The rumor mill is rife Sri Lanka style – Presidential Election

As we all know SL does not lend itself to credible and independent opinion pollsters, due to the notorious double speak of the electorate, so the usual collection of drama queens are filling the vacuum in a way that the information is going all the way to the top. It is interesting that unquestionably there is a swing SF way however one would prefer it or not, but whether it will be enough to make a difference on election-day is anyone’s guess.
This basic fact is always inevitable, especially when one is the under-dog and the top dog is doing everything possible to ruin his chances. Analyse the Sinhala press and TV that the Government owns and the most die hard supporter will be embarrassed by the one-sided sycophantic praise heaped upon another human.
This fact does not seem to have gone completely unnoticed by the man himself, and this is a rumor from a supposed insider!! “I hear that he is frothing mad at a host of his ministers and advisors who are in the hasty make believe state of cockiness, and are spoiling his chances by making unpardonable bold face lies, hoping they are true. This has resulted in some of them being blasted in filth, and due to the patronage they enjoy and now with nowhere to go, have no self respect but to hang on even when the boss asks them to vamoose from power!!”
Of course this leaves the SF camp, who really have come up with no real concrete alternatives, plans or manifesto, a chance of gloating over the self-inflicted gunshot injuries, hoping that by some miracle the anti vote will push them over hill.
As you know all the above is pure conjecture, but both parties hold strong opinions which drive their followers to frenzy and irrational logic. All I can wish for from now on till election-day is to permit all our eligible voters the chance to cast their secret ballot as they wish, and not be coaxed by monetary or illegal acts to go against their true wishes. These ballots so cast, should be allowed to be counted correctly with no fraud, thereby permitting everyone to clearly say that the election was a free and fair one, and despite the overwhelming arrogance and misuse of power during the run up, that the citizenry on their own made up their minds on whether they wish the incumbent to be re-elected or not.
We must accept the outcome with dignity, knowing it reflects the will of the people and carry on developing the country and not individuals, so that its citizens of all ethnic background can live in peace and freedom, where as at the same time improving their prospects to enhance their lives and those of their children to fulfill their personal goals within this serendipitous country not having recourse to leave.

A Future for our youth 2010 onwards

MOKADDA ASA OBEY ANAGATHAYATA? MAMA DANNE NAHA, ONE DEYAK KARANNAM

What have we as a country planned for our youth who form the backbone of a prosperous future? Without them any talk of development or projects and investment become meaningless. There is a well intentioned slogan called “tharunyata hetak” or “a tomorrow for our youth” but it has been completely hijacked by its founders as another political platform with which to hoodwink the electorate thereby barstardizing the future of our young people.
Let us follow this logically so that we can implement a program of inclusiveness and empowering of youth so they truly have a future that is full of hope and promise, as well as a path, which if followed will help them in achieving goals.
Firstly we should provide direction to these people who are currently rudderless to the point of drifting in the high seas. Education has failed them for the most part in setting objectives and attainable goals. This has to be corrected without delay. Living skills so that they are aware of how to survive in an increasingly sophisticated world, from obtaining their own bank accounts and skills in managing finance and understanding savings and investment are important. Relationship skills, such as fulfillment in relationships, are important as parents have failed to explain some of the harsh facts. I am still amazed how 18year olds are fully committed to the first relationship they have entered into and are convinced this person will be the person they marry at a future date, when circumstances are appropriate.
Income earning skills are equally important so they know what it is they are good at, what is practical that pays, and how one goes about obtaining the job, or going ahead with a business opportunity. Here again we have failed miserably, and seeing 40,000 graduates who have been waiting, some for 10 years, for the government to provide them with jobs is a case in point.
Commitment skills, both to one’s career, goals and relationships is another that seems to be sadly lacking. Then taking responsibility for ones actions and for one’s commitments is a part of adulthood is non-existent. Cooperative and participatory skills, so that they can be useful members of society is yet another area that requires further development. It is surprising how poor our youth are in pooling their resources to achieve a common objective, as they do not understand how to work as a team, not believing that often, compromise is inevitable.
This list should form part of the mandatory education of youth prior to them leaving school so that they end up with a clear direction to follow.

why kalpanakaranna as my blog address

A new life given to a rocking chair that had been discarded and picked up from a rubbish heap

