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| Sunday, 03 August 2003 |
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Letters |  |
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Proper utilisation of SLBFE funds The recent newspapers reported that SL Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) has made a record income from migrant workers at the airport itself, amounting to Rs. 31 million within the first five months of 2003. There was a news item a few weeks earlier in a Sinhala newspaper that a body of a housemaid Sanjeevanie Wathsala who died in Oman, on April 5, was brought to Sri Lanka around May 19, with the help of funds collected from Sri Lankans working in Oman. The husband living at Uswatekiyawwa has told the papers that he made frantic appeals to the government and the SLBFE in Colombo to get the body flown to Sri Lanka, but his pleas have fallen on deaf ears. Finally, with the help of Lankans in Oman, the body was flown to Colombo. Further to these reports, we have also seen that SLBFE is going to open a special bank for migrant workers and issue special identity cards for them as well. We have enough banks dealing with the Middle East, where a payment could be transferred within 24 hours from there to here. To mention a few, Bank of Ceylon, People's Bank and several private banks are operating there. Recently, NSB also has opened a direct link with Middle East for this purpose. Issuing ID cards is useless for foreign workers as they have valid work permits in Arabic - it means an ID valid in that country, which should be carried in person always. When the workers come for holidays, in Sri Lanka they can use national IDs or passports for any purpose. So there is no necessity of special migrant ID Cards. A special bank and migrant IDs will be useless projects eroding huge
funds of the SLBFE, and will not serve the migrant workers nor the SLBFE.
It is far better to open a special account with part of the funds
allocated for the above projects to utilize as air fares to bring in dead
bodies of migrant workers, when occasion demands as in the case of
Sanjeevanie. I read with much enthusiasm in the Sunday Observer of July 20, that the athletic association of Sri Lanka is to honour, the past athletes, who have represented Sri Lanka in Olympics, Commonwealth Games and Asian Games and has consented to give challenge trophies in their names and to those who have won national titles consecutively. This augurs well for their recognition. In this quest, I find some remarkable names of the past have been left out, which are worthy of mentioning. woman athlete, nee Jebapakiam, Paul from Methodist College, Point Pedro was a dark horse, in the early 60s. She has won the high jump, national title on more than three consecutive occasions. Late T. Kirupai Rajah, another 400 metres athlete, from Batticaloa was a regular runner in the early fifties. Winning the 400 metres in 1951, 1952 and 1954 respectively. At the Madras State Olympic Trials he won the 100 metres in 10.8 secs, 200 in 22.1 secs and 400 metres in 49.6 secs while studying there in physical education. He has participated in several Indo Ceylon meets, and won comfortably and in 1952 represented Ceylon at the Helsinki Olympics. I wish the AAA will take notice of these two athletes and will honour
them in due course. The glory of past athletes should not be forgotten. Religious leaders please take action! It is no exaggeration to say that our country's morality has gone astray. The recent incidents where a factory girl was raped by the bus conductor in the presence of three other passengers is enough proof. The reasons are so many, that it will be difficult to list them all. But unquestionably one main reason is the obscenity and nudity published in the media. Even the daytime TV shows are full of vulgarity, bedroom scenes, not to mention the foul language. More and more lingerie companies are following the trend set by one of them now exhibiting voluptuous bodies of women half naked and scantily clad. A leading shopping complex in Colombo 4, exhibits a bigger than life-size cut-out of such an obscene advertisement. Recently there was an article about pregnancy in a weekly newspaper, with a picture of a totally nude pregnant mother by the side. What sort of a perverted mind can think of his mother fully naked, eludes me. Cinema theatres - some of them just next door to temples exhibit almost naked women, desecrating the very presence of the temple, but somehow no one seems to notice. It is a proven medical fact that such pictures do provoke the basic instincts in susceptible men. Anyone disagreeing with this fact needs to go to a psychiatrist - not for treatment, rather for a lesson on emotions of human beings. The strongest weapon of a country that can curtail this malais is the media - but if the media itself is the culprit - what can we do?. The last but not the least hope, are the religious leaders. They all, from all denominations have a big say among the people. I appeal to the chief incumbents of all temples, the Hindu religious leaders, the Bishops of all churches and Jamiathul Ulema to open their eyes and look at the path our country is going on. Recently one Buddhist monk had the courage to protest against the
thamasha on Vesak days. If every religious leader takes time to consider
the future of our youth - they will surely mount a campaign against the
spreading degradation of morality in our country. Will they?. "Was Christ's sacrifice - a remedy for Sin" - a response I refer to an article which appeared on July 6, in the Sunday Observer written by D.C. Sosa of Negombo answering the article written by A. Abdul Aziz on the above subject. I am pleased to read the plain truth given by Mr. Sosa, a good picture indeed, for anyone who is interested in christianity. Jesus said "I am the way, the truth and the life", no man cometh unto' the father but by me. (John 14:6) please refer to Philippians 2:10 211 written by Paul" at the name of Jesus every knee should how ....; every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord" is very acceptable for those who seek the truth. Mr. Aziz's selection of scripture from Holy Bible is of great value because it leads to law, love and judgment. Law is love in action, Jesus said, If you love me keep my commandments" (John 14:15). Many talk about the truth; but how many of them know that the devil has changed the truth. As Bible foretold, Evil power has changed God's Holy Law, namely seventh day (Saturday) to first day (Sunday), Daniel 7:25). Jesus said 'Think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets, I am not come to destroy but to fulfil; (Matthew 5:17). We regret that Catholics also believe that word of God is found through
tradition and generation as Mr. Sosa explains; is not keeping with the
teachings of christ. John 21:25 does not mean to believe in tradition or
generation. (Matthew 15:6). Finally, Jesus said "If you believe me
you will be saved (Mark 16:16) by eternal punishment means his sacrifice
redeem us from sin. So it is advisable to have a further study of
character of christ, His remnant church and how does Jesus' death grant us
pardon ? which seems defy all logic.
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