from their customers.
In fact, there are many unfilled vacancies in the private sector. While the public sector is overstaffing, there are 497,302 open vacancies in the private sector [4]. A local agricultural entrepreneur based in Polonnaruwa stated: “It is very difficult to find semi-skilled workers to operate our machinery because their attitude is such that they would rather stay home until they get a government job”.
The problem is that the jobs available do not meet the expectations of the graduates or that graduates lack the needed skills for these jobs currently open in the job market.
What the Government could do is assess the skills demanded by the job market, and invest in retraining these graduates. The retraining will be a one-off cost, but the graduates will have a productive job in places where they are actually needed, and there are no long term costs burdened on the public.
Some graduates do not like jobs in the private sector. An unemployed graduate from Ruhuna University stated: “I am a graduate from Ruhuna University. I’ve been unemployed for three years and I am waiting for a government job. I am not interested in a job from the private sector, so I have never applied for one. Government jobs are secure and unlike private jobs, they provide a pension.”
What they and the public must understand is that taxpayers cannot finance this anymore. There are many other problems that also burden taxpayers, including losses in State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs).
To create better jobs, the Government can facilitate new investment, especially in new sectors, by cutting red tape and improving the business environment. The sustainable way to better jobs is through new investment, not make-work programs.
Shyranthi Dhurairaj is an undergraduate reading for her L.L.B. at the University of London International Programs. She is also a part of the research team at The Advocata Institute. Advocata is an independent policy think tank based in Colombo, Sri Lanka. They conduct research, provide commentary and hold events to promote sound policy ideas compatible with a free society in Sri Lanka. Visit www.advocata.org for more information.
Gaza’s health system is “on the brink of collapse,” the International Committee of the Red Cross stated.
Since the beginning of the Great March of Return, Israel killed around 150 Palestinians and injured thousands with live ammunition.
Israel delays, arrests, interrogates and blocks Palestinian patients at the Erez checkpoint to prevent their treatment, human rights group Al Mezan has stated.
Of all patients who have applied to exit Gaza through the checkpoint for medical treatment in May, only 59 percent were granted permission.
Al Mezan said this is a form of collective punishment.
Video by Nidal al-Waheidi, Akram al-Wa’ra and Yumna Patel.
KABUL (Reuters) - Thirty-nine people were killed in a suicide bombing of a Shi’ite mosque in eastern Afghanistan, and the death toll may climb further, police and government officials said on Friday.
Two burka-clad militants attacked the mosque in the city of Gardez in the province of Paktia where more than 100 people had gathered to offer prayers, said Raz Mohammad Mandozai, the police chief of Paktia.
At least 80 people were injured when the men struck with guns and explosives at the Khawaja Hassan mosque.
Gardez city hospital reported receiving at least 50 adults and 20 children wounded in the attack.
Abdullah Hazrat, a senior government official, said the militants opened fire on the worshippers and one blew himself up. Security guards stationed at the mosque gunned down the other militant.
According to an eyewitness, the assailants had entered the prayer hall and were wearing full-face veils.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the Friday attack but militant group Islamic State (IS) has previously claimed responsibility for attacks on Shi’ite mosques in Afghanistan.
The attack underlines the country’s dire security situation after four decades of war and 17 years of U.S. intervention. Islamic State increasingly claims responsibility for attacks on civilian targets even as pressure builds for peace talks between the Western-backed government and the Taliban.
Islamic State has frequently targeted Afghanistan’s Shi’ite minority, which it calls “apostates.”
While Afghanistan’s wars have mostly been fought among Sunni Muslims, there have been increasing numbers of attacks on Shi’ite targets in recent years.
No reliable census information exists on the size of the Shi’ite community in Afghanistan, but estimates range around 10-15 percent, including most members of the Persian-speaking Hazara ethnic group and some Tajiks.
Saudi-led coalition denies responsibility, despite being the only air force operating in the area
Relatives of victims gather around their bodies outside a hospital morgue after an air strike in the Red Sea town of Hodeida on 2 August 2018 (AFP)
Friday 3 August 2018
SANAA - Air strikes thought to be conducted by the Saudi-led coalition have hit a hospital's entrance, fishing port and fish market in the Yemeni city of Hodeidah, killing scores.
A source at Hodeidah's health office told Middle East Eye that 60 people were killed in the strikes, with more than 100 wounded.
According to witnesses, the strike at the hospital hit as casualties were taken there from the port and the market.
"While I was coming back to my house to chew qat with my family, I heard a warplane hover over Hodeidah," Alaa Thabet, a 38-year-old resident of Hodeidah city, told MEE.