I was with some acquaintances recently and was asked about my blogging and why I had so many. What I have tried to do is separate different subjects out as otherwise it would further confuse the readers. My main blog www.rajaratarala.blogspot.com tags the day to day travails of life in Sri Lanka that I have chosen to lead, warts and all.Then www.villagerinsrilanka.blogspot.com I have tried to devote exclusively to the subject of farming and note some of the issues I am confronted with in this regard. Then www.ratmale.blogspot.com is to showcase the little lodge at the edge of the forest that I hope one day will be my permanent home, where I can pursue my hobbies and finally live my dream. This still appears a long way off! I have recently opened another blog for my two dogs, Sinha Bahu and Megha as www.sinhabahuridgeback.blogspot.com a pictorial record of sinha bahu's view on life.

This blog www.kalpanakaranna.blogspot.com is to take the subject that Sri Lankans are least proficient at, namely lack of thinking, and illustrate the pitfalls we fall into due to the lack of thought attached to what we do. In my view we have a tendency in Sri Lanka to live our lives for someone be it for show, or to please someone, and thereby lose any sense of identity of ourselves and fail to do what we like within reason and practical possibilities, and then fail to rationalize our lives into some logical and meaningful path.

Due to these weaknesses in the national psyche I have found it very hard to explain to people that we need to have some purpose to our lives as well as some goals which we aspire to and not let ourselves be led by others.

It is important that in these complicated times using very sophisticated technologies and especially in the era of the Internet that we take stock of our lives, and attempt to summarize the lowest common denominator so we move forward in a more purposeful and meaningful way. We have never been pushed in so many directions by so many people all offering conflicting advice that complicate our already confused thoughts.

We must go back to basics, find what is important to us individually, and then make a plan to attain some of those desires as otherwise we will just live for the sake of living, where we would rather be dead if we have no reason to live!

Is anyone born to lead? I believe it is earned through struggle and experience!

I touched upon the characteristics which I believe are required for leadership in Sri Lanka, in my previous blog entry below, which I believe is expected to be published in a Newspaper on Sunday. The major disqualification I believe is a lifetime in Politics which tends to remove the person from the real world. That then becomes more a game of playing one lawmaker against the other to get the requisite backing for one’s agenda, a game that is learnt through years of insider horse-trading. Another is having dynastic politics saying a person of such and such a name has been in parliament since the year dot, as if that is proof of service of a family to a country, which is automatically not.
One must note that even in India, a dynasty gave way to meritocracy, where the dynasty is on the sidelines; as trustees only of the party, so that the capable new blood, with a fresh outlook can govern. Dynastic secession can be a self fulfilling prophecy, as elder members can groom younger ones due to the privileges and access they have to get elected. This presumption that the next generation will be as committed to the development of the country, as the prior is grossly erroneous. This should also be considered a disqualification as the logic is suspect.
Once we eliminate these usurpers or princes, depending on your point of view, one levels the playing field a little more, though not totally as that is impractical. I have advocated that the time servers act as trustees and bring in fresh ideas from people out of the mainstream political pool, and develop and promote them, through clever use of the media and advertising; persons who are more capable of being objective in leadership of the nation. We will then give those people who are really capable a chance at fair leadership, not tainted with years in the wilderness, waiting for the opportunity to take the reigns by fair means or foul.
It is obvious that power so gained as is the case in Sri Lanka, is such that they will do their utmost to hold onto, at all costs for as long as possible. Power gained on a meritocratic rise is more likely to be result oriented and limited to a time frame. This latter principle is very important so that time servers who cannot see the failure of their performance will not hold onto power. Why is 5% growth publicized as being good, when 10% should be the norm. This lack of accountability and failure on the part of the public to punish poor performance is what keeps an extremely incompetent regime in power, as the criteria that they and the public have set them is not challenging, and incompetence is shrouded. If only a fraction of the energy expended to hold onto power is used for development what then would be the result? It is time we all raise the goal post so failure is obvious.

whose life is it anyway? it is all about me stupid!

I WANT FOR ME AND THAT IS WHAT THE COUNTRY ALSO WANTS

Is it any wonder that in discussions accross bedrooms, boardrooms and reception rooms and public places we fail to concentrate on the obvious but dwell on the heresay in this election campaign?

