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| Sunday, 25 May 2003 |
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Letters |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Please forward your letters to [email protected] in plain text format within the e-mail message, since as a policy we do not open any attachments.
Employment of women in private banks It was disclosed in the media that private banks are reluctant to employ females in their banks, due to the reason that they become mothers as soon as they are married, resulting in wastage of their funds. Further it said that these banks are now cutting down on their female staff recruitment. A just married girl who went for the interview at a private bank was told by the HR Manager to give a verbal undertaking that she will not get pregnant for the first two years of the appointment, if she wants to keep the job. A question arises whether these personnel/human resources managers were born through robot mothers and not through human mothers? They have simply forgotten the importance of their mothers, motherhood and how they came to this world. How about colossal amount of funds spent by these managers and top brass, through their so-called dubious entertainment allowances? They only want to save funds spent on the payment of salaries during maternity leave of their female employees? In the post-colonial days, there was an ex-colonial rule that CTO girls (Govt. employees) were not allowed to marry. If they got married they had to leave the service. Thanks to Minister Marikkar who changed this rule. During the same period Government nurses were not allowed to marry for first five years of their employment - this too was changed in the 1960s, due to agitation by the Nurses Unions. We see now, that these colonial macho rules are raising their heads through the private sector banks. If the private sector banks do not want to employ females, why should the Sri Lanka female population maintain their accounts at such banks. If they don't want female employees why do they need female account holders' money? It is simple as that. Women population of the country, should rally round to teach these macho banks a lesson. All female account holders of the country should show their protest, by closing their accounts at such banks which have this draconian rule. They could open accounts at banks which have at least 50% of females in their total staff strength. Women's Affairs Ministry should take up this matter with the private banking sector and publish a list of all banks and the percentage of their female staff strength for the protestors to move forward in this matter. ARIYASUMITHRA WIJEYARATNE, The introduction of English medium education from year 6 (six) onwards in certain selected state schools is a commendable step taken by the Ministry of Education. This decision, undoubtedly will bring in the expected goals of providing adequate degree of competency in the use of English language in every sphere. As we know presently a student by the time, he leaves school after secondary education, the only certificate he receives is the (O/L) certificate. Most of the students even with merit passes for English, cannot express themselves in English. Introducing the medium of instruction in English in this context is very result-bearing. But there is a major shortfall in the availability of competent and experienced teachers to teach the prescribed text books which are now available in English. It is learnt that some of the schools which have started English medium education from year six (6) onwards are faced with the problem of finding teachers to teach subjects like Science, Buddhism and so on especially there is a great scarcity of Buddhism teachers. So to meet the present and future demand the authorities concerned, should take immediate steps to train the teachers needed. If the Ministry of Education is not in a position to provide the teacher education in this hour of need, at least they should persuade the Tertiary Educational Institutes like Open University, Pali and Buddhist University to run courses relating to the subject areas, of which the scarcity is acute. GAMINI KARUNANAYAKE, Remedies to avoid the tremendous wastage of pipe-borne water The authorities of the National Water Supply and Drainage Board have made frantic efforts to extend their water supply network, having positive plans to increase their clientele. Those already having this extremely useful facility however tend not to bother to save unnecessary wastage. All citizens should be patriotic. Water is perhaps the most precious national resource. But there are so many who knowingly waste so much of pipe-borne water. There are so many taps in domestic homes, offices, hotels etc., which are constantly leaking throughout day and night. There are countless number of overhead storage water tanks which overflow due to defects of ball valves. Another critical area, which has to be closely monitored, are places where there are common taps for washing and bathing. The users should also be educated explaining the importance to preserve precious water. I suggest to the Chairman, National Water Supply and Drainage Board to deploy a