|
|
 |
 |
| Sunday, 25 July 2004 |
 |
|
 |
Letters |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
|
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.
When a gang holds up a bank its headlines, what term can we use when a bank ripps off a client? Recently I deposited a dollar demand draft into my NRFC account in a popular commercial bank. After 20 days the amount was credited less US $15. When queried why, I was told it was a tariff commission for clearing. State bank BoC where I maintain another account charges just $1 irrespective of value. Another commercial bank was willing to clear with zero tariff. It is high time the Central Bank takes control of this situation and apply some sort of regulations to stop private banks exploiting the customers. All promotions and gimmicks offering gold coins, houses must be stopped. Let the banks compete on fair tariffs and services to customers. Linus Paiva, Banks - how excessive ownership and control leads to ruination ? The recent discourse of Dr. Randeniya on the Banking Act and other banking rules explained some of the lesser understood sides of the all important financial sector. He also went onto explain the critical role played by many little known rules on banking. But in the process he has raised more questions than what has been answered. The most obvious anachronism is the two state owned commercial banks, Bank of Ceylon and People's Bank which operate as entities 100% owned and operated by one party, the State, in direct violation of the Banking Act limiting ownership to a much lesser percentage of 10%. Whether owned by the state, private or individual, my view is that no one party should be permitted to break this rule, which according to Dr. Randeniya has been introduced to prevent unnecessary meddling and misuse of power by those holding larger stakes. Having worked at two state and another two at private banks (Bank of Ceylon, People's Bank, Commercial Bank and Seylan) I can vouch for it that there is no other single reason than excessive shareholding for a bank's mismanagement and ultimate ruination. At least a semblance of excessive control by one party leads to undue interest leading to interference and meddling, often acting through directors and lackeys in management. Invariably, this gives rise to differences between the Board and Management often leading to compromising on ethics, values, integrity and morality. The rot doesn't stop there. It flows down gradually to the lesser levels of executives and clerks till the whole bank is reeking with a feeling of bad faith. Even the honest defer or desist from taking decisions for the fear of criticism. Staff morale is destroyed. Every promotion is viewed with suspicion and challenging promotions in Courts become the norm. Customers suffer delays from indecision and apathy of management and staff. Seeing the corruption and nepotism at the top, junior staff also engages in dishonest and unethical practices. Gradually, the bank is brought down to its knees because of one shareholder. I have seen this happen at first hand at state banks and a private bank I worked. Only thing they had in common was a single overpowering shareholder who controlled the Board. Whatever amendments to the Banking Act should prevent this from happening. Peter R. Silva, New Pension procedures - latest hassle The present action of Pensions Department to remove the pension anomalies will give hardships to pensioners in collecting documents to revise their pensions. Our pension was worked out against our personal file. Our files were sent to the Pensions Department with full details. We received our pension against our flawless documents which are now with the Pensions Department. Now the pensioners are asked to produce several particulars supported by documents to revise their pensions. Among them are their educational certificates, first appointment letter, log entries and salaries scales. Pensioner's declaration must be affirmed before a Justice of the Peace. There is a good rapport between J.Ps and Pension Department. It shows that Pensions Department had lost the records of pensioners and as a result, it rests the responsibility on the pensioners who are invariably over 65 years age among whom many are having deplorable health conditions. When a pensioner gives his degree certificate, it ought be authenticated by the University. Training College Certificate must be legalised by Department of Examinations. This exercise will take lot of time. Though the Divisional Offices asked us to give our particulars under oath, the FR and AR won't permit such childish thinking. We can't go to the places where we worked to get the particulars and endorsement in our evening of life. The schools we worked in our hey days are not functioning now. As per the circular issued by the Ministry of Public Administration, the Divisional Pension Offices had been asked to convert the salaries of public servants to the scales that existed on 31.12.1996. According to this circular, the Public Administration had annexed the salary scales that prevailed earlier and as at 31.12.2004. Further, Divisional Pension Offices could identify the salaries of pensioners from the salary scales of pensioners which are in their offices. Pensions Department should help the Divisional offices by sending our documents. If the Pensions Department could not send our files, it should send at least our last salary scales on which our pension was worked out, educational qualification and date of first appointment. It