Serendipity

The IUSF helps the Government – We need a rational basis to improve the ‘Free Education System’

2012-01-28T09:10:00.001+05:30

The Inter University Students Federation or IUSF colloquially knows as ‘Anthare’ takes its ideology from pre JVP times into a Marxist Leninist way of the world that is now not even accepted by those traditionally assisted this philosophy.

It is therefore easy for the Government to point the absurdity of their demands, consigning them into a bunch of morons in public debate. A seminar held yesterday under their auspices brings out a cabal of extreme left wing groups, which included the Maoist Students Federation, that called for agitation against Private Universities being set up, and that Free Education is a right of all up to Tertiary level.

Let us go back to basics. In Sri Lanka today, Free Education at Primary and Secondary Level is available to all who seek it. At Tertiary level it is only available to about 10% of those who qualify to enter University. The other fact also is that this so called free education sucks in quality!!!! It may be due to the incompetence of the management of Education by the bureaucrats, the lack of adequate funding by government, the incorrect perception of Education by teachers as a career opportunity rather than a dedicated vocation, and the expectation of individual rights by citizens, without a commitment on their part to make it work as good parents or school supporters.

Based on this reality, it is impossible to offer a GOOD free education system for all, due to a combination of the factors referred to in the previous paragraph. We must then make do with what we have. We cannot move mountains, but we need to work in partnership that is the State, the Public, (including parents, sponsors, companies, past pupils) and Private Sector educational institutions to improve the quality of education offered to the Citizens of this country so that their true potential in maximized, and thus lead to a greater degree of justifiable economic growth, achieving the targets set for quality of life of all our citizens.

This partnership is NOT happening as the State has failed to take the lead in promoting a policy that is realistic, implementable, along with a proper allocation of resources to achieve these goals. This is what the fight should be FOR. Not against those who wish to spend money of their own to set up institutions which will charge fees and admit pupils at their own risk so that they can earn a qualification they (students) believe will lead to better prospects than what a non fee levying state institution could offer. I therefore hope a sensible National student union will emerge to agitate for this Basic DEMAND on behalf of students.

Educated youth in search of employment – A case study – points to ponder

2012-01-19T11:54:00.002+05:30

I helped a complete stranger one day over the phone in giving ideas of how to draft a cover letter in obtaining an interview for a job, which was part of her assignment for the two year full time Diploma in English course she is currently following at the Advanced Technological Institute in Dehiwela. She has just commenced her second year, and there are now 60 in the batch with 59 girls and one boy. When the course commenced there were 175 and many have transferred out or dropped out. The minimum qualification for entry to this course is either an A or B in English at the O levels and a pass at the A levels.

There are a smattering of such institutes dotted all over the Island, which offer A level students who have not obtained sufficient marks to enter the University system, an alternative. The courses are usually two years in length if they are full time and are for subjects such as IT, English, Business Administration, perceived as being necessary in obtaining employment.

These institutions offer Free Tuition, and some burseries and mahapola shols for living expenses, and are also part of the Ministry of Higher Education. There is the possibility of doing part time courses there too, while in employment and for that there are tuition fees. In this facility there is a girl’s hostel, where first years are housed, with the boys having to find accommodation locally. Many students follow other courses at the same time, and the student in question, while following this course is also studying for an external degree at the Kelaniya University in Arts, specializing Dance and Drama. The classes for the latter being on Saturdays.

I met this student at my office yesterday, as she was seeking my assistance in obtaining employment, preferring to go part time, while doing a job as it costs her Rs10,000 a month to live, her home being in Embilipitiya. She said that she has topped her batch at her college as well as all the similar colleges in the island and was seeking even a job as a receptionist as she is fluent in English also.

My observation was that they are totally unprepared in knowing how to get about finding a job, even though they now live in the metropolis, where there is a pool of jobs available, and heavily advertised, but for which the lack of experience is a huge handicap. This is where the ability to prepare a relevant resume and good cover letter showing the applicant knows what he or she wants, along with the confidence at interviews gives them an edge, and also the offer of working without pay, for a few months to show their aptitude in a given job, hitherto untested can be measured and competency tested in a real world working environment.

All this points to is the crying need for a life skills development workshop upon completion of the A levels, to be held soon after sitting the exams and not after the results are obtained. Students can then be equipped to make choices that take into account their personal preferences and not just with reference to parental or peer pressure about what they should do.

The Present crisis in the State University System – and a way forward

2012-01-15T06:00:00.001+05:30

I am writing this in mid January 2012. As of today around 250 students have been suspended or arrested due to various bogus or valid reasons in many of the 8 State University campuses around the Island. Even the day before, the Minister of Higher Education was booed by the students of the Jaffna University, for insinuating that the LTTE is active within the State University system and are inciting the students. Of course there are also the ragging incidents with the new intake that have also led to some of the arrests and suspensions amongst the numbers referred to above. In that aspect, where ragging is a kind of initiation into a mindset of trying to equalize students, by especially forcing the individualistic and the somewhat perceived privileged into adopting a comradeship, I reject as outdated. This culture should be gradually eased with reason prevailing.

Having dealt with ragging with a brush stroke that will not endear me to the student body, I hope they will see the bigger picture of what truly ails the State Tertiary sector and agitate for an improvement in both their Educational environment and also the value of the degree for which they have sacrificed not just financially but also in time, as many are past 26 when they finally receive their degree certificates, an utter waste of talent, when I consider that I had a degree a few days past my 21st birthday and was in full time employment two months later.

There is one main reason I believe for the true rationale for student agitation. That is the interference by the state into a big brother autocracy of trying to manipulate the mind of the students and also to impose a militaristic state security apparatus as an extension of the power of the dictatorship that is now being IMPOSED on the placid and unsuspecting populace of Sri Lanka. Added to which the back door disadvantages the state system is bound to face with the gradual growth of the Private Tertiary Sector as well as the Fee Levying State sector in Education, should be what the Students agitate against. The political appointees to the positions of Vice Chancellors of the Universities are also detrimental to the independence of the State University system and one which must be reversed.

The agitation is led by a motley collection of nationally known, but politically void individuals professing allegiance to either official JVP or its breakaway rebel group, but who do not have a rational answer to the students grievances. These opportunists have taken center stage and a following amongst the student numbers only due to a lack of alternative leadership by the UNP or a UNP affiliated student body that can show the students an alternative to the present anti Govt. IUSF unions. This alternative is essential as a counter to the current status quo.
The misguided leadership who are against the introduction of Private Universities, when they already exist, and who organized a now banned demonstration from Peradeniya to Colombo, are inevitably going to lead the students in a pied piper sense into an abyss. Students ought to realize this and seek an alternative.

I can see that this unhealthy direction will to lead to some regretful casualties, which the IUSF is likely hoping for, also for political gain. Only then can they show the other apathetic students that they are fighting for a cause. So let us show these students that they have some real issues with which to fight the Governemnt, and not some nebulous ones they will not be able to change.

I note below some of the real grievances that the whole student body should agitate about and if that is done with sufficient vigor, will be able to change the stance and possibly some of the policies in a direction that will truly benefit the students in the State Sector. Students in the state sector must face one reality, and that is those students who can afford WILL go the path of Private Tertiary Education either in Sri Lanka or overseas, with the possible exception of the study of Medicine.

Then we are left with those who do not have the funds, and are chosen to enter the University system. They need Educational Freedom in the sense that they should be permitted to learn and be taught free from political interference. There should transparency in the appointment of Vice Chancellors to ensure this freedom. The number of places with no Tuition Fees must be guaranteed at say 25,000 per annum so as to give a chance to those qualified to enter the system.

Secondly, as is inevitable, the Private Sector will attract a crème of the academic staff due to the ability to pay. In order that the State Sector does NOT fall behind, competitive remuneration to teaching staff given, but with accountability, with regard to minimum teaching hours per week. The 750+ staff who have skipped their bonds and remain overseas having got their PhD and Masters, are likely to return and those not, held to make good the bond, which was signed in good faith.

The resources allocated to the State Tertiary sector must increase. The Universities must be challenged to obtain quality classifications that put them on a par with International Universities. This is so that the degree these students come out with is of value in the international marketplace, where they have to compete for jobs. It is implied that English and IT skills are included in this resource allocation, and a true sense of self worth as graduates without a sense of entitlement are produced. They must understand that the state does not owe them a job, just because they have a degree, but instead realize the value of FREE EDUCATION.
Fourthly, the Government owned quasi military security must be withdrawn forthwith as they act as the listening arm of the State apparatus, and have now proved to be counterproductive to educational freedom and freedom of thought and expression, something that is valued highly in the Tertiary Educational sector.

The valuable lost time in waiting for entrance and the plethora of delays that just cost the economy, of a productive educated professional, must be reduced, with prominence given to the time value of money, that seems to be absent in the Govt. sector and which contributes to the mindset, that does not take account of it. This is also due to the lack of tertiary education of the MPs who are unable to understand this basic principle of economics.

Sixthly, Career counseling and guidance must be provided for students in the State Sector for all intakes and all years, so that instead of blaming the students for being unable to find jobs, the students are guided on how to find jobs and shown what is available both here and overseas, so they build their goals in life while at University rather than come out of it not knowing what opportunities are available with the qualifications they have. Life skills must be part of this program.

A fairer system of bursaries for students of poorer families, so that the principles of Free Education can be emboldened, but which carry with it some responsibilities upon completion, must be adopted as the current Mahapola scholarship amounts in real terms are now worth 10% of what they were when they were originally awarded. This has not kept pace with inflation, and the extra awarded for excellence must be made much bigger for incentive to perform while at University.

Point no eight in this list which is in no particular order of significance, is the question of competitiveness vis a vis the private sector. If the private sector is able to provide scholarships of say 5% that can further enhance the places available for disadvantaged pupils, while at the same time permitting the state sector a release valve to allocate resources to improving quality and not more places. The latter being taken by the private sector and an increasingly affluent middle class, who is able to pay for State owned but fee levying institutions such as the NIBM which is rapidly expanding nationwide.

I believe my proposals above are worth agitating for, as they are all for the benefit of existing and future students and the state would then be forced to allocate more funds, which they only have to divert from the heavy allocation to defense spending, where there is a gross mis-allocation of resources as part of the effort to provide security to an increasingly isolated regime, from its own people.

A Business University – National School of Business Management(NSBM)

2012-01-11T19:12:00.005+05:30

NIBM (National Institute of Business Management) affiliated new University has been approved by the Cabinet, to be set up on 50 Acres of land in Homagama owned by the UDA, with an initial Investment of Rs5Billion. The Foundation is expected to be laid in March with Academic Activities set to commence in 2014.

The idea is to allow students with suitable O levels to go straight into this College and get a degree within 4 years, thus short circuiting the current cumbersome route where it takes 5 to 6 years after sitting for A levels to actually walk out with a degree. It sounds eminently sensible at first glance, and they expect an annual intake of about 12,000 students (current entry into 8 state Universities is 22,500 per annum) The idea is for degree programs to cover areas such as Management, Marketing, IT, Engineering and Design. I have only extracted this from a government owned newspaper and to that extent I qualify that what is said, proposed and actually likely to be achieved can vary immensely to possible even make my blog entry about this a waste of time.

I am taking the trouble to cover this information only on the assumption that if it is in fact successful there are many basic foundations in the Education of Sri Lankans, which must be in place before we can even begin to contemplate this. As the reality from ground breaking to opening is ambitious it is more likely it will happen around 2015 or 2016, and the initial intake is likely to be no more than 2,000 students. However I applaud the establishment of such an institution, especially to short circuit the time it takes to get a degree, a wholly wasteful exercise in Sri Lanka. I had an honors degree in Economics almost at my 21st birthday, as I studied in the UK, while most of the young people I have to liase with on youth programs only get their degrees when they are 26 or after, and often know a lot less than I did at 21!!

I believe this University though owned by the Government will be a “for profit” or at least fee based to cover the cost of education, and thereby not qualify as an Institution of Free Education in the Tertiary Sector. It is possible therefore to offer courses of excellence and courses that are directly catered to specific types of managerial jobs. To that extent I believe it will produce graduates who should be able to find employment in the private sector and not the state sector and also have to make a huge financial sacrifice to go there, and thereby are unlikely to waste their time. In reality this is another Private University, although owned by the Government and funded by it. The success or failure of this is completely dependent on the commitment and caliber of the Board and the funds allocated together with the level of political interference in its activities.

It will be interesting to see whether my predictions or the governments will turn out to be more accurate. I also predict that the cost will double to Rs10B and the project will be fraught with wastage and kickbacks that will delay its opening to the detriment of the students and the country.

My Wish for 2012 is for the Sri Lankan Journalists to use ‘Common Sense’ in helping their audience to think!!!

2012-01-01T20:36:00.000+05:30

New Year’s day 2012 and I almost had a row with my Dad, when he said that according to the papers, Commercial Bank was doing a great job in their CSR by helping 6000 students with Computers and related assistance for IT.

I told him to read further and actually think. The Bank is in the business of using CSR to tell the public how good they are in helping worthy causes so that they get a lot of goodwill. However if Commercial Bank gives one computer to a school with 10,000 students they will say they helped 10,000 students with Computers and IT, because our people are so dumb as to believe what they read. In fact the Principal who has not internet or Computer is more than likely to have it at his office to teach himself computing as he would not want to look a fool while his students learn IT. “KALPANAKARANNA” please.

So the point I am trying to make is that there is always a story behind a story, and we only are shown and led to believe the surface ONLY. So let us get back to basics and teach the audience how to think and rationalize. After all many so called news items in Sri Lanka especially in the papers are planted items. They are either informercials, advertorials both paid by the company or government to boast about something they are about to do or done, and make it sound so much grander or of some journalist putting something by a friend or the owner putting some items of information he wants the readers to see.

It is very important in the present context when we have a Government blessed with misinformation to be able to see the wood from the trees and make up our minds as to what to believe. I call upon all journalists who are worth two cents in Sri Lanka to lend some thought to this and view the information for what it is and not be as gullible as the audience or readership, as they must have more grey hairs of common sense to guide their readership etc. into a frame of mind from which to come to their own conclusions.

With these few words I wish my readers every success in 2012 and please try to understand that my crusade in this blog is for the betterment of the great country of Sri Lanka so that its citizens can grow up, especially our young generation to be valuable citizens contributing immensely for the overall good of this country. I thank those who are sincerely doing their best in this regard and challenge others to take on the mantle as it is a noble cause that will give them the “pina” “good Karma” or any other merit that they deserve in this life of the lives from here on.

Intransigence by the Ministry of Higher Education in refusing to believe that there is a serious flaw in the A level results

2011-12-28T16:07:00.001+05:30

Despite overwhelming evidence of a complete breakdown in the reporting systems in the issue of the A level results issued of Christmas day of all days, there is a complete lack of acceptance that there is something wrong.

There was initial acceptance that some errors had been found in the District and National ranking systems which had been subsequently corrected. However it appears that the problems with regard to the difference in the results as submitted to the school Heads and that in the Internet along with the fact that many students received results from subjects they did not sit have not been resolved. The Ministry Secretary and the Commissioner of Examinations dispute there is a problem, and the Minister in order to cover himself has said that there could be isolated instances of anomalies, but overall the results stand not requiring them to be withdrawn.

I maintain that the results MUST be withdrawn forthwith, and investigated and the new set of results for ALL students reissued once the problems have been ironed out. I do not believe the problem is isolated and am in the process of gathering data to present to the authorities and the Media so that they can judge for themselves if what I am saying is systemic or isolated.

Imagine if you are an A level student expecting the results or the Parent of one. How would you feel? I would not like to be in the shoes of one of them. I will not know if the results will be cancelled owing to the growing challenges from all parts of the country. Therefore the results I have received will not be believable either even if they are good or even better than I expected. This is a serious indictment of the Department of Examination’s inability to do their job properly.

In short there is a cock up of incredible proportions, and no one least of all the relevant Minister is willing to accept blame. Heads should roll, but it should begin with the Minister. I cannot understand why he nor the President who has not commented on this as he was partly to blame by forcing the Examinations Commissioner to release the results before he was ready. Only he and not the Minister is able to judge if they are ready with all the facts prior to releasing the examination results.

If this is any indication of how the Education and Examination Departments work, I dread to think how they will implement the new Education Policy the government is about to introduce with new syllabuses and subjects. Further the Private Universities Bill will be another example of a badly drafted one full of holes!!

The Private Universities Bill to be presented in January – the Suspension of Student Unions

2011-12-27T17:55:00.002+05:30

The march from Peradeniya to Colombo, planned by the Peradeniya University students against the Private University Bill has been prevented by the Govt. and all the existing Student Unions have been suspended at that Campus.

Why are these students against Private Universities? Their main concern is that this is a back door method to gradually remove Free Education from Grade 1 to University in Sri Lanka. Are there grounds for concern? Yes definitely as the current education system in Sri Lanka has failed both the student, who cannot find a reasonable job upon graduation, but also the Country as the system does NOT produce graduates of a caliber that the Motherland wants.

The problem is not wholly of the University system, it is of Education in general and must be tackled at all stages, beginning at Grade 1, and a new thinking based on a realistic assessment is badly needed. I will not go into this broad subject and will concentrate only on the Private University fear. I understand that even the lecturers have lent their support to these students for this agitation.

In a private public instance, we already have sufficient examples with private schools and the issue is no different. The private sector can by definition offer attractive salaries, terms and conditions to draw the best. There could be a drain of teachers from the public sector further eroding the standard of instruction at University. This problem is there any way as there are hundreds of academics who have gone to overseas countries for Post Graduate and doctoral work and NOT returned to the Island, causing a shortage in the teaching cadre. On the flip side we must understand that our home grown talent can remain at home, rather than leave for pastures anew in foreign lands. The answer is to increase the pool of teachers to replace those who leave, rather than worry about the fact they leave. The other solution is to increase the salaries of the University Dons that has already been promised by the govt. to reduce this brain drain.

An environment with competition from the private sector is healthy in forcing the public sector to improve its quality of service delivery, which in this case are employable graduates. This is true the world over. One must remember that the government uses this premise as another reason not to spend more on education and instead gets the private sector to take the slack. Again, a case in point are the 500,000 students who pay for their schooling, which automatically reduces the strain on the state sector in educating them. This same principle no doubt guides the thinking behind private universities as that will reduce the burden on the state.
The fact that more funds may be required to keep up with the private sector both for quality students and quality teachers, may reduce the available free places for less well off kids to get into the State University system. On the other hand it will permit students with lower A level results to enter the private university system, creating an element of distrust where one with 3 A’s cannot get into the public university, whereas one with 3 C’s can do the same course in a private one. That I fear is a valid point that needs to be debated, but currently they go overseas.

On the other hand, employers are wise to the employability of graduates, and for that purpose, the University, private or public is on notice to produce what the market requires. If their quality is poor, then fewer students of quality will want entrance at that institution. What better way to weed out the good from the bad? The bad if it does not improve their performance will have to close down, just like so many schools in the rural areas.

I am not too concerned about the quality of the Private Universities as it is up to the entrant to do the necessary homework to check on their suitability in terms of repute before seeking admission. So this usual complaint by students opposed to the private sector can easily be relegated to one that is superfluous. Of course the state will in its Bill propose a means of ensuring quality control. Why this is necessary is beyond me as students attend so many private universities overseas, without them having to be regulated by anybody, least of all from Sri Lanka.

The main point which I would therefore raise is the guaranteed amount of free places available to local students, so that a minimum cost would have to be borne by the state for their education, anything less will be tantamount to an abrogation of the rights under the Free Education promise.

A further guarantee of a limit to the paying students should also be made, as the government now intends to get paying students to the State University sector to subsidize its cost. I do not know why they have restricted it to overseas students. Is it because they want them to pay their fees in foreign currency?

Further, I understand that minimum percentages of places must be offered at Private Universities as scholarships to students who excel on some criteria, this too should be included so that the quality of the intake at these places is also improved.

All agitation should be limited to what is reasonable in light of current conditions without compromising Free Education principle for the masses in as much as it is applicable today bearing in mind the amount of private tertiary education available.

The ‘Complete Mess’ in the published A level result – just issued

2011-12-26T18:24:00.001+05:30

The disgrace of a Government that issued incorrect A level results last morning knows no boundary as the fallout MUST result in the rolling of heads!! Beginning with the Minister responsible, namely the Minister of Higher Education, under whom the Commissioner General of Examinations operates. The latter and the Secretary to the Minister of Higher Education are now entangled in a fight as to how to resolve the issue, who to take responsibility and realistically reject the results and reissue them once they have identified and rectified the problem.

It appears that by design or by coincidence there has been some internal computer glitch that resulted in a wholesale issue of results, that have nothing to do with reality, causing untold misery heartache, and breakdown amongst a whole host of young people who have been awaiting their A level results with anticipation and trepidation. For them to be fooled by a cruel joke of this magnitude, without first being spot checked for accuracy is an indication of the incompetence of the officials handling this area.

I am given to understand that a new Commissioner General of Examinations will take office on the 1st of January 2012, and in that regard the present holder of that office will be retiring. Is this a parting gift from him as he has nothing to lose? I wonder if we will know the answer to that. If he has some grudge against the Minister he is more than capable of putting his minister in the spot. However I seem to have seen that the Minister in his manner of making light of things is proclaiming a computer ‘gilmart’ for the fracas and refuses to accept blame.

From what I understand at the point of writing, that the Z scores as it relates both to country and district rankings have been rejected, but not the overall results. Even here I believe there are anomalies as there are many students who have results for subjects they did not answer at the examination throwing coals into the already raging fire. It is time that the whole result is immediately withdrawn.

The President had forcibly intervened and asked the Commissioner General of Elections(CGE) to release the results, even though he had expressed some concern over some of the bases of calculation of the Z scores as there are two sets of syllabuses, whose results are released. So now it is a black mark on the President’s edicts too as one could blame him for interfering in a process that is none of his business. It is up to the CGE to determine when he is ready to release and not the Head of State. It is time someone takes responsibility and the Media fairly criticize this action, so the General Public can be made aware of the MESS in the first place

Senior Ministers – Who are they and what do they do for an extra Rs300M?

2011-12-24T11:09:00.002+05:30

Sri Lanka has in its own unique way created a category of Minister from TEN aged MPs known as seniors who have been given responsibilities over and above those allocated to MP’s. The extra cost is in addition to the cost of an MP that include income, allowances, perks along with the 24hr MSD security that comes with it.

I believe it is an unnecessary and superfluous expense where the money could easily be spent in more productive ways to improve the economy. It is a way to give jobs to their staff which amount to about 275, many who are relatives and friends of the same ministers. The rough breakdown is approximately Rs20M per minister and a further Rs100M to keep the Administrative Secretariat functioning.

The vision statement is ‘Sustainable National Development’ and the mission statement is ‘Co-ordinating and monitoring National Development Initiatives’ which are: 1 Good Governance and Infrastructure – Ratnasiri Wickremanayake
2 Human Resources – DEW Gunesekara
3 Rural Affairs – Athauda Seneviratne
4 Food Security – P Dayaratne
5 Urban Affairs – AHM Fowzie
6 Social Welfare – Milroy Fernando
7 Consumer Welfare – RMSB Navinne
8 National Resources – Piyasena Gamage
9 Scientific Affairs – Tissa Vitharana
10 International Monetary Cooperation – Sarath Amunugama

I let the reader judge what on earth we want to spend this amount for this kind of semantic exercise, when we have other priorities. I also wished to make the readers aware of this particular exercise in futility, as it is usually hidden from view. Another point of note is that while DEW Gunesekara was the chairman of the COPE committee looking into the expenditure of the public sector institutions, it does not come under the above criteria and is external to the above terms of reference. That in itself requires the full extent of a MPs time to wade through the smoke and mirrors, that one would not find time to add another responsibility called ‘Human Resources’ to him as shown above.

I know this is just a start of my investigation into the billions of waste of Government Expenditure, that our kids have to repay in the future as much of it is funded out of Debt when these erstwhile seniors have long left mother earth to places beyond, bless their souls and curse their silence. A suggestion, how about giving this function to opposition MPs, they can do a stellar job of overseeing!!!

Strike by the Private Bus Owners Association is imminent over route permits

2011-12-23T17:26:00.001+05:30

The haphazard and highly politicized distribution of route permits causes enormous friction within the industry. In another example of the manner in which these route permits are distributed, sold, bribed away and auctioned, once again it has caused a problem leading to this action, in a very competitive industry. Not only do these operators have to compete with the state bus service SLTB which as we are told, is about to increase its fleet by leaps, and which is highly subsidized having on average 8 workers on the payroll for each bus that is roadworthy. The distribution on non-market criteria is a cause for dissatisfaction.

Put yourself in the shoes of a private bus operator. You have to face many severe allegations. One of overcrowding, of racing to catch the next customer, of treating the customers like cattle and being rude to them, permitting panhandling in the buses for a fee or a percentage of the takings and if that was not enough they have to bribe the minister to get the permits they want or even challenge the threat of losing the license over a non-existent or manufactured transgression.

Into all this comes the granting of route permits without due consideration to the supply and demand issues as well as the times allotted for the various buses both to provide a smooth service at regular intervals and be fair in the allocations so that a balance of peak and non peak services can be shared around. This is nevertheless a very thorny issue with no clear way of coming out with an acceptable compromise.

The government has masterfully led public opinion to the faults of the PBOA and not of the benefits of these buses. I do believe that 80% of the buses on the road are Private. So its contribution to passenger transport at reasonable cost is huge. Instead of using more SLTB buses to compete, the state should encourage more private buses, without recourse to selling route permits except to auction them under transparent procedures on certain routes that are particularly in demand.

I have advocated for a two tier fare structure on local routes for before 6pm and after so that the night traveler will also be better served, something the private sector at present has not been permitted to do. The state sector buses which are few and far between are asked to fill in the discrepancy in the later hours.

I believe that there is not enough research into optimizing the formula for the benefit of the public. I would like to see timetables using counting data under the auspices of the transport ministry, so that bus passengers are better served. This will hopefully take more people from personal transport into public transport.

The Southern Expressway – What if provision had been made for a single line Electrified Rail Network leading eventually to Kataragama via Hambantota.

2011-12-19T18:04:00.001+05:30

Just ponder! As part of the whole project to build an Expressway something that will just add to the air and noise pollution with fossil fuel burning vehicles, would it not have been visionary to have ensured at least a one line high speed rail network, preferably electrified, that would go to Kataragama in 90 minutes. Rail on a new line built from scratch can be designed for much higher speeds that vehicles.

This will also satisfy the environmental lobby. Four stops along the way including Galle, Matara and Hambantota will reduce current road traffic to all places up to and including Kataragama. Our rail network has been purposely left to decay in favor of road transport, which we now know has been one huge mistake. There have been no concrete steps to improve it except the rebuilding of the line to KKS, which I hope will be done so as to severely shorten the time at least from Anuradhapura to Jaffna.

The problem yet again in SL is that there are few if any who think outside the box and for the RDA to think in terms of anything other than roads was unthinkable. So we spent a colossal amount on a project that is only going to encourage those who have quality cars to make use of them on their way to town up to Hambantota, when the road is finally extended that far in a few years. Now that the Govt. is bent on finishing of the aptly named Mattala Airport, the muts should have thought of liking it directly to a high speed rail network to get to Colombo. Technically a passenger can get to Colombo faster from Mattala than from Katunayaka if the rail network from there was outstanding.

We must never forget that we are a small country in land extent. That is a huge advantage in many ways. I know that we can easily cover the whole country with cellular use which a vast country like the US cannot! We can therefore take maximum advantage of our size to make our travelling from A to B all the more convenient and safe by proper planning. Despite the doubling or tripling of vehicles into the country, which will one day block Colombo in a horrific traffic snarl up, where motorists will be stranded. We have not thought ahead from there. We are waiting for the crisis and we may then consider taking steps to spend a further 10 years trying to solve that problem AFTER we get to it.

It is important to plan. It is not a problem to predict our population and our living standards and make a proper accounting of it so that our citizens quality of life will in fact be enhanced rather than deteriorate under the current directions.

Suicide – the facts and figures are still startling – here are the 2011 figures

2011-12-18T17:07:00.000+05:30

In the period January to June 2011 – 1529 Males and 449 Females committed suicide making a total of 1978. In the whole year 2010 – 2914 Males and 950 Females for a total of 3864 committed suicide. The main causes were of affairs of the heart and the predominant means was by way of consumption of pesticides.(source:Sunday Maubima – Dec18th)

I have done no research as to how it compares with other countries or whether it is relatively high, but I know it is preventable, as the main reasons are of a very fleeting or temporary nature that can be solved by intervention of a close confidante or relative. In my rajaratarala blog I noted a few months ago, how a person committed suicide on one of our properties, this too had to do with a relationship that went wrong, which then resulted in disposing of all possible items to imbibe in alcohol to numb the senses owing to this break-up.

I know there is some effort to dilute the strength of some of these pesticides so as not to make it so lethal, but that is a bandage that may or may not work and actually in the eyes of the user of the poison for the purpose to which it is was bought is now of no use anyway as it does not do the job it portends to.

The widespread use of mobile phones especially amongst the very young school children, is an added dimension, as these illicit romances are carried out behind the backs of the parents, who if and when they find out get uncontrollably violent or indignant, resulting in runaway kids who are not mature enough to manage on their own. Sometimes they make a pact when they see no option out of their predicament and with the need to be together having read about similar stories (last week an awol soldier and two sisters committed suicide by hanging in Eppawela) they do it together, not having made any effort to resolve it with consultation.

In Sri Lanka going to counseling is still not in the culture and also speaking frankly about one’s feelings is rare. Therefore this simple solution is not resorted to. I am sure that there are establishment figures who are also looking into this issue, and I would propose depending on the seriousness of this amongst teens and 20 somethings, to include this in part of an overall program of introducing social and soft skills in schools to make introduction into society a smoother one.

Death especially of the very young and promising is hard for us to accept, and if there is anything we can do to even prevent one loss of life we should. I am sure the statistics and the solutions have been discussed, so let us implement them soon.

“JANAPRIYA” does not just mean POPULAR. It is wrapped up in deceit

2011-12-17T12:28:00.001+05:30

Sri Lankans who are wary always look on the popular personality with some disdain. If someone is popular it is because he usually did not obtain it by example of piety or by leading an exemplary life. It is because he obtains it by giving something free to gain popularity or by using the media for personal gain and self publicity. So attached to the ‘popular’ person are dubious undertones.

