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| Sunday, 14 November 2004 |
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Editorial |  |
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Editor, Sunday Observer. E-mail: [email protected] Snail mail : Sunday Observer, 35, D.R.Wijewardana Mawatha, Colombo, Sri Lanka. Telephone : 94 11 2429239 / 2331181 Fax : 94 11 2429230 Taming the transport mafia Is there a government in our country? We are compelled to ask so in spite of a jumbo Cabinet and more than half a dozen mini-Cabinets at provincial level simply because none of them have been able to tame the private bus mafia that holds the government to ransom and fleeces the commuters. It is no secret that private buses break every rule of the Highway Code. They use the highway as a racing track, block traffic by sudden stops in the middle of the road, threaten the lives of passengers and road users by their reckless driving and what more unleash their foul tongues on innocent passengers. The most unkind feature has been that they get away with all these through every administration irrespective of its political complexion. Wildcat strikes by private bus operators have become the order of the day. In the face of their mafia type attacks and demands every administration has proved itself to be inept. While each and every demand of the operators have been granted they have never implemented the pledges given to the government to provide better facilities to the commuters. This ineptness is best expressed by their inability to implement the law making the issuing of tickets to passengers obligatory. Perhaps the "strong" arm of the law is made of some melting stuff like butter. May be this is due to the existence of a fifth column of the operators in bodies controlling public transport or even higher up. It would be interesting to investigate the ownership pattern of private buses to find out the personal involvement of politicians and higher officers of the state law enforcing authorities (both retired and still in service), which apparently has given clout to the mafia. Quite recently we saw how the government caved in to most unreasonable demands for an un-proportionate increase in bus fares without actually calculating the exact additional expenditure the operators would have to undergo on account of the higher fuel price. Contrary to wildly believed and officially held claims that private sector performance is superior to that of the state sector, privatization of public transport in Sri Lanka has been a dismal failure. Not only have the services deteriorated, it has caused severe strains in traffic management due to the preponderance of smaller and un-roadworthy vehicles on the roads. It is no wonder that elder commuters speak nostalgically so often about the days when state transport was well managed under Anil Moonesinghe during the 1970's. The remedy for the present ills is to strengthen the state transport service without being blackmailed by the mafia. In this regard we commend the Transport Ministers resolve not to give into each and every demand of theirs. The commuters, we are sure, would stand by the Minister. The Minister should, however, put his own house in order first and settle the mess in the management of the cluster bus companies without caving in to opportunistic elements to whom the well being of commuters comes last in their priorities. Yasser Arafat The death of Palestinian President Yasser Arafat is a great loss not only to the Palestinian people but also to all those who cherish ideals of freedom, national liberation and human dignity. For over four decades Arafat symbolised the legitimate aspirations and hopes of the Palestinian people for a State of their own. Single-mindedly he dedicated his whole life to realise the dream of a Palestinian state. It is unfortunate that he could not live to see his dream come true. He managed, however, to steer the Palestinian people to the doorstep of an independent state through years of hard struggle. He always stood for "peace of the brave" but did not hesitate to take up arms when the just struggle of his people was drenched in blood by Zionists and their imperialist masters. As he told the United Nations General Assembly in November 1994 he had an olive branch in one hand and a freedom fighter's gun in the other. He led his people both in war for liberation and in the fight for peace. He convinced the Palestinian freedom movement to recognize the existence of the state of Israel and signed the Oslo Accord to promote a peaceful resolution of the conflict in the Middle East by accepting a two state solution. President Arafat was a sincere friend of Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan people too stood by their Palestinian brothers throughout their struggle. His death creates a void in the liberation struggle of the Palestinian people. Yet the struggle would go on until final victory. The best way to cherish his memory is to extend the hand of friendship and solidarity to the Palestinian people in their further struggle to achieve their cherished dream of a State of their own in the land from which they were ousted. |
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