team to visit houses, offices, hotels, common bathing places etc., to detect such places where wastage of precious water occurs. Remedial action to rectify them should be made compulsory. There are so many competent plumbers not having permanent jobs or work whose services could be made use of. It is also suggested to the relevant authorities to deploy a mobile team to detect overflowing domestic water tanks in the wee hours of the morning where one could easily hear the trickle of large quantities of over flowing water. If these suggestions are implemented large quantities of valuable pipe-borne water unnecessarily wasted could be easily avoided. For the majority of our people water is only precious during water-cuts. The service rendered by our National Water Supply and Drainage Board is enormous, which needs to be highly commended. SUNIL THENABADU, In the present day society we come across people who think and say that smoking cigarettes is a choice, that people have been aware of its dangers and that a person who smokes should be deemed to have assumed the risk associated with smoking etc. I would be pleased if I may be allowed to enlighten your valued readers with a court decision made in relation to such an argument. Accordingly the cigarette-maker was ordered to pay $15 million in punitive damages to former Camel smoker David Burton, 67 who lost his legs due to peripheral vascular disease (PVD). Cigarette-makers had never lost a case in America's Conservative Mid Western Heartland and had never lost a case in Federal Court. Also they had never been found liable in a case involving circulatory disease. A backgrounder by the Tobacco Control Resource Centre & Tobacco Products Liability Project points out that this is the first ever-punitive damage award against a tobacco company assessed by a judge, rather than by a jury. In Kansas City, Kansas, US District Judge John W. Lungstrum stated that throughout this case the defendant vigorously proclaimed that smoking cigarettes is a choice and a smoker who smokes should be aware of its dangers associated with smoking. The judge stated: "If the company had made full disclosure that argument would have great appeal in a free society. But a free society where people are permitted to engage in conduct which may not always be beneficial or healthful to them depends on the manufacturers and purveyors of the products which people choose to consume being frank and open about the insidious nature of company's fraudulent concealment lies not only in the evidence of its campaign to obscure the public's ability to appreciate the risks of smoking by attacking the credibility of the public health community's concerns while at the same time withholding and ignoring evidence which was within its control that would have made the truth available to consumers. The fact that the company concealed the addictive nature of tobacco is particularly nefarious. The evidence established that the company recognized many years ago that the company was in the nicotine delivery business and that without the addictive qualities of nicotine people would not consume the company's product or certainly not to the extent that has made the company highly profitable. Even if the causal relationship between PVD and smoking had been disclosed, concealment of the fact that smoking, once begun is no longer a free choice, but rather is one that is driven by the pharmacological effects of nicotine, would have substantially undercut the value of the knowledge of other harmful propensities of tobacco. That the evidence established was preciously the plight, of Mr. Burton. He was unwilling and unable to quit smoking even as he experienced deleterious effects of smoking, because of the hold of an addiction on him, which he did not realize, had been foisted upon him and which might require more than sheer willpower to break. That is why the jury in all likelihood thought the company should be punished." The court agreed with this judgment. Dr. Jagath Wanigasuriya, Much had been written lately for and against the implementation of the death penalty. The views expressed against its implementation were mostly from intellectuals, the cultured, the religious, the literate and those drawn from civil rights groups. These persons hardly ever get involved in murder nor are they the victims, except in rare cases; like the gruesome murder of a family of three in Dehiwela lately. Compared to the man in the street, who are affected directly; their views will be of less importance. Recently, on two occasions Sirasa TV interviewed at random those drawn from the street. They were shoppers, pavement hawkers, three wheel and van drivers, white collar workers and salesmen. Except for two persons, the majority wanted the death penalty to be implemented. Their argument was that it will be a deterrent to grave crime and merciless killing that has hit high heavens in this country. These persons who get involved were drawn mostly from the lower class and those who were comparatively less educated. Either he is a gangster, a drug addict, a burglar, a snatch thief; who would take another's life, at the drop of a coin. The victims were mostly drawn from the same strata of