In my opinion it is playing to the baser instincts of man when we use election propaganda and advertising to imply that without mentioning names, and just using images and words, that the future can only be guaranteed by one leader with no name!!

Little guessing who that person is. It is important to be direct and not sidestep the issue as both parties can then say it is them that the message is trying to promote!

I see the blue and green flags now together in one place crisscrossing the roads while I drive about the country, something I have never experienced before. Is that also a subtle message? that being it does not matter what the color is! At present I see one side far outspending the other, and that too in private media more than in state media, another quite novel phenomena. So is there overkill by one and quiet confidence that overkill is killing by the other?

All these observations together make me uneasy with the whole campaign, which is not specific about what one or the other is going to do, thereby easily saying they did not promise anything so nothing needs to be delivered.

This kind of double speak makes potential voters very cynical about the whole process, isolating them from reality and the feeling that they can make a real difference to the quality of life of themselves personally.

After all lets go back to basics. It is all about me, however we couch it. Am I happy now, will I be happy in the future and am I being shown a realistic path of attaining this happiness? Answer that simple question and we may then be able to make our personal decision. What if we come up with the answer that there is noone offering even a semblence of the solution we so desire? Then do we not vote?

Of course we all have our personal loves and hates and we should each be entitled to form our own opinions. One hate is that I hear so often that only a professional politician is capable of leading the country, and those with the most experience supposedly with the best credentials. To me those with the least experience in politics, but the most experience in life, especially having had to undergo hardship and who have made it to a certain stage of attainment make the best leaders, truly understanding what it is like to be poor, and what it takes to achieve success. They are then more able to motivate, encourge productivity, empower, provide confidence and leadership and finally pride in patriotism.

So ask the question, try and answer it as best you can and then go for the lesser of evils. Look at the mirror ask not what you wish for the country, just what you wish for yourself. You will then find the answer, as the sum total of the individual needs is what the nation needs!

Which way is the rural voter in the hinterland likely to vote?

I am asked this question time and again in conversations with my customers in Colombo on my delivery route as I lug bunches of thambili or shake the coconuts to ensure they are sufficiently mature for their consumption.
I will honestly say that it is a very difficult question to answer and more so at this Presidential Election. One must realize that in rural areas in villages, political patronage is a very important thing. I have known households who have lost Samurdhi (welfare benefits) for being on the losing side of an election. Job recommendations are given by the local Grama Sevaka(the state’s bureaucrat at village level) and recently a host of Samurdhi officers have been given appointments as Grama Sevakas. It is extremely sad that this position is becoming more like a political appointment and not one on merit, resulting in security of tenure only as long as your party is in power. No wonder then that with so much at stake, an entrenched bureaucracy will try to preserve the status quo at all costs.
As a broad generalization, people know which households are PA, JVP and UNP. This is referred to sometimes as the block vote, and the others the floating voter. Needless to say the block vote is also susceptible to permanent change due to personal circumstances where either a promise was not fulfilled or if a household determines that changing sides will help them get a benefit such as electricity to their home or such like. These examples of a highly politicized system affect the openness with which people are likely to speak their mind. I have referred to the two faced approach earlier where they may tell me something on the basis of what they think I want to hear, and not what they really think.
To explain this further, if they determine you are of a particular party they may sing praises to you about them, and if you make clear to the contrary that you are in fact fed up with them, the person in an instant is likely especially if he was lying initially to completely change his tune in an instant.
No wonder opinion polls will never work to gauge public sentiment. To get back to the original point, as General Fonseka is really of no particular party, there is absolutely no reason why one would want to openly stake allegiance to him, as they have nothing personal to gain from and a lot to lose. This will be the first election where either the result is a foregone conclusion, or one that is completely a surprise due to the different ground rules. The first time voter is also less likely to toe the household line, and be more independent depending on what they perceive as the opportunities or lack of open to them to achieve their personal goals.