To put this idea in context, let me remind the reader that the MJF Foundation is possibly the largest Charitable Foundation in Sri Lanka. Few in Sri Lanka have heard of it. Even at the entrance to one of its most expensive projects, being the building, maintaining and running of a school for children affected by ‘Down’s Syndrome’ there is barely a name board indicating its existence at the old Velona Factory Premises in Ratmalana. This is a case of doing things without seeking publicity for the acts of Charity. The founder of this charity has not even received a title of ANY sort, despite having distributed at least Rs5B for charitable causes.

Contrast this with Mr Sajith Premadasa’s Sasunata Aruna program, where he donates a Rs50,000 check each time to the head of a viharaya, church, mosque or hindu temple for their use. Almost every donation results in a political speech, that receives both TV and print media publicity. He gains popularity for this and possibly the word “Janapriya” ness for him increases. Do you know where he gets the money for this? It is certainly not his money that he has earned, as he does not do a business. It is possible that he lends the money that people give him and uses the interest to make this donation. After all he is well known to use his many connections to constantly plug them for funds to help him with his causes. The people who see his actions and increase both his name recognition and popularity do not know that part. To many of us it does not matter where the money comes from, even if it is stolen, as long as it is given for something we ask for. Then we extol the virtues of the giver as someone who helped us with this or that!!!

We need a sea change in attitude to value and respect the truly magnanimous. Otherwise when we follow false images meant to fool, we become the fools ourselves due to our gullibility. We must try to see behind the image portrayed, often there is something different. Those who we revere may have huge personality defects, whilst those who we revile may have even more redeeming qualities, which had we researched and found would completely change our attitude of them.

This is something that cannot be deduced alone. We must explain to our children how to think and why. The essence of ‘Kalpanakaranna’ BLOG is all about this.

A photo of Nelum Pokuna (Lotus Pond) on opening night

2011-12-15T23:25:00.002+05:30

We who were not invited had to stand outside on the 'other' side of the road to get a glimpse today. Even the pavement surrounding the Center was out of bounds!

Six Lakhs for up to 4 hours of Theater Hire!!! - Nelum Pokuna – Mahinda Rajapakse Theatre – www.lotuspond.lk - A white elephant?

2011-12-14T13:55:00.004+05:30

I recently wrote a blog post on the above, which was also published in the Sunday Leader of December 11th 2011. However I had grossly underestimated the hire charges of the Theatre. Check the new website which was launched at Temple Trees by the President on December 12th for the details that completely blew me away. http://www.lotuspond.lk/bookings.php

There are various options, but in order to rent the Hall for up to 4 hrs is Rs600,000 and for a second performance for the same day for up to 4 hrs is, Rs450,000. Of course there are other charges such as rehearsal costs of Rs75,000 per hour up to 4 hours etc. Are they day dreaming?

As usual in true lack of journalistic form, our journalists just parrot fashion have reported on the impeding opening and the launch of the website without critically commenting on the contents like I have noted above. What is it with the lack of investigative journalists? Are they worried they will not get a Press Pass for the Opening on the 15th? Come on guys use a little bit of your common sense and start a campaign to say that for the first year in order to encourage its use, publicity, and grow an interest in the performing arts, a maximum of Rs100,000 per performance would be charged and to show the future charges to get people to realize the chance of utilizing this offer in the first year.

Is there no marketing skill in Sri Lanka? Why are there thousands doing CIM courses? Who are the CIM members? Are they brain dead without an ounce of innovative thinking which I am lead to believe is a hallmark of a great marketer?

These are the questions I would ask my journalist friends, as I am no journalist but a person who barely has time to write from my day job, but feel passionate about many subjects and in this case about the Performing Arts that need to be developed especially to make it accessible to the masses. My earlier article speaks for itself and I do not want to repeat the contents of it here.

I would ask the authorities to seriously consider my viewpoint, and determine that in the Arts it is not about dollars and cents and it is about sense! Few countries if any make any profit from the Arts, it is considered part of society’s duty to keep a country’s culture alive and resurrect dying art and dance forms. We have a once in a lifetime opportunity to contribute to the debate before we lose the chance for ever, and our contribution to posterity. We MUST take responsibility for endowing the future Sri Lankans with the “Heritage of the Varied Culture” of the motherland.

The New “Lotus Pond” Performing Arts Center opposite Vihara Maha Devi

2011-12-07T11:38:00.001+05:30

I have passed the grand looking Chinese built and gifted Arts Center in the heart of Colombo, and wondered why it had not been opened as yet. It is being maintained by one arm of the Security Forces at the moment. I am not sure who will be responsible to maintain and run it, along with the Ministry under whom it will be!

I was told that they are either looking for an auspicious time for the President to open it or that as it was gift from the People’s Republic of China they are waiting for a date from the Prime Minister of China to come for the opening. Either way the announcement has been made, namely 15th December 2011. It is possible the Chinese PM will touch down to open it and be on his way.

I firmly believe ‘performing arts’ is a mark of the completeness of a society, and the ability to express oneself to others in that medium. We must encourage this expression of opera, dance, drama and songs in all forms, but can we really match the expectations? The issue as always is that the ARTS SUBSIDY is the first to be cut in a budget tightening mood. What is more, I was told that as the monthly maintenance of the Center is expected to be around Rs6M a month, that we will only be able to hire the Hall for performances at the rate of Rs300,000 per night.

In my opinion this is the death knell to performance before it even starts, as there is hardly anyone except those with deep pockets or foreign rock star performances that can charge entrance fees to cover this cost, in addition to the other charges for a performance. If one takes the example of an audience of 1500 then it works out at Rs200 each. Whilst that does not amount to a lot, for Sinhala or Tamil performances or those of the local dance and home grown productions, to get local audiences to pay an average of at least Rs750 per ticket to fill the auditorium is not an easy task, bearing in mind that it has never been done to date. We never had a place so large that could accommodate this number. The Lionel Wendt can hold a maximum of 650 including the 150+ in the balcony.

If the encouragement of the use of the facility is the goal, so that as many people in our country can enjoy the Arts, then I believe weekday charges must be capped at Rs100,000 and Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights to be at about Rs175,000 for at least the first year on a promotional basis. The supply and demand of this facility can then be determined at these price points. One must then recognize the need to subsidize the arts in order to encourage the arts, and the people’s appreciation of the Performing Arts. Prize Givings and Convocations can be held only during daytime at lower rates that allows multiday use to help further defray the costs.
The recently published photos showed a small open air theatre on the roof. I believe fringe theater must be encouraged there, with only a small charge for hire such as Rs5000 for the space, so that 200 to 500 capacity can be accommodated at a nominal entry fee to encourage participation of the general public and increase their appreciation of the facility and the performances they can appreciate.

We have now got a much needed performing arts center, so lets make maximum use out of it. Many of the facilities to date accommodated a rather upper middle class clientele. I would like to see a more varied distribution this time with access to most people. I remember going to the Bolshoi in Moscow and Kirov in Leningrad in the days of Communist rule, paying a few roubles entry, and foreigners like us were not charged extra, and further there was an allocation for foreigners that made it easier for us to go when compared with the locals.

It also must be appreciated that with this development, a public bus service catering to the theatre goers must be laid out on say about 10 bus routes to enable people to get home at reasonable cost. The current cheapest way to get home if one does not have access to private transport is to use a three wheeler, which depending on the distance to one’s home can cost anywhere from Rs100 to Rs500 for a relatively short distance, and needs to be added to the cost of the evening.

Taking account of the points I have referred to above, I sincerely hope the relevant ministry, (Defense! Culture is it? Is the Municipal Council that is physically close by completely out of the loop?) will take on these points in a constructive manner, and assign dedicated and knowledgeable staff to this task, to permit the public to enjoy this great asset in the heart of Colombo along with the related publicity to attract users to this facility, not just to gawk at a new building and satisfy one’s curiosity, but also to learn to appreciate drama, dance and related performing arts.

I used to pass by the place when it was covered by the galvanized roofing sheets all around, and the Chinese labor, some said they were prisoners, who worked day and night to build it and then give it to the People of Sri Lanka. We must express our grateful appreciation to all who helped build it and let us hope we can continue to maintain this to the best of our ability and not wait for the Chinese to come and repair the revolving stages if they break down, but be able to use our technical skills to ensure it is kept in daily working order so that all performances can go ahead without a glitch.

Let us hope we all have a chance to visit and be given a tour of its facilities similar to the recent tour given to the Press. It is still to be named wait for it!!....................

It is the quality of the Teachers stupid! Teachers please give me your input

2011-12-06T17:36:00.001+05:30

No Education Policy can be implemented if the School Principal along with the teaching staff, do not work with one goal in mind to develop all the capacities of their charges so that they produce the ultimate product the country can be proud of.

It is just not the academic achievement of the child, but their moral well being. The example set by the teacher is one that is very powerful, and if the parents are found in want or lacking in some major department, the school teacher fill the void.

This is where the dedicated professional is worth more than the disinterested graduate housewife who today seems to be the major component of the teaching carder. To get the services of the dedicated professional, teaching MUST be elevated to the status of a Doctor at the very least in our society. In order to get that status a new class of teacher with a new name must be added with a different pay scale so the disinterested housewife also does not insist of getting the same higher wage.

It is important to understand that the teaching profession is seen by many as an easy means of income for a stay at home graduate women homemaker, once they have kids. She will get a pension, though the pay is not that great. She can conduct tuition classes at home and charge for them. She does not need to work excessively as their performance in not measured on results, so the pay is the same whether you are diligent or not. She finds an excuse as to why she does not need to help the students improve their knowledge or skills. I believe the criteria for entry into the profession has been wrong and it cannot be changed overnight. Of course there are always exceptions to the rule and I salute those teachers who are committed.

Each school I believe MUST have at least two “High Level” motivational teachers, preferably a Male and a Female. They have a huge responsibility. Initially due to the shortage of these professionals they may have to be assigned to all the major secondary schools that have more than 400 pupils and then to the 200+ size primary schools in the country. There must be a better system to measure the performance of these teachers, and reward them accordingly.

It is their responsibility to build the overall student, by instilling and assisting in discipline, motivation, vision, identity, creativity, intellectual curiosity, leadership, community service, and research that the student needs, also known as soft skills to develop the overall person so he or she knows how to get on in life after leaving school either at the O level stage or at A levels.
I turn to School Principals and the evaluation standards of the school. The Ministry of Education MUST change the way school performance is measured. First they should change from looking merely at the environment using 5 s scores to measure schools. A school in Ampara, where the Principal uses the students during school hours to clean up the school environment so that the school looks beautiful from the outside and so comes first, even when the students perform abysmally.

Performance measures can be set by using a base figure of a particular point say today, and then compare the improvement from that point. The buck stops with the principals and they MUST be more accountable. At the same time there must be some form of recognition of improvements to motivate others to perform.

It must never be forgotten that a school either Private or Public owes its success to the performance of the Principal. His part in building up the school through many odds that he has to face along with political interference for school admission and teacher transfers not-withstanding, is the mark of a top teaching professional. Good relationships with the local community will follow if his efforts are noticed by the parents. There are numerous instances one can quote where good schools fall of the map and are closed due to the change in Principals.

The trick is in being able to reward performance, without de-motivating those who do not come up to scratch. When a community realizes that a good school in their midst is valuable, as it increases property values and all round benefits begin to accrue then a need to improve and keep to a high standard will naturally happen.

Principals ask for items not provided by the Education Department. They can get these inadequacies from the community, who are likely to be more forthcoming when they see potential benefits. The TESP World Bank Aid Program, refers to community help in developing local schools. They acknowledge this synergy.

In addition there is a huge need for capital expenditure as the latest Budget allocates almost nothing for equipment like computers and teaching aids. The budget hopes that the Private Sector CSR programs will provide this shortfall. That will only happen in unusual circumstances. It will the exception rather than the rule. So more funds must be allocated for Capital Expenditure in Education as otherwise the goals of education will not be achieved no matter what other resources are provided to the running of the Department.

We MUST therefore concentrate on the above topics before any formal Education Policy is implemented. Otherwise it will fail.

National Education Policy! – Is there one? – Mohan Lal Grero seems to think there is!

2011-12-05T03:39:00.001+05:30

In an interview in the Sunday Observer of 4th December, Mr Grero who just crossed over from the UNP seemed to give as his main reason, the fact he could be of positive use to the Current Administration, in implementing the National Education Policy, which according to him is similar to the proposal he had made to the UNP. He as a member of the Education Select Committee in Parliament had helped to refine the NEP after taking into account numerous experts’ advice.

I do not believe that the Policy they have come up with is correct and should be followed. He mentions the 5000 primary feeder schools into the 1000 secondary schools, which mean that each Divisional Secretariat area in the country will have about 3 secondary schools of a certain grade, so that parents will not have to compete to send kids to other more competitive schools. This is further reinforced by the US$100M World Bank Concessionary Loan program for this same plan, which in its current form will be completely wasted.

The approach is from the wrong end. They appear to have asked why the take up rate for vocational training has been so pathetic in Sri Lanka. I can vouch for that fact, where in my area the well equipped Technical Training College in Godagama, is almost empty and hardly used. However the answer is not to get kids at 13 or 14 to decide on the vocation they are to adopt and get secondary schools to prepare them for following specific technical courses if the A level route is not for them. We must go back to basics to understand the problem provide a possible reason!

I do not believe schools must take over parenting. We must however, understand that there are severe problems in parenting, which have not equipped students with any direction in life. One parent households are now the rule in Sri Lanka, if you include alcoholic households on the one hand and those where one parent has gone overseas to work. One must remember that in many households the bread winner does not live in the family home, as he is working in a job that requires him to live in close proximity to work. They then only come home once or twice a month.

It is therefore imperative that values and achievable goals are built at the Primary stage. We concentrate on teacher training for Secondary Schools, not realizing that the Primary stage is equally as important, and tools that teachers need to instill discipline and a work ethic are different. Just throwing unemployed graduates to the Primary school sector is wrong, as those graduates are also products of a failed system, following courses in the unemployable sector, not equipping them with the skills needed. Their worst ideas handed to their charges, who continue the cycle.
The problem in this NEP(National Education Policy) is that it has been devised by educators only, without reference to the raw material (students) themselves, looking at their backgrounds and the expectations that have been made for them.

The project is likely to result in a further deterioration in the standard of Education. Without reference to overseas examples, we should concentrate on Public Free Education up to Secondary Level. Some arguments are similar to that of the Public Health Sector, where the considerable resources that go into the training at huge State expense are lost to the Private and Overseas Sector. The dynamic, quality and innovative teachers feel the public sector fails them, with politically motivated transfers, including unqualified Principals demoralizing the ambitious teachers.

The structure of politicization must change first, before we are able to get the best into the Teaching Profession. When a school dropout can join the forces at age 16 and receive at least Rs20,000 a month and be fed and housed to beat, where his whole wage goes into his bank account, when compared with a trained graduate teacher who at best gets the same but at age 30 after a 4 year degree and a further 2 years at teacher training, all of which he would have to find subsistence for, who would opt for the latter? Worse still this teacher would be assigned to a rural school with no facilities and difficult to reach, where the teacher would have to find accommodation, usually of a poor quality far from home. The incentive to teach therefore is secondary to wanting to go home to the kids each weekend!

Real life issues do not get an airing in Parliament Select Committee by Experts, who are cozily unaware of the ground situation in their ivory towers. Until wage anomalies are solved and the profession gains respect, much in the way it was over 50 years ago, nothing positive can come about. The recent budget highlighted the fact that the real wages of teachers have fallen the most, over 4% in the last year. The forces were given a 10% wage hike along with other government servants, which does not apply to teachers. It is true the quantity of teachers makes the teacher student ratio 20:1 which is excellent by any criteria, but it hides many ills, which are swept under the carpet just as the 95% literacy rate hides even more ills of the system. No person of ability wants to go into teaching under this background

We must face facts that the quality of Education in Sri Lanka has fallen to a new low and no amount of tinkering can raise it until the fundamental problems are even addressed let alone solved. I cannot see any solution in sight, and therefore I can only sadly conclude that Mr Grero the “Greate Educator” that he is, is falling into the same trap of convenience and opportunism, where he could have better fought the good fight for change from without, rather than from within.

Education a new dynamic! Is he a red herring? Should we take him seriously?

2011-12-02T16:52:00.001+05:30

Mohan Lal Grero, the UNP MP for Colombo District and the Chief Organizer for Ratmalana, crossed over to the Government Benches on Wednesday November 30th the day after he had marched against the Government in Hyde Park with his people as part of the UNP rally. In his speech, prior to voting with the Government he specifically said that he was 55 and he wanted to serve the people before he reached 60, at which age he felt he was not useful for constructive performance.

The implication is that by crossing over he would get a position, most likely that of Deputy Ministe in Education. On 2nd December 2011 the President announced his appointment as a monitoring MP for Education, much the way Duminda Silva was for Defense. This does not carry with it any teeth or power, so I wonder whether this is till the new Cabinet of Ministers are announced after a reshuffle post budget.

Mr Grero has pledged to devote his wealth and capabilities for education. He is the owner of the string of Lyceum International Schools, and he is also being investigated for under reporting student numbers in his schools and accordingly is being investigated by the Inland Revenue for paying too little taxes. Undoubtedly this investigation will be held in suspense now saving him some worry from unreasonable tax demands which he can then instead directly donate to Education.

I then question whether he is the best person for the job, on the assumption that he will be given either the post of the Minister of Education or the Deputy. It is a different cry from running an International School to one of running the State Education sector which has a different set of problems. I do believe his level of knowledge is adequate, but his overall view on Public Education is compromised by him being an owner of hugely successful private education establishment. Mr Bandula Gunewardene also had a personal interest in Education in that he was a lecturer and owner of a Tutory providing the shortfall of the education sector.

I am not pessimistic about the prospects but I sincerely hope that the importance of Free Education is truly appreciated. Public Education in the primary stage for all who want it is the need of the hour. This sector to be successful should not require the services of tuition classes. If we can get the teachers and the students motivated to learn that which is required for the future, then I believe we can truly say we have entered into the realm of a country where all our citizens have a basic knowledge, enough to take us to the next level. It is my hope that those who truly value Education and know its benefits can impart the true trick of learning to the kids all around the country whose whole future can benefit by more knowledge.

Tertiary Education – a Policy Shift – as evidenced in the 2012 Budget

2011-11-29T16:16:00.000+05:30

The government appears to have made a very concerted decision that it is not their Business to determine the future of Tertiary Education, and that the Private Sector should henceforth let market forces determine the resources, quality and direction this sector should take.

With this broad based idea, the Government intends to set the standards and guidelines with the Private Universities Act earlier rather than later in the New Year. No amount of agitation from students in the state system is going to let them change this view and the steps they intend taking to make sure it happens. The government has also decided it seems to me that it can no longer give into the demands of University teachers whose tenure and inflexibility cannot change them from being old fashioned thinkers who are unable to think outside of the box but are merely agitating to protect their turf. Therefore they have no objection to them leaving the service or going overseas to follow their calling.

This attitude has its merits, if we take the position that Public Education is almost irrelevant in the scheme of things and that only the Private Sector can provide the needed shortfall of human resources in the Economy. If you take that attitude as the government seems to, then the Graduates from the public sector can only be given government jobs, not that they are capable of doing them, but that the private sector will not hire them. They have a better resource pool from those who have a proven qualifications in Private Education and have sacrificed by paying for that education, and are therefore more committed to their subject and vocation.

To me it is a radical opinion, that will gain traction amongst people I speak to in the private sector, who are bent on competing in the International Sphere with other countries. They are convinced the Public Sector is just incapable of providing the raw material, so why waste more money on this product. Of course there are some exceptions such as some courses offered by the University of Moratuwa in Katubedda, that produce some highly sort after Technology and Maths graduates.

We then come full circle to the realization that something obtained free is not valued, and the financial commitment that a Public University student puts into his degree is for all personal expenses other than tuition. These students have a mistaken belief that they are the chosen few in society and are therefore owed a job in the state sector full of the perks and titles that come with it. The way round this is for these students to get a dose of reality at the time of entry into University so that they will follow a different thought process during their undergraduate years.

The Act giving permission for the establishment of Private Universities

2011-11-24T11:56:00.001+05:30

Today there are 75,000 students enrolled in State Universities excluding the Open University and those following External Degree Courses which are also qualifications given by the State. Each year 17,000 Bachelor’s Degrees are awarded by all State degree awarding bodies including those of Open and External nature.

A further 75,000 follow courses, not always leading to degrees, such as diploma awarding institutions, Aquinas University NIBM, CGTTI and even the diplomas and lower qualifications offered by the Open University and other state sources. Some students once they receive diplomas, go on further to complete degrees if they so choose as they receive exemptions and course credits so to do. These courses are fee levying and possibly subsidized to a lesser degree by the state. The UGC(University grants Commission) has some input into either licensing or approving the diplomas and degrees so awarded by way of input.

In addition there are approximately 100,000 students following various degree courses in private institutions, accredited or not with overseas universities. They exclude the further 300,000 students who follow diploma, CIMA, CIM, CASL, AAT and various other courses some that are better recognized by employers than State Undergraduate degrees and others less so. This latter population I would refer to as the private sector of tertiary education. This group does NOT undergo any state supervision, regulation or certification. Ironically the Private Sector in my experience is better able to gauge the quality of a certificate from these bodies over those of the state ones, and all the above are almost exclusively taught in English and awarded in English. We must remember that there are billions of rupees spent by the people, which employ thousands of teachers, full time and part time in this tertiary education sector. It is also possible that some teachers in the public sector also teach in this sector for additional remuneration, by moonlighting!!

In this background the Government is about to introduce a Bill in Parliament to establish some norms for the latter sector that I referred to. There will obviously have to be definitions of what constitutes a University, a Degree and so on, and in that context about half of the Private sector tertiary education institutions are likely to be excluded from the bill. For example the CIMA qualification is likely to be excluded, as it is a completely independent body clearly aligned to the UK parent body, which sets the exams does the testing and monitors the standards.

I presume that a swathe of institutions that offer courses, some of them providing 2 out of a 4 year degree, where the balance has to be completed at the overseas mother institutions will be included in the bill for regulation or standardization.
Yesterday a newspaper reported that FUTA the federation of University Teachers who are battling for a pay raise, have condemned the setting up of Private Universities, making clear allegations that third rate institutions have set up shop here offering courses, and that neither Harvard, Cambridge or Oxford have set up campuses here. They must be dreaming if they think that as the likes of the top 10 universities of the world are not present in Sri Lanka, then they should be banned, when the best Public University in Sri Lanka is world ranked in the 500 range.

In reality their beef should be that by using the private education escape route the government has made a policy decision to promote Private University Education, so that they will take the slack, and fewer resources will thus be required from the State for the Public University system. This abrogation of the rights and resources for the Public Sector, is what needs to debated, rather than the merits or not of the Private Tertiary Sector which is thriving in Sri Lanka and should not be messed around with. Some form of basic regulation of these establishments so that people spending money are not duped by fly by night operators is all the state should be take responsibility for.

There was a recent protest by the Medical Students against the Private Medical College in Malabe, accredited to a Russian University if I am not mistaken. We know the outcome of this battle in advance as they will be permitted to operate, but abide by some basic guidelines to ensure that minimum standards are adhered to. After all if we permit students to go to any University Overseas to get a Medical Qualification if they have the means to support themselves during the study period, why should we prevent the same from happening in Sri Lanka!!! The overseas qualified doctors have to sit a special exam in Sri Lanka before they are permitted to practice as doctors here, and in the worst case these same local privately educated doctors should be permitted the same privileges. Remember their Medical Qualification is not being awarded by the State University System.

Given the aforesaid setting in Sri Lanka, I suggest all those young people and tertiary sector teachers, agitate for more directed spending for Public Sector Tertiary Education. They should identify the weak areas, the needed areas, the areas where the demand for skills is greatest. In the interest of social justice, those who come up the hard way, by way of scholarship or bursary due to their disadvantaged backgrounds, must have a chance in this system to attain their goals.

We must face reality, and achieve practical goals, and not compromise the free education ethic, but take out the ‘FOR ALL’ as far as Tertiary Education is concerned. No country can provide free education for all who qualify!

Primary and Secondary Education another take! World Bank reported that Sri Lanka has the lowest public expenditure on education 1.9% of GDP

2011-11-24T11:56:00.000+05:30

It is important to revisit what the principles of ‘Free Education’ are. Then to look at the reality and suggest practical means to achieve the objectives set in the midst of a serious resource shortage in the Public Sector.

Education and Health are at the cornerstones of a civilized society, which wishes to improve the quality of life of its constituents. In Sri Lanka we are privileged to have both Universal Free Education and Health Care enshrined, if not in the constitution, as a right that is protected fiercely by the people. With severe constraints on the public purse both due to the inadequacy of the government to include a large number of wealthy into the tax net, and the need for public investment in infrastructure.

The resources allocated to Education and Healthcare has thus been cut in real terms. The safety valve has been the permission granted for the private sector to fill the void and take some of the slack, allowing the government to provide the needed services for those who choose the public sector or for those where the private sector is unaffordable. The left, namely the JVP in principle is opposed to the permission of a private sector, as they believe the public sector will be eroded and the human resource in the public sector will move to better remuneration in the private sector, with the public sector suffering.

Both ideologies have their merits. I will ignore the quality of private education as that is a choice of the buyer in the market place under conditions of free market supply and demand. We have to get real, and look at the present situation where I will concentrate only on Primary and Secondary Education. The public sector education is broken. There are 230,000 teachers who are paid by the state, both from Central Government and Provincial Councils for 4Million students. The ratio by international standards is not bad. The qualifications of the teachers, their pay scales and their motivation for their work are at rock bottom. This DIRECTLY impacts on the students who receive their teachings! How many parents spend billions on tuition, often paying the same teachers after school to give their kids a chance to get through exams, because the teaching does not take place in school?

So what do we do? This inadequacy has led many parents who can afford it to vote with their wallets, sending their kids to international or private schools, so that they can get a better education. Another set of parents, lie and cheat and pay huge bribes to put their kids into the best schools in the public sector, as they both have a better quota of teacher, better prospects after leaving school, and a much better resource allocation both by the Education Department and by the well healed Old Boys. We should then consider the options available to the majority who remain outside of these decisions. One must also consider the fact that with Royal and Visakha having 8,000 students each, acknowledged as the best schools in the land, have a per pupil cost that is comparably lower due both to the student numbers and also to the fact that huge resources have been given by grateful old boys and girls that perpetuate their prestige.

The government has a 1000 secondary schools program that it hopes 5000 primary schools will provide students, and to which more resources will be allocated. The intention is that these National Schools will reduce the pressure on the 2,500+ student schools, and also improve the quality in the provinces. Another fact mentioned in the Budget speech of the President was that only 700 schools provided science teaching at A levels out of a total of 2,700 Secondary schools.

Having stated the facts above, let us now provide some constructive suggestions to improve this situation. Where 50% of 300,000 students pass O levels and 50% of 200,000 students (include previous failures at O levels) pass A levels, annually.

The Minister of Education has just proposed streamlining students from grade 9 in choosing A level subjects. This in my opinion is far too early, disallowing the flexibility needed for late developers, and concentrates subjects that should at that age be far wider allowing for a breadth of general education as 50% in any case will be O level dropouts, who need a better breadth if knowledge in order to succeed in the technology intensive world of the future.

1 More resources to retrain existing teachers with less than 10 years service and bring in more qualified teachers in subjects where there are severe shortages.
2 At the same time we must address the huge weight of teachers about to leave the service in the next two years when they reach retirement age at 55 in order to join the private sector. This is a huge blow to the public sector.
3 Empowering the School Principals by carrying out intensive leadership workshops to give them a perspective of the real world that many in the public service seem to know very little about. They are the people their charges look up to. The ideas they can impart on the students will determine to a great degree the thought processes they bring to the labor market.
4 The competition between the National and Provincial Schools is creating an unfair elite amongst the National schools, that puts pressure on those schools to take in more students due to parental pressure and undue influence, owing to the belief that only these schools that have been given additional resources can serve their kids better. A thorough debate to direct only academically competent students to National Schools to create those who go into the competitive A level streams from those who go into productive vocational courses.
5 A clear set of guidelines to determine the 8+ or 11+ exams, marks, what a mark qualifies a student to get to, and the number of openings in these schools has to be debated holistically with what the objectives are.
6 A more interactive information flow between the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Skills Development and the Ministry of Higher Education to serve the post secondary school training of these same students, must be set up so that students have a real world understanding of what awaits them.
7 The teaching of English and IT to take on more than slogan based intent, and turn into a practical proposition with the assistance of CSR programs from the Private Sector. They are more likely to be goal oriented than the public sector that fails in performance evaluation. There is enough data from surveys like the World Bank project of ‘Transforming School Education in Sri Lanka – from cut stones to polished jewels’ 2011.
8 The English Teachers into the rural schools is the problem, both about the lack of their quality and quantity, where as some Urban areas have a surplus. Using existing data to make recommendations is what is needed. The tri lingual teaching intent as well as the new bi-lingual teaching programs all well and good as long as there are qualified teachers.
9 The school books provided by the government to students are quite inadequate in quality of content and relevance to learning, geared primarily to pass exams with little effort to teach knowledge and the search for knowledge from outside means. The world of IT broadens the knowledge sphere and with increasing IT use in schools throughout the land, the books must be geared to distance learning courses that must go hand in hand with even Sinhala based internet access to knowledge.
10 There is a serious deficit in morality and discipline and respect for elders in schools created partly by the elders themselves who have personal agendas that differ from those of the kids who look to them for guidance. This aspect of lack of respect for those who are seen as merely coming to school to mark time but teach after hours is very detrimental to the student’s work ethic and outlook. Improvements in perception is needed.
11 ‘The Program for School Improvement’ as suggested in the World Bank report No 35 ‘An impact evaluation of Sri Lanka’s Policies to Promote Academic Performance of Primary School Students through School Improvement and Report Card Programs’ did extensive surveys on implementation and has come out with useful conclusions that must be adopted Islandwide. They are not controversial, but mere common sense in trying to get parental involvement in their local schools, so that the ownership of the community schools by those around can fill some of the funding voids in capital expenditure, by volunteerism and self help. Do not forget the commitment the parents took to give of their time to provide security around all the schools during the terrorist threats to students. This kind of example can be extended to assist the schools at the local levels with the shortages to teaching materials that all schools face.
12 That follows on to the two hugely costly expenses for parents of students in public schools, namely tuition and transport costs. Both need to be looked into and as there is no peer review of the one area where most students learn, namely in Tuition class, it makes a mockery of the whole public education system, as it seems to fail them, UNLESS the kids also go for tuition.
13 Health and Nutrition of students must be at minimum standards for students to be able to study. If a student comes to school on an empty stomach, he or she is unlikely to be able to learn. Often it is because the alcoholic parent has consumed the family food money in drink. So there has to be community involvement. A government program to provide food and milk is too bureaucratic. These activities must be left to the schools to carry out in the most reasonable basis they think fit bearing in mind the specific local conditions. This should be extended to the agricultural plots to encourage the ethic of home gardening and learning about healthy eating habits all of which must be explained to students from a very young age.
14 Sri Lanka’s literacy levels have dropped over the years when compared with others who have raced ahead. That means that in relative terms it has not improved, and in that regard can be concluded that the country has NOT been able to improve their educational standards through time. This simply means that educational standards have deteriorated in relative terms. For a ‘knowledge hub’ this must improve!! Education is central to Economic Development. No steps have been taken to arrest the decline.
15 The skills required for Economic Development are undergoing a worldwide transformation. What is needed are a different set of skills that include “high levels of soft skills” and education should try and do so.
Conclusion

The above list is just the tip of the areas that must be considered in formulating an educational policy. The 2012 budget has allocated exceedingly obscene amounts of money to the management of the Education Sector. If these people given the task of refining or redesigning the Education Policy are not able to use the vast amount of data created by studies such as those referred to in the report, and come up with a master plan, then we cannot hope to achieve the ambitious goals set out in regards to Education.

