OPINIONAiyo! Where is the Shakthi in our Kreeda?
The recent exclamation in the vernacular linked inexorably to our cricket fortunes sums up in a nutshell the pithy concern about the health of our national sports status in general.
Despite woes, conflicts, world a happier place than in 2007 as 22% of global citizens say they’re ‘very happy’
Toronto, ON: A new poll conducted by global research company Ipsos for What Makes You Happy Magazine finds that while eight in 10 (77%) citizens in 24 countries generally say they are ‘happy’ in their lives, one quarter (22%) report they are ‘very happy’ — a key measure that identifies comparative depth and intensity of happiness among country citizens and the world.
Letters to the editor
EPF and stock market
I was sad to see in the FT that EPF has begun to purchase stocks in the market again. Is it to give the market a boost or is it to fatten someone’s pocket again, as some people claim? It was not very long ago that the fund made so much of loss by buying Galadari Hotel, Laugfs and Grain Elevators stocks beyond the market price.
Without doing something effective to recoup the loss and give the workers of this country a decent return, why are they buying again? Who is taking these decisions? This is like the country squandering US$ 2 billion of borrowed money to keep the rupee at 112.
People in this country foolishly used the low interest and the attractive exchange mostly for consumption. This is despite the Treasury pleading for sanity because of balance of payment problems. As a result, fuel prices had to be increased by over 30% and now electricity.
When officials mismanage and ruin public institutions and run the economic system to the ground, the guilty are either removed or taken to task for negligence. But the administration of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who is known for being voter sensitive, keeps the same people afloat and allows them to repeat the same mistakes over and over again.
The time has come to clean up the stables in the economic administration and put competent people with integrity to manage the EPF and the Central Bank to protect the good name of the President. We, the public, cannot take any more increases. I am appealing to you, Editor, to interview the people who run the EPF and tell them to stop this madness.
Priyantha Perera
Mutual respect
With my vast experience I gathered from living in society, including school, university, work place, neighbourhood, etc. I observe the following.
1.We prefer to be associated with people of our calibre only who satisfy one or more of the following norms:
a.Wealth
b.Education
c.Social status
d.Popularity
e.Relationship
f.Race
g.Religion
h.Cast
2.We select these norms to satisfy our needs. E.g. a millionaire (A) prefers to be associated with millionaire (B) who may be of different religion, race or cast (money is important).
3.We never recognise the ambitions and rights of other people who do not come under our group. E.g. even when a party is given we look after the needs of our guests but do not show any interest towards our servants or helpers who had assisted us.
4.We prefer the people of other groups to change according to our taste for due affection and recognition
5.We create hatred towards other groups. E.g. we consider people having different eating habits (consumption of dogs, snails, snakes, etc.) as barbarians and do not prefer to eat at the same table with them unless the connection is beneficial to us.
6.We shamelessly copy the way of living, culture, style, etc., of people whom we adore, thereby ignoring our culture, originality, etc., though it may be injurious to our health and morals (Western music, dress, dance, liquor, fast food, etc.)
When we are following our own style, culture, etc., we should respect the feelings of other groups. I understand Mahatma Gandhi served meat in his own ashramam (despite the dissatisfaction shown by his followers) when he met Muslim delegates.
It is high time for us to realise the importance of unity and we must drop all these differences and recognise all as equals. There is a proverb ‘birds of a feather flock together’. It should be changed to ‘birds of a nest’ (kakka and koha) or ‘birds of a tree flock together’.
I hope year 2012 could be a year of unity.
S.R. Balachandran
Be partners in our development process, President tells international community
“With the end of terrorism a new era of peace and development had dawned upon our nation and as Sri Lanka continuing on the path of development, we have requested our friends in the international community to be partners in this process,” President Mahinda Rajapaksa said.
“Strengthened by the basic structures in place for a robust economic partnership, Singapore is in a unique position to harness the many opportunities for investment presented in my country,” President Rajapaksa said at the State banquet hosted in his honour by the Singapore President Tony Tan Keng Yam yesterday.
Making Sri Lanka a ‘democratic hub’ for ‘Wonder of Asia’
By Dr. Laksiri Fernando
Global CEOs say prospects gloomy for world economy
Nearly half (48%) of the 1,258 CEOs polled worldwide believe the global economy will decline even further in the next 12 months, according to PwC’s 15th Annual Global CEO Survey. Just 15% said the global economy will improve during 2012.
Economic cost vs. ecological cost
The rate at which global population and resource consumption is growing is alarming. Yet, high users of resources continue to ‘drain’ these resources. In my opinion, the main reason is that the economic costs of many products we use today do not reflect the ‘true cost’ to the environment. For instance consider two diverse products
we ‘consume’ so regularly i.e. the cars we drive and the water we use in the household.
We need to find ways of pricing/taxing these products so as to drive conservation behaviour among the high users.
Sigiriya’s dizzying rock fortress
By Jill Worrall
www.nzherald.co.nz: He was a murderous 5th Century AD monarch and a man with audacious architectural ambitions. At first glance it seemed King Kassapa of Sri Lanka and I would have little in common.
Government rehabilitates citizens disabled in civil conflict
Kilinochchi: Thiya-galingam Kumaradasan, 39, says he was blinded a decade ago when he was caught in a shelling attack during Sri Lanka’s civil conflict.
From defence sales to electricity grids, India upgrades Lanka ties
By Jyoti Malhotra
Business Standard (New Delhi): India’s promise to sell two Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs) to Sri Lanka, during their first-ever defence dialogue in New Delhi last week, as well as the recent agreement to build an electricity transmission line from Madurai to Trincomalee and connect the electricity grids of the two countries, is an indication of India’s serious willingness to revamp its primary relationship with its southern neighbour.
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