After being back in Sri Lanka for five years - a short list of one liners

some observations that came to mind in no particular order of significance

The decision was to attempt to live in a village outside of my existing comfort zone

1 The village was not the romantic serene idyllic place of my imagination
2 Much of the poverty I observe is self inflicted and based on ritual of expectations
3 There is no such thing as “my word can be relied upon for anything”
4 Level of illness, hypochondria and downtime is of gargantuan proportions
5 People are two faced, saying one thing and behaving quite the opposite
6 When it comes to an almsgiving you can expect unlimited help
7 No one ever says they cannot come, especially when you invite them for a meal
8 People are very contradictory often denying what they have earlier said
9 I have never been invited for so many meals at short notice in my life
10 I cannot imagine how I have lived on so little and perceived as having so much
11 My being let down by those I had financial transactions with is astronomic
12 The density of con artists trying a fast one is probably the highest in the world
13 The level of generosity of the poor person knows no bounds
14 Every bus journey has people singing for supper due to the above generosity
15 Never give anything expecting anything in return, it’s a lost cause
16 The amount of cooked food that does not get eaten by humans is mindboggling
17 People look for stray dogs and cats to feed with the expectation of merit
18 Each cow saved from slaughter permits the butcher to kill 3 more with the profit
19 Lack of sense in financial transactions is legendary even amongst the wealthy
20 The fear of experimenting with a new idea prevents innovative thinking
21 There are too many pied piper followers and too few genuine leaders
22 There is inherent belief that what they see on TV or read in the paper is true
23 The complete absence of thinking in society at large spawned my blog
24 I am stopped at road blocks for my King Coconuts and not to check my ID
25 Farmers have no idea of their soil’s nutrient content or lack of it
26 80% of the Fertilizer subsidy is wasted
27 People have no concept of nutrition, and what is a healthy diet
28 Powdered-milk is preferred to fresh cow’s milk
29 More mangoes are lost to bats than what we consume
30 There are more monkeys than people in rural areas and they eat too much
31 Very little cultivable land is used, as it is considered unprofitable
32 Mothers being physically abused by sons they spoil is tolerated
33 Boys want to marry the first girl he falls in love with at age 16
34 Farmers quarrel and disagree amongst each other more than they cooperate
35 The level of superstition and ritual, control people’s lives and thinking
36 Almost all bureaucrats look at ways of making some money on the side
37 A government job is coveted over any other due to security and pension at 55
38 The police are more intent on catching speeders than in preventing accidents
39 Drivers have no sense of direction or that there are cars behind them
40 The country is paradise on earth but the people living there choose to spoil it