Without the hap-hazard approach, of putting a sticking plaster on a wound, hoping it will heal, such as the intent of changing the O level syllabuses yet again from 2014, based on inconclusive evidence, so that students would be better prepared for A levels, we should concentrate for example on why students attend tuition classes.

A complete shift is needed in attracting good people into education, then paying them well, and training them to a high standard that can be constantly monitored. The use of new technology both in teaching and training teachers can increase learning rapidly.

The identification of the skills required in the modern workplace be it in Sri Lanka or overseas, where many of our nationals have to compete with, we must direct all the new higher paid teaching to this area, without compromising the current pay scales that are neither based on merit nor on unique skills. A more need based level of teaching will in the end provide the manpower of the modern workplace.

The quality of general education determines the productivity of employees and workers. This plays a central role in determining the productivity of the labor force and thus the performance of the economy. The global production processes especially even in agriculture has become knowledge intensive. Educational attainment is therefore positively related to Economic Prosperity of Households and Individuals.

More educated individuals work in better quality jobs, with higher earnings streams. In addition, educated individuals are generally better at making rational consumption and investment decisions. Fluency in an international language automatically gives a person a huge advantage.

Transportation Policy – Continuation of loss making state bus routes - an opinion

2011-11-23T07:36:00.000+05:30

A government as its policy of protection of the poor, may decide to subsidize loss making bus routes in the interest of equity and social justice. It is an admirable intention. It is important however that full accounting is done on the subsidy, how much is acceptable and how to minimize it by novel revenue raising ideas. Often these plans flow from the top, with no real understanding of the issues at ground level leading to a huge waste of state resources.

It is important to realize that rural routes, that the private sector does not want, are those where the roads are so bad the axles, and undercarriage breakdown owing to the parlous state of the road. A better road, may result in a private operator wishing to bid for the route, and thereby avoid the need to subsidize this particular route.

Another example is where the local school closes down due to few students making it uneconomical, and then a bus is laid on to take the village kids to the nearest town to a better quality school which has better teaching staff, and an overall improvement in quality of education and choices offered. This subsidy in roundabout terms does not cost more as the money saved from running an uneconomical school should cancel the subsidy to a certain degree.

Night bus services are uneconomical for private operators and therefore a decision must be taken on what type of night service the state should offer and in order to reduce the subsidy a rate that is fair bearing in mind the expected passenger load. This will save many garment workers from having to arrange for a three wheeler or for some companies to arrange expensive hires to send employees home, when they work late in the private sector. (no one works late in the govt. sector!!)

The people hired for this service may need to be at a different pay grade to the bus service that currently competes with the private sector, and which must run at a profit as the private sector seem to do despite the many added costs such as expensive route permits and bribery to get these permits. Higher charges can be offset by season tickets at much lower rates, so that frequent travelers are not penalized over the occasional one who should be able to pay the higher fare, a three wheeler being his nearest alternative.

In conclusion using some of the practical examples that I have been exposed to one can see there is a need, there is a solution, and it need not bear an unreasonable cost as long as it is properly planned and run as a different organization, maybe with even a smaller sized buses in rural areas that is distinct and safe for night use.

Only 3%!!!! A chance foregone in the Budget! So there you are!

2011-11-22T12:22:00.000+05:30

The budget was a neutral one with nothing of ANY substance. The most important point was fluffed. The 3% devaluation should have been between 6% and 10% as now when you have an inconsequential devaluation there is more likely to be flight of funds out, and less likely that funds will come in the light that there will be more to come in the future.

A 10% immediate devaluation would ensure Investors will believe the risk of further devaluation is minimized, and thus not repatriate funds. Those who held back waiting for devaluation will give an immediate spurt to the tourist industry reeling from the high cost for the visitor as compared with other options available.

Admittedly the down side would be the increase in cost of living from imports, but a suitable reduction in the taxes of imported items can always nullify this effect is so needed. Do not forget that imports of Sugar, flour, tinned fish, sprats, potato, B onions, dhal, green gram, corn etc are highly taxed and any increase in their costs have a double delight of increasing the price and thus support for local agriculture.

It is also noteworthy that the Central Bank DID NOT release the drop in reserves in September by nearly US$1B as it may have caused some panic out of the rupee and only disclosed it yesterday at the time the depreciation was announced and the drop in reserves for October and November was not that prominent. In my view this 3% devaluation is likely to increase the drop in reserves to an extent that Sri Lanka will not have any unborrowed reserves by the year end. It makes no sense to borrow US$1B from a foreign consortium and then include it in reserves as it is merely an accounting entry, meant to fool the unwary and not a real increase.

I know when one gets bogged down in budget preparations, these bureaucrats tend to lose the wood from the trees and forget the priorities that need to be addressed and the assumptions they make can be without any foundation, due to the inherent belief in their gut instincts and when proved wrong are quick to point to some world issue that has overtaken their closely planned structure.

All I would ask PBJ (as it certainly is not Mahinda Rajapakse’s budget) is to put himself in the shoes of both the foreign investor, the local exporter, the overseas worker who is remitting his hard earned money, what do they all want? A 10% devaluation would have instantly made all Sri Lankan shares 10% cheaper and helped dispel the current fears that the market is overvalued as compares with the stock markets of the other comparable emerging markets.

Dole Foods abandons Banana Plantation in the Somawathiya National Park

2011-11-22T11:31:00.002+05:30

The environmental website mongabay.com (http://news.mongabay.com/2011/1121-hance_dole_abandons.html) reports that Dole who along with a Sri Lankan company Letsgrow Ltd cleared 12,0000 acres of dense forest bordering the Somawathiya National Park, has now abandoned the project. That is all very well, and the Environmental Foundation Ltd, takes credit for this pointing out using Google Earth, coordinates, and park boundaries that there was incursion into the Park. However Letsgrow Ltd has still not abandoned the project and continues to operate. Do not forget that Letsgrow made a fortune by felling valuable trees when it cleared the 12,000 acres. These trees don’t look like growing there anymore or any time soon!!

Who is Letsgrow? Who are the principals? For want of second guessing in the Banana Republic, the fingers MUST point to high level individuals in the govt. as no one else would have been given permission in the first place to carve up so much land, when already, arable land exists in Sri Lanka for such a purpose. This whole project was notified to me over 6 months ago by a conservation oriented farmer in Polonnaruwa who was horrified that this was happening, and all the laws relating to encroachment into National Parks had been ignored.

I am very saddened that the Sri Lanka Press has not taken up this cause, performed further investigation, and highlight the wrongs, so that the public can take a stand on the merits of the investigation, so that if any laws have been broken, the perpetrators, be they Government high ups or ruling families, brought to book immediately and prosecuted for their actions.

It is important that NO MORE forest is cut. Already the Human Elephant conflict is causing the death of too many Humans and Elephants. So in a clear case of the potential to worsen this; the National Park contains 500 elephants who roam into the park to partake of its seclusion and security, we must try and return this land back to the wild. Common sense would dictate that if there is no elephant electric fence, this project cannot succeed as elephants love a Banana Plantation, as they can feed off every part of the Banana tree not to mention their love for the fruit. So what is the planned solution if an elephant fence was not part of the project?

I firmly believe we must set up a ‘Conservation Corps’ equipped with resources from the forces, to protect from the encroachment into all reserves. Encroachment is a daily occurrence courtesy of the government politicians both national and provincial with the collusion of the police! This Corps has to be independent of the State as otherwise its functioning will be compromised. It must also have teeth in order to swoop and enforce the law and not leave it to the slow courts system.

A level qualified students eligible for Universities and Vocational Training

2011-11-21T18:15:00.002+05:30

Is the President day-dreaming by stating the above in the budget speech? After all they have always been eligible, so this is nothing new. What he should have said is that the government will provide vocational training opportunities, first by seminars to ascertain skill levels and interest levels, and provide commensurate training at subsidized rates to all who qualify. One must be specific not vague.

I hasten to remind the reader that only 600 of the more than 10,000 schools provide science education at A levels, which restrict the choices of the students by a great deal, resulting in them taking subjects that are a waste of time for their future employment prospects. The main subjects that are taught due to the shortage of teachers and equipment in other subjects are Sinhala and Buddhist Civilization. Few if any of the students who follow these courses find these subjects useful later in life, and it is therefore most important that alternative more productive subjects are offered for the students to follow. There is NO POINT blaming the student for the predicament he or she finds him or herself in.

It is indicative of how completely out of touch the leaders of Sri Lanka are on the real situation, and the huge problem of matching skills with employment for young people. There has not been any implementation of constructive ideas to solve this gaping problem in the labor force. I believe if we put our mind to solving this problem many other issues will simply fade away. It is important to have an educated and productive labor force, who have moral values as well as a vision for what they personally want to achieve and a route map to achieve them. If they have that they will have hope and a lot of frustration, anger and abuse can be eliminated.

Parents still try to control these wayward young adults, looking to people like us in politics to find them jobs. We then have to deal with these ill informed, unmotivated aimless people who are begging for clerical jobs, as if they are the most valued, and that pay well. Any other employment that is found for them even with future prospects for the talented and motivated, is rejected!

Using the vocational training word and abusing it is not the way. The courses offered must be thought out very carefully. Take for example the Ceylon German Technical and Training Institute(CGTTI) in Moratuwa. It is tough to gain entrance to this establishment that has been running since 1960 and built with help from the German Government. It trains motor mechanics through a very rigorous course, which in turn is well recognized, and the starting salaries of the pupils who leave there with a diploma exceed Rs25,000 a month. Now a graduate can’t get that!! So after 50 years have we not been able to come up with Institutes to match that? That is the core problem.

What is more that qualification is sufficient to get immigrant statues to countries such and Australia and Canada, a prize worth millions to some! talk about vocational training set up to kill!!

Do not insult the word ‘HUB’ to make it sound like a ‘FIB’. What with Tourist, Knowledge, IT, Shipping, Aviation, Education, Health Care and now Legal

2011-11-21T15:57:00.002+05:30

The budget speech is now on a chamber without an opposition and the government members find it so boring they are nodding off. If the President cannot understand now that it all amounts to a hill of beans, he never will in future help it grow.

I have pointed out time and again that it is best to concentrate on our strengths and build a product, process or service using our comparative advantage without trying ambitious plans to be all things to all men, and then not succeed in anyone of them.

When one makes over simplified unreal statements in Parliament, we as a nation lose what dignity we have built because we have elected to positions of power people who prefer to hallucinate, rather than plan and execute. The Mahinda Chinthana has been a vision that has been hugely unsuccessful in its execution, and hugely successful in its ability to fool people into believing in its success.

The basic problem has been during the period of the Mahinda Chinthana in the past 6 years, UD$24B has been remitted to Sri Lanka by its citizens working overseas. They have made everything that has been done, and if not for the government helping them to waste their money or take it from them for wasteful projects, we would have been in a far better state of economic development. In short this vision has set us back from where we should be. Until that point is understood and any economist worth his knowledge will concur, that free money such as this should have been spent in a far more productive way.

In order not to insult our intelligence and making generalizations and abusing the word ‘hub’ by telling ‘fibs’ please concentrate on improving our education system all the way to graduate school, so all our young people will have a marketable and necessary skill by the time they are 24. They are the future, not ‘hubs’, as they will create the obvious hub, which will come naturally to this country.

Just concentrate on education infrastructure and other infrastructure will happen mostly with the assistance of the private sector. They will use educated people to maximum advantage. Do not forget there are over 100,000 vacancies in Sri Lanka without qualified people wanting to do these jobs, partly due to the govt. sector being a disincentive for productivity. The bad example set by their profligacy and bribery pointing all the way to the top must stop if we are to show what can be achieved by diligent hard work, common sense and sense of pride in our vocations

“The super highway experience” may it be exhilarating for the right reasons

2011-11-18T12:05:00.001+05:30

We enter the new world of super highways on November 27th with heavy anticipation, but would caution over enthusiasm and would recommend that one reads the report by the ‘Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport’ to realize that unless there are severe controls on who is allowed to enter, we are laying ourselves open to a ‘disaster waiting to happen’. I will not lay out their recommendations here but just to say that they suggest a slow introduction into the expressway, first for cars after a 10 minute training and certificate highlighting the main areas to be careful of, and then gradually introduce other grades of vehicles.

I must have clocked over 1M km on super highways all around the world as a driver, and have enjoyed speeds in excess of 200kmph in fast cars, and know how exciting speed is when driving a car built for speed. There are bound to many like me who are waiting to take their babies (cars are some of the prized possessions of our spoiled young men in SL today) and knowing the speed fiends they are, will likely end up in the wrong end of the stretcher. It takes a lot of practice to drive at speed, as there are so many things to consider. My commute to work in California was a drive of over 200km each way, and it was a pleasure to drive over amazing scenery and lands. Over vineyards, and tomato fields, over pistachio groves and apple orchards, over cattle ranches and citrus plantations, over strawberry fields and sea views into the gardens of Montecito and into the office in Santa Barbara.

Mercifully I was not involved in any accidents and collected a share of speeding fines. Now I do not even posses a vehicle to make the drive on to Galle. No matter I do not regret it as I know less than 10% of motorists will be able to handle the road and I must warn that this is not like any of the expressways I have driven on.

Firstly the width of the lane has been compromised, and reduced by 20cm. This makes it very tricky in driving at speed, especially when passing heavy vehicles, when the wind effect of passing especially on a windy day can unknowingly shift the vehicle too close causing a nightmare accident. Then it is the break down or emergency stopping lane which is also much narrower than international standards. This makes it extremely hazardous in passing a stalled vehicle, as the vehicle on the right is likely to veer to the right endangering the overtaking vehicle on the right lane, which has nowhere to go, except brake. In braking this has to be done very gently and carefully as however good the braking vehicle is the vehicle behind may not be able to brake adequately. It will even pay to test all brakes before putting a vehicle on to the expressway. Even one with good reflexes must be careful, which goes to the next problem which is the distance between vehicles.
At 100kmph a vehicle must be at least 10 car lengths behind, and I doubt our drivers have any clue of this basic safety requirement. This then flows to the inadequate knowledge of highway driving of the police, who in their usual tunnel vision are likely to penalize only the 100kmph safe drivers in well maintained vehicles and ignore the tailgaters, misaligned tires and unsteady vehicles. A sports car at 100kmph is perfectly safe in comparison to a sport utility vehicle even a new Pajero, which is highly prone to rollover at speeds. The sports cars are usually fitted with tires that are built for speed, whilst others are not and tire bursts at speed, especially due to incorrect inflation pressure can cause a serious lack of control, resulting in a horrific crash that can easily affect the safe driver.

The problems are made even worse by the innate inability of our drivers to keep to the lanes. This will become a huge problem as speedsters will approach a hogger who is flashed and will not understand why and then play a game of road rage that can cause a massive pileup. In addition, the new vistas created by a new road will make drivers wander with their eyes, something you just cannot do in speed in narrow lanes when there is traffic. I dare not even comment on the mobile phone and sms menace that discipline requires to be ignored at all costs. So what about the chauffeurs who would begging their bosses to take the new Mercs on the road to hell!! The owners must openly tell them that all fines, and loss of licenses are their responsibility and any damage to the vehicle is theirs too. I somehow doubt even that could sway ‘our prone to drink’ chauffeurs away from their bad habits.

Traffic police need at least 6months training in being able to control speeds and judge who the danger to the road is so that the truly dangerous drivers can be prosecuted. This very important area has been neglected so far and an appeal for immediate training is not unwarranted. There are no traffic police viewpoints similar to those in other countries where from a vantage they can immediately spot an errant driver and be able to stealthily swoop in and catch the culprit. I do not have space to go into all the aspects of law enforcement but just to say that common sense, something hugely lacking in the police force is the only way to ensure a reasonable experience for all.

I believe that fewer vehicles should be initially allowed on this road for a gradual transition into the new driving style. So a 6month period of 300% of the proposed toll charge would be a way to control the numbers using market forces. A leaflet upon entry for the first month highlighting these issues must be given to the driver and specifically asked to study this as an added requirement. After all we are doing our best to reduce the cost to the State of accidents, and it is better to be “penny wise than be pound foolish”. Happy Motoring!! Please share your thoughts.

I am in a fix, requests pour in. I want to help, how should we proceed?

2011-11-17T12:25:00.001+05:30

Most of the requests for assistance, both common and individual are difficult to comply with, but it is impossible to refuse these requests point blank on the grounds that expectations when dashed creates angst amongst our citizenry no matter how far-fetched or outrageous the demands are.

I am not a charity, I am merely an enabler trying to fulfill people’s cries for help, by prioritizing them, and directing them where possible, so that already existing structures can assist where as in others just a token contribution may suffice. In others we have to direct parliamentary questions as to why certain basic facilities have not been provided, and try to get the government involved in solving some of the pressing problems of the day, which we in opposition with few resources can even hope to solve. We can only bring to the attention of those who can help.

A teacher from a Madya Maha Vidyalaya keeps calling me wanting us to fund a ‘Two-day leadership program for the final year students’ of the school. He has worked out the cost at Rs50,000 but in our opinion he is grossly underestimating it, if it is to be done properly will cost around Rs100,000. There is no proper written plan as to how and what is to be contained in this program. In my opinion we must also decide what programs we are willing to assist with, as it is impossible to undertake all projects which we are asked to assist.

Education is woefully short of funds. Programs have to be privately financed as they are not within the purview of the Education Department. There are needs, some are indulgences of priests, they hope the faithful will lavish on them. We must prioritize who we help by identifying our main goals as it relates to serving the community, and direct assistance to achieving them, but ensure that there are sufficient financial contributions from the grassroots, who should take ownership of these programs as it is the people who live amongst them who benefit from them most and I believe anything provided on a plate is not valued by the recipients.

We in Sri Lanka have created a culture of dependence to which all politicians past and present shoulder blame. Weaning them out of this can only be done gradually once they realize what is realistic and what is not. Further the level to which social service is an integral part of a politician’s life is not appreciated by those not so involved in this field. It is therefore very hard to be an honest politician who wants to get power to make a difference, as he does not have the wherewithal that a dishonest one has to fulfill this long list of wants. Power is the only way we can make a difference to the lives of our fellow citizens, if we are NOT philanthropists.

Whose responsibility is it to provide jobs for all unemployed Graduates?

2011-11-15T16:37:00.000+05:30

There was a statement that 80% of the 40,000+ unemployed graduates are women. Secondly they maintained that according to the Mahinda Chinthana jobs were promised for all the preceding years to these graduates, which have not been forthcoming, and they have commenced agitation for jobs.

How is it may I seriously ask does a person go into a degree course in a University, expecting a government job upon qualification, if they have not already found a job? If that is the mentality of following a course at University, then we are in a serious problem as a country. This government won the election on many promises and one of which was the promise of jobs for the unemployed graduates.

In a hugely bloated state sector realistically jobs shed should not be refilled, or only when alternate state sector people are unable to be placed in them. That way people will not be made redundant. However when it comes to recruitment then only the truly competent should obtain the position, not just another slot for an unemployed graduate. It must be remembered that there is an alarmingly large trained teacher shortage. This requires to be filled, and not all unemployed graduates are capable of going into teacher training posts.

The large number of female unemployed graduates arises due to different needs they have that make them inflexible in their job search as they are less willing to live out of home and require employment close to home, which in practice is not possible. Steps must be taken to look at the true list of those actively searching for work amongst the unemployed graduates. They are the people who should be assisted first by gathering them into a seminar on how to find work and perhaps wean them from this desire to only work in the state sector and persuade them that waiting for a job in this sector is a complete waste of talent and energy trained at state expense. It is not the duty of the government to find them a job.

The unemployed graduates association should work closely with the government to come to a rational basis of discussion, that will look into the aspirations of these graduates and try to fill these in a practical manner with productive employment not necessarily in the state sector. I believe this communication is not taking place.

The most important task is to convince graduates that the employment market is theirs to search, and that it is not the responsibility of anyone to find them employment. The Government knowing the resources available in the pool of unemployed should make an effort in matching this to the needs in the state sector.

Religious Education – Why is it compulsory only in Sri Lanka?

2011-11-11T12:04:00.002+05:30

If you intend to sit for O levels and A levels that are set by the Department of Education in Sri Lanka, that is for 90% of students at present, you have to choose a religion for O level. What is more you have to sit it in either Sinhala or Tamil. Choosing to write your Religion paper in English is not permitted, even though many Christian and Catholic Sunday schools teach it in the English medium.

I sat my O levels, over 12 subjects, in England and I did not choose Religion and I did not have to either. Instead I chose subjects like Navigation as I was in the Naval Cadet Force, which was more relevant. You may say I am biased, but not for a moment do I claim that my education was lacking in any respect, it just taught me to realize how little I knew and how much more I had to learn to be someone who could contribute in some way to the betterment of those around me.

My series of Blog entries on Education did not touch on religion, mainly because I want to bring the point to the debate, that it is a personal matter for the student and his family, and should not be taught or at least have a public exam on, in schools. Sunday schools, Daham Pasalas are an integral part of Sri Lankan upbringing and should be encouraged at every step of the way. I ask are we so bad at instilling religious values on our children that we have to force them to take an O level in it?

Can anyone tell me how with all this we have fallen to such depths of moral values in Sri Lanka in comparison to many countries we love to hate? True religious values should have deep meaning in our everyday lives and how we live it, and learn to overcome hatred by first removing hate from our lives and then trying to show love to others, who’s hate can also be conquered. Have our morals dropped because religion is forced and not nurtured?

Compulsory religious instruction, just like all the other subjects appears to force students to learn to pass exams, and not to appreciate the subject. Using that logic, I would say it is destructive to a young mind to force religion in the first place, as it is exams they think of. I believe the parents are abrogating their responsibilities of child-rearing to let the schools take over this subject, which is better taught in a place of worship such as a Daham Pasala or Sunday School in the Church.

I went to a charming historic temple on a rock in Divulapitiya where the teaching of Buddhism in a Daham Pasala could be in ideal surroundings, under the trees in the quiet of the place. I was horrified when the young Chief Priest within a few minutes presented the plans for a 4 floor building to teach the Sunday Daham Pasala, which looked like any school room, indicating to us some assistance would be welcome.

So now even these seats of religious instruction want to look more like classrooms, for what purpose may I ask?

We have to start from the beginning in terms of Education - we are not as literate as you think!

2011-11-07T22:36:00.001+05:30

In the series of blog entries on Education, I have concentrated on the Primary and Secondary sectors as I believe that until we revamp the basics, we cannot hope to aim higher. All the talk is of getting a technologically savvy workforce conversant in English. We can only do this if the foundations of Mathematics and English are laid, and this is done as early as the Primary levels. It is actually quite easy to use new teaching methods and even use new technology in places where there is a dearth of teachers to interest our youngsters in these two basics. There are so many computer techniques where children in catchment areas can be directed to with these computer facilities when English and Maths teachers are at a premium.

There has really been NO investigation into this possibility, even though many schools have computer labs, that tend to teach computer studies to the older students, before teaching video based instructions of the subjects I referred to earlier. I was at a function in Badalgama yesterday at the northern edge of the Gampaha district, where we presented 5, 120page exercise books each to 150 disadvantaged children, accompanied by their parents. Remember their text books are provided FREE by the state. At that gathering one of the speakers reminded these youngsters aged between 7 and 14 that even A levels were insufficient, and that they would have to get degrees if they were to find employment.

The reality is far different. In this sample of 150, disadvantaged kids, in that their parents are not financially particularly well off, I would hazard a guess and say that possibly 2 or 3 will go into University. It is primarily due to the lack of facilities and also when they get to University age, the openings in the Arts Faculties for those with good grades in the usual subjects taken by them would be even fewer.

The basic grounding in the three R’s is also lacking, so all effort should be to improve those skills first. The advanced students in such schools do not amount to more than 10%, and can be fast tracked into the best schools in the District, whilst the rest get a good basic education. The aptitude of students is what is important.

Though the country boasts of a very high literacy rate, it is shameful to rest on such mistaken laurels, as it does not mean a thing. The attention received by these kids is so abysmal that in this area, students at 14 can barely read or do their sums, and we expect them to choose A level subjects. It is as if the management of education does not know the ground situation. They almost exclusively base their decisions on the Colombo school sector, which is on a different plane as compared with the outlying areas even in the Western Province which the schools are in.
With the decentralization of schools, there is utter confusion about which are centrally managed and which are managed at Provincial Levels, and with the 1000 schools program whose intentions are honorable, but implementations disjointed, the confusion is exacerbated. I am for the management of education centrally where the subject can be looked into holistically, as the decentralized provincial mentality is not suitable to setting policy and implementing it due to the lack of trained personnel and the waste of good teaching staff in the administration of Education, which they are hopeless at.

If Education is managed centrally and only action plans delegated to individual Districts with goals set for each district as far as minimum standards are concerned they can then be measured objectively and corrective action taken with the resources available to the Central Government. One very important aspect is the lack of a clear understanding in Education by the education departments subsequently to their being managed by the Provincial Councils. There are no education experts in the Provincial Councils, and it is incumbent of the Central Government to supply the skills needed to identify weaknesses and implement corrective action.

In earlier blogs, I referred to the need for the closure of a few thousand schools due to few students and the costs per student being high, whilst basic facilities were not available there. If this were done, resources can be released to implement the proposals. I will not delve here on the teacher and skill shortage, as I have dealt with it at length earlier, but I reiterate this gap as one that has to be independently filled while the education policy is being discussed and revamped. The increasing intake of teachers will only come into the sector in four years at best and so the other aspects of identifying the capabilities of students, and setting realistic goals for them in their respective schools bearing in mind their resources will go a long way in making sure that the time of the students in schools is optimized.

Sri Lanka is fortunate in that unlike in Western Countries where parental interference in their children’s education is driving teachers away, it is internal politics that is doing the same thing in Sri Lanka, which can be minimized. When transfers, promotions, and expectations are transparent, then favoritism, witch hunts and unfair treatment become less of a problem.

I know there is a very dedicated carder of Teachers who must be encouraged, properly recognized and examples made of for others to follow. We can then reach some of the goals we set, minimal at first but ambitious later to give our students a truly complete education to take responsibility for their future and well being.

Let us fight the new Education proposals which will take us backwards

2011-11-05T17:18:00.000+05:30

I have explained at length in a few blog entries last month about the real problems in education, and while none of the main ones are addressed more headaches are thrust upon the beleaguered sector by a government lacking in any common sense, with people more concerned about their self worth over that of the students are about to impose a draconian measure not relevant to our current system.

In short they want to teach Accounting at grade 9 to take them up to O levels, when in my time we did not even have it at A levels and I am a chartered accountant damn glad I had a wide breath of education. Just imagine what an idiot I would have become if I studied accounting at O levels. I would have no life other than accounting, poisoning myself before attaining 30. Why is the Minister of Education driving people to an early grave.

It is a breath of education we need as the overwhelming majority of our students do not go past the O level stage, about 70%. The weakness apparently was that those at A level stage found the subjects tough! So it would be better to give them a grounding in those subjects a further 2 years earlier. What about the 70% who will leave with no general knowledge. They will not be able to enter education later and study for the needed qualifications that go along with the vocations they choose once they leave school early, due to inability to continue. This inability is not their fault it is simply that there are insufficient teachers to cater to their special needs.

I repeated ad nauseam about what is needed. It is a 50% increase in the teaching carder which will take about 10 years of investment to achieve anyway. Changing this syllabus in a year will put further pressure on the existing teaching staff, leading many to give up the profession due to the stresses involved. Does the Education minister realize how stressful state education is that goes along with poor remuneration and awful working conditions?

Given the rationale above I sincerely hope the Education Minister takes a complete U turn admit the failure in the current system and go back to basic education so we can train our citizens to be useful members of society no matter what level they study up to and please try and make sure we have enough teachers to give these students a grounding in subjects. We can only guess how many budding great scientists and mathematicians, as well as farmers and motor mechanics we are actively preventing from being recognized, due to the current system. We must give the opportunity to all, not just a fortunate few who are able at the young 14 year age to decide and make life changing decisions and thereby also succeed.

Hiding behind seniority to attack political interference compromises “Merit”

2011-11-04T05:47:00.000+05:30

The use of Merit in so far as it means the best person for the job, is a distant dream in public service and in the political arena. In the private sector, it is increasingly seen as a prerequisite for performance, as otherwise the organization may perish. This influence comes mainly from multinationals that have a very competitive system, where promotions are only on merit, and those who do not get promoted, know that their ceiling has been reached, and they either decide to languish or quit.

One would exclude private family owned companies, where family members decide to be the chiefs and they have favorites or trusted aides in positions below theirs to ensure control. There is an element of merit here but once the glass ceiling is reached one knows there is no more climbing. The more mature private companies will recruit and promote on merit as they know that is the only means of longevity, and then the owners will merely be the shareholders of the company on a non-executive basis, leaving the professionals to run the business.

