Equal servings

Monday, 1 February 2016 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

As Independence Day celebrations inch ever closer, it is not only time to take stock and understand what it means to be Sri Lankan but also to reflect on how we should be treating each other.

A rather unfortunate example of Sri Lankans mistreating each other is the growing number of hotels and restaurants, especially in the south of the country, that are refusing to serve locals citing previous instances of “unruly” behaviour.

Business owners insist they have a right to refuse service to locals as it is their establishment and therefore their right to decide who they can or cannot serve. Whatever those hoteliers may claim as the pretext, a blanket ban on the locals is patently unconstitutional. The Sri Lankan Constitution prohibits discrimination based on race, religion, language, caste, sex, political opinion or place of birth. In fact Article 12.2 states: “No citizen shall be discriminated against on the grounds of race, religion, language, caste, sex, political opinion, place of birth or any such grounds.”

Secondly, it is disheartening because in the lean years during the war it was the local tourist who kept the industry ticking and even now accounts for an estimated 25% of revenue. During ‘off season’ periods each year, hotels turn to locals to make ends meet and often charge them a hefty sum to go on holiday. April, August and December as well as most long weekends see locals flocking to the south and the industry does benefit from their hard-earned money. Given this situation it is unjustifiable to discriminate against locals.

Tourism associations have rejected the practice but insist they are powerless to do anything as these offending hotels are often unregistered. The Tourism Ministry has so far stayed silent, possibly bolstered by the issue remaining largely restricted to the Mirissa Bay area. However, the authorities do have a responsibility to step in when industry stakeholders damage the image of the country and mistreat holidaymakers. The current situation warrants intervention because it certainly ticks both these boxes and there is a possibility the discriminatory practices will spread to other parts of the country.

As far as the hoteliers are concerned there is a practicality issue they need to address here. One observer of this situation opined that hotel owners could employ bouncers or seek the assistance of the local police to ensure that misbehaving customers are removed. Such a step would ensure locals are served and all clients are allowed to enjoy their holiday without any discrimination. Industry stakeholders need to be mature enough to deal with issues without causing offense and refrain from kneejerk reactions that, in addition to being hurtful, are simply illegal.

Hotels that decide not to serve locals also need to understand they are passing over perfectly good customers and are one step away from a lawsuit and damaging the reputations of their businesses and the country.

The former is literally their business but the latter does not belong to individuals. With nearly 70 years of Independence under Sri Lanka’s belt it is disappointing that people are still uncultured and selfish enough to cause such issues. Sri Lankans need to remember that the mark of a successful nation is solidarity.