Politics appears to be a game for people with little else to do

A school friend of mine, who I had met again for the first time in 5 years only a week ago, called me this morning, saying he had just been promised nominations by the President for the Kurunegala District list, and demanded that I raise money for his campaign, or he would never speak to me! “Nor don’t come to me for favors when I am in power as I will only help those who helped to put me in power.”
This in essence is what is wrong with politics today in Sri Lanka. Whilst this chap is not all bad, on one thing he said I do agree. You have to be in power in Sri Lanka to make a positive difference to the people or constituents you represent, whether they appreciate what you have done for them or not.
Another sad fact that is also true, is that it is now a case of wanting to go into politics not to improve the lot of the constituent, but to make money for the person, by lying to the constituents to get elected, the standard practice, due to the general assertion that telling the truth in Sri Lanka will not get votes.
I also know for a fact that there is a power struggle first to get on the nomination list, and people are fighting to be named, hanging around like leaches in Temple Trees hoping they can get the ear of the Boss. That sadly is how the system works, and once you have the OK from the Boss, he then says find enough friends amongst the current leadership to help you as otherwise you don’t stand a chance, and the Boss also demands you help him win the Presidency, the main ingredient being funds for the massive costs of the campaign, with Arrack being one of the highest expenses of the “mathata thitha campaign”(full stop to alcohol being a major slogan of the current administration). You literally have to buy a bottle for each campaign helper to get him to canvass or distribute pamphlets. He or she does not do it out of conviction, but in the hope of getting tangible in return, either now in the form of a bottle in the case of the alcoholic or later in the form of a sinecure or contract by which the helper hopes to make a huge return on his investment.
I agree with those who say this is the same in any democracy and it is the question of the degree to which it happens that differs and matters to the society in question. It is no lie to say that it is this form of government that has reduced a once successful nation, to one that is performing at about 25% of its potential. 100% of its potential will certainly put the country on a par with the best bearing in mind the huge human resource potential that lies dormant in this country, only to wake up in countries other than in Sri Lanka, where they migrate to.
The main point of my argument is that from the aforesaid it is a game that has huge returns for a winner, and is a gamble with high stakes. There is a large section of the community who are genuine about their altruistic motives to get into politics, but they just do not stand a chance, as they don’t have the pedigree of nepotism and personal gain that is required to get a party’s nomination in either of the main parties, but to an extent now creeping into the minor parties too.
It is this type of person who should be encouraged to enter politics; some of whom have worked all their lives in private enterprise, working for others, and then for themselves, who know the real world. The struggles of coping with bureaucrats, whose agendas are different from the supposed objectives of their employment, are known to them. They will then make the system what it should be, a servant of the state. The law currently is not fair by all, and has to be applied without favoritism.
These people who are not generally wealthy, but are of high moral standing and integrity, with a limited life span left, with no band of relatives to procure largess, don’t stand a chance of being elected unless they are adopted by a party that is able to sponsor them. Therein lies the rub. A genuine party has to emerge, where its trustees don’t aspire to public office, but are able with the integrity they command to attract donations and who by a selection process are able to nominate worthy individuals, giving them the necessary backing to carry out a credible campaign in both educating the potential voter on the merits of the party and its platform of candidates and the genuine objectives of the manifesto. This new direction from a main party in Sri Lanka politics is what is needed first to turn the country round, and not the same old game that is now playing like a broken record yet again, ready to hoodwink the unsuspecting population.
It is not the years of party membership that matters for nomination, it is the years spent in the service of ones specialty that matters. It is the level of experience on the subject matter, the degree of commitment to the objectives of the party and the willingness to commit the rest of one’s life or a stated period of one’s life that matters. We can then eliminate those who get into politics at an early age to work themselves through the system, as they really have no idea of life outside elected office, which elevates them from real life in Sri Lanka.
To clarify the point I am making, I would like to leave the reader with this thought. Every bus-stand in Sri Lanka has deep pot holes full of water, after each heavy thunder shower. The passengers invariably get drenched when the bus comes to where they are. No elected official appears to travel by bus so is not aware of this as otherwise corrective action would have been taken. I travel by bus regularly.