It was therefore telling when the new first female Attorney General asserted that she as being the most senior in the department, expected to be promoted to that position, though as a woman she waited for the confirmation from the President in case he determined otherwise as the appointment was his to make. I wonder then whether she meant she was not the best! I suspect merit here did not matter to her, as she was only concerned if political interference prevented her from getting what she felt was hers for time served! This at a time when the Chief Justice, also the first woman was appointed more as a ‘yes woman’ political appointment rather than merit and moreover has her husband as the Chairman of one of the largest and also state banks in Sri Lanka. This conflict of interest, which should have resulted in his resignation in a just society, is swept under the carpet in an ‘unjust one’.

In essence, due to the level of political interference in the public sector, seniority is the only option of preserving sanity in promotion. If merit were to be used, then it could be construed as political interference by those whose seniority rights have been ignored. This argument then can be carried further to minimize conflict, namely to privatize state institutions that have no place in the public sector. They would be more efficient and hence economically more beneficial to the Nation.

The case for public sector ownership of ‘for profit enterprises’ is ONLY on the basis that management is appointed without political interference, namely merit. The case made here is a long way from reality in Sri Lanka, as jobs go to loyalists and most state enterprises are loaded with party faithful, being rewarded in style.

The society we live in – criminal activity is considered a normal solution

2011-11-03T14:54:00.002+05:30

Sri Lanka has suddenly become a country where violence and murder to achieve one’s ends appears to be a very matter of fact event. If one takes three examples to make a point. First, the murder of a successful businessman his wife and two children in the Udawalawa area, when they discovered who the hooded people were who had come to house to rob them. Then there was the sensational contract killing of a well respected doctor in the Karandeniya area. His assassins have just been apprehended and it seems it was part of the fight for channel patients. So even in the medical field death seems to be the only solution to financial gain.

I need not elaborate on the State sponsored violence within their own ranks, with the administration of justice at a new low as it pertains to those who are in Govt.

If this is permitted to continue, criminal activity will form part of the legislation that the Govt. puts forward to parliament which the now compliant judiciary will allow with not a murmur. Depending on your point of view the new legislation the govt. proposes to use underutilized assets is nothing more than daylight robbery of private property permitted by legislation. There exists sufficient legislation to deal with such property and so nothing more is required. The speed with which this is being brought in and the fact that the legislation will pass owing to the overwhelming control of Parliament means we do not know what is next for us.

The forced acquisition of private property will be next, and the rational used for choosing whose property seems very fluid, and so it is an attack on all opposition, in fact a draconian rule that is deftly passed by a sleight of hand with nere a whimper, as most people in the country do not even understand the current power of the state let alone the additional powers they seem to want to extract.

The examples show that there is a fine line between what is criminal and what is not, as well as to whom the law applies. The law is therefore not equal, and with the fading of the independence of the judiciary and the executive having complete control, more like a vice grip on the legislature, it is a Dictatorship of the worst kind that has been voted in by the people. I am not sure if they realized this when they voted for them, but giving too much power to so few people to do anything is grounds for a complete breakdown in all manner of decency and civilization. If we who are aware of this do not agitate and are not vociferous to defend the freedoms we should enjoy and have been grabbed from us, no one will. It is incumbent upon us to begin a nationwide campaign to raise awareness of the abyss that this country is heading into, because too many people who have unknowingly bought into it.

LEGITIMIZING CRIMINAL ACTIVITY - 'DAYLIGHT ROBBERY'- BY ACT OF PARLIAMENT IS THE ULTIMATE PRICE THE CITIZENS WHO ARE UNABLE TO THINK THROUGH WILL HAVE TO PAY FOR THEIR OWN INGNORANCE

Poverty is relative and Government makes statements that are inconsistent

2011-11-01T11:58:00.000+05:30

Members of the Government want to take credit for the decline in poverty in Sri Lanka by saying that 1.6million workers overseas send money to their relatives to improve the livelihood of their families while at the same time taking them out of poverty. This has NOTHING to do with the Government. It is simply that people are willing to risk life and limb to slave away in a foreign land to give a better life for their dependents. The Government cheats them maintaining an artificially high exchange rate, denying them about 20% of the remittances. They then are able to spend much less in rupees to buy their favored luxury cars and goodies tax free!!

Then there are 1.6million households who receive the Samurdhi welfare of Rs500 a month. This is due to them being classified as poor. I would contend that the cost of administering and fraudulent claims makes nonsense of this scheme and contend that the truly poor are not helped by this and is merely a vote winning ploy where the recipients expect this payment irrespective of whether they qualify. The old adage of “it is easy to give but difficult to take away” holds true for them.

I accept that there has been a reduction in the poverty. However it is solely due to the annual remittances of US$5B, which goes straight to the hinterlands take some people out of abject poverty. This has been the single main reason for Sri Lanka rising from the developing to middle income category. It is a indictment of the failure of government to provide a proper infrastructure for employment that has created this need. I have said this earlier, and I repeat that this remittance is akin to Sri Lanka citizens receiving a dividend from a US$150B trust fund invested overseas. In that context we are no different to developed countries.

What is important is to get people out of poverty and try to find permanent solutions to their problems. There is no point in making short term grants or assistance. There must be a long term plan to get and keep them out of poverty.

Assistance to the deserving is easily the most corrupt as everyone who does not receive assistance resents those who do, saying that it is either due to laziness or lying that they receive the help. The acceptable way to do this is to help people to help themselves by providing lasting income earning opportunities. It is better to show how to plant a coconut seedling than supply one. Most of the people who received coconut seedlings as part of the Divi Neguma program do not know how to plant it properly. Further they do not know if the seedling gifted to them is actually more of a hindrance. They should learn how to choose the best seedling. I want to know as a farmer, that I can choose the best quality seedling for growth.
The greatest challenge facing many developing nations is how to tackle real poverty, first by identifying it and then taking the necessary steps to take people out of it. Often poverty is due to ignorance, and to bad choices. It can also arise from a sequence of unfortunate circumstances. The trick is in identifying the cause and taking the necessary steps to alleviate that condition in the long term rather than provide a temporary solution. It is no easy task but must be addressed.

In the process it is now accepted that providing anything free is the wrong method, as the value of the gift is not appreciated by the recipient. In this instance it is better to get into a partnership where a certain percentage of the cost of something is made as a contribution if the other part is provided by the recipient. Then there is some ownership of the transaction by the recipient who makes a sacrifice. It is then more than likely that goods or services received is made productive. Waste of assistance is everywhere to see, as many grab something because it is free.

It is quite normal for politicians to take credit for something they had not hand in and often for policies of previous regimes. After all with long term development projects it is the next administration that completes it like most of the major, except Hambantota District development projects in Sri Lanka. The people and the readers therefore must ponder on this topic and make a judgment as to what they believe and who they wish to give credit to.

In the context of global poverty it is all relative. It is a state of mind. I have mentioned above that different forms of poverty require different solutions. If poverty is caused by the breadwinner being an alcoholic, which then affects his whole family adversely then something different is needed to make him understand the effects of his behavior on his near and dear ones. Sri Lanka has a huge population of disabled people who suffer in silence or are helped by their family.

The importance of disability is one dear to my heart after I became temporarily disabled due to an accident which was completely the fault of uninsured Cabinet Minister’s convoy vehicle for which they accepted responsibility but no liability for damages or loss of income. In this ironic instance it is the Government which directly caused my poverty in destroying my livelihood in an instant!!!

It is very important for us to tackle poverty from the bottom up. The poorest first. They are the most difficult to help. The help given them can lead to a dependency scenario which we must avoid, and doing everything necessary to give them pride in living is the only way out of this, and so charity must be used in a very meaningful way to help our society to claim a place in the civilized order.

Youth Recreation in semi-urban areas – “Let us show some sportsmanship”

2011-10-31T06:56:00.001+05:30

Late last morning, we visited a group of young people who were playing cricket in a public open space in a village near Gampaha. We were taken there by the local PS member from our youth wing who wanted to show us their current condition with a view to obtaining assistance in improving the existing facilities.

I ask the reader, if there is ONE public playing field in the country they know outside Colombo which is maintained? That is the problem. Let us assume we found the funds and completed the floodlit-volleyball court they requested. The electricity bill of the local community hall adjoining had not been paid and the wires removed from the Electricity Board. What guarantee and confidence can we get that despite funds being provided for facilities, the young people who use them will maintain it and take responsibility for even paying for the electricity use?

There is no point whatsoever in expecting an elected body to provide everything that is required unless the users also sacrifice in its construction and maintenance. This accountability, this private public partnership at the grass roots level is lacking. This sense of community that people all around the country keep talking about is lacking. It is easy to call the crowd to play the cricket game in the morning to have some fun and recreation. However no one can organize them to clean up the grounds, provide some order, cut the overgrown weeds or take responsibility.

It is automatically assumed that once a set of people are elected to a local government body, they would take care of those aspects. They just do not either have the money or time to look into the maintenance of each and every public area.

This kind of waste of public resources is common situation around the country, and until we know we are responsible for what we have and not someone else, nothing will change. Is it any wonder that donors are hard to come by? If I was willing to donate time or money or property, would I at least get the satisfaction that it was being put for the mutual benefit of a lot of people to enhance their quality of life, which is what community projects are all about.

I must also note the absence of females from this particular aspect of recreation, as they are generally not permitted from homes to play in public places except at school organized activities including sport. So this becomes a male dominated issue as it pertains to outdoor public playgrounds in the rural as well as urban areas. It sadly appears to me that once girls leave school they have no community recreation. It is of course different in Colombo, but it is the majority I refer to.

The crisis facing the Teaching Profession and solutions are needed urgently

2011-10-30T07:42:00.001+05:30

It was interesting and purely coincidental that my previous blog entry discussed leadership training as the first event yesterday was just that topic being implemented at a local school and I was fortunate in talking to two Principals.

I was astounded to find out that there are a huge number of vacancies in the school district that remain unfilled due to the lack of trained teachers, something I had already found out, but was more shocked when he mentioned the numbers of teachers due for retirement in the next 5 years. Though people can continue after 55 which is the retirement age, which I consider absurd, when a person is at his experienced prime, but due to this age many are waiting to hit it to retire as they are so fed up with the politics that has pervaded schools and they feel they are unable to do their jobs to the best of their ability.

We have to first address the retention of good teachers. We MUST find out the reasons for their wanting to leave their vocation and try and reduce the need. This is a priority, as once retired they either become tuition teachers and make a bundle of money or some other thing they have been dreaming off and are a loss to the education system. It is also more than likely that some of these best trained teachers join the private teaching sector further depriving the public sector.

Once that is addressed then my earlier blog entries on the need to increase the teacher training facilities and intake must take priority. They can work in tandem. When one looks at the problems facing the Education sector one has to go down into the root causes. The interference in transfers, the way promotions are handled, the way the personal issues of teachers are not addressed and the respect that teachers used to hold in society gradually diminishing are but some of the causes of this mess.

I have not seen any reference to this massive social problem in any form of media, which is an indication of their lack of awareness of societal problems due to the blinkers they wear, which is an indication of the paucity of their educational oversight and complete lack of qualification for the jobs they hold. Here is some advice to reporters in Sri Lanka. It is not the news you see that you should report. You can make news by going behind the news. There are NO good investigative journalists today. You can be the first. Delve into society find out what ails it and make the public and therefore the lawmakers aware of it and we can come out of this with a lot more satisfaction that we really did our bit for our society so that the future of our country which is what it is all about is protected and enhanced.

Taking responsibility and ownership of our lives as it pertains to Youth

2011-10-29T04:55:00.002+05:30

In my series of blog entries that have so far covered the gamut of education and vocational training all this as part of providing the foundation of knowledge from where our young people can take charge of the challenges ahead. Without the foundation it is difficult to get ahead. So what is lacking from this point?

I was speaking with a leadership trainer yesterday, who trains young people in giving them a sense of identity, told me yesterday how Nawaloka Mudalali, who only studied up to the 6th grade was able to build a business that employed thousands of people including countless doctors in his famous hospital. What that means is that it is not merely education that provides a means of employment it is also the attitude to work that is important. The first point to understand is one’s own strengths and weaknesses. Once that is ascertained then one can aspire to for a job in keeping with one’s abilities. Too many young people believe they are suitable for a job that their current knowledge does not permit them to do.

Under this theme the huge mass of unemployed youth covering the ages 16 to 30 must be provided with a realistic estimate of what they can do, what is available, and how they go about changing their knowledge to suit what is available, and then doing the necessary to get the jobs that are available. All too often it is the simple transaction of the parent bringing a completely irrelevant and badly prepared CV to me and asking me to find their spoilt know nothing son or daughter a job in a bank or some institution that is possibly the hardest to enter!! For fear of hurting their feelings, I just have to say I will do my best.

The worst part in all this is how ungrateful people are. If we fit them into a position in keeping with their abilities, they still think beyond that and are unhappy, and worse criticize us for finding them employment that pays too little and is beneath their expectations. It is part of daily experiences but it is hard to get them to understand their error in judgment.

In summary I believe all young people looking for employment today should partake in a seminar that is subdivided into different age and ability to groups so that their individual perceptions can become realistic ones. That done it becomes easier for them to face an interview, rejection and mental stress, and grow from their to achieve their individual goals. The lack of goals partly out of the frustration of not having a job is a universal problem that breeds resentment violence and social destability. We must do whatever we can to address these issues that are simmering in society without making callous remarks on the state of the nation by our leaders in overseas countries by giving them advice on how to live their lives, when so many young people in this country live in frustration and lack of direction.

Vocational Training where does one start and at which point is it relevant?

2011-10-28T07:58:00.000+05:30

In considering the structure in the previous blog entries of the secondary education, I was asked about where vocational training fits in, as most school drop outs are at pre and post O level stages, unable to realistically to follow A level programs.

Before we venture further it is worth remembering that half the teaching cadre in the state sector is quite unqualified to teach. They cannot be removed due to union pressure, and due to a lack of replacements, further emphasizing the importance of increased teacher training. Money spent on teacher training is NOT wasteful as it does not involve money being spirited in the form of commissions.

I would prefer that all students obtain the basics of being able to read and write, have a general knowledge on a broad area and numeracy and computer skills along with some knowledge of English as even a technician or a vehicle repair or service hand will have to read operational manuals and basic instructions only in English. This therefore means that teaching up to O level standard as earlier envisaged is appropriate. However due to the lack of trained teachers, this will not be possible for the next 5 to years until the resources are allocated here.

We should fall back into a vocational training class at grade 10 level at schools to prepare those who show little aptitude for O levels to choose from. Examples such as Agriculture, Carpentry, Masonry and Electrical, which schools could be asked to include, along with basic subjects for O level competence. After grade 11 they can select a vocational training institution such as we have in Godagama, where if they have a day job they can follow evening or weekend classes. Auto mechanics, Cooking and catering can be taught there. Schools are not the places for them.

The hugely equipped Godagama Vocational Training schools is grossly under used. I am sure that there are many other such places in the country. These places must hold classes 7 days a week and fully utilize their facilities rather than setting up new Vocational training schools which the Government is talking about to train the required 1 million workers for the hospitality industry. Governments love building, as it is money for jam for the politicians to make commissions. We must get out of that tendency and put all our resources and energy to training the right people who can teach the growing body of youth looking for skills. I have had people with CVs showing certificates in all manner of fields, but they are mere paper qualifications that do not mean a thing. Multiple short courses should be discouraged as it just creates a sea of good for nothing certificates. Skills required by the economy are needs to be filled, not all and sundry to cater to all comers.

Private Education at Primary and Secondary Level in Sri Lanka

2011-10-27T08:24:00.000+05:30

In a state that is now aspiring to a GNP per capital of $2,500 per annum this year, the Private Education sector in Sri Lanka is growing by leaps and bounds, along with the market forces of supply and demand. This is throughout the country and not restricted to the Western Province. I know of poor parents one of whom is overseas primarily to fund their children’s private education in the belief that it is the only way their children will get a good education today in Sri Lanka.

I am a product of private education throughout, and my parents had to make a significant sacrifice to do so. I am aware therefore of the rationale for this sacrifice, as they value education and note that the State sector is failing miserably. I have referred to this in earlier blog postings, where teachers supplement their income by providing tuition to the same kids they teach in the state schools. This is simply better off parents voting with their wallets to opt for private education in preference to state education, due to a whole host of factors, which include schizoid approach of the Government to dealing with this issue. They have simply lost faith. I know of parents who cannot speak English who send their children to International schools whose medium of learning is English and the exams their kids are trained for are the foreign ones from the UK. When I ask them why they do this they simply say that they have no other choice to ensure that their kids will get a good education. They further point out to the proliferation of private tertiary institutions which accept these results for their intakes unlike the University system in Sri Lanka that only accepts the local O and A levels.

There is one problem with International Schools. They are not regulated by anybody, and it is up to the parents to do their own investigations before choosing their suitability. There will no doubt be some bad apples that take them for a ride!

It is worth remembering that private schools, Trinity College, Kandy as an example are fee paying schools. They offer the Sri Lanka syllabus of O and A levels, but therefore are regulated by the Ministry of Education and must abide by many rules that state schools are guided by. In order that kids of poorer families also have a chance, then bursaries and scholarships is the only way to ensure some form of equity, to obtain a sprinkling of high quality students, from lower income households. I know for a fact that they are currently facing a dilemma, namely whether to increase the fee scales to attract a better quality of teacher to improve the standard of education at the school. If that happens it will be impossible for a greater section of the population, including some old boy’s children from entering the school. We cannot get away from the fact that “RESOURCE” equals quality.

Hap-hazard, buck shot, trial and error approach to reform of Secondary Education

2011-10-26T07:33:00.000+05:30

The Minister of Education has just announced yet another change to the O level syllabus, ostensibly so that students are able to adapt to the A levels! The compulsory subjects are one’s mother tongue. English, Mathematics, Science and Technology, Religion and History. Three additional subjects need to be chosen from the expected subjects at A level. These are expected to be taught from grade 10 as the O levels are done at Grade 11. There are two years to follow the subjects.

Those wishing to do Science at A levels must choose Biology, Physics and Chemistry. Those wishing to do Mathematics should choose Combined Maths, Physics and Chemistry. Those wishing to follow the Commerce stream should choose, Economic Science, Accounts and Commerce. Those wishing to follow the Arts stream which in reality are 90%+ students should choose a language which is other than the mother tongue or English, Buddhist Culture and Civilization, and Drama and Theater Studies.

Consider what this means? We are directing students at the 10th grade to a stream for their future education. Look around you. Do you honestly believe the students at 15 are able to show a clear direction in their field of study at A levels and beyond? In my time there was no Economics, nor Accounts or even Commerce. Should we insist on the majority doe three languages at O levels when they can barely manage with English? Why would those already taking Religion as a subject have to subject themselves to Buddhist Civilization as well? Drama and Theatre Studies should be more a general subject that is only optional for O levels.

In my view the basics at O level should exclude Religion, which should be taught extensively at a much younger age, namely at Primary stage, when kids are most likely attending the Daham Pasalas. My O level list for students would go as follows:
Mother tongue, English, Mathematics, History, Geography, Biology, Physics, Chemistry and one other of either Combined Maths, Commerce (encompassing a hybrid of economics and accounting as well) Drama, Art or Literature(of the language of the mother tongue) and a third language meant for those with a different mother tongue. This makes for 9 O levels which give a complete grounding necessary to all students. There is no reason once this breadth of subjects is chosen to also include a subject called Science and Technology, which is basically IT training, that can be taught at a younger age where students find it much easier to grasp computing and their structures of logic and reasoning. This proposal is rational and reasonable subject to the availability of suitable teachers.

Walter Isaacson’s biography of Steve Jobs – Notes ‘mortality motivated him’

2011-10-25T05:43:00.000+05:30

Think “Kalpanakaranna!” The attitude one has to the enjoyment of living, and knowledge that each day on this earth theoretically can be your last, is likely to energize the productive and innovative streak in us to perform to the fullest of our expectations and abilities, and not waste a moment in self pity.

We must be taught at a young age, how fleeting youth is. We should not waste a moment of our youth. However, I spend a lot of time interacting with youth in Sri Lanka whose attitude to life is negative. Society has given them a false sense of entitlement. They expect someone to help them. I have people who want us to provide them with sports equipment if they want to play, or provide them with a sports ground to play. They want us to give them jobs, and when we give them one say that it is not what they want! Then their parents come with the CV that would not have any place other than the bin, and say their kids must be found a job without delay as they have been committed party workers for three generations, and that this is the least one can do for that commitment.

These examples mirror the attitude, with the finding of government jobs being considered the prize goal in life. The need to excel in studies and obtain the necessary qualification for them to succeed in the future seems to be the furthest. There is always a reason why that is not possible. Usually, it is the lack of financial resources to follow the course of study. It is surprising that for young people satisfying their alcohol and smoking habit is considered in priority to paying to study for a qualification.

The question facing nearly every country on earth is how to deal with youth unemployment. I am more significantly pursuing the practical solutions to this problem in Sri Lanka, and what distresses me on first facing this is how the precious period of youth is wasted, particularly by many of our young men. I do not as yet come into contact with our young women, so am unable to comment on them, though I do believe they are more diligent in setting goals in life, but get sidetracked by the devious qualities of young men who attempt to distract them in that process, partly out of jealousy and partly out of peer pressure to score!

The youth of today have so many more opportunities than were available to us older people a generation ago, and I still live by a discipline of not wanting to waste anytime bemoaning the lack of time to carry out all the tasks I have set myself. It is better to be in a hurry than to hurry to be idle!

Education Policy - Suggestions for an overhaul Part 4

2011-10-24T07:21:00.001+05:30

continuation from the previous blog entry

One may ask, how I rationalize small class sizes with culling 4,000 schools? I said it should be done progressively with a plan, say 10 years. Do not forget Education is not a short term matter. We are paying a heavy price for some of the mistakes in the past decade and half. There is no issue with reducing class size of some of the schools put up for closure, but only go as far as O level classes where equipment and teaching can be improved without too much cost. Then the basics up to O levels can be taught. These schools are losing students so class size reduction is already happening. It is teachers of quality that are lacking.

Today, the one period set aside daily in every class in Sri Lanka for teaching English is wasted as most classes DO NOT have English teachers. English and IT training is a must, but despite the Govt. emphasis, has not got off the ground. This simply is due to a lack of qualified teaching staff. I don’t wish to belabor the point about English, when the President is talks of a trilingual nation. but this need of the hour is a separate project in training 5000+ teachers first by teaching them English and then teaching them how to teach students followed by IT, without any delay.

The Education Department then has to be overhauled by first identifying the objectives of teaching and restructuring the department to facilitate this objective, rather than the reverse that is happening. Political interference in schools via people in the department, as far as transfers and appointments are concerned deprives the students of consistent quality in their schools. The grading of the capability of teachers, and their suitability for the courses they teach is a very sensitive subject. Teachers are highly emotional people, the best of whom believe they are providing a service to the community with little reward either in kind or acknowledgement. The country is full of dedicated teachers toiling with little appreciation. That too has to change if the vocation is to attract the best in the business.

In summary it is obvious that the emphasis has to be on training new teachers and retraining the existing teaching cadre if we are to gain any inroads in the technology hub we propose to become. The best facilities are useless if we do not have the proper manpower to maintain and develop them. This is not on a politicians priority as there are no kickbacks for training the best to be the best.

If one makes the above proposal to the Minister, he would agree with you, but say he is not allocated the funds to carry out this activity, as the allocation seems exclusively for the benefit of people with last name Rajapkse. I therefore contend that it is incumbent upon the line ministries, if they are to avoid criticism to stand up for their needs and fight for sufficient funds to be allocated.

This series of suggestions is now finished.

Education Policy - Suggestions for an overhaul Part 3

2011-10-23T06:23:00.001+05:30

The further I delve into this subject, I get the sense that there is a completely different picture of what the laypman in Sri Lanka seems to believe about education. The use of our high literacy rate when we pompously talk about our attributes hides an enormous void in our education. Just think of the 10,000 schools in Sri Lanka, which I propose to gradually reduce to 6,000 for the sake of productivity. We only have 600 that teach science subjects at A level. That’s right only 600, while only 100 schools produce the annual entry into Medical College, considered to be for those with the best results Island wide. The question becomes do we help the best schools more or try to have science taught in 6,000 or just increase it from 600 to 1200?

The short answer to that is that we must learn to walk before we can run. Let us set up some realistic goals and try to achieve these such as by increasing the science stream trained teacher quantum so that more schools can teach science subjects.

I ask again to look at the A grades in A levels and you will find the majority in the following subjects, Buddhist Civilization, Sinhala, Political Science and Geography. They come to me assuming that they are thus highly in demand! Why is it left to me to burst their bubble? Someone should explain the facts of life!

In yesterday’s Sinhala paper, the Lankadeepa, an event where the Education Minister has supplied 3,100 teachers in the fields of Visual and Performing arts was highlighted. However what was not said was that this was a means to employ 3,100 graduates who have been sitting at home waiting for an appointment! It is easy to train them for a month and send them to schools. This is just adding to the problem, not reducing it, all in the interests of political expediency. From my knowledge the Minister is a highly accomplished teacher, who owns a tutory. He should know more than most what is needed to be employable. Why is he acting in this manner? Is it because he is just given a measly allocation of funds and told to be grateful for even that? I don’t know the answer, but the policy makers ‘suck.’

The free education system is no longer free, when parents have spend fortunes transporting children to schools, and then spend another fortune getting the school teachers to teach their kids after school at tuition classes. Do they not teach kids at schools? I did not go to tuition classes, but maybe if I had my grades would have been better, I don’t know!

Smaller class size plays a part in the quality of education, as teachers can give individual attention to failing students, who are now ignored. This is a category that requires special help as they now become early dropouts before O levels.

Education Policy - Suggestions for an overhaul Part 2

2011-10-22T08:44:00.003+05:30

(continuation from previous entry)

There are some concerns that the Grade 5 exam (shishathvaya) is too taxing on young students and should either be scrapped or delayed to Grade 8 or allow those not getting the required standard another chance at Grade 8 to get into a better school. While I understand that there is intense pressure to get into better schools and this test is a means to do so, I am not sure why a student who does well in Anuradhapura is then allowed into Royal College, Colombo and who then has to find accommodation in Colombo to pursue his studies. Of course if he gets into Royal most parents would move heaven and earth to do the needful to have him study there.

In my view the competition should be to get into the best school in one’s district and to have two or more district schools of a high caliber, based on the respective populations and promote them as schools of excellence. They should in my view permit entrance on merit, and to a degree on point scores depending on home, and connections to the school. Private schooling is completely independent and let the private schools determine an equitable mode of entry. I am concerned here on entrance into state schools. One problem is that many schools that are lower down on the level of excellence have fewer students wanting to get in, and thereby cause a natural decline in attendance. A structure of limited availability into the merit schools is the way to prevent these schools just increasing their parallel class sizes, another huge problem in Sri Lanka.

I refer above to the increasing size of the schools in demand, such as the one close to my farm in Godagama, the high demand Subharathi School which has not stopped building new classrooms since I began living there in 2004. I am also surprised at the school vans bringing students from long distances to this school, and the student numbers have doubled in 7 years, a staggering increase. There must be a commensurate drop in other feeder schools.

With school populations now decreasing, there is NO need for more school rooms or increasing the parallel classes of good schools. The emphasis should be on increasing the quality of the remaining schools, after the culling of the uneconomical village schools at the secondary levels. The emphasis would be on improving the quality of the teaching staff, which is also considerably lacking due to the automatic assignment of graduates to teaching. They if untrained are quite poor teachers, with a very poor motivational mindset for encouraging free thinking creativity and innovation. There really should be a crash program of training teachers to teach the subjects that are considered essential for the future, if we are to grow as an economy. It takes a while to train. Out of a training intake only 50% make the cut in the end though due to shortages the others also get posted, so these resources should be added to the budget today, and I sincerely hope that the opposition can fight for this in the debate and try to increase this allocation before it is too late!

Education Policy – A complete overhaul is long overdue – Part 1

2011-10-21T10:47:00.000+05:30

As a follow up to my last post on the paltry allocation in the coming year’s budget for Education, there are many aspects of this topic which includes Tertiary education that require a sea change. I will no doubt refer to different aspects in follow up blog entries, but let me start first on the subject of entry into schools.

One of the perceived steps to one’s growth and future in Sri Lanka on the circle of life is the school we attend. It is less so in the US where 90% of the students are bussed into their Public School (state schools with no fees) a few minutes from their homes in the now familiar yellow buses. The University is their determinant.

Those lucky in Sri Lanka will send them to a school of their choice due to the proximity of the home to the school or obtain the relevant points for entrance. Others have to pay, either for International or other schools, and sometimes give huge donations to the building funds, or have to obtain influence through a Principal or a Minister, while paying huge under the table money or kind for this deed. Due to the belief that the school matters so much in future life, the price parents are prepared to pay is high and the kids will also pay an equivalent price in commuting in cramped school vans for hours to get to and from school.

The flip side of this is that when a school is not favored it has few students wanting to go and they die. There are thousands of schools in Sri Lanka with less than 100 students and likewise with teachers who are also of a lower standard. There is NO point in pretending these schools can be resurrected as teachers with the best will in the world or higher wages will not travel daily and do a full day’s teaching. I will personally take you to schools in the Western Province in Kalutara District to prove this point. Educated parents therefore take their kids out of these schools

The need of the hour today is a complete evaluation using new technology, population census and birth rates to ascertain which schools must be closed, and divert funds to transporting students at government expense to the better schools. These remaining schools should then be developed into a national standard where parents do not find every devious mode to send children to Colombo. The teachers there MUST be given a higher salary than Colombo teachers! Controversial idea but necessary if this project is to be successful.

It is similar to the 1000 school program the Minister of Education has set out to implement, but needs further refinement taking the overall issue of closure of uneconomical schools into account. (to be continued in the next installment)

Education a Priority – Not for the Government though! What a shame!

2011-10-20T11:28:00.000+05:30

I was saddened to hear the President of Sri Lanka explicitly state in a speech in the Batticaloa District yesterday, that the opposition is bent on preventing the improvement in living standards of the people of Sri Lanka. In my opinion the quality of life of a person and his or her ability to better themselves in life depends on the level of education they receive and in that respect I challenge his words.

In looking at the current appropriation bill presented to the Speaker, the fact that the funds allocated for education are 15% of that allocated to the Ministry of Defense is a travesty of the worst kind and proof of the lie that the President appears to perpetrate to hoodwink the masses he seems to want to keep ignorant!

