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| Sunday, 3 July 2005 |
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Letters |  |
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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.
NDB and DFCC, two premier development lenders, were set up as 100% government owned institutions to mobilise and to lend long term development loans from overseas Development Finance Institutes. Though government owned, the management was independent and compared well with the best of private sector and made great contributions towards developing the SME sector. The universe move of the then government to privatise both these institutions on World Bank directives was a big mistake and has allowed liquor barons and shady operatives to gain control of both. At least had government retained a controlling stake in each it could have ensured that even after privatising the two development banks would have continued on its original mission. On the contrary, the government only holds minority stakes and its nominees on the Boards have become puppets of the majority owners and not acting in the best interest of the people and the country. With the wide powers bestowed on Central Bank and Monetary Board through the Banking Act, it is still not too late for the government to intervene and drive sense into the present owners of these two institutions so that they will start living upto their names as development lenders and not mere investment vehicles through which a few individuals make money. Kapila Hettiarachchi, The re-imposition of the death penalty is a big farce. This was done soon after the brutal murder of Judge Ambepitiya merely to appease the minds of a large section of the community who were shocked into disbelief by the state of utter lawlessness prevailing in the country and clamoured for justice. A notorious gangster who was hired to wipe out an entire family of four persons over a land and property dispute laughed brazenly in the face of the Police officers who arrested him and told the onlookers "Do not worry. They can never hang me. I will be back with you soon." So much contempt for the Law! It is absolutely imperative that the President's order be implemented without delay and the hanging process be started immediately from those languishing in the death row in Welikada and Kandy and are laughing at the inaction of the State. Public executions are carried out in most Middle-East countries where murders and rapes are almost zero. J. M. P. Siriwardena. The nation heaves a sigh of relief for the bold step taken by the President in launching the Post-Tsunami Operational Management Structure. Those who played havoc launching hunger strikes and street protests seem to have either misinterpreted the text of the P-TOMS or that they wilfully did not wish to know it. This Agreement would not create a situation in which the country would be divided by giving legal recognition to the Tamil rebels, but is merely an arrangement between the State and the Tigers for a short period to utilise the funds allocated to reconstruct the tsunami affected areas in the North and East. Hence, it is a humanitarian assignment to uplift the unfortunate living standards of these victims with the co-operation of the LTTE in six administrative activities. This Agreement is unique, for this is the first time in history the LTTE has recognised the Government of Sri Lanka and its President and had agreed to co-operate in this noble task with no discrimination of ethnicity, religion or politics, but to work with mutual trust. This agreement deserves highest priority and would be a stepping stone to work out a durable solution for everlasting peace.It is high time our political players who have been misled on incorrect assumptions re-think and act with wisdom casting off their petty political differences treating this matter as a national issue. Don Sarath Abeysekera, Upon the request made by the Ministry of Indigenous Medicines, the government of India, through its High Commission in Sri Lanka, had sent a gift of 850 kgs of homoeopathic medicines as relief for tsunami victims. Will the authorities concerned or any other public minded gentleman kindly enlighten the general public as to which area these medicines were sent and indicate the names of doctors of homoeopathy who were engaged in the relief work of tsunami disaster. Dr. Ibrahim Dangra, The establishment of a tsunami Relief Council is a bold step towards uniting the two major communities in a bid to resolve the ethnic conflict and bringing further peace to the soil and is praiseworthy. It is hoped the entire country is in agreement with this move which will bring progress and prosperity. Kingsley W. Dias, |
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