society. As a result of these rash acts, the families involved suffer from consequences and often end up in the street begging. The privilege class will argue against its implementation quoting perhaps the rare case of an innocent person being sentenced to gallows. But, we should view this from benefits accrued to society at large and that its implementation affects the common good. A case in point was related by my brother, who once worked for a Saudi Bank. He described how he got locked within a jewellery store, when its employees left the counters unmanned to heed the call for islamic prayer. Will this ever happen in our country? If it did, the entire store would have been ransacked. The reason for items left untouched was the deterrent; as punishment would have been otherwise severe. Thus the imposition of the death penalty as a deterrent is most opportune. This was even advocated by a leading Buddhist priest at a TV discussion on last Vesak Poya day. I wish other TV channels such as Rupavahini, TNL, MTV, ITN, Swarnavahini should send their teams of cameramen and to meet the ordinary man in the street. The views obtained could benefit our legislators and help them reach a common consensus without depending on the high and the mighty and the intellectuals. Hats off to the Minister Interior for his timely, noteworthy suggestion to implement the death penalty as a deterrent to grave crime. P. Lucian Fernando, Death penalty - some questions to Bishop of Colombo The Bishop of Colombo has conveyed through his statement (which appeared in several newspapers), the Church's opposition to re-activating the death penalty. "Do not implement the death penalty, means, save the culprits or murderers from death. The Bishop has taken trouble to 'save' the murderers from death and has quoted from CRM, South African Constitutional Courts etc, to justify why murderers should be saved. Sadly not a word about victims, other than one or two passing remarks. It is possible to imagine to some extent why various civil rights movements sympathise with criminals. However it is incomprehensible why the Church sympathises so much with criminals and talks so much about their rights, but does not sympathise much with innocent victims and does not talk about their rights. Can the Bishop count the number of occasions the Church has publicly condemned such horrendous crimes? Can the Church satisfy us that it has made enough voice against those crimes? The Bishop has mentioned the reformation of offenders. Does the Church believe that those involved in heinous crimes (organised crime, pre-meditated murder, grave crimes and murder) could be reformed? Could the serial killers and contract killers - specially the underworld elements, professional criminals and hardcore criminals - be rehabilitated? By the way what are the steps the Church has taken to reform the criminals? How many underworld criminals, (not those in the prison) has the Church spoken to, with a view of reforming them (to prevent crime)? If so what are the results? Any evidence to substantiate that reformation is possible, is welcome. These criminals do not believe in human values, or that the life is sacred. Can they expect better treatment from the state or the society? As the Bishop has given the Church's (or Christian) interpretation on this issue - only for that reason - let me quote the Bible. Jesus said (some thing like) in everything, do to others as you would have them to do to you (St. Matthew 7: 12). So the murderer should not expect anything less than death. As the Bishop himself has stated "offenders must be prevented from continuing to be a threat to society". Therefore they should be kept away from society. Jesus has said with regard to anyone who harms little ones, that it would be better if millstone is fastened around his neck and drowned him in the depth of the sea (St. Matthew 18: 6). This clearly indicates that certain elements should not be allowed to come back to society. According to the Bishop's letter "... we shall join the growing comity of nations (111 at the last count) who have abolished the death penalty...". One of those countries that should come to anybody's mind is England, a country seen by some, as a 'champion' and 'custodian' of human rights. The state religion in England is Anglican, which is the origin of Church of Ceylon. True, there is no death penalty in England, but what is England doing today in Iraq. By their action people including innocent civilians and children are getting killed without any trial! Killing a murderer after a trial is not acceptable but it's all right to kill hundreds of innocent people, for no fault of theirs. It is my humble opinion that a religious dimension should not be brought in to this type of an issue especially in a country where different religious groups live. Perhaps Muslims may say death penalty is an acceptable punishment. Are
we to accept the Christian point of view or the Islamic point of view? If
the Church is not in favour of the death penalty, what should be the
punishment to these murderers? Would the Church agree to, 'strokes of
cane' (whipping), in addition to imprisonment?
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