I come across so many CV’s of people today, mostly of youth between the ages of 16 and 26 and I find their level of education staggeringly below par, and shockingly unaware of how to obtain employment. Upon investigation, one finds that most of this is not their or their parents fault but of the whole education system in Sri Lanka that just does not have the resources allocated to them to train our people to even the basic levels.

I was recently at a school not half hour away from Colombo, to donate 30 chairs from an MP’s decentralized budget. I cannot think of a more ridiculous thing for an MP to be asked for such on behalf of a school, when the Government must ensure that the school has chairs for the pupils to sit on. I sat on a school chair during the course of the function and the speeches of thanks from the teachers, and I can honestly tell you my backside hurt from sitting on a school chair. I challenge Bandula Gunewardene, the Minister of Education to sit on these chairs for half an hour and then he would insist schools have basic chairs for students to sit on before providing any other equipment and then demand that the President double his education budget by cutting the allocation for Defense.

This “Miracle of Asia” is a pipe dream if we are not able to educate our citizens, first to be able to read and write in their mother tongue and then have the numeracy and English skills necessary for any job in Sri Lanka, except perhaps in a bloated government bureaucracy. Education is the best investment a Nation can give its people. It cannot be shortchanged, like the current road building program where 50% of the cost (all borrowed money) goes for the commission and bribe industry. We do not want a country with more roads for wealthy to travel on than brains the poor can live by and improve their quality of life. So please stop politicking and start governing, Mr. President you have had a long innings, but knowledge is bust!!

Grease Devils!!! the latest Avatar of "GUESS WHO?"

2011-08-13T15:29:00.002+05:30

I just had a text from Ada Derana asking people not to take the law into their own hands and hand over the Grease Devils to the Police and not take the law into their own hands.

What on earth is going on? Who are these Grease Devils? All I noticed was that in Pottuvil today a SLMC candidate had been killed, by whom was not all that clear and Govt. ministers had been sent to quell a possible riot.

It also seems to me that the Police are in the thick of it. So is anyone fair game? Innocent or guilty. We have been fed by a mob mentality, and rumor mongering. I have traced a number of incidents over the past three weeks all over the country and all this seems to be wrapped up in one word "Grease Devils"

The mob mentality is in full force now in SL far worse than the UK situation which is now under control. If anyone has a grudge against a person he is accused by his enemy of being a "Grease Devil" and the whole village then gets into the mob instinct of uncontrollable anger, without checking through the credibility of the accusation. They then effectively lynch the person to death, and as it is a collective action of the village the Police dare not take all into remand as it would start a riot. This seems to be the latest way to get rid of one's enemy by making a false accusation.

Now why is this happening? It is because people have decided that there is no point in making a police entry or complaint as the OIC who has jurisdiction over the area, will not take any action, especially if the accused is a politically connected person or a member of the underworld with police protection. I do not know the answer, though I know for a fact that the fewer entries made in a police station looks good on the OIC as it shows there is little crime in his area of responsibility.

Then in other cases the Police have been handed suspects, who the police seem to have released due to interference from a local politician, as the OIC is beholden to his patron the main governing politician in the area. The villagers then agitate, and go to the Police station to ask them to show the suspect they brought in the previous day, and when the police are not able to give a satisfactory answer begin to agitate, causing a tense situation.

With this latest request to hand over the suspects to the Police it is apparent that the Govt. is worried that the people will take the law into their own hands, and will do one of two things, namely, lynch govt. or underworld characters receiving state patronage, who need to be protected, lynch innocent individuals that someone does not like, and is accused by a person as having committed a crime, and roused the people to take the law into their own hands as the Police will rightly do nothing about the innocent being falsely accused.

What happens here to the Police? They are seen by the public as being the ones who release ALL be they be innocent or guilty as shown above, and hence their credibility has sunk to a new low.

The only solution to this is to ensure equal justice for all. Every accusation should be investigated thoroughly, as now people have got used to making false accusations and false reports, and only action taken thereafter. The problem for the police is that they have got so used to beating up people under their custody, that only the ones with connections get off, and then only the innocent get beaten.

The problem of the mythical GREASE DEVIL can only be solved if people are confident that the police will continue to administer justice fairly, and that no political patronage will be used to release the guilty. This is a very serious problem in Sri Lanka that is under reported for obvious reasons, and so the rampant crime wave in Sri Lanka rarely gets a mention, due to the involvement of the state, indirectly by its henchmen, in much of this.

It is regretful, that in a so called time of peace, people live in fear of their lives from the local criminals who hold sway, unpunished and unafraid. These are the real GREASE DEVILS who slime out of every criminal activity!

The effort just to get an application form to sit for a Korean Language Exam

2011-08-09T17:15:00.002+05:30

Whilst the scramble yesterday at Police Park, to get some application forms were in a media report, an in depth study of the problem has yet to appear. It is a multifaceted one and I will try to give the reader a view of what I see as the issues involved and which some of the young in their desperation for riches don't fully comprehend.

Here are some of the facts as I seem to understand and any corrections and further details from commentators will be appreciated along with experiences of some who have actually gone to Korea and benefited or disadvantaged by the this scheme.

The Govt. of Sri Lanka along with the Korean Govt. have for a number of years, come to some kind of inter govt. agreement on sending young people (men 18 to 39) to Korea on a work visa, as Sri Lankans have been by experience considered to be reliable hard workers, contributing to the industrial growth of Korea, as a result of a labor shortage of Koreans willing to engage in the same types of employment.

The actual number of those who leave every year vary depending on certain needs, however we understand that for next year 10,000 is the number that Korea has agreed to recruit from mainly A level qualified people. We do not know how many in fact will go next year and it could be as low as 5,000. Only time will tell. In order to qualify to go, they have to pass a Korean language test, which about 10% of the applicants manage to pass. Having passed the test is no guarantee of going, as over 2,000 of those who passed the test last year have not yet gone this year, and hope to be part of the 10,000 to go in 2012.

This program has been a boon to the UPFA government to dole out to their local representatives, who then sell their allocation for hundreds of thousands of rupees to supplement their incomes. (A Pradeshiya Sabha member gets a monthly allowance of Rs5,000)This further exemplifies why there is a rush to get elected even at local level, not for the sake of the country but for the sake of the person. In fact a few years ago, one of the men in the village of Ratmale where I have a home, wanted to go to Korea. He was told he had to pay his local Pradeshiya Sabha contact an amount of Rs100,000 to get the application form, and if he passed the test he could go. In fact I was asked to lend some money to him so he could pay this, and I would be repaid with high interest once he got to Korea! I am glad I did not get tempted as I was skeptical, thinking he was being taken for a ride, as he was promised the answers to the test he was to take, which he did not get and he therefore did not pass the exam and did not go and had to sell everything he had to pay this local politician, and in fact 4 years later he has not recovered from that mistake.

This real life example goes to show the desperation of the people for the money that is being dangled. I was told it is a salary of between Rs100K and Rs150K per month, for the contract period of 3 years. I don't know how the board and lodging is covered by this, as living in the West I know that if I were to have to find all this on my own and was to live a half way comfortable life I would spend all this on living and not be able to save any money. I would like someone who has gone to Korea to give me his own account of this aspect.

I understand that the Govt. has decided to give everyone who asks for an application, one in 29 centers around the country. Assume that 40,000 get the forms, then they have to pay a fortune to learn Korean going to classes. I don't know how much that costs. So if 90% fail that investment is gone! If the applications are now not distributed by the politicos, then the jobs are. So of those who pass, they will have to pay the politico who has the allocation, a fee, at least Rs100K to get in under his allocation, once he has passed the exam.

How much do you think the failures spend? How much to do you think those who eventually go have to fork out before leaving? How many do you think get jobs and conditions remotely acceptable to what they were led to believe? All these are answers that I would like to know, so that those who embark on this venture take this risk with their eyes open and not shut!

The tragedy of Sri Lanka is that we do not empower our youth to understand the opportunities available to them in Sri Lanka as it is not mapped out as easily as the carrot and misinformation of the jobs in Korea. There are jobs in Sri Lanka that are more suitable to these people but they have to suffer the indignity of enslavement in a strange country, in order to even hope of saving enough money for their future.

Get a panel of people who have been there done that to meet with the prospective applicants, so the information is disseminated to as wide an audience as possible, warts and all in order to make an objective assessment of the prospects of riches.

Its the system stupid - "The Need for Change"

2011-07-24T13:31:00.002+05:30

One only has to look at yesterday's election results to realize how broken our society is into factions of distrust. An abominable arrow of blame on the incumbency.

SOUTH

Excluding the Tamil areas of the North and East,there was absolutely overwhelming support for the Government. One has to assume they were happy with the state of the Nation. Despite Hedging losses, cost of living increases, faulty petrol and pipeline leakages, wholesale thefts, and thuggery coupled with poisoning of the nation and the unconscionable looting of the state funds by all levels of the State, people seem to accept that as normal, as now they have begun partaking in the looting in their own way. In short we have created a monster of a nation, whose values have sunk to a new low. Corruption has leached into all aspects of society, and everyone seems to want a part of it and as this Govt. is willing and able to comply why not join them. The South is impressed with those with the deepest pockets and the cleverest liars. We are impressed with monuments (no matter how white these elephants are) The populace, by which I mean the majority of the people seem to believe that all the ills are not the fault of the government and as cleverly portrayed part of a Western Plot to harm the country. It is a nation which does not believe for a moment that any war crimes were committed by the Forces.(No one denies the atrocities of the LTTE not even those in the North who actually suffered most of it) I dare say the Darusman and Channel 4 gave the ruling party an added bonus of votes.

In the above analysis I believe that the basest instincts of the voters,(FEAR) who feel the Government is defending this country from an unfair world out to get it and the opposition is complicit in this attack from outside is at the heart of the plebiscite in favor of incumbency. The Government intransigence against giving any basic language rights to the North and East is obviously supported by them. (I am firmly opposed to granting Police or Land powers to the Provinces)

NORTH

In contrast the North despite much voter intimidation and breaking of election procedures, expressed disgust with the Government. It had nothing to do with Channel 4, or Darusman as a columnist today in the Island and as others claim, just plain and simple perception that whatever the ruling party says, they just don't believe the rhetoric, as it must be followed up with words. The promises of riches in the form of business, roads, rail lines all amount to a hill of beans until the deeper issues are immediately addressed and tackled.

No amount of unaffordable Stadia in Kilinochchi will take away the memories of what happened and the word closure is something the rulers don't realize. It only happens when there is a mea culpa for wrongs, and justice prevails after. At present there is no acceptance that there was anything amiss in the Govt. actions, and they believe there is no justice either. Put simply, they want dignity to live in one's own chosen location, without intimidation and harassment.

Most of the people have come out of a terrible ordeal, whilst their basic food needs have been met their mental trauma has not. Everyone has lost a near and dear one. There are no procedures to obtain closure, so hope and titillation are carrots the Govt. dangles thinking they will fall in line like a line cows waiting to be milked. They have no one in authority they trust, few who speak the language, the gravestones of their relatives bulldozed over for conqueror commemorations. To add insult to injury the hoards of the local tourists going up North, has further inconvenienced their lives, as they have come to see a zoo or conquered territory, not one freed for them. It is they who have suffered through the LTTE more, they want to be free not replaced by another set of prison guards who speak a different language to the earlier set of prison guards.

Consider this; what if your child was forcefully conscripted by the LTTE, and then later died and all you got was a grave stone to mark where his or her remains lie. The conquerors flatten that over and put something of their over it. How would you feel? That in essence is what I am attempting to get the reader to understand. Until we have magnanimous leaders who have a real understanding of humanity, we cannot see an improvement. Remember the LTTE has been crushed, destroyed, why are we so worried? All we are doing now is creating the same circumstances for another uprising by this behavior. The current administration, after two years, still playing the war victory trump card cannot lead us out of this and have now shown that plainly. They cannot fool those in the North in the way they have fooled the South by fear.

NATIONAL RECONCILIATION

We cannot allow either the UPFA or the TNA to act as proxies for each side to build a nation. They are unquestionably Nation breakers, the UPFA with their current intransigence, racist hyperbole and patronising attitudes and the TNA with its LTTE ties that will always stick to them, together with their separatist agenda. We need a leader, hitherto not part of the visible horizon, who preferably can speak all three languages, and have a respected presence all around the island representing all communities for the common good of the Nation. Only that person can be called a Sri Lankan patriot, and not the bogus pretenders at present preying on FEAR.

I on the other hand have to retire to months of convalescence directly owing to the "Arrogance of the Incumbency" and thus I have been muzzled!

Summertime Media Blues

2011-07-23T09:28:00.002+05:30

The months of July and August in the European and US media is referred to as silly season, as there is not much news and journalists scramble to create media situations, some of which are purposefully set up to create sensationalism and ultimately sell newspapers.

The recent news due to lack of anything else to report has been dominated by the News International Scandal which has given enough for reporters to write about, and also includes a little on the Somalian Famine and Obama's struggle to get the Deficit Reduction plans passed.

Whilst we thought everything was hunkydory, out of the blue comes the Norwegian massacres which appear at first to be the work of a lone gunman from Norway. How on earth one person can be responsible for such carnage is beyond imagination, but it certainly has caught the imagination of the world news media and the international news outlets have finally put the spotlight on the ugly sleepy fishing village or capital called Oslo, home to some of the highest GNP per capita people on earth.

Sri Lanka like always seems to buck this trend in any type of media blues and has its own sprinkling of media events, from the Local Government Elections being held today, to the Arsenic scares, and Election malpractices in the North. Whenever there is a dearth of news you can bet that the Government creates news so they do not feel left out. Why they need this comfort is beyond me as they have their one sided media that pretends that there are no people other than those who wholeheartedly agree with the State. Such is the quality of the State sponsored media organizations, none of whom seem to care about ethics or media.

As one knows what is reported is as much news and what is not reported. One must also realize that many editors determine what is being written or broadcast and therefore exert a certain amount of influence in this regard. We are therefore guided to some degree in this aspect and must rely on bloggers to get some angles that none of the formal channels of media provide. It is also important to realize in Sri Lanka that there is a considerable amount of self censorship that goes on by the editors in reporting so as not to fall foul with the State which gives a certain amount of advertising revenue to enable some of these publications to survive.

Remember all media channel and papers are businesses and it is only the Government ones that can suffer an element of loss on account of the Government prepared to bail them out as needed.

There are many NGO type blogs around but whose credibility is compromised due to the funding sources and so individual well researched blog which are few and far between give an opinion based on certain in built prejudices.

Lets hope we can develop this individuality and make the blogs more popular amongst the ever increasing following especially amongst the youth, and get them to start a culture of blogging.

Butenis hosting the July4th celebrations at Jefferson House

2011-07-22T12:32:00.004+05:30

I am a short walk from Jefferson House, but I was not invited to the party thrown by the US Ambassador in Sri Lanka, Ms Patricia Butenis on account of the celebrations for American Independence Day. I am not sulking as she does not know me and have no knowledge of me, and under the usual protocol probably would not qualify for an invite. I probably have visited more places or States in the US than most people at the gathering including all the US citizens gathered there during my 15 years stay there.

As usual a controversy resulted. According to what Minister Wimal Weerawansa had to say in some event or occasion, he maintained that there is a conspiracy in the Western Nations to gather our youth for another anti patriotic conspiracy against Sri Lanka.

Apparently what prompted this outburst was that even though Susil Premajayanth, possibly the most senior minister present, toasted the President and the People of the United States on the occasion of the Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, Ms Butenis instead toasted the Youth who are the future of Sri Lanka. I also gather that there were many youth of Sri Lanka at the event, many of whom represent NGO's who benefit from US Aid in Sri Lanka. Brother Wimal was upset that the President of the Sri Lanka was not the object of the toast.

What can I say about that? If Wikileaks is anything to go by, I salute Butenis for not being a hypocrite, as she has clearly smeared the President and his brothers as complicit in war crimes, (We in SL can smear Obama with the same sin, but we did not!! at the event) So it would have been unconscionable for her so to do.

Of course I support the toast to the Youth as it is the Youth who are our future and not any Rajapakse. She was toasting the Youth who were present there. The next argument goes if protocol demands the toast is reciprocated. I do not know the answer to that, so it is a clear message to Sri Lanka that the US government's representative in Sri Lanka, was not about to give the President of Sri Lanka the same respect!!

I know Wimal Weerawansa was in the US recently, and as a Minister who enjoys certain diplomatic privileges with a diplomatic passport would have been given a visa no matter what he has stated against the US. It is interesting to note if the roles were reversed, if a rabid anti Sri Lankan in the US in the US government or Congress requested the same would he also be granted the same by the Sri Lankan Govt.

More to the point, we in Sri Lanka still engage in all this anti American rhetoric and desperately want to send our kids to Universities in the US, and do not mind if they get jobs and settle down there. Such are their double standards. Let us send our children to Chinese schools and Universities instead and teach them Chinese instead of English as it is the most widely spoken language in terms of population.

For my part I admire the US, but what is more telling, is that despite living and working in Santa Barbara, California and having one of the most beautiful Rose Gardens in any home in the US, I decided to give all that up and come and live in Sri Lanka as a peasant farmer, only to be run over by the escort vehicle of the Justice Minister in Sri Lanka in his personal convoy. I have been incapacitated for six months, still in crutches, with my whole farming enterprise in tatters, and with no compensation from the Minister, Ministry, or the Ministry of Defense which owned the vehicle(which was not insured) that crashed into me. I have to go back to hospital in a few days for further surgery, which effectively incapacitates me for a whole year.

The minister who met me after 5 months said he will do something about it, and have not heard a word since. It is this sort of Government with leaders representing this myth, that can go about this injustice who keep talking like great saviours of the country. They are all a lot of hot air, not to be trusted believed or relied upon.

The current administration - An Envitronmentalist's nightmare!

2011-07-21T15:00:00.003+05:30

Never a day goes by without word of environmental destruction or degradation, and one finds one or other of Govt. henchman, (known as henchaiyas) at the back of every effort to do so. Whether it is in the interests of tourism or development, or to solve the human elephant conflict the modus operandi are the same.

Recently, there were three leopard cubs who were found when a local politician was trying to sell them for over Rs500K each, its mother's skin having been found in a national politician's, skelton gardens address. The sleuths were ordered out from investigating at the instigation of no less than the Director of Wildlife himself.

Then a woman was killed by a leopard while on her way in the Kataragama Pada Yatra. It is alleged that the leopard had become a man eater owing to the location of her killing being an official campsite where in order to draw high spending tourists, beef is used to attract the animal. No wonder then that a usually harmless leopard thought it was open season to attack a woman while taking part in her morning ablutions which then begs the question of allowing people to walk in the National Parks. The latte activity is banned but in order to fulfill rituals it is permitted for this event.

We then have the road through the Wilpattu National Park, and the wanton destruction of majestic trees in the area, which has been the result as the road is still not being constructed after the clearing of the path, which results in further top soil erosion until a the road is paved.

We then have the expected move of over 200 elephants in order that the Commonwealth Games can be accommodated. It is now a no brainer that this would not be awarded despite the huge publicity cost to get the games, because of the unacceptable damage to the environment that most people except those in this regime will not tolerate.

Finally the more pressing issue of changing the law with regard to buffer zones, to allow development therein in which even to the hardened developer or capitalist is very short term and self defeating in the wrong term and where people say we are embarking on killing the goose that lays the golden egg.

In summary in my opinion, there is no one who really cares a toss about conservation of our heritage and preserving it in a pristine state for the future. We have enough land and locations to carry out all our tourist related activity without resort to this destruction, as in any case any benefit is only to the owners of these establishments and the foreigner until the resource is completely removed by this over use or exploitation. We have nothing to leave to the future generation, but a mess created in our lifetime, unless we have the courage to take a stand and do something about it.

When I speak to environmentalists they raise their arms in horror and disgust, but say there is nothing they can do about it as the powers just steamroll any objections, and threaten anyone if they use the law to combat this crime. This mad rush to develop tourism without any checks and balances must stop if we are to save what little remains for posterity.

Please comment here on your thoughts and then write or mail your leaders to do something about this before it is irreversible.

Youth of today are not rising to the occasion

2011-07-17T19:51:00.002+05:30

If I was young again, I would like to be a teenager in this generation, as the opportunities afforded to them are a fraction of that afforded to us in our day. The incredible burst of new technologies and new ideas and the communication and disbursement revolution enables them to do many more with so much less.

Sadly few if any of the youth of today realize their good fortune, as they have no point of comparison, that we have, and so are wasting their limited growing up years in ways that they will regret with hindsight. One would say that this argument is one that can be used for each generation, but due to the advances in technology in the past 40 make the past 400 years pale into insignificance.

The poor quality of education at all levels and all forms including international schools, and the poor communication between parents and their kids adds to this void, which with the paucity of English, they cannot take full advantage of what the world has to offer them at their literally fingertips using media such as the Internet and mobile technology, without leaving their own village.

With this technology, I would expect today's young people to be mature, to be able to take control of their lives and make decisions for themselves, none of which I can see in my extensive dealings with young people from all socio economic classes of our society.

The unwillingness to accept ideas and suggestions from those with a lot of experience, is also an issue, and that is part of the upbringing that has failed them in respect for authority and belief in their advice. Empowering them is insufficient as they do not know how to use it to their advantage.

I have a point of comparison with the outside world, and I can say with confidence that our young people though more intelligent are no match for the life skills that are thrust upon young people in other countries from where they excel. People use examples of Sri Lankans who have gone overseas and who have excelled in their fields there when they showed little potential back home. Those are the exceptions, as they are so frustrated back at home, they have a natural urge to show of their skills, and the opportunities to do so arise only overseas. They then take maximum advantage of them once they are able to get out.

We must not just look at the export of our best human capital as a way to get the best for the youth, as they will take it to their host countries and benefit the mother country only marginally. We must look at this issue holistically to identify what it is we want from them and then how we are to achieve those goals, but they have to come from the youth themselves to have ambition to achieve and perform, which the culture itself does not assist in.

To make a point of how wasteful our young people are, in the villages they just phone random numbers and when someone from the opposite sex answers, they start up a conversation and try to begin an anonymous relationship based on lies. I have encountered many young people in this practice, which while ok as some form of entertainment for lack of anything else to do, is just a nuisance when viewed as compulsion. The peer pressure to do so based on brownie points builds a value system that is wasteful and a way of doing something the parents have no idea is happening.

Sri Lanka has only about 7 more years of a youth bulge, before the population begins to age, and if we do nothing we will waste this resource and it will be forever, and I believe those who can affect a change just do not have the desire to do so based on their personal agendas that do not have the country's best interests at heart.

Drop the advertisements for the Post of “Principal Trinity College, Kandy”

2011-07-16T21:44:00.005+05:30

The intrigue that has arisen from the recent revelations by the Sunday Leader, first on account of the expulsions of prefects from St Thomas’s College, Mount Lavinia which eventually led to the official resignation of the Warden (Headmaster) though the invisible hand of the Presidential prodigal Namal seems to be stamped all over it, and now the furor over the Rs200M loss also claimed by the Sunday Leader at Trinity, has created another similar search for a new Principal of Trinity.

Let us take the Sunday Leader first. It was established by my uncle and as far as I know his status as publisher was never relinquished during his sober and conscious period. I however take issue with the sensationalism created in both accounts that has put these esteemed schools into a kind of public shame, which I do not believe is warranted. Now St Thomas’s is looking for not only a Warden but also a Subwarden, and I can only assume it is the same team of the two Bishops of Colombo and Kurunegala who by their position have undue rights on the Boards of Governors of these Church of England schools who indirectly select people for these positions.

For the purposes of this essay I will ignore the St Thomas’s one, as it would get too convoluted, though I have interests in both schools, as I had an uncle and grandfather on the Board of Governors of St Thomas’s. In Trinity’s case I did go there many moons ago, as at that time, I was probably the first of the 4th generation of my family at that school, namely father, grandfather and great grandfather all on the paternal side. When I was at the school both the Bishop of Colombo, and of Kurunegala were relatives, and now I find that four of the current Board of Governors, also share common ancestors with me.

I have not looked closely at the accounts of Trinity to find out the real issue, but with my experience in auditing the accounts of such esteemed institutions in the UK I feel I am entitled to put my two cents. These include the Oxford University Chest, many Oxford Colleges, University Departments, and Imperial College of London and Eton College, the latter being the most prestigious public schools in England, which the current Prime Minister attended to say nothing of Princes William and Harry’s old school.

The mischievous reporting by the Sunday Leader of this loss goes to show how much they understand of schools accounting practices. There is no chance in a zillion years that Trinity could have lost Rs200M in money, that is ludicrous. Any person who has a pea brain of common sense will realize that. So whoever leaked the story had an agenda to finger point someone and those at the butt end of this saga, the Bishops, the Governors and the Principal is engaged in a round robin of the blame game.

In a nutshell, the error was as a result of incompetent accounting, as people in Sri Lanka do not know how to properly account for schools as they are different both to Public, Non-Profit, or Private enterprises. The incompetent accounting personnel in the school have not entered the receipts and payments in the correct box, and the Principal not being knowledgeable in accounting, and not caring tuppence for the Governors, consulted reputable accountants who did not know how to correct the errors either, a typical Sri Lankan lack of “Kalpanakaranna”.

In my limited understanding, someone trying to do the Principal a favor, leaked this loss to the Leader, and the Governors who had some hand in appointing these incompetents were implicated. The Governors in their childish game appear to take revenge on the Principal believing it is his hand at play, has decided not to renew his contract, which expires this year, and hence the ads for this post.
Who suffers in this old man’s game? It is the poor students of Trinity. They do not deserve this kind of abuse, so guys swallow your pride and listen to me.

First the Bishops, you sweet Lordships, you have undue power vested in you due to accidents in history, you are not really competent in knowing how to run schools today, so appoint Governors, as you have rights to do, of people who know education, accounting, vision, who can empower youth with leadership qualities, and forward thinking people who know the future is in the hand of the young.

Governors swallow your pride, as the Principal did not care two hoots for you as you were not able to contribute positively to the school in anyway. He has been one of the best achieving Principals Trinity has ever had, balancing the books, so that the school does not run a deficit. He has achieved great heights in Sports that no other Principal has and something all old Trinitians are proud of. Drop the search and give the incumbant an extension of at least 3 years.

Principal just realize that despite your achievements that there is pettiness around, and so swallow your pride and seek guidance from the Governors who like to be consulted as they are providing of their services voluntarily and you get paid to do yours. Continue your stellar work and just do what is necessary to get your teaching credentials so you are technically also Principal and not Acting.

I honestly do not believe that there is another more competent person lurking out there, who can do the job as well as the current incumbent. A new principal at this juncture would be bad for the school, that is now feeling extremely proud of their achievements, and now have to buckle up and improve on providing the thinking leaders of our land, and not the barging leaders that St Thomas’s has produced.
Sunday Leader, there is so much investigative reporting you can do, that will bare open some of the mega robberies of the country’s resources that takes place every day. Don’t attack individuals, just the collective state for the corruption and abuse of power. False sensationalism smacks of chequebook journalism.

May I add in closing that, I do not follow the old school, nor am I a member of the Old Boys, nor have I been to any of the Bradby matches in the past 6years I have been back in Sri Lanka, as I have been a fulltime working farmer, unable to take time off for such luxuries. I am merely adding an opinion as one who wants all schools to produce thinking leaders which this nation lacks, and I am sure I will not be able to afford to send a son of mine to a fee paying establishment such as Trinity. As things stand today, thinkers don’t get scholarships, good crammers do.

DEW's wishful thinking - We are not remotely in an Arab uprising situation

2011-07-14T20:30:00.002+05:30

It was interesting that senior minister DEW Gunasekera who is in charge of COPE on which I expect his impartial reports much in the way that Wijeydasa Rajapkse acted, has alluded to alarmist comments, the validity of which I dispute. Namely, and I quote from an article in the ISLAND newspaper, "The country could no longer ignore rising unemployment. The failure on the part of the Government to address contentious issues, could cause a catastrophic situation....."

In my view and I receive up to 30 applications a day(actually pathetic CVs) from young people of all levels of qualification, looking to our organization to provide them with some cushy jobs. I can place them in jobs paying between Rs10K and Rs15K per month, but they do not want to do those jobs. They are looking more at white collar office jobs, with little knowledge or training on anything English or IT and ability to handle high pressure situations, that are required for these positions.

It is therefore not the availability of jobs, rather the matching of what is available with what it is they are qualified and can do as well as want to do.

I wish he can work with me to solve this problem rather than I work with him as he has been appointed to some "National Steering Committee to formulate Human Resources Policy". This seems a very ill-fated nebulous directive to farm out the oldies in government, but which does not need time wasters just some immediate steps to take control of the issues and get going.

We are in the middle of addressing this issue ourselves and it is the lack of funds to implement them that I am grappling with. I can assure you I have the ability to go national immediately if I have the resources, and have the seminars for the youth all over the country so they can understand the real employment jobs mismatch and what it is that is required off them and what it is they need to do to get there as well as how we can assist them in achieving these objectives.

I am firmly of the opinion the National Youth Corps or the National Youth Services Council and a whole host of government sponsored youth training and vocational training institutes, are run by incompetent people not able to understand the real issues and are therefore leading the youth of this country up the gum tree giving them false expectations of what they can do and therefore disappoint them in their quest for productive and remunerative employment.

Another case in point was an ad we placed recently (Large prminant display ad in a Sinhala Sunday Paper) for a job as a research assistant from the pool of unemployed graduates, giving preference to those who had some ability to work in English and be IT literate. We were shocked that we only received 25 applications!!! and of those only 10 were actually unemployed at the time. The job did not mention a salary.

What does this imply? There are no unemployed grads! Or is it that they are looking for Government appointments? Do not want to relocate to Colombo? The job description is one they don't like? or some other reason.

If I was a young unemployed graduate, and I saw the job advert I would have applied, as it sounded quite interesting and challenging. So it is our people do not want to do challenging and interesting things? Do they just want a desk in Colombo, a title and a pay check and get out of the office at 4pm. like all the government servants in Colombo offices do?

Is it that these people the educated unemployed are going to agitate like the youth of Cairo? Have no fear DEW of that. Getting them up at 4 and coming into to Colombo to agitate for their rights even is something I am sure they will not do. Our Society has spoiled them to thinking that they are owed a living, beyond their competence. It is that fact that needs to be addressed.