is a crime to ask us to tender our documents after 15 years of interval. Will anyone keep these documents eternally? Divisional Pension Offices ask us to produce these particulars at a time when we are ready to enter the Homes for Elders with our bare belongings and pension card. Many pensioners would have destroyed their documents after the receipt of pension. The person who devised this form is not a fool but a sadist. The present expectation of Pension Office cannot be met by many pensioners due to their old age and sickness. Since this increase is applicable to widows of pensioners, it will become Herculean task for them find the details of their late spouses. Instead of giving hardships, Pensions Department should devise a workable programme to revise pension. M. S. Jamal, General Election, April 2, 2004 As an old boy of Jinaraja College, Gampola, I am extremely proud of the fact that President Chandrika Kumaratunga, on the eve of her 59th birthday, took the opportunity to introduce Information Technology to the school curriculum of my Alma Mater. The President also had the foresight to declare that she was ready, willing and able to take the country forward and did not care two hoots about any opposition bid to topple her minority government, because the country's poor people in no uncertain terms had given her a mandate to rule in the April 2, 2004 General Election. What we are witnessing today in Sri Lanka is a total travesty of a peoples' democratic government. Instead, we are forced wittingly or unwittingly to vote for a particular political party to perpetuate itself in arrogant political power. This has been so continuously from 1978 even depriving the poor people of the privilege and obligation of electing their own representatives to the Parliament from their own electorates. Surely, this is a gross negation of their rightful democratic rights. This electoral injustice was perpetrated on the people by no less than a government calling itself "Dharmishta Rajya". If you search and scrutinize the April 2, 2004 General Election results, you will notice that the rural people have overwhelmingly voted for the UPFA and the urban people have selectively voted for the UNF. When we take into consideration the old system of electoral dispensation, the majority of the rural population have no doubt given a two-thirds majority in Parliament to the UPFA government endorsing their election manifesto in toto including even changing the present paranoiac patchwork constitution. One cannot understand the unbecoming and unwelcome attitude of the CWC and SLMC for aligning with and supporting the UNF thinking that they will lose a few more seats should a new constitution be enacted. This is just a foolish imagination. Al Haj M. L. M. Jabir, The Political Leader of the LTTE quoted by a web site stated that there is a lack of political will in Sri Lanka Government to resume peace talks. He stated this in spite of Media Minister's repeated commitments to a peaceful solution. This statement itself clearly shows what they meant and what really they want. President also in number of occasions invited LTTE to commence peace talks for a long-standing solution, but not base on Self Governing Authority. Thamil Chelvam also stated in the same statement that April 2 election gave their proxy party almost all of the seats in the Tamil-majority north east was an endorsement of their platform for talks on their terms. But a European Union election report released on Thursday spoke of widespread fraud in those areas and said a rebel election campaign of intimidation and killing of rival candidates all but assured their victory. The Chief Election Observer John Cushnahan told reporters adding political murders during the election campaign, If I was making the decision I would have immediately ordered a repoll of the north and east. There was a similar statement from another election monitor saying that he found number of teenage boys who casted 25 votes each in another poling station which was under his observation. They did not give any chance to other candidates or parties to do their election campaign other than Tamil National Alliance who back by them. The whole world knows how LTTE back Tamil National Alliance who won 22 electorates. On this situation, LTTE cannot say that they are the only representative for entire Tamil nation ? More than half of the Tamil nation in north and east are fed up with them and hate them. It is a practice of Thamil Chelvam giving statements to the media by hiding their real requirement (Tamil Ealam) and show another picture to the world specially for donor countries. Donor countries will not agree to assist LTTE direct as they already knows about their double game. Terence Ariyapala, AIDS had originated from the immoral behaviour of the people. Getting the people to use preventive measures and allowing the original cause of sex to continue will not bring about the desired results. I do not know whether animals are afflicted with AIDS. The animals, without any moral and health teachings from any philosophers or sages and scientists seem to be having some restriction on their sexual behaviour than human beings who boasts of higher intelligence and the benefit of enlightened teachings of great personalities among them. The moral aspect of the matter should go hand in hand with the scientific approach, if not given precedence, if this disease is to be eliminated. Arul, |
|
News | Business | Features
| Editorial | Security Produced by Lake House |