A coastal fisherman’s tale – from tsunami to post conflict

The 26th December 2004 tsunami devastated the coastal fishing industry, where only the fishermen, who were at sea when the tsunami hit were unaffected as far as loss of boats was concerned. Many lost their loved ones who lived on the coast.
The post tsunami rehabilitation resulted in many people who did not even own fishing boats receiving them, by making claims. Many multi boat owning fishing mudalalis were reduced to competing with their previous employees who now owned their own boats, having received them free from INGO’s, and the former had to begin anew not having received compensation as they were uninsured.
The ongoing war with the LTTE left large extents of the coast-line out of bounds for fisherman. They were restricted to the type of outboard motors they could use for fishing. The few fisherman who remained who were able to bring in fish were rewarded by high prices prevailing in the market for fish, though as in every case the fisherman receives the a fraction of the eventual price the consumer has to pay in their home village or town for the purchase of the fish at the fish stall or outlet.
Since the end of the war, the coastal areas have gradually opened up to fishing, and once the IDP’s are settled back in their home villages, those who engaged in fishing will be able to return to their previous trade if they so choose. This together with the relaxation in the permissible outboard-engines, will allow more power that permit greater distances, and result in a significant increase in the sea fish that is available at markets all over the country presumably at significantly lower prices.
Just this weekend in Godagama where my farm is, I purchased 500g squid at Rs 180 and 500g salaya (I think that is sardines) at Rs 80 both for frying for my dad and myself, and 500g prawns at Rs 280 and 500g paraw for Rs260 for the staff on the farm. It is possible that prawns are either farmed or lagoon ones, I am not sure. I however, certainly don’t think these prices are much lower than in the past.
I saw in today’s paper (November 24th) how a drag net fisherman Lal Fernando and his team, had caught 5000 paraw fish weighing 100,000kg on Sunday on the sea off Iranavila between Chilaw and Puttlam, where a 10kg fish was selling at the beach for Rs1,300 at an average selling price of Rs130/kg. I am however skeptical about the reports from newspapers as journalists don’t have common sense to verify that the figures given to them bear any semblance of reason or logic. If it was true his night’s catch would have yielded Rs13,000,000. Note that I had purchased paraw at 4times this price at retail level providing employment and profits for all in the food chain, allowing for some wastage along the way.
The government is also in the process of building a new state of the art wholesale Fish Market in Peliyagoda just outside the Colombo city limits, to replace the St John’s Market which has seen better days and is now more like Covent Garden, having outlived its usefulness and just needs a preservation order on the building and a new regeneration in the heart of the overcrowded Pettah where it stands.
It is important that refrigerated transport facilities along with cold rooms are established to enable storage and extended life of the fish catch that can be quite haphazard to meet the increased demands of a consumer base that eats little beef. There is also now concern about eating chicken due to the hormones used to speed up their growth to come to table in double quick time. Natural sea fish as well as lake fish is the natural alternative source of protein for the majority of the people.
I believe that this industry is poised for take-off, for people in this industry to benefit. The growth has to be managed is such a way that it does not impoverish the poorest people who engage in this business. The small one boat owner who for generations has been fishing in coastal waters is seeing a declining fish catch. Suddenly he is faced with lower prices for his catch that has further reduced his income. The cost of inputs like nets, labor and diesel has risen. He does not see any improvement as a result of the end of the war, but in fact a decline. So the issue has to be tackled head on. His special skills have to be recognized and if he is a candidate for a team to go on a multiday craft where the fish stocks are plentiful outside the range of the day craft, of 4km, he will be able to increase his income with better and more efficient fishing and economical methods of fishing.
This is a further example of poor management of a golden opportunity that the government has been presented with after the end of the war that already appears to have been squandered. The stooges of government have been given some of the benefits of the use of trawlers and multiday craft for those who know little about fishing but who see this merely as another opportunity for making money. They have no knowledge in the business and will stifle genuine competition.
Sadly, I see that the fish stalls in the new market have also been allocated, not based on competitive tendering but on largesse being bestowed by the relevant minister to him and his friends. In what country does the minister of fisheries have his own fish stalls where the fish are diverted to? That is just the tip of the iceberg, the result of one sorry tale.
Let us get a grip on the fish, and tackle it like any serious issue, find out the nub of the problem and find a solution that satisfies the aspirations of the industry.

those who have left SL please give your opinion - its time to think

Many people in Sri Lanka want to leave for a myriad of reasons. They rightly or wrongly believe that leaving is better than remaining. There are over 3million people born in Sri Lanka or whose parents were born in Sri Lanka who have rights of abode in Sri Lanka, but now live outside. There are at least that many who given the chance would also want to leave. What a sad state of affairs that this is the case! This very fact should be an embarrassment to all of us who remain.
The government in my opinion is doing all in its power to encourage this exodus, by legal or illegal means. They should in fact do the reverse. The legal means is by providing skills that are marketable overseas and then make bilateral agreements with countries to take them, either as immigrants or short term workers. I presume the thinking is that if they leave permanently that will lower the population and reduce the pressure of governing them! Those leaving for employment alone will fill the coffers of the state with their remittances, thereby benefitting the economy, as it currently does to the tune of more than US$3B per annum.
This safety valve is in my opinion the ruse used by all governments in the country to solve the economic problems within Sri Lanka. It absolves the responsibility of the government to create the conditions necessary for full employment and economic growth. Will anyone argue that had there been no opportunities for Sri Lankans to leave, this country would be the basket case of the world? That is because successive governments have failed to identify the resources of this country and put it to productive use within the country. This country really has not been governed during the last 60 years. The rulers have just ruled by decree misleading the people, which led to tragic civil strife, both with the JVP uprising of disaffected Sinhala and LTTE uprising of disaffected Tamils. The latter was more sinister, due to the massive overseas funding available to them.
We do not choose the country we are born in. It is the state’s responsibility, through policies to make all its citizens proud of the country of their birth. This country Sri Lanka has singularly failed to do this job. It is up to us who live here to take up the mantle and create an inclusive just society with morals instilled into our children, where individual freedoms are respected and people feel a sense of belonging. The practice and respect of the rule of law that safeguards fundamental civil liberties will automatically create a society where people want to live, do business, promote true patriotism, which will reduce if not negate all reasons for wanting to leave. Let us build a ‘paradise’ where no one wishes to leave, and be the envy of the world. “It is not just words, it is a call to action.”