SO please don't waste time in these committees discussing spurious theories, do the fieldwork immediately, put the ads for different jobs, look at the replies and then call them in for interviews and then ascertain what the real human resources problem is rather than getting experts who live in ivory towers completely devoid of reality to come up with the answers.

The Great Betrayal - Collective guilt of the Stock Brokers in misinforming the retail investor

2011-07-12T12:26:00.004+05:30

SHL or Softlogic Holdings IPO debut today with the shares falling to Rs18.50 by 12.30pm on the first day for shares that were offered at Rs29. The issue was oversubscribed and most of the retail investors who were given their full allotment saw a record fall in the value of their investment in a matter of a few hours.

I pity those poor investors. I was obviously consulted on whether to buy these shares due to some experience I have had in working for the past two years in a Stock Brokerage company, and my answer was a firm no, just as it was for both the Vallible One and Expolanka. In the latter the shares dropped under the issue price within 24 hours, when my guess was 48 hours and in the case of Vallible One, it is hovering at a few rupees (about 15%) above the issue price, partially because the placement was also offered at that price. The shock even for me of the drop of 36% of the issue price by 12.30 means technically it was the quickest way in Sri Lanka for a person to lose 36% in value of his investment in 3 hours.

"THE STOCK MARKET IN SRI LANKA HAS CREATED A RECORD FOR THE FASTEST DROP EVER OF AN IPO SHARE, WHICH TODAY LOST 36% IN VALUE IN A MATTER OF 3 HOURS." This should be the headline in the FT tomorrow, but they will not do so, as Ashok Pathirage the Chairman of Softlogic is influential and connected, and would not wish to seem a big old fool, in front of the SL public for going through the motions of fooling the public in his roadshows. It is further very embarrassing to most of the reputed Stock Brokerage firms that were firmly recommending the purchase to their clients.

I wonder what would have happened to a courageous stockbroker who should have gone out on a limb and not part of the pack, not to recommend this share! Such is the independence of the Stockbroking community in Sri Lanka, and pity the poor investor who has to put up with this sort of competence on the part of those who should be able to call a spade a spade and not be influenced by pressure.

Until Sri Lanka can get over this pettiness and be able to rationally evaluate the performance of shares and use logic to (pardon the pun) make informed investment decisions, we will not have a market that will be able to attract long term investors especially from overseas to it. No amount of road shows and time wasting by SEC officials on junkets to the London Stock Exchange can show up their incompetence and be proved to be minnows in the complex world of Stock Market Investing.

Unfortunately no heads will roll on this, as one or two should, and the jobs remain for the boys and mistrust of the market manipulators grows and the SEC sits like a nodding donkey (californian surface oil wells that keep on going) impervious to the world around them. Of course technically the beneficiary was Softlogic in selling a share for Rs29 which is only worth in the eyes of the investing public Rs18.50 at this time.

Further as an icing on the cake, today's announcement of the purchase of Asian Alliance Insurance did nothing but hurt to the stock.

SHL RECOMMEND BUY AT RS 15

The misinformation that is planted as part of the State Communication Apparatus is a sinster plot

2011-07-03T23:50:00.006+05:30

Dr Sunanda Madduma Bandara, a one time Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences and now the Director General(Development and Communication) of the Ministry of Economic Development has written an article in Today's "Irida Lankadeepa" (page 6 of the Nimthera section) on "Subsidized Fertilizer Bundle that has improved the living conditions of the nations Farmers"

I must also add that his credentials and his comments have come under scrutiny as being merely a mouthpiece of government propaganda by an expose by the Sunday Times on December 26th 2010 with reference for anyone to read http://sundaytimes.lk/101226/News/nws_06.html

The article does not refer to his position anywhere which is essential for the reader to understand the bias he puts into his essay. It is also important to mention that he is not an agriculturist and only a sociologist, like the many in this quasi arts field, pretending to be scientists and therefore his knowledge is based on spurious facts and not his field of specialization.

In essence it was a purely political exercise where he was a proponent justifying the Governments Fertilizer subsidy as being of great benefit to the farmers, because the rice yields and total area under paddy increased between the years 2004 to 2010 in reaching self sufficiency. He also used the government guaranteed price mechanism as an additional method of helping the farmer achieve a fair price for his produce. While I agree with the latter point, it hardly needs a man of his stature to state this simple fact.

I am questioning the former, as the opportunity cost of the Fertilizer Subsidy must be taken into account in determining how it has benefited the farmer. I have expounded at length how this subsidy has enslaved the farmer to his land where he has not been able to explore more lucrative employment opportunities available to him in other sectors.

The yields in agriculture is a complex subject, not left merely to imported inorganic fertilizer. The debate has not closed on the overuse of such fertilizer in as far as it affects the quality of the soil in the long term and therefore the yields. It is a no brainer that the more fertilizer of this nature (imported inorganic chemical base) that is used on the soil it deteriorates the soil to such an extent that yields actually drop. It is only due to larger land extents coming under cultivation that the overall harvests have increased. This increase in land cultivated is not merely due to the subsidy being continued at Rs 350 unchanged during this whole period.

The current cost of the Fertilzer subsidy of Rs50B can in no way be justified by the farmers being better off. It is just encouraging subsistence farmers to continue subsisting in poverty instead of weaning them into more productive fields in a country that is desperately short of skilled labor. Farming in the long term must be done by professionals and not by those who for lack of any education fall into this because they are provided with an acre or two of land to force them into unproductive agriculture and hence permanent poverty.

I am willing to challenge the paper that published his article to say that they have been duped into publishing it because the individual has not presented his proper credentials. We are so gullible as to believe that if a phD person says something it must be right. We must always first question his or her motives for writing what they do. It is clear that as the communications czar to his boss who makes a habit of misinforming the public, this information also needs to be treated with that same bent.

I am ashamed that our University Dons seem to think that kowtowing to the rulers is the way for advancement in their careers and their principles and education just go to the dogs!!

I would like to believe that a newspaper of such a stature would print a counter argument to Professor Madduma Bandara's hypothesis (as it is only a hypothesis based on hearsay) so the reader can appreciate a balanced view of the subject, which is a very important weapon in the propaganda armor of the Government.

I counted 312 Tippers with Sand dripping with water from Manampitiya on the road in a 3 hour period - Rape of the Mahaweli!!!

2011-07-01T13:02:00.003+05:30

I went to Hingurakgoda, Minneriya, and Nava Nagaraya Polonnaruwa for the day yesterday. On my return journey, as I was in the front passenger seat, leaving the New Town at 4.30pm, in the 3 hours it took to get to the Kandy Road at Ambepussa, I counted 312 fully laden tippers full of dripping sand, (new sand put directly on to the tipper trucks from the buckets in the Mahaweli River around Manampitiya)

I thought since it was the 30th of June 2011, that some law was passed forbidding sand mining in the Mahaweli with effect from July 1st, so there was a massive effort to mine the Mahaweli out of sand! and hence the tipper procession, like I had never seen in over a 150 such journeys in the past 6 years. There were old trucks that were not tippers and flat bed trucks holding over the tipper volume of 4 cubes, in this procession, and hence my hypothesis regarding the day THE MAHAWELI WAS RAPED.

What does this translate into? 312 trucks including those parked on the side of the road for the breaks the drivers need along the way? Say, for sake of illustration, with the bigger trucks holding more than 6 cubes, an approximate 1500 cubes of sand in the 3 hour period were noted. Erring on the conservative, saying they would be transported over only a 12 hour period and not 24 hours as is the case if they want, that translates into "6000 CUBES A DAY" a cube sells at Rs8,000, but say they are sold at a wholesale price of Rs6,000 then it is Rs36 MILLION RUPEES OF SAND MINED FROM THE MAHAWELI IN ONE DAY!!!

I have some questions. How much does the state receive per cube of sand mined? It is the country's property and as the Government is the protector of the country's mineral resources, how much do they receive per year from this project?

No doubt this is the work of politicians in the government who issue the mine permits, so how much money do these politicians get for a mining permit, and how many cubes does a permit entitle one to mine or transport? What is the procedure for obtaining a legal permit? What are the laws relating to the Environmental protection of river sand mining? This leads to a whole question on the ethics of this practice.

While I realize we need sand badly for our construction sector and we will need sand in a greater scale in the future, I ask why is the sea not being used for mining sand. I know of many people who have sea mining rights who are currently not utilizing those rights for want of a proper dredging mechanism to get the sand from about 2km from the sea bed. Mining closer to the shore will also be environmentally harmful.

I was aware of a Hungarian aid project where they would give some Euro 50Million aid to buy their sea sand mining dredgers to mine the sand from the sea. This project got stuck because the bureaucrats in the relevant ministry, along with some higher ups wanted a bribe of 35% of the project to pass the project. Surely a bribe of 1% would have been acceptable and that would run into millions of rupees so for the sake of personal gain yet another project that would save the ENVIRONMENT OF SRI LANKA FROM FURTHER DEGRADATION WAS DENIED.

THIS IS THE TRAGEDY OF THIS COUNTRY AND THE CURRENT LEADERSHIP THAT THEY ARE BENT ON DESTROYING OUR COUNTRY FOR PERSONAL GAIN AND AT THE SAME TIME FOOLING OUR GULLIBLE CITIZENS BY USING THE MEDIA TO THEIR ADVANTAGE HIGHLIGHTING WHAT THEY ARE PLANNING ON DOING WITHOUT SHOWING HOW THEY ARE RAPING AND PLUNDERING THE RESOURCES OF THE COUNTRY SO THAT WE LEAVE A WASTELAND TO OUR FUTURE GENERATIONS!!

The hidden gems need to be aired and heard - Sinhala Verse

2011-06-23T21:05:00.002+05:30

A sub-editor of a poetry section of a daily newspaper came today to inform us of the phenomenal amount of content of high quality poetry in Sinhala he receives for publication and he can only include one in a thousand in the publication. THATS RIGHT! ONE IN A THOUSAND.

I was completely floored by the ability of our poets and their search for a medium to be heard and recognized. I mistakenly assumed that today's youth would think it rather old fashioned to indulge in poetry to which he said that some of the best pieces come from you school kids, namely school girls who indulge in their passion for poetry to express how they feel about life and loves!

When I considered these statements it made me realize what a poetic language Sinhala is and it is definitely made for poets, with such expressive words and meanings of words that English just cannot match or hope to match.

This person was hoping for some avenue such as the Internet or publication, to edit all these zillions of poems and give them an airing and even some person who could read them out with a voice over on the net for one to listen. Internet is a great medium for that as one can get good quality delivery of these literary gems with a click of a button. In a way the Internet is made for that as I am more inclined to listen to poetry than read it myself. The way it is said by one who knows to say it is in itself a joy to the ears.

So lets try and create the space and the following to hear these gems from our people of all ages and sexes who still have an innate ability to express themselves in verse.

I was so heartened to hear about this Hidden Gem I so hope we can use this medium for its spread and popularity. We can have competitions and prizes and so many avenues to open up this closet so that we can all improve the quality of our lives with an area of arts that is thriving within us.

Azwer insults our intelligence and make a mockery of Parliament

2011-06-22T15:46:00.002+05:30

Why is there no outrage when an MP can use his parliamentary privilege to insult this country? AHM Azwer MP said in Parliament on Tuesday 21st June 2011 that LTTE leader Prabhakaran's wife and children are safe and sound and being looked after by President Rajapaksa.

3 people asked me today if this was true, as it was said in Parliament and extensively reported in the print Media. I was so amazed at the level of acceptance in this country of what people especially MPs say. A joker of an MP like that who makes a mockery of his position and in a country where the speaker cannot ask him to withdraw such outrageous and erroneous statements, makes me very ashamed of our leadership.

Should the newspapers report such balderdash without reservation, or should they opine on this statement so that they can put the record straight. They should at the same time state that this person is a joker who only uses parliament to sing praises of his leader and he must honestly have thought he was doing his leader a great service by such utterances. The libel laws probably prevent the press from calling him the joker in parliament and disregard what he says.

I hope at least the leader in his usual manner thrashed this kind of sycophant and hounded him out of Temple Trees. However I rather think not. He probably like to think that they are alive rather than accept the brutality of the killing.

Need I say more on the state of business in this Republic!

The Rs 50 Billion Fertilizer Subsidy Scam

2011-06-21T07:58:00.003+05:30

It is shameful for a Govt. in power with many years of rule to spend Rs 50B on just the subsidy on importation of fertilizer. Suffice to say that importation of anything in Sri Lanka is fraught with corruption therefore it is inevitable that even this simple product (basically various components of NPK that goes into the different fertilizer mixes for different crops) will be imported at costs far exceeding what they could be purchased at.

As usual we will wait for the reports asked in Parliament after these imports by Public or Private enterprises and look at what the Govt paid to importers and billions of rupees of frauds will come out but by that time a few years from now the damage would already have been done and no one will be held accountable and the minister of the time will say it was not done during his watch. The money would be in overseas banks from the over invoicing from these imports.

The real point one must ask is if our agricultural production will increase as a result of the Rs 50B subsidy? The answer is a firm NO. I am afraid I know from practice in my farming experience in Polonnaruwa and this hypothesis has been proved by extensive reports by researches at the Institute of Policy Studies, a think tank that advises the Govt. on policy issues. I am certain they did not recommend this policy.

It is just a political ploy to garner votes by yet again playing football with farmers, when the problems of farmers in not at all in the cost of imported fertilizer. In the scheme of things that is the least of their costs. I am reported at length about the high cost of pesticides that exceed the cost of fertilizer.

This govt. does not have one farmer in its ranks. They DO NOT know what they need and by extending the fertilizer subsidy to all crops, is increasing the problem that has already been created.

I am also appalled that the govt. is calling in 4000 farmers from all parts of the country to the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium for the President to speak and others to explain this subsidy and how to use the fertilizer, and for them to go and spread the word to their fellow farmers. Just goes to show how much they understand the farmers. A farmer worthy of his name will not waste a day being told how to apply fertilizer. If he is a real farmer he will know how little or how much to apply of all sorts of input mixture.

This is just a complete political junket to reward the party faithful in the guise of an education program. You can only teach farming on the land and not in an office or lab or God forbid in a huge arena. So this form of tom foolery for cheap political gain will not do our country any good.

Understand what the Farmer really needs to improve his output before charging like a bull in a china shop. Understand that the most productive farmers who farm land in excess of 5 acres DO NOT get a fertilizer subsidy and their yields exceed those who do.

For a point of reference the govt. spends Rs100Billion a year on all forms of Education, Primary, Secondary and Tertiary and this is not of imported stuff, the main cost being Salaries of Teachers. Look at the state of Education and you will appreciate where our Country's priorities are.

It is shameful that we do not have leaders who really care for this country able to connect with the people and stop this mass scale fraud being perpetrated on the hapless and innocent citizen.

Commemorating the 100th Birth Anniversary of Dudley Senanayake

2011-06-20T11:28:00.002+05:30

Yesterday 19th June 2011 was the 100th birth anniversary of Dudley Senanayake, the second Prime Minister of Ceylon as it was officially called then. In commemoration of that event, a book launch was held of a bibliography called "Dudley Senanayake- the most loved leader of our times" prepared by Rukman a nephew of his.

There were many distinguished guests from the government and opposition and some notable speakers who all said very good things about him. What struck me most was reading an excerpt from a talk given by a former Administrative Service officer Amara Hewamadduma where amongst other things he said that a strong opposition is needed for a democratic country. He also said that we want National Leaders and National Parties.

I believe both those are the needs of the hour and it is incumbent upon us to do our best to achieve these two goals out of respect for this great leader against whom, I have never heard one bad thing said. That must say something of the stature of the man.

All I remember of him, though I was once introduced to him, was of him as Prime Minister in the 1965 - 1970 period driving his car one day on Green Path with his bodyguard on his left. I think it was a pretty ordinary car, black i think and that was how he went about. It is a level of humility we can only wish of our latter day leaders so full of themselves and only playing to the gallery having two personas, one public and another private.

I pray that this country will see a leader of that ilk in future who can truly unify the nation, heading a National Party and not one based on ethnic or religious lines.

A new young Chairman at the Colombo Stock Exchange

2011-06-16T13:48:00.004+05:30

It is welcome to see a new chairman, Krishan Balendra(38) from John Keells, being elected to the CSE in Colombo this week, who clearly shows experience in dealing with Capital Markets obtained overseas. I trust he will put his knowledge to good use to take the CSE and allied institutions to the next level.

One of his first pronouncements was that the CCP and DVP transactions clearing systems will be implemented as soon as possible in line with mature markets. That is most welcome as well as his commitment to bring in more companies in the CSE by way of listings.

He faces some huge challenges as his tenure will be during the next stage of a market where there will be a shakeout and speculation is expected to give way to rational market making, if Sri Lanka hoped to attract foreign investment into its fledgeling market. If he does not already realize it, the Brokers and the top investors engage in market manipulation which makes Raj Rajaratnam's crimes pale into insignificance.

A look at the past month, where the penny stock speculation has reached explosive proportions at the expense of investors, will point to where the market is heading. The IPO business which is part of the strategy to get companies into the market is failing due to the greed of the promoters of the IPOs including his own John Keells group. A case in point being the Expolanka IPO which fell below issue price within 24 hours. John Keells that invested a large sum in this venture at a knockdown price at the pre IPO private placement encouraged investing in the IPO. A conflict of interest therefore is apparent at the expense of the hapless investor!

If I have any advice to give him, all I would say is cast your other hats aside for a moment and look at what you are trying to do. It is to increase the value and standing of the CSE first and foremost over personal interest. In order to do that you have to clean up the internal workings of the CSE full of rather inward looking time servers and the governance and ethics of the brokers where the rule book needs a complete overhaul to come anywhere near what is acceptable in a mature market. If you put strong governance policies in place you will be able in a few years to gain the respect that it needs for international investors and this after going through a market crash to get sanity back into the market and create brokers who are true advisers for clients holding the client interest paramount.

I wish you all the very best in this very important, but extremely challenging task.

The great employment mismatch - required skills vs what is on offer

2011-06-11T00:18:00.003+05:30

I just received 15 applications for jobs to review and place. Sadly they are so badly prepared I would just throw them all in the dustbin as none of them gives me any indication as to the capability or genuine ambition of the applicant.

If I start with the basic data, most of the application is just giving the name add, phone email, age and ID no along with line by line of the grades for A levels and O levels and if they have done any further exams or courses in IT the names of those courses.

I am then left to surmise the capability of these people, some of whom show no work experience since doing their A levels 5 years ago. Have they been sitting at home twiddling their thumbs all this time? Surely not! Is this the state of educated youth?

The unemployment level of unskilled and those only educated up to O level with not even a satisfactory result at O level is minimal. They can get jobs as machine operators at various industries paying as much as Rs17K a month. These educated applicants on the other hand DO NOT want factory jobs, but instead want office jobs paying around Rs12K hardly a living wage after being at home for a good part of their healthy life when they should have occupied themselves doing something productive.

When you ask them why they have not done anything productive until they found a job they actually want, they just look blank! as if you asked them a rude question. It is important when a prospective employer interviews you to be able to answer the simple question, of "what have you done in the period since you sat your A levels, or since you got your degree?" Only someone who can give a confident answer showing initiative is worthy of being offered a job. Can someone contradict me if I am wrong here?

If this is indicative of our society, where mothers and fathers are going around desperately looking for jobs for their 25+ kids then we live in a very sad society. These applications came from the parents asking for help in getting jobs for their kids, as they do not even have the confidence to apply in person or go see someone with the job request. Ironically the unskilled are more confident and even search after jobs more diligently than the educated.

So for a start stop educating our youngsters and then we will probably be able to employ them gainfully. I am proposing to start a week long training course in the art of empowering the young to find jobs, and complete job applications correctly giving the prospective employer a chance of understanding the applicants goals more clearly. I am looking for motivational speakers who can give some of their time voluntarily to help them.

The state only talks about employing unemployed graduates of this attitude. God help this country if the state fills their vacancies with this mob of unambitious "Mama Titties!"

Arranging a visit of students to the Sri Lanka Parliament

2011-06-08T12:36:00.002+05:30

I have been making arrangements for a group of students from Law College to attend a session of Parliament today(I think it is still technically the National Assembly)

I got the list of names along with the ID numbers and double checked from the Secretary who had to type them up so it would be legible. I told him it had to be accurate otherwise a mistake in name or number will prevent the relevant person from gaining entry upon presentation of the ID card.

Then later I had to get the MP to sign a typed letter in Sinhala to formally request the Secretary of Parliament to allow the attached list of people into the complex. It was then taken by one of the MP's staff to the Parliament and handed over personally to the relevant official yesterday. It transpired later that the letter was not handed to the correct official and therefore only given to the correct person today.

Today the leader of the group called saying they are not allowed to take mobile phones into the complex so will not be able to contact me if there is a snafu. Once they got to the checkpoint the list had not been sent there. I had to then check as to why and get the courier yesterday to double check and have it authorized and sent to the checkpoint, due to the mistake referred to earlier.

Once each person is checked off the list they are then put in a bus and then taken to the Parliamentary complex where the MP will host them for lunch at the visitors canteen prior to being taken to the visitors gallery to view today's debate on extension of the Emergency for another month. At the time of writing we do not know if the Govt. wishes to remove the emergency so that we can celebrate a few more freedoms, but I rather suspect my optimism will be shortlived!

The strengths and weakness of silent protests against existing rule

2011-06-07T18:59:00.002+05:30

Having followed the recent and continuing uprisings in the Middle East, it has caught everyone flat footed and surprised, and we do not know where it would end. Those in favor of existing dictatorships point to the chaos that now reigns in Egypt, and even the instability in Iraq once the majority Shiite rule with some form of democracy took over from the minority Sunni sect rule of Saddam Hussein. Whilst one should be cautious of making generalizations, it is obvious that more often than not dictators end up with a very bad epitaph even if they achieved certain ends in development and growth.

In the same vein it is becoming increasingly obvious that in Sri Lanka too a ruling dictatorship exists, in much the same way endorsement by the electorate in Venezuela or Iran, is backed by the strength of the vote. The lack of an effective opposition is very detrimental to even a hope of having some form of balance.

However the recent incidents of excess use of force is evidence of cocky behaviour, which after the mass protests and even a more effective quiet silent protest is finally showing signs of a crack, be it still small, as blame is deflected in a very cunning way.

The main opposition is planning on a mass silent protest on Thursday, June 9th at 3pm in front of the Maradana Railway station against dictatorship of the Satakaya. The problem is that they do not have an effective organized network to galvanize support, in large numbers through their own party machinery at the moment. It seems to me that it is merely to answer the call of the party faithful asking what is the opposition doing about the blatant abuse of power? They cannot muster bus loads of people with Rs 1000 note and a promise of a bottle of arrack on their return leg. They appear not to have that kind of money, whereas the govt. does.

Added to that it is possible that the expected heavy rain will keep out all but the most dedicated and resilient. I am afraid this level of protest will not even be as effective as the silent protest of the 100,000 young factory workers who turned up through hardship and their own expense to a funeral of a boy killed by a police bullet while exercising his democratic right to protest against a proposed pension scheme.

Is this but the first step of the opposition to test the national pulse on whether to continue mass protests? I don't know the answer to it.If it was better publicized and the weather better then we could have been surprised by the turnout, however under the current stage of readiness, I do not give it much weight. Only if the govt. uses excessive force or bring out the 5ft stick yielding goons, would it become a rallying cry.

Sri Lanka is not in a position of extreme hardship that most Middle East countries protesters were agitating against. It is therefore not yet ready until there is mass education and even belief that the issues are severe enough to agitate. The truth is carefully hidden and the media is as usual playing the fear card, especially in the electorally rich hinterlands to maintain their support and voter base.

Kalpanakaranna is a dirty word for the govt. They do not want people to 'kalpanakaranna' as that will result in realizing the 'saba thathway'. Until people can think through the ramifications and make up their minds, they will not defer from the current status quo, where the govt. is now in the stage of telling people what they think they ought to know. The first stage being giving the people what they want to get the vote, the final stage which they will come out with shortly is taking from the people what they, the ruling class want, by which time it will be too late. Some say they have begun this but not yet in earnest.

For a silent protest to hold value, it must be with overwhelming numbers to shock the rulers to a wake up call. Giving due weight to short notice and weather nothing short of 100,000 will jolt them.

I am accused of being a political hack devoid of objectivity. Well that is OK, as I write what I feel deep down and not what someone tells me to write. If that is disagreeable so be it. I feel some healthy debate of the issues and the need for checks and balances in the current administration, outweigh mere sycophancy.

We talk about underpaid University Dons; How about the "Grossly Underpaid" Judges?

2011-06-05T15:45:00.003+05:30

The Government appears to be stalling on the demand by the FUTA for significant pay increases, with the main reason being that if they are given a raise the rest of thee public service will demand equivalent raises.

One set of people I believe are grossly underpaid are the Judges. The lawyers on the other hand are relatively overcompensated as they feed off the hapless litigant. Sit in a court room in the Colombo District Court. The leading Counsel may charge around Rs250,000 for an appearance. His junior counsel if he has three will charge Rs30K for two and the trainee junior Rs15K for the appearance only. The Judge hearing the case earns a maximum of Rs100,000 a month. What would you prefer to be the lawyer or the judge. Is it surprising then that there are no takers the post of Judges?

The issue most often is that judges have absolutely no clue about explanation for the facts in the case, as it is not an esteemed lawyer who is in that post. Therefore it is hard to argue a case sometimes of tricky legal as well as commercial practice with someone who cannot understand. It then comes as no shock to the layperson that the case is postponed, a favorite expectation of the lawyers who charge on appearance and not on completion or satisfactory outcome. The litigant after numerous postponements is then forced to settle out of court, another win for the judge as he does not have to adjudicate, because he does not have a clue anyway.

This in practice is how the law is applied and disputes settled. In my opinion both the litigant and the defendant suffer here, the lawyers benefit immensely and the judges do not have to expose their incompetence. We then get away with having low competencies hearing the cases.

Do they get a kick back from both sides' lawyers?

KALPANAKARANNA and answer the question yourselves.

The strange silence behind Ranil's India visit this week

2011-06-05T14:14:00.003+05:30

Ranil the leader of the Opposition was called to India (as opposed to GL seeking meetings and the resulting loss of face)for amongst others to meet with the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Congress Party, Sonia Ghandhi. The only news item on the visit was one taken from the Chennai airport where he was expected to meet with the new Chief Minister of Tamil Nad, Jayalalitha.

He returned on Wednesday the 1st of June, as I was at a press conference at the JSS building where he spoke about the Pensions Bill, the Leadership Training for prospective University Students, the University Teachers Salary anomalies and the death by Police firing of a 21 year old FTZ worker at Katunayaka.

Nothing was mentioned then or since about his India visit, which is very perplexing. The press conference did not include a question and answer session by journalists, as it was primarily to welcome Law Students to take an active part in justice and upholding the law in an increasingly lawless state, lawlessness coming from the ruling powers.

Did he in fact meet with the PM? If so what was discussed? Why is no newspaper asking any questions? These are the questions one must ask of the increasingly incompetent state of journalism in Sri Lanka today. Is it that journalists only report what they are given and do not have an objective opinion? If that is the case we need to educate future journalists, and empower them to be true voices for the people with proper journalistic ethics.

Are there any journalists out there who wish to answer these simple questions?

Are we in for a carefully crafted bombshell news conference arising from this visit? I rather doubt it!

The silent protest today at the funeral of the FTZ garment worker

2011-06-04T23:00:00.002+05:30

Roshen Shanaka (21) the first death from a Police Shooting at a FTZ, was buried today amidst large crowds. I was first at his home, (surrounded by army security)after his body had been hastily moved in the morning, before the time to leave his home at 3pm.

Apparently the Army visible in numbers (not a single policeman was anywhere to be seen)had decided to have the burial earlier to prevent a show of sympathy! However for whatever reason had changed their minds and the body was lying in the catholic church a short walk from the house. This actually made the viewing more orderly and more dignified, in the nature of lying in state.

The crowds of young people who were queueing past were in the thousands. Many of them dressed in black and white shirts and skirts for women and black trousers for men appeared to be garment and other factory workers from all over the country, who happened to be working in the vicinity as well as in the nearby FTZ. Many of their employers had given the day off for them to attend the funeral, and so they have to make up the day by working tomorrow, Sunday.

It appeared to me that they had absolute solidarity with their fellow brother, as they can all identify with him. They are mainly boarded and work hard in these factories under quite monotonous conditions, so they can save money for their marriages or support their families. To be gunned down in cold blood on the orders of the Rulers is something none of these silent protesters were willing to tolerate. Many of them walked a long distance from the nearest bus stop to pay their respects in the small village close to Galloluwa in Minuwangoda.

The govt had their secret police informing the murderers of every person who came inasmuch as it was a known person. I could not see video cameras, but I am sure that was there. The information they receive/see must give them goosebumps as no amount of crocodile tears is going to change the mindset of those who were there. I witnessed many young people in tears after passing through the casket. It was a dignified affair.

Politicians are famous for visiting funerals. I did not see any govt minister and we have 100 of them, maybe they came before me or after so I would like someone tell me the real status. Is this the first funeral where there were over 100,000 mourners sans a govt. minister? We have finally started a new trend.

God bless his soul and if there is anything that comes up out of this, it is that we the people will not tolerate injustice, enough is enough.

New IGP 'Uphold and Enforce the Law'

2011-06-04T08:52:00.005+05:30

It is apparent to every policeman in Sri Lanka today, that orders came from the top, when the shit hit the fan, all the blame was laid squarely at their officers. The Government is unequivocal about the fact that the police were to blame for the recent incident at Katunayaka. It is time they are protected from needless blame.

So if you have any self respect Mr IGP please realize that whilst enforcing and upholding the law, you will not be blamed for something you did not do. You have only one course of action. When you are ordered by your superiors to break the law, refuse to do so. If you are fired, take it up with the courts. That is a far safer option than getting into a mess you cannot get out of when your protector deserts you. I cannot find anyone who believes that Mahinda Balasuriya resigned to take the blame, as he was going on leave prior to retirement anyway. He may even be rewarded for the killings with an Ambassadorial post!

Even though the Judiciary is not impartial now, your act of upholding the law will immediately give a message and example to the judiciary that it is that body then that will be the center of attention. The moment a decision by the court that is clearly biased is made, they will lose so much credibility, that next time just to save face they will act independently risking the ire of the Government.