"Then I heard an air strike target the fish market and the buzzing of the warplane was clearer after the attack."
I cannot forget this scene, which left a bad impression about the Saudis
- Alaa Thabet, Hodeidah resident
"After that people went to take the casualties to several hospitals, including al-Thawra Hospital, but the warplane returned to hover again," he added.
Thabet said no one expected the warplane to target the entrance of a hospital, which is usually crowded with civilians, but it did.
He added that it seemed as if the warplanes were chasing the casualties and the second batch of strikes killed more than the first.
"After the second air strike people were praying Allah would take revenge on the Saudis," Thabet said.
"When I went nearer to see the impact, I saw a motorcyclist who had been killed but his hands did not leave the motorcycle. I cannot forget this scene, which left a bad impression about the Saudis."
Help needed
The source in Hodeidah's health office said medical workers were struggling to respond to patients' needs.
"The hospitals suffer from lack of medicines, equipment and doctors because of the war, and yesterday the doctors could not help all casualties," he told MEE.
"I appeal to international organisations to support the health system in Hodeidah, to help people when the Saudis target them, as this is not the first time that air strikes target people."
The International Committee of the Red Cross said on Twitter it was sending medical equipment to al-Thawra Hospital to treat those in critical condition following the attack.
Staff working for Save the Children, which runs a diphtheria treatment centre in the hospital, described the situation after the strikes as "chaos".
“A bomb exploded just outside the hospital, on the street," one staff member said. "Then there was another explosion towards the back. I saw people running and bodies in the street.”
Coalition denial
Despite the Houthis' lack of an air force, the Saudi-led coalition laid the blame at the rebels' door, and insisted it was not behind the strike.
"The coalition did not carry out any operations in Hodeidah today," the coalition spokesman, Colonel Turki al-Malki, told Al-Arabiya television. "The Houthi militia are behind killing of civilians in Hodeidah on Thursday," he said.
A wounded Yemeni waits for treatment at a hospital after an air strike in the Red Sea town of Hodeida on 2 August 2018 (AFP)
"The coalition follows a strict and transparent approach based on the international law. We pursue any allegations and if there is any responsibility we will hold it transparently," he added.
Pro-Yemeni government activists and media accused the Houthis of targeting the civilians with ballistic missiles, suggesting the rebels did so to make the coaliton look bad.
Ali al-Makosh, a pro-government fighter in Marib province told MEE: "The Houthis usually exploit the hovering of the Saudi-led warplanes to target civilians on purpose, in order to trick the world into thinking that the coalition targets civilians."
Meanwhile, the United Nations said it will invite the parties involved in Yemen’s conflict for talks on 6 September.
UN Special Envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths told the UN Security Council that "a political solution" to end the war in Yemen is "available" and urged world powers to support the new push for peace negotiations.
"These consultations will provide the opportunity for the parties, among other things, to discuss the framework for negotiations, relevant confidence-building measures and specific plans for moving the process forward," said Griffiths.
Strategic port city
Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and regional allies have been fighting in Yemen with Western backing for more than three years against the Iran-aligned Houthis.
The Houthis control much of north Yemen including the capital Sanaa and drove its Saudi-backed government into exile in 2014.
On Tuesday, the Houthis said they were unilaterally halting attacks in the Red Sea for two weeks to support peace efforts.
This came a few days after Saudi Arabia suspended oil exports through a strategic Red Sea channel, amid Houthi attacks on crude tankers on 25 July.
About 70 percent of Yemen's food imports flow through Hodeidah port; about 8.4 million Yemenis are said by aid workers to be on the verge of starvation.
People walk past damaged cars at the entrance of Al-Thawra hospital after an air strike in the Red Sea town of Hodeidah (AFP)
On 13 June, Saudi Arabia and its allies in a pro-government coalition launched a major offensive to retake Hodeidah. Fighting around the port has raised UN fears of a new humanitarian catastrophe in a country already at the brink of famine and a deadly cholera epidemic.
The Houthis have offered to hand over management of the port to the world body, according to the United Nations, but the coalition says the group must quit the western coast.
On Friday, the UN's World Health Organisation said Yemen may be on the brink of a new cholera epidemic, with greater chance of a high death rate due to widespread malnutrition.
"We're calling on all parties to the conflict ... for three full days of tranquility and to lay down arms to allow us to vaccinate the civilian population for cholera," WHO emergency response chief Peter Salama said.
manner. 
A wounded Yemeni waits for treatment at a hospital after an air strike in the Red Sea town of Hodeida on 2 August 2018 (AFP)
People walk past damaged cars at the entrance of Al-Thawra hospital after an air strike in the Red Sea town of Hodeidah (AFP)