Once they are then seen to be independent, the sudden change that will take place will be electric, and we can then take our country back to the people who live there. This will result in a huge boost to the economy and benefit to the nation.

It is not tax breaks or incentives that increase investment, only the rule of law its enforcement and the knowledge that an independent judiciary will apply the law impartially, that matters. I don't want to invest in Sri Lanka if I believe that my investment is not safeguarded by an independent Judiciary.

Who is behind this sinister plot to crush the JVP?

2011-06-03T12:08:00.002+05:30

It appears to me from the recent incidents that took place in the last three days that illegal state sponsored terrorists are at work, effectively making the state a failed state!

I am no JVP and in fact a strong advocate of the free market with a strong Legal system properly enforced by an Independant Police force backed by an Independant Judiciary so that most of our current ills will correct themselves and will lead to a civilized and prosperous nation for all to live in.

Having said all that I just want to give my version of the recent events as I see them and ask again who conducting the orchestra remotely, and if it is not the ruling family firmly behind this who is?

There was news that the JVP had organized a protest at the Katunayake FTZ against the proposed pensions bill. So an order came from ??? not to use well trained riot police, but get a substantial number of policemen (300) from various stations instead, arm some with real bullets, not rubber bullets, give them not batons but iron bars (as we saw clearly on TV) and when the protests begin meet the hail of rocks with the charge of the light brigade which we all witnessed on TV. This charge meant that many innocent bystanders were also beaten up badly and wounded, as well as marches who got shot with real bullets and some police even went inside the factories and physically assaulted workers, some protestors, others who just happened to be in the factory and also destroyed some equipment inside the factories.

Those caught hiding inside factories were beaten pulled out and marched between police lines where the police continued to beat them senseless during this march. Some of those hospitalized said that while injured, and even after saying they were badly injured they were all dumped in the middle sorrounded by police and beaten with the iron rods.

Further the vehicle carrying the injured boy who lost his life, was also smashed while on its way to hospital transporting this boy, which may have contributed to his death as this delay is sure to have increased the loss of blood which was a main reason for his death. A question is also asked in the press this morning, as to how a bullet that entered his leg exited from his abdomen, implying he was on the ground when he was shot!! all of which should be explained fully in the one man Presidential Enquiry.

Who ordered live bullets? who ordered iron bars? why were trained riot police not used? and why was water cannon not brought in?

It is also surprising that no Employer of the FTZ has come out to protest, which I can only presume to be the govt. has bought their silence by implying that 'if you go against us we will find a means to make it difficult for you', fear psychosis!

Yesterday having wind of another JVP led protest at Lipton Circus against this killing, now that the police have been villified this same ???? organized 10 buses of goons with sticks clearly seen in today's papers ostensibly to beat up this JVP protest.

Why were these bus loads of clearly pumped up goons, who were probably given arrack and money as well as the long 5ft sticks(the usual method of drawing in goons in Sri Lanka) not arrested on alighting? They clearly were disturbing the peace, they were creating a traffic snarl, and they were carrying what can be construed as a weapon in large numbers, which under the current emergency legislation is an offence. NOT ONE PERSON WAS ARRESTED

The Law is not being enforced because someone higher up Mr???? authorized it. Now my friends please tell me who this Mr ??????? is. Any guesses.

KALPANAKARANNA, APE RATEY SWAIREE BHAWAYA SWADEENATHWAYA BINDAWATILA NE?

The Dilemma over the future undergraduate boot camp

2011-05-23T22:34:00.003+05:30

This is a hot topic today, but as usual our complacent population by voting with their feet are permitting the government to do as they please without opposition. It appears that the opposition was caught flat footed yet again, and now scrambling to get this subject into open debate. There were 3000 young prospective entrants bussed in from some parts of the Island, at government expense so the President could give them a PEP talk. Looking at government tv this evening on this issue they carefully slected articulate students who endorsed this along with a parent or two who also approved of this to make a statement that there is no opposition to this.

Whilst I am in principle not opposed to some kind of pre university entrance orienteering course, which I believe should last at least 6months, where English and IT is also taught to all prospective undergrads, the surreptitious way in which the governemnt brought this procedure without debate in Parliament, so that the legality of this locally within our laws and any treaties which we are signitories to should all be looked at before implementation.

Technically it violates an International law, about forced military training. Now the govt. is saying this is not military training even going so far as saying this is leadership training.The Human Rights case is strong and why the govt does not stay a week to have some discussion does affect my belief that they wanted a surreptious start without allowing time for any oppisition to galvanize any support.

The climate of fear prevents students and parents opposing to speak for fear of retribution. The legal delays just shift the implementation focus a few weeks, but as the parent of the child who has been asked to come to training is apprehensive for fear their child will ot be permitted to enter his chosen field at university.

This creates a dilemma where as the really affected party the parents and kids who are hoping to go to Uni are reluctant to speak against this proposal. Unless those really affected and are truly opposed to this are permitted to voice their concerns the gov will maintain that it is the usual suspects complaining but the parents have been bought over.

To solve this problem the general public needs to be taught to evaluate the nuances of the issue and then make an inofrmed statement.

I am therefore primarily seeking comments of the readers to express thier side on this.

Cricket selectors - Are you worried when the England 2ndXI show lack of depth of our bowlers?

2011-05-20T06:16:00.002+05:30

The current match in Derby for the SL team to acclimate to the English conditions just ended its first day. The English second string has posted a total of 394 /4 with the last partnership still going after 232 runs. The struggle of our bowlers to make any in roads in the whole of the final two sessions of the day are very worrying, and in my opinion the class of the bowling in the absence of Lasith Malinga leaves much to be desired. Apparently Morgan's 150 not out will not help his cause in getting a test spot. Isnt that a further cause for concern for the SL side?

Despite the confidence gained in winning the first match against a weak Middlesex bowling side this is more of a test of things to come under English conditions. SL won the toss and chose to bowl, and rightly so as it is our bowling strength that currently looks very mediocre. What is it that we can do in the short term to prevent a total disaster in the 3 test series? This is a baptism of fire for the new Test Captain Dilshan.

There is no question that we will be depending on our batsman to save the day, and bat through these 5 day matches having got used to 20 over batting at the IPL games. Lets hope we are not sending our Lions to slaughter especially today as it is ironic that we are facing the English Lions!!!

So lets will our boys along, and not face the ignominy due to the SLC incompetence of only wanting to manage the money and not the game after the financial pay off for losing the World Cup. Don't come with an argument saying even this game in Derby was hijacked by the betting fraternity so that the odds for a Sri Lankan win at the Test matches increases.

Some food for thought!!

Young bloggers don't you have an opinion on the local version of the Hitler Youth Corps? It was announced today

2011-05-19T21:25:00.006+05:30

The Ruling Regime's "tharuneyata hetak" aims to attract the less educated youth subtlety to be part of the UPFA's Youth Corps, whilst the latest "Boot Camp" for A level students aims to enslave them into taking thinking out of their psyche and accept authority and orders without question, in much the same way an Army is disciplined.

In the words of the Minister of Higher Education today, he said this program is an essential requirement for University entry, so that this country can build future leaders and teach them something about discipline (aka taking orders from higher authority)

In reality this letter goes out to all those who have sat A levels and not just to entrants, as those who have received this letter do not as yet know what the marks are to enter university, nor do they know if they are even eligible for entry. In reality therefore it becomes compulsory for a far greater population than university entrants which will only account for 17,000 this year and the plan is to put 200.000 through this program. It is currently noted to be a in house 3 week course at an army camp and the actual program and plan has not been publicised in order that criticism is minimized. There is a list of stuff they have to bring to the camp, which if they did not already posses would cost about Rs20,000 to purchase. So far as I know they will only receive two free T shirts each and a certificate saying they have attended the course. Additionally based on the letters that have been received by the first batch who have been asked to report on Monday, the locations are as far away from home as possible. A Colombo student has been asked to attend a camp in Trincomalee, and a Kandy student has to go to Boosa in Galle.

It is not clear if the sexes will be mixed or together and bearing in mind they are between 17 and 20 many females are bound to be apprehensive not knowing the safety element.

Having stated the facts I have been able to glean, (if someone has more accurate information, especially the instruction schedule, please comment on this here.) I do not know what can be instilled in 3 weeks in a student other than a brainwashing session of sorts. How can you instill leadership qualities in this short period. So this captive audience can be taught whatever the Defence Secretary thinks fit. All I can think is that he wants them to stop thinking and "do as I say and don't ask questions!"

In Sri Lanka we have a severe problem with thinking, as we are not taught at school to think nor are students asked to enquire, hence the name of the blog, with a prime purpose of getting the reader to think. That is why I believe this insidious program is shrouded with ill intentions rather than the potential it can have of teaching students to be responsible people in society, something that is desperately needed for our youth.

Why is the govt, not elaborating on the program, with a work flow.? We do not know if they are going to be taught to use guns or face a firing squad, that is how in the dark everyone is on this program. This has not even been discussed at length in Parliament, when it is a significant change to current practice even though the Minister maintains that no new laws or regulations are required to enact this program.

Let me conclude by saying that whilst I am not trying to prevent a pre university training of entrants in taking responsibility as the chosen few to receive a free education at a huge cost to the state, I am suspicious of this program as it lacks transparency, has not been debated and is shrouded in secrecy, and appears to include at least 10 times the final university entrants.

We have entered a very frightening period in this country's history where the ruling elite can do almost anything they wish and do not face any opposition due to the lack of time for debate because of the surreptitious speed with which most actions are introduced. Democracy is dead!!!!

Fingers point to.... for making SL the laughing stock of international diplomacy

2011-05-02T14:16:00.002+05:30

The furor over the 'Report' has shown how duplicitous the Govt. and its spokesman are and while we may be able to fool the majority that matter to the elected in Sri Lanka, in the court of international opinion we are just mush! zilch! Even if one reads the opinions given by both the Russian and Chinese (Indians have remained strangely silent!) they are just supporting the President implicitly through their Ambassadors locally, but not a word from Beijing and Moscow who are careful to sit on the fence.

Why is it that if we did not accept the commissioning of the panel, we secretly had negotiations and then later openly the Attorney General and Diplomats to the UN have discussions with the Panelists? Was it that we wanted to placate the international fora, while keeping the local stance? The contents of the report are not at all surprising, as this is merely a regurgitation of past accusations, now formalized albeit only to the UNSG.

I believe the least we should have done after participating would be without sending mixed messages as given by the foreign minister, asked for time to take each of the points and present the SL side, so that the Report and the Govt. official response been released at the same time. It could easily have been done, but the arrogance of power prevented such a balance.

I cannot understand that, as this war was a JUST war to eliminate arguably the most fearsome and inhuman terror group, the Govt. was unable to come out with the facts as the Govt. saw it and defended their actions. It is easier at the point of winning to explain collateral damage, and in view of all the satellite imagery now available to all, explain how hospitals were shelled and why. As it was not deliberate policy, it could have been a mixture of isolated deliberate instances in the heat of the battle when shells were falling on the forces as well as inaccuracy on the part of the coordinates fed into the guns or quality of the firepower used.

I distinctly remember the time when we were told that at most 70,000 were holed in with the terrorists, and that they were the Maaviru families of the fighters and so were ostensibly part of the greater fighting force. If the Govt. believed that, then everyone in the misnamed no fire zone was fair game. The Govt. made a colossal mistake calling it the no fire zones as that was a call to the Tigers to group there, as otherwise why would they use Human Shields in the fire zones as everyone in the fire zones will be eliminated and not shielded! It may have been even called that deliberately so everyone would go there to be fired on.

It is also now claimed that India was complicit in the whole operation at the time, knowing full well what was going on and also approved of it as even they wanted the LTTE totally annihilated anyway and SL were doing a perfect job of it. Whatever the merits of this argument, when 350,000 emerged fleeing the fighting it must have taken everyone by surprise, as by that time it was a no brainer that people who were holed up were mainly innocent civilians, forced to be there from the LTTE retreat of the past few months unable to flee until the SL troops cleared a safe passage.

When one looks at this number and the shelling that occurred, then it is no wonder that 10,000+ innocents may have perished in the conflict. It is too late for the UN to have post mortems now. It was paramount that the local UN staff give the UNSG at that time, the true gravity of the situation, and pass the responsibility of action to him at that time. In my opinion therefore it was at that time, prior to the time that civilians were escaping the clutches of the terrorists, for the UN to demand a free passage complete with UN cover for a max of 5 days for civilians to flee and so then only the LTTE would have perished en mass. UNSG failed miserably, partly due to the failure of the UN system to protect the true innocents, possibly due to some partiality to the LTTE also or for reasons that I am not privy to.

The soldiers were tired of the war, wanted to finish it off, saw that it was possible, like in all end stages, allow the Govt. to lie publicly about what they were doing and then indulge in heavy weapon shelling. If you were the commander there, would you risk the lives of your tired troops for hand to hand combat when you have weapons at your disposal to finish the job with less casualties on your side? The morale of the Army was high, but based on absolute hatred of the enemy and the destruction it had caused to the country over a protracted period, and many having lost close friends. It is unlikely that civilians were intentionally targeted.

Of course there was ( and this is pure conjecture based on 15 years of living in Southern California, where the Sinhala and Tamil diaspora were at diametrically opposing poles ) the desire of the Defense Secretary coming after a long stint in Southern California being exposed to total hatred, of wanting to teach the Tamil Diaspora, that he had them by the balls!! the wish to finish it off before some power forced a ceasefire and a return to stalemate. So when the word from the front came that they were close to finishing it off, its easy to say take no prisoners and save our boys from potential suicide cadres.

Now why is it we are too chicken to tell the truth? It is the Sinhala gathiya to tell the truth only when we are beaten into pulp by the police as is done to this day in Sri Lanka. So if our leaders are unable to be truthful, ( I guess they are politicians so they are inbred to lie) we all have to suffer.

I know of one way to get to the truth, we can then save this country from its banal leaders, and get our respect back, until then we in Sri Lanka will suffer for the sins of our leaders. So don't just follow your leaders and believe everything they say, it is really only for their self preservation that they act and not yours or the country's.

The furor over the advisory panel's report to Ban Ki Moon - an opinion

2011-04-19T11:26:00.002+05:30

We are back to this saga, which will not go away, as long as this issue is met with completely opposing views within the island. We can always pin point to US hypocrisy and ulterior motives and begin a Western conspiracy bashing harangue as seems to be the natural inclination of the government with a new added twist to ask the people of the country to rise up in support of the government’s stance. I just do not believe the size of the constituency behind the government will make an iota of difference to this unless the Tamil people living in this country are ALSO united in condemnation.

For those who say this is only a Sinhala country, then I cannot have a rational discussion on this subject. For those who believe this is a country of all the races and creeds that live in it, then it is time we act in a UNITED voice and opinion. It is important therefore to address the grievances of the Tamil people, as represented by the TNA, In order to achieve this goal, so that we can have a hopeful and prosperous future for all who live in Sri Lanka. If the TNA is phony then who truly represents the Tamils?

It is so clear that the TNA completely accept the report and the Govt. reject it, polarizing the people yet again. The Govt. dare not label the TNA as unpatriotic as it may provoke a backlash against them, creating a crisis and instability and therefore have pretended that they have not even heard their support, and are perhaps saying to themselves they are still LTTE apologists, and that the true opinion of the Tamil people is not with them.

How can this be resolved? If the Tamil people believe the contents, while both parties to the conflict are equally implicated, only the victor remains to be held accountable. I do not know if the LLRC had evidence of people accusing the security forces of violations, but I would be risking my life if I had actually been a victim, witness or a partaker in any of these allegations. Personally I cannot accept zero collateral damage when human shields are used, so lets just tell the truth and clear the air.

I believe if we are to justify to the world that we can put behind this moment in history and move on, the victims of this conflict need closure, and this has not been addressed satisfactorily and I do not believe the Government is in any rush. I must add that Sri Lanka has the largest number of documented missing persons per capita in the world from all conflicts. This is not a case of any race, it is a case of the tragedy of the country that we have not been able to confront this and obtain closure for the families of the missing.

the games people play in order to gain favor

2011-04-09T19:44:00.002+05:30

In my experience in working with staff in the villages, there is a lot of things said, which are sometimes true and sometimes not. It is hard to determine which is which especially when much of what is said is to make one look good with one's principal whilst stabbing a rival in the back.

One has to be very careful in these circumstances, as many tales are of people deceiving you and stealing from you, and unless one can corroborate such tales, one has to tread carefully before attaching blame and believing the story.

In the most recent instance it is one who is in my sister's employment who is making allegations against people in my employment, and if I repeat that allgation to the alleged culprit, they would know from whom that came and make life difficult for him. If it is totally unfounded, then it is even more of an issue that can blow out of control, where we are not on site to be able to see the wood from the trees and settle the dispute in a fair manner and prevent it getting nasty.

The art of the deal is to accept the statement from the person making the allegation and then just pretend nothing has happened and see if one can prove beyond reasonable doubt that the allegation has any merit. Otherwise it is a pure trouble in the jungle scenario with no way out.

The divide and rule concept worked well for the British as they had enough people within the island who would tell tales on the other, and it is difficult to get total silence from all as there are enough people who will sneak to gain favor. This way one can know everything that goes on and pretend one does not know and be able to come out with the truth when it can be proven or when one gets caught red handed or with his pants down as the expression goes.

While there is no smoke without fire, jealousies are such that bald face lies are now the norm in this game, so that ascertaining the truth prior to reacting become paramount.

we can't stop speculating as to what really happened

2011-04-04T19:39:00.004+05:30

It is interesting today to note that everyone I speak to has his or her own theory as to what happened and why it was that Sri Lanka lost!!

These post mortems will go on for years and speculation will never cease, there are as many theories as there are people giving their own version. No one can accept that we lost fair and square to a better side!! While it was the better side on the day, even that is open to opinion! it is other behind the scenes goings on that constituted the final composition that keeps propping up time and time again.

Sanga was not his normal self!, was he sick or sick of the whole farce? Him praising the President in his speech means something very different to non Sri Lankan ears than it does to Sri Lankan. The mass audience listening was non Sri Lankan, so to them it meant if you don't praise the dictator you don't have a future so be sure to get in some words that were completely inappropriate under the circumstances. To the Sri Lankan it meant praise the leader who both won the war and assisted the Sri Lankan team with all the means at his disposal to get there.

You the reader take your pick of the choices, just know that there are differing opinions even on this inclusion.

To me it was simple, I thought we had the game in the bag when the second Indian wicket fell, but from that point I did not see the normal excitement and intensity to finish it off, but a complete change in attitude, and the zeal that Sanga shows in directing the team from the behind the stumps was not there. Of course I was shattered that we did not make it, as I really felt the score in the end was a defendable one.

I wonder why? was he not totally happy with the 4 changes to the team? these are all questions we have for which we may never get the true answer.

Then I see the papers replete with Murali taking the blame for the loss saying he was not up to his usual level. Is he really to blame or those who insisted on including him? I don't know the answer to that either, so I wonder.

After all is said and done, I really feel the team should be congratulated for their performance, win or lose as they did the country credit and as it sometimes happens it was not our day on Saturday, and I really hope we can make it to the finals in Australia in 4 years and win it. Thanks guys for the superb entertainment and the credit to the country, you did us proud. No one will now underestimate the strength and depth of Sri Lanka cricket.

Sri Lanka per capita Income US$2400 for 2010

2011-03-30T12:03:00.002+05:30

The department of census and statistics has estimated that the 2010 GNP per head is Rs275,000. By any stretch this is a fantastic figure, which when taken in the context of numbers we assume fall well below this level, mean that there are a lot of very very wealthy people to be able to get to this average.

I cannot see any proposals currently of improving the lot of those who are below Rs100,000 who I would assume fall into the poverty line. I am willing to wager that much of the increase in the past 6 years is as a result of those above the GNP average increasing their share, rather than those at the lower end coming up. I would like to be proved wrong in my assumptions, but I believe this period has seen such a windfall for the wealthy so as to take them to stratospheric levels to increase the GNP average.

The Divi Neguma program I am sure is aimed at helping 1,000,000 households which could average 5,000,000 people (25%) of the population to be able to increase their income levels, but is it structured correctly to achieve this result? I don't believe this good idea has been converted into a great action plan with the emphasis and funds as well as the direction that is required.

In my area in Polonnaruwa I was asking some neighbors about this and all they said is that they were given about Rs100 of seeds to plant in their home gardens.

It is a shame that there is no consistent approach to tackle the serious issues of the day and that everything is converted into an election slogan to hoodwink the electorate that there is something very positive for them, when billions are robbed as part of the daylight robbery that is taking place from the people and the country beautifully disguised in the name of projects and promises.

Union Bank - first day of share trading - Interesting to note sour grapes act of Sampath Bank

2011-03-29T12:56:00.002+05:30

Today was the first day the shares of Union Bank began trading. The Rs25/- shares briefly touched Rs 45/- for a few moments before settling down around Rs38/- Don't forget that the 15,000,000 shares that were offered at Rs25/- were oversubscribed over 250 times, and 99.9% of the applicants only got 100 shares each. Even if you sent in a cheque for Rs1M subscribing for 40,000 shares all you would get is 200 shares, and the balance Rs995K would be returned to you. So to sell your 100 shares and make Rs1,300 is what I would hardly call a killing!!(before brokerage)

What is more perturbing and smacks of sour grapes, and being self destructive was Sampath Bank who announced in the papers today of all days that it intends to sell their stake amounting to 26,338,000 shares amounting to 7.9% of the Bank. Nothing hangs like a cloud over a new issue than this kind of public disclosure.

I am willing to guess that at least Rs5 per share was wiped out of the subscribers first day sales as a result of this announcement. After all 30Million shares changed hands on the first day, double the number of shares issued. This potential sale by Sampath exceeds the new issue by nearly twice as much and therefore can be considered a material disclosure. So technically I cannot fault Sampath for making this disclosure at this stage, if it truly intended to sell its stake now, but I cannot see any earthly reason for them to rush to a sale, where they can choose a more opportune moment at a more favorable price in the future.

In the interest of the Sampath Bank shareholders, to get maximum value out of this sale, I would not have made this announcement, but waited for the prices to settle and find a buyer for this significant stake at a more favorable price through negotiation at some date in the future. This announcement therefore as shown above does not help either of the Bank's shareholders, and more permanently affects the new Union Bank's shareholders who must be frothing mad at this act.

These are the happenings in Serendipity these days!!!! (Union with a higher PE ratio than Sampath is unpalatable to the latter, is that why? how petty can you get?)

Did you see the 500 Dimo Battas on Galle Face a few days ago?

2011-03-25T13:39:00.002+05:30

I noticed the Dimo Battas on Galle Face on my way to the office a few days ago and looked into what this was all about. Of course the Daily News said it was a donation from Dimo, but as always that is stretching not just the truth it is stretching a lie.

Either way I went on to investigate the ramifications of it and I would like any reader who is privy to a more accurate level of knowledge than I who has only gleaned it from various News articles come up with the following points.

They distributed to member of the Self Employed Entrepreneurs Federation, as part of the DIVI NEGUMA program of the Ministry of Economic Development (the Basil and PB show) This was ostensibly for these entrepreneurs to use the vehicle to transport and sell the POSHANA MALLA being a selection of nutritious food items from Lak Sathosa.

Be that as it may, these people have to pay the People's Bank that is giving them the lease (Peoples Bank would have bought it from DIMO at a concessionary 500K)55 monthly payments of Rs 22,135 for a total payment over four and half years of Rs 1,217,425. I would hardly call this concessionary!!!

I can only hope that these people are sufficiently motivated enough to work hard to earn enough to make this monthly lease and then pay for the products that they are distributing, which if they have a reasonable margin at Lak Sathosa rates! can earn a living ( a net profit after lease payment of minimum Rs20,000) I have worked out that before making payments for insurance, repairs and maintenance but after paying for diesel they require a monthly gross profit of Rs50,000 in order to arrive at this basic living wage.

This assuming only one person does everything, that is drive the vehicle (needs a clean driving license) and also sell the produce. Once this becomes a two person enterprise, then it is just Rs10,000 per person making the proposition dubious. In practice rarely in Sri Lanka, have I seen the one person delivery/sales process.

Under the latter alternative of two persons People's Bank earns more in interest per month on the deal than the human being is in monthly earnings, a complete win win for the Bank and lose lose for the Entrepreneur.

The question is then asked, how many fail to pay the lease, and in order to realistically look into the feasibility of such a business venture, I would suggest that the IPS (Institute of Policy Studies) use this as a case study and with help from People's Bank follow the progress of these recipients over the period of the lease and work out the pros and cons of this project.

the noticeable transformation of the plush suburbs of Colombo

2011-03-25T11:34:00.002+05:30

If one has been in Colombo over the past 6months one would have definitely notice the transformation of Central Colombo. Roads and sidewalks have been paved and eyesores cleared and a transformation is taking place. It is also common to see Gotabhaya Rajapakse personally inspecting and instructing people on site on what is to be done.

One also sees hundreds of army personnel being drafted into help with the effort as I saw along the Canal behind Christ Church, Galle Face yesterday, where the newly renovated and upgraded waterway was being covered with grass sod, so as to prevent runoff flowing back into the Beira with the expected rains in the next few months.

I know many supporters and detractors of government acknowledging and giving credit where it is due, as proactive action has taken place, despite opposition from those who have been evicted from property that has been occupied for many years without title deeds. It was said that if not for this decisive action, the authorities will be ties up in courts by staying orders that would indefinitely delay any proposal or plan.

It is interesting that the primary beneficiaries of this clean up are the affluent people living in Colombo, and the tourists who visit and stay at the posher neighborhoods. It is reflective of the attitude of the leadership, that is concentrated on heaping benefits unequally. Ironically the UNP could never have helped the wealthy as much as this government has!!

The beauty of the political landscape also is that all the utterings are to help the masses but all the actions are to help the privileged few. This is electoral dynamite as seen by the recent election results, that despite the total lack of tangible benefits, the rhetoric and the belief that the Huge infrastructure projects are for the benefit of all, that ensures continuity of this style of governance for the foreseeable future.

I have no doubt that the exterior transformation of Colombo will take place, and we who benefit from it be glad of it, I just pity those who help transform it are not really even allowed to enjoy it. For example the fancy night market on Green Path on the side of Vihara Maha Devi Park is great for me as I only have to walk 5 minutes to get there, but with no night buses in Colombo, it is out of reach of the majority of the people in Colombo. Then again it is meant to be enjoyed by those who have wheels or can afford to hire wheels ISN'T IT!!!!

the government deficit - an illusion - a cover-up

2011-03-22T12:50:00.002+05:30

I have attempted in layman's terms to explain some of the reasons for government deficits, that are not as obvious. The Sri Lanka government has always run a deficit, and in a sense that is not bad. However the reasons for the deficit and its relative size, relative to the GNP of the country are the amounts that matter. It is now becoming more important to ensure that the projects giving rise to deficits are in fact those that will produce a tangible economic return in the future, justifying its current spend.

In that regard and light of the earlier blog article I wrote below, transferring the unpaid liabilities of the CEB for the use of fuel (amounting in excess of Rs120 Billion over a period of about 5 years) to the treasury, and the treasury then issuing IOU's in the form of Treasury Bonds to the CPC smacks of a hidden deficit that should have been showed earlier.

This act of deft accounting, at a stroke allows the CEB to claim they are making profits, when hitherto they have not been able to pay their debts, and immediately balloons the government debt by over Rs120B while at the same time not treating this as a deficit for 2011, as it relates to previous years, not shown in those years as deficits.

In similar vein the government can deftly use their surrogates, such as the Bank of Ceylon and Peoples Bank and other government entities to give loans on non commercial terms for their political agenda, and then if they so chose, subsidize this resultant loss in the future through the use of an IOU so the deficit so arising from their actions does not get recorded as such.

This is why the losses of state enterprises is permanent and non recoverable should also form part of the Government deficit, just as the dividends the government received from profitable state enterprises, goes to reduce the government deficit. You cannot do one without the other as is the case at present.

It is interesting that no one seems to have picked up on this simple gimmick and made some public display of accountability that must be borne by the state, and not swept under the carpet.

Need I say that a Central Banker who brings this matter up will lose his or her job or lose the next promotion. Such is life of the brain boxes of the land, whose lips are sealed. At least some ex Central Bankers please write about this, you wont lose your fat pensions on account of this will you?

Who pays for street lighting? That is Rs3B of the CEB Rs5B profit

2011-03-21T15:23:00.002+05:30

It may be interesting to note that the CEB incurs approximately Rs3B per annum in street lighting charges which it is unable to collect, for whatever reason, and then charges this from the Treasury as an amount due from the Government. This is part of the top line revenue of the CEB which if it provided as an noncollectable item would immediately change the CEB Rs5B profit to a Rs2B profit and that is all accounting gimmickry anyway when it is faced with such a massive payment to the CPC for the use of fuel.

I can turn the Rs5B profit to Rs10B loss on a purely prudent accounting policy, so that the figures bandied about by the Minister of Energy is mere gobbledygook, to hoodwink the masses. Tell me how a Rs55B loss in one year can turn into a Rs5B profit the next without such gobbledygook accounting adjustments!!!

Be that as it may lets get back to the main point of street lighting, and who should pay for it. It should be open to debate and a reasonable basis agreed upon. Some of us have street lighting in the neighborhoods we live in and others are not as fortunate. It does not depend necessarily on the density of population, just more on political patronage, where one is able to persuade a local politician to put street lighting in exchange for a promise of a vote!

I believe all street lighting should come into the budget of the local councils, who are the providers of garbage disposal, and related local services. That is how it is managed all over the world, and I do not see why it should be any different in Sri Lanka. There should be accountability too so that locally measures can be in place to ensure low cost CFL lighting is used, and the lights come on only after dusk and get switched off at dawn, either remotely or on a sensor that detects the level of lighting. Additionally local authorities that use solar street lighting will not be charged, as they will have alternative modes of this provision.

So just think of the logical reasons why it should not be passed on as a burden to the treasury, who have no control over the use or abuse of street lighting and it is the CEB just passing the buck, as it is easier than collecting amounts from errant local councils, who even try to get free electricity for their own offices!

Someone should look into this aspect of the budget deficit and in this light if we look at all aspects of the budget deficit we can find simple ways of saving the treasury from these little expenses that add up to a huge deficit.

Sadly there does not seem to be anyone in this government who understands that the deficit in fact needs to be reduced and that there are measures that can be taken to reduce this, as the corruption rampant in bureaucracy prevents people taking some small unpalatable decisions that may affect the electability of these officials in the future due to the promises made to electors from funds they actually are robbing from the treasury.

Over to you readers for some opinions and suggestions.

in the hot seat in a forced sell situation

2011-03-15T12:08:00.003+05:30

As the Compliance Officer in a stock-brokering firm in Sri Lanka, I have the unenviable task of having to force sell client shares in a market that has no buyers.

The forced selling has come about due to various changes instituted by the SEC in conjunction with the CSE that have to do with no longer granting credit to clients, a practice in the past, which in the determining of the SEC no longer constitutes a business activity the stock broker should engage in. In their opinion a margin provider should perform this service and this should be outside the remit of the stockbroker, who is governed by the rules of the CSE and SEC.

While these noble ideals are good in theory, it is the small investor in an illiquid market that gets massacred in this scenario. However much a stock broker tries to dissuade a small investor in purchasing highly dubious retail stocks that seem to go up and down without any rational reason, these very same investors feel that it is the only way they can make money, a very wrong assumption in my view.

The small investor (and I am generalizing here as there are many exceptions to this rule) is not very savvy and is prone to be misled, sometimes by brokers, but most often by other small investors full of myths and rumors of shares and their expected performance. I have had the misfortune of having to deal with many in the latter category, and trying to persuade them to dispose of shares at a loss, as in my view (and later proved correct) that they would fall further was something they were unable to stomach saying the reverse would happen if I forced sold their shares.

It saddens me to have to deal with this sort of client who in a market where the big boys are making billions and millions of tax free money to live the life of kings in Sri Lanka, are losing their shirt on these theories of theirs. Even worse they don't seem to learn from recent lessons where they have got burnt, not realizing that those unable to or not big enough to manipulate the market should only hold value stocks that will go up. The big boys are manipulating the market daily with no one even getting pulled up by the regulators who are totally impotent in their tasks.

I am and have been trying to safeguard the interests of the small shareholders, but find the regulator is their worst enemy, second being the big player, manipulators who due to the low level of liquidity, manipulate shares up, and the sucker retailers follow the pied piper right into the lake and drown, because the manipulator dumps his low cost shares at a high price on the unsuspecting small guy who gets slammed and crushed and barely comes out alive, only to get suckered again.

No wonder then that our voter gets the same treatment from the unscrupulous politician who lies and hoodwinks to get the votes, and continues to do so, as the elector makes the same mistake time and time again, as he is also a sucker and glutton for punishment.

Tell me of a candidate who has been elected if he speaks the truth!! We just like to hear and believe lies, but here I digress from my original purpose, and hope and pray we can educate the small investor in the virtues of long term value investing.

I earnestly hope that both the CSE and SEC realize that they are driving the small investor away despite all the talk to the contrary, as they are totally ignorant of what it takes to safeguard the small investor. If only they really know what has happened to the small investor in the past 6 months, they would have acted differently. But then again what do you expect from bureaucrats warming more and more chairs not earning their keep in this economy!!!

kalpanakaranna - all issues have two sides

2011-03-09T13:05:00.002+05:30

It was interesting to note that a JVP MP has criticized a plan to offer pleasure boat services in tanks in Sri Lanka, saying they will affect both fishing and farming adversely.

It is important that before making such statements one has to weigh the pros and cons and have a debate about it knowing that the differing opinions are determined on the knowledge or lack of knowledge of what is proposed.

If one looks at the example of my village tank next to my property, that is the beautiful Ratmale tank behind my house which is currently overflowing with water, I would like it to remain in this pristine untouched condition so I can sit by the tank and enjoy the breeze of total quiet with birds flying around and the occasional elephant coming to drink water.

Who are the guardian's of the tank? If it is determined that the village collectively are the guardian's of the tank, then it is they who can legally permit by license or other formality to give permission for persons to fish, what fish they are permitted to catch, the time period they are permitted to fish, and the size of the fish as well as the period for the validity of the license to fish. The money raised from these licenses can then used by the village council in a manner they decide.

If these same villages decide they would like to offer a boar service, or worse if I as an owner of a property adjoining the tank, request the permission of the village to offer a pleasure boat service either for money, or for my friends and family, then one has to look at the legal status of such an undertaking, and follow the law as to how I conduct this venture.

If it was just to use a small fishing boat which can at best take three people, and I use it sparingly only to take my friends on a joy ride, then it may be permitted as long I do not do this all the time, and only for a limited time occasionally not inconveniencing local fishermen and agreeing with them some terms of reference so I do not approach their underwater nets or harm them. It is when I do this in a larger scale, more as a money making enterprise that I may fall foul of various requirements like a license from the Central Environmental Authority or some such body as stipulated in Law.

We must therefore have some guidelines so that all stakeholders are consulted prior to any major change in the status quo. It is sad but true that a government that is all powerful can wake up each morning and change policies at a whim and fancy without any recourse to economic sense, overall cost benefit analysis and without consultation, so that aggrieved parties have no say in the matter. This riding roughshod over people's lives and livelihoods and consultation seems to be a hallmark of the type of dictatorship we have where too much power has been vested on people who do not have the sense and logic to realize their limitations and the limits to a reasonable use of that power vested in them.

The lack of a strong opposition is also very detrimental to the functioning of this democracy where only the people of the country are the scapegoats and sufferers susceptible to further manipulation using spurious rationale for the justification of such directives.

local government elections - an opinion

2011-03-04T14:16:00.002+05:30

In my area for the Hingurakgoda Pradeshiya Sabha the JVP is hopeful of making a comeback. I know its leaders, one of whom I have helped in the time he was a provincial counseller, to transport free rice to the needy using my vehicle during a particular time of hardship.

The JVP is campaigning on their credibility of actually doing community service and galvanizing people on small issues such as the irrigation rights and managing the farmer organizations and collection and distribution of fertilizer, namely based on their track record of managing small projects that they have undertaken.

The problem with their campaign is that they are still wrapped up in the virulently anti-capitalist philosophy that I do not believe holds much sway today. Today's youth want remunerative employment. The government has made numerous promises which they have not been able to keep and so their credibility is called into question.

If however the voter identifies with the local government issues, I wonder who they believe can solve the local problems.

If I may use two examples in my area. A new Pola building has been built at great cost in a park that used to be a playground for children in Hingurakgoda. Construction projects are always favored as the contracts are invariably given to a favored few who can make money from them. However this Pola building has yet to be opened.

The most obvious reason is that it is too small, and the spaces for pedestrians to walk and the hawkers to display their produce is wholely inadequate. It is obvious that no proper planning went into the project in the haste for a pal to get the contract. In my opinion the money has completely been wasted and the Pola is unlikely to be moved and no one has taken the blame or flak for this faux pas.

Another stupid rule is for all the shops in Hingurakgoda to be closed on Saturdays to give the staff of the shops a day off. Once they threatened to cut the electricity on Saturday as a few traders were flouting the rules. If they had done so all the shops that had food in deep freezers would have suffered immense loss. It is crazy said one of the traders that I know that rules like this are insisted upon when it harms the traders so much as more business would go to nearby towns instead, with some business never to return.

Far from helping workers with time off, it is killing the goose that lays the golden egg. Ironically on the first day they did this, it rained so hard on Sunday that the Pola had to be cancelled and no trade was done by the open shops on Sunday crippling the businesses. On that Saturday it was nice and sunny but all the shops were closed.

They should understand that time off for workers cannot really be mandated in this day and age except for minimum wage legislation and overtime if more than a certain number of hours was worked. The owners of the shops can then determine how they want to open their shops to maximize profitability to themselves whilst abiding by labor laws, instead of being compelled to close their establishments on a day picked on by the local council.

Those who support such rules are those who really envy the hard working, and want everyone to suffer equally. Unfortunately the election campaign seems to concentrate on the personalities involved rather than the issues at stake.

I somehow wish the electors will be able to see than this election is one that affects their lives directly immediately and readily as opposed to National Elections that take more time to show results, and cast their vote for candidates who appear to better fulfill the individual expectation of the people in that area.

the muts that rule us and the bigger muts that give them security

2011-02-09T17:24:00.002+05:30

I nearly lost my life due to both these types of muts, and so I am speaking from real experience.

Kalpanakaranna. I have seen and been in motorcades in the US and UK, and in no case are the protection vehicles at a lower level of quality than the vehicle in which the incumbent VIP is travelling. When I watched the motorcade of the US president it were the GM suburbans that provided the security detail of the Presidential Stretch Limo. You see the way the President of SL is protected and if any of you know anything about security, you will realize his life is in danger from his own security vehicles.

You are only as good as your weakest link, so even though the President goes in a bullet proof Mercedez, those Defender Jeeps infront and behind him are only good for the jungles of Sri Lanka and not going high speed down the streets of Colombo. If any of them skids as they are not even supposed to go at the speeds they currently do, it is only time before one lands on top of the Presidential limo and crush the roof.

Don't say I did not say so as even the MOD reads this blog!! Guys grow and more importantly grow your brains a little.

Anyway why do you need security except for the President and Defence Chiefs? Think about the waste of human resources protecting people of self importance who are really servants of the state. What about the daily list of death and destruction from this security detail as they are obviously not competent to do their job properly as they are mowing down innocent civilians with impunity daily.

I have therefore set up a plan to enforce the law for all at the same level, where no one is allowed to speed, and the law applies to all. We have the laws and why should it not apply to all equally.

Why am I frequently stopped in the Minneriya jungle at the dead of night on a straight stretch without a dog on the road at about 2am and fined for speeding doing 68 kmph when the cops should man all the accident hotpspots and stop every speeding vehicle whether there is an MP or a regular Joe.

So over to you my readers! How about some input from you on this matter.

The latest attempt at appeasing the public at the expense of alienating the producer

2011-01-06T16:28:00.001+05:30

Today’s salvo in the news was that the Army is to purchase vegetables directly from farmers in order to sell at concessionary prices at centers in Colombo.

The problem is the rise in the vegetable prices. The solution is not to alienate all those involved in bringing it to the consumer, by using the army instead, assuming that the cause of the problem is that wholesalers and distributors are making an obscene amount of money at the expense of the general public and hence need to be taught a lesson. This common misconception must be immediately addressed.

As a professional in the business of growing, transporting and selling to the consumer, the problem stems from the very low production levels due to the inefficiency of the grower, which the army cannot do anything about unless they go into the business of farming, a much better way to reduce the costs of food.

When the army bypasses the normal distribution channels for a short period, in order to reduce the price to the consumer, the costs borne by the army in collection and transport are not reflected in the price, thus unfairly prejudicing long established businesses, who must bear this cost. It actually creates problems for the very people who should be encouraged to improve on the distribution and reduce wastage.

The normal working of a free market economy is disrupted and once the army ceases to do this task, you are left with businesses forced to abandon trade, who then return to this activity and need to recoup the lost income, by increasing prices still further, totally negating the objective of the original exercise.

It is most important therefore to abandon this plan immediately and address instead the real reasons for the increase in food items. If this is not done you do not cure the disease but instead put a sticking plaster that is festering and unclean, which sets the stage for a massive disease created by the plaster!!!

Why is it that we are constantly finding asinine solutions to real problems, without addressing the root causes, and continue to make the same mistake time and time again?

The increase in food prices is very real, it is not the fault of the farmer or the person who brings it over. It is mafias created by politicians who fund them that have created the inherent costs as well as the corruption of officials, like in the case where I am stopped in the middle of the Minneriya jungles by traffic cops at 2am for speeding doing 69kmph where there is no traffic and costs me time, money and effort to free myself, which all goes towards the high cost of food. So no wonder when the army truck is not stopped for speeding he has an advantage!!

Lies, lies and bald faced lies says who?

2010-12-28T16:23:00.000+05:30

Have you noticed that we are a nation of pathological liars? Those who don’t believe it, simply live in a cocoon of their own making. It does sound unpatriotic to say so, but then again it is even more patriotic to tell the truth. Their again begs the question, what is truth and what are lies?

Taking my first assertion, it seems pretty obvious that lying is not something that is the exclusive purview of the poor or less educated, who try to skirt the truth in their struggle to survive in a harsh world, and do so out of necessity. The shamefaced lies come from the top, and in my opinion, the pathological nature of the lies, make it seem that the liar also believes in the lies, which he may do, as he is not even in a position to distinguish between right and wrong.

We have been so used to being lied to we even vote for the politician who lies the most even though we know the promise made to gain the vote is too far fetched to hold any sense of reality. What does that make us? We have made lying normal.
So here I go again, “kalpanakaranna” is the operative word, in disseminating any item of news one hears or reads, and then come to your own conclusion, based on your ability to judge. You may be right or wrong, but you came to the conclusion based on your experience and knowledge.

Just a few minutes ago I received a text from Ada Derana, saying the Government has given approval for a 500 room hotel at a cost of US$500M to Shangri La. If you believe that is true, then a room will cost on average US$1M, and a minimum of 15% net return on investment is required. That is US$150K a year, which on 75% occupancy, very high by international standards means 240room nights. That is a clear profit of US$150,000/275 which equals US$540 profit per night on a 500room hotel, something that has yet to be achieved anywhere in the world.

So when we get pathological lies passed to us even in this form, where the sender is so dumb as to pass such asinine figures around as being fact, it is up to us the recipient of the news to have a good laugh at their expense, rather than at the next cocktail party make a fool of oneself quoting this text verbatim as if it is the truth.

The truth of the US$500M investment is probably not just for the hotel, but includes an apartment complex, and a shopping mall which when viewed in its entirety is more logical. We then come to the next point of discussion, of will it ever be built, and if so when will it be completed, in our lifetime or after!!! The obstacles and pitfalls are humongous and lets hope the investor does not back out.

A rational and consistent approach to the “resettlement of 150,000”

2010-12-10T14:48:00.001+05:30

There are 150,000+ living in Colombo, who will have to be resettled within the next decade as part of the Colombo Redevelopment Plan as envisaged by the Town Planners. The UDA has now been entrusted to the Defense Secretary under the MOD. I don’t envy him the task he is entrusted with and hope it is handled with thought and consultation as we are talking about the lives of a lot of people of all ages, who will have to undertake, one of the hardest choices of their lives. Just look in the mirror and ask yourself, what you would do if you were asked to leave where you are currently living. What guarantees and assurances would you want?

I hope this necessary translocation will not become politicized, by either side, and most of all that no suspect insiders benefit from them. There has to be transparency in all the activities from using the land so regained as part of the development plan for the city, and providing long-term housing solutions that are effective.
If there is one thing we have learned from the Tsunami experience, then we must be able to tackle and effectively deal with the possibility of those who have been relocated, disposing of their new abodes and returning to their original haunts thereby completely negating the original purpose as happened in the Koralawella sea side tenements in the Moratuwa area that are now back to the original state.

It must be understood that people do not like to move, however uncomfortable, or primitive their homes might be. It is the neighborhood, schools, employment and a whole host of reasons that keep people attached. In the same vein you cannot relocate them into a neighborhood, and provide them with facilities and new homes, while people living in the new area are not provided with such, and create resentment and in the end hostility that further compromises the move.

Sri Lanka has not been able to build high rise community housing in close proximity to relocated property, as high rise living in the best of places like Wellawatte area private apartments have turned slum like due to inadequate maintenance. This leaves town planners with a very difficult task. They will have to scour the world to find the best compromise, as no scheme is going to completely satisfy our notoriously spoilt electorate, fed on political promises that cannot be justified.

I know people in Slave Island who have been given a paper informing that they will have to leave, but with no other information, leaving them totally confused, worried, depressed with the uncertainty. A notice to vacate should accompany with it available options, which if they accept within a short time frame will accompany them with goodies and preferences that may be denied later.

LAUGFS GAS IPO – Lessons to be learnt for the future

2010-12-10T10:41:00.001+05:30

It was unfortunate that the Stock Market conditions were such that even with a share which was touted as being over 20times oversubscribed, the Voting shares barely ended the first day with 15% premium and non Voting with about 10%. If this happened three months ago these figures would have been about 3 times as much. There are a few salutary lessons that have emerged. Namely, it was known that Shell decided to dispose of their shares and exit this business in Sri Lanka, with the minority holder, the government having the first right of refusal. This created an added sense of uncertainty to the investors. Even though Litro is a fully government undertaking there is uncertainty as to what will be done with it, though the LAUGFS Board was not worried. This overhang was not good timing.

The other point is that there were so many shares issued that it was inevitable that the desire of the small shareholder is to sell on the first day, especially as the number of shares given to them was also very small due to the oversubscription. I have 500 non voting shares which if I sold today would have given me a profit of Rs750 hardly worth my while in taking the risk of uncertainty into account. A large investor should have been lined up, as was the case with the last Hydro Power Free Lanka IPO, to support the price. In the latter case he supported a 50% premium which has stuck, but granted he bought one third of the new shares.

At the various briefings on the IPO the confident Chairman was confident in his attitude. I asked him why the Prospectus did not state (as is done in all other countries) that the existing shareholders will agree not to sell their shares for a time period of say 3 years. His answer was that they were reluctant to issue even this amount of new shares, why would he or his partner want to sell, and gave oral assurance to that fact. Well that assurance is not in writing and does not hold legal standing. It is the fault of the CSE new listing rules that do not require this clause.

The ‘Roadshows’ were well attended and a lot of money spent on schmoozing and advertising, but the shares are now at real risk of going below the issue price. That kind of ignominy is something that the Board will not countenance and will probably support at the issue price by purchasing, especially as the employees, dealers and customers of LAUGFS who were given preference would stand to lose.

It therefore goes to show that despite profit forecasts being achieved, substantial over-subscription resulting in a record of Rs50B of interest, the issue could be considered a flop in the eyes of the public. The company has achieved its immediate goal of raising the required funds, but future confidence is questionable.

There is no FDI in the private sector, for that matter even Local Investment

2010-12-09T17:35:00.001+05:30

It is almost unbelievable that over a year and half after the hostilities ended, there just is no increase in private sector investment, from Local or Foreign sources in Sri Lanka. The Central Bank statistics amply point out there is no net Private Sector Job growth either. All the domestic job growth in the past 5 years has been in the Public Sector and Security Forces. The budget was aimed at increasing Private Sector Employment by providing more incentives.

There is no time to waste, as the government seems intent on doing keeping busy with accusing the opposition of a host of ills, to shift focus away from the real problems at hand. The stock market has risen to great heights in anticipation of the future, but if there is no real activity, we could see a crash of confidence followed by a crash in the market with the inevitable consequences for the economy.

A liberal budget is not the only requirement for takeoff. It is the confidence of the investor that the conditions are ripe for new investment. That is not there. The banks are awash with money with no one borrowing. I can get Rs1B loan at .25% above the repo rate, namely at 7.5%, but I do not have credible investments to invest with confidence that will guarantee a return, worthy of me taking the risk.

The question as to why this is so is what the Government should be asking. Once they can understand this and act on changing the scenario, only then will the investors move in with Investments and Expansion of existing businesses. I am not saying there is no Investment, it is that the level has not changed from pre conflict days. The level needs to be much higher if we are to grow at a rate that is forecast.

There is a lot of hype in the press about new hotels being built, but until we actually see construction taking place these are all still on drawing boards. I agree the power projects are good investments, as well as the expansion of the Colombo Port, but other infrastructure projects will take a very long time to payback, and if we do not have a return to be able to debt service in the short term we will have severe problems to pay off our foreign debt. This will especially be so once the Eurozone and US economies pick up, and then we will find it more difficult to borrow to repay loans falling due, unless they are refinanced at higher rates.

The logic that is used now to keep the exchange rate strong, so that our imports and borrowings can be cheap will then immediately evaporate, resulting in a huge depreciation to protect capital flight, something that will then become hugely counterproductive. The answer lies in ensuring we start viable investments without delay, having regard to the investment climate, which MUST BE IMPROVED

What happened to the Night Bus Service that there was such a hoo haa about?

2010-12-08T15:47:00.001+05:30

Those of us who work all hours, and keep the engine of the economy running had occasion to be greatly assisted by the night bus service that the Government with a lot of fanfare publicized about 3 months ago. When I work late in the heart of Fort sometimes till 9pm, I have no way of getting home, short of walking the deserted streets which I have done. For a fearless walker like me having to risk my life over the uneven pavements full of potholes and obstacles is foolhardy. Not muggers, drug addicts or inebriated Security Forces personnel do I fear. It takes me a brisk 40 minute walk to get to the flat I rent. How about to Malabe, Athurugiriya, or God forbid, Godagama where my farm is, there is absolutely no hope of going.

Further for passengers taking the intercity night buses or arriving from outstations, there is no relief, having to wait till 5.30am for the buses to start again. When I take the 2am bus to Minneriya, at what time should I get to the Gunasinghapura bus stand? Unless I have a generous friend who is willing to drop me at 1am I can’t even attempt this journey. I am therefore still waiting for this to commence.

Another case of “it has been conveniently forgotten”!! Rational people do not believe a word that is said in the media, especially as it concerns an agent of the Government making a proclamation. It will never happen, and at best if it does happen it will be very temporary, as the sustainability is not thought through.

So let us agitate again for this. Forget the state bus service. Allow private operators to do this with a fare that is double the normal fare for those boarding a bus from 6.30pm onwards to 5.30am. Then set up a once every half hour or once an hour service depending on the route, having regard to load factors etc. If there are no takers, give me 20 route permits, and I will organize the whole of Colombo night bus service, but no bribes to any officials please!! I will take the credit for setting it up and I will also have my nominee vying for the Mayor of Colombo.

It is so irrational to have to pay four times more for me to take a three wheeler to travel the 3km to the Pettah private bus stand than it costs me to go to Minneriya from there. So my suggestion is a no brainer and if we are to take Colombo city to being a 24 hour vibrant hub that is a vital ingredient to the much hyped growth.

The resources of the city are so underutilized because of the fact that except for the wealthy, the place is out of bounds for the average citizen to enjoy its beauty and vibrancy that would be enhanced by such action, spawning a further set of businesses and entertainment for the masses in one place. It is important therefore to lift the price controls on public transport for at least the hours I have suggested.

The immense responsibility placed on Journalists in Sri Lanka today

2010-12-08T14:14:00.002+05:30

We are again confronted by a fracas in Parliament where the “Head Lines” of an article published in an English Language daily had been used to accuse an opposition parliamentarian. Despite the clarity of the article in the papers, the inaccurate insinuation made in Parliament by a government with a two thirds majority is a forerunner of a very grave crisis in the country, where every wrong of the government is turned around by the wrongdoers and blamed on the hapless, yes hapless opposition. I reiterate hapless, because if anyone of the readers have been to parliament and listened to a debate, one can be sure that the opposition is hardly ever allowed to finish a sentence, without a cacophony of whistles boos and boorish conduct. It is ironic that some members choose to speak in English. The reason being that many don’t understand what is being said, and when they listen to the translation, by the time they get it on their headphones it is too late to boo at the point. This allows the English speaker to get his point across uninterrupted.

In light of this I appeal to the journalists, if they have any self respect left to understand the ethos of journalism, where one has to be clear to report facts, and then if there is interpretation, clearly attribute it to the source or event and not imply it is fact. This is especially so where there is self censorship of opinion for fear of retribution. Sadly the latter is commonplace in Sri Lanka at present.

To belabor the point, a minister stated that bus fares (presumably only in Colombo) would be reduced during peak hours. The context in which it was made was not clear in any of the reporting. Was it because there was too much traffic in during this time and the intention was to get people who use cars to get onto the buses?

I don’t know the answer but if it was this issue can be argued in many ways. There is no question that it takes longer each day to come to Colombo from the suburbs as 500,000 commuters to every day. I should know because I am a part time delivery driver of a lorry laden with agricultural produce that I bring into the City. How then can we improve the traffic situation? We experimented with a parking lot in Ratmalana, with buses to take people into the City. It did not work, but instead of honestly looking why it did not work, we automatically assume that is not an answer.

Was it because of the lack of safety of the car park, where a person’s second biggest asset is parked unattended all day? Was it because the buses ran infrequently so it was not an option? These issues must be elaborated upon by the journalist, because the minister making the statement is non specific.

What happened to the much touted Airport Express that in total has carried 80 paying passengers to date? Where is the investigative journalist on this? Are you afraid of exposing a half baked execution of a theoretically excellent idea?

Kalpanakaranna – Absence of news is the most important news- just think about it

2010-12-07T18:15:00.002+05:30

The aim of this blog is to enable people to think for themselves. You may or may not agree with what I write, but at least you are able to comment and I have never removed a comment that I disagreed with unless it was censored for foul language.
In that vein, it is not just what is written in the media that is news. In countries such as Sri Lanka where the press is gagged, often what is not written about is news and we are left to surmise and sometimes make insinuations that are not correct because of the inability of investigative journalism to get the true scoop.

A case in point recently was when the Commonwealth boxing Gold medalist, Manju Wanniarachchi was stripped off his medal due to testing positive in two tests, for Nandralone, a banned substance ostensibly administered to him by a homeopath by the name of Mudannayake, who the police were investigating.

The shame for him and country, was not mentioned in the press anywhere be it in print, or in TV. It was conveniently swept under the carpet. A thinking individual can only come to one conclusion, namely that the press was gagged as this is a news story worthy of being broadcast. The question then arises as who did the gagging and why. Then we come to the next point as to who it would be most embarrassing to. His promoters and those who helped guide him through, namely those other than him who took credit for it and who suddenly seemed culpable.

Who heads the boxing federation in Sri Lanka, just Google and check that out!! Should he be embarrassed? If so why? Is his integrity in question? Is there a loss of face? Has he threatened the press? Is anyone in the press willing to come forward to confirm or deny this innuendo as it is only an innuendo in the face of a lack of clear corroborative evidence?

Well these are the questions of news that we bloggers have to take on board if we are to be true citizen activists protecting individual and collective freedom of our motherland from unpatriotic forces who seem determined to take us down a road to obscurity. The country is facing a threat of disinformation and misinformation.

This example is one that should get serious bloggers to report news items in a responsible manner that the press is unwilling to share, due to reasons beyond their control as they are dependent on powers to provide them with various benefits, like livelihood and profits that are not required in the blogging world. The Sri Lankan blogosphere is probably the only area that currently is not censored or self censored, as even prohibited websites can still be accessed in a roundabout fashion.

A thinking individual can then judge for him or herself having regard to the agenda of the blogger, as evidenced in the stance of the content.

The intractable problem of the Tamil Diaspora as recently re affirmed - the UK fiasco

2010-12-03T18:27:00.001+05:30

I call this a problem that needs to be solved and can be solved if the Sri Lanka Government takes a constructive approach to handling it with professionalism and boldness in its diplomacy, with less use of anti-Western rhetoric.

Firstly I do not think any of our diplomats, be they career diplomats or not, except for one or two, are competent to tackle this issue in the manner it has to be undertaken. One has to engage the community in a constructive way, something that is tough but doable, so that their incorrect presentation of the ground situation can be EFFECTIVELY countered. We do not have any who can take on the press and face the tough questions with alacrity and zeal instead of defensive mumbling.

Using Bell Pottinger at enormous fee is another failed project of incompetents, who could have actually engaged a skilled home team, who are the public relations vanguard who go for example to London a week prior to the President’s visit to set the media stage and garner enough counter arguments to the vitriol that currently flourishes. Sadly some of the pathetic actions of the Government in its dealings with her own people make it difficult to defend the indefensible, so we must first educate the leaders that they bear a measure of responsibility for this view. “The no smoke without fire syndrome” has turned into a raging inferno.

We must engage each Government where there is a significant presence of such detractors, with the facts at home but with support from the relevant embassy in SL of that country to corroborate the true state of play. A significant push has also to be made to the media, to counter the misinformation that is being spread, much by people who have never even been to SL, as I personally know that foreign born Tamils have a particularly jaundiced view of the facts, which have changed dramatically once they visit SL and find that Colombo is fully of wealthy Tamils.

If the current trend is unchecked the media misinformation will mushroom into a size that will affect the prestige of SL in the outside world, which cannot be supported by India and China alone. The pariah status will then affect all parts of the economy from consumers, investors, tourism and to other forms of economic progress. The smug attitude of the current leadership has got to change as it is the future that will suffer while today’s lot are six feet under and not have to face it.

A five pronged approach with a pincer movement working together concurrently must be started, one country at a time to neutralize Diaspora, media, governments, public opinion, and perception of local missions, but backed up by facts. The latter to be addressed first, without which the former cannot be convincingly conquered.

The cancellation of the President’s address to the Oxford Union

2010-12-02T11:51:00.001+05:30

An invitation was extended to the President to speak at the Oxford Union and was graciously accepted. There was much hoopla in the local press that it was the first time a sitting Head of State would speak twice at the venue in its entire history.
On the eve of the event, it was cancelled, with the President’s Secretary citing pro LTTE groups who had pressured the cancellation, while the Oxford Union cited security concerns having had discussions with the Thames Valley Police who were charged with the security of the visiting Head of State.

Whatever reason is correct, it is definitely a slap in the face for the President, despite any spin that is being put out for public consumption. In my opinion it was a pit of his own making, that resulted in this embarrassment. He should never have accepted the invitation unless he was given assurances in advance of the adequate security, and non-cancellation due to pro LTTE pressure.

Having lived in the UK for 18 years, I would have advised him not to have accepted as I know that the Diaspora, have certainly prejudiced public opinion, and our counter points have been too little too late to effectively negate this view. It is futile therefore to attempt damage control, until positive political moves are made to address the grievances, which have been promised, but not yet even proposed.

This act of failed diplomacy must surely rest with the Ministry of External Affaires which has patently failed to advise Head of State of the nuances of British thinking, possibly because of the lack of understanding of our representatives in the United Kingdom. If however they had advised against it and was overturned by the President, due to vanity or some other personal agenda, then it is him who should shoulder the blame and shame. Sadly his visit will not therefore be remembered for the positive steps taken to build a dialogue with the new Conservative coalition government, but for this date with infamy. Such are the pitfalls of a lack of clear direction in the conduct of foreign policy.

If there is a lesson we can learn from this, it is to clearly understand the lay of the playing field prior to starting the game. A thorough debrief of the saga is warranted so that in future such 'faux pas' are avoided, and eventually it is the nation that looks silly and it is in our interests that our representatives act with care and preparation. I wish we had our version of ‘wikileaks’ to this event to better understand the diplomatic communication between London and Colombo to give an opinion on the events that led up to this. This time the Country lost and we better accept it for what it is worth without saving face and sweeping under the carpet.