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| Sunday, 4 September 2005 |
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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.
Application of correct grammar in speech and writing is a subject which is being debated over and over again. Is it really necessary to apply correct grammar which becomes painful in speech and writing, whatever language you use? I may be wrong, yet I would like to express how I see it. It has to be accepted that students up to the standard of about GCE Ordinary Level should be taught and expected to use correct grammar in speech and writing. But is it really necessary to expect those who are doing higher studies and undergraduates to waste their time grappling themselves to express grammatically? No doubt this has to be strictly adhered by those who choose subjects related to languages for their higher studies. Language is a medium by which we communicate with each other. As long as one can make simple, decent expressions by way of words to make another person easily understand what he wants to convey, what more do we expect as a means of communication. Why should we make this medium of communication painful by searching for grammatical expressions. A very simple e.g. "I go home" is much easier to use than 'I am going home', which gives the same meaning. We can take hundreds of similar examples. What is essential is to share one's knowledge with others with easy and simple expressions. It is funny that when people make grammatical mistakes in their mother tongue it is ignored as nothing unusual but when you make the same mistakes using a foreign tongue you are laughed at. by Don D. Abeyaratne, The news item appearing in the Sunday Observer on August 21 2005 under the caption "GMR could have saved the train" based on the submissions made by former Sri Lanka Railways Chief Signal and Telecommunication Engineer Nimal Fernando to the Committee of Inquiry to the train disaster due to tsunami smacks of some ill feeling Fernando has on General Manager Railways (GMR). He has attempted to put the blame on GMR on mere heresay. I too have made my submission to the Committee of Inquiry. On collecting information, I have been informed that GMR on hearing of the unusual waves striking the coastal belt has instructed the Chief Train Controller (CTC) to get trains stopped at stations. CTC too have made attempt to get the trains stopped. Releasing his submissions to the press is highly unethical because the Committee of Inquiry is empowered to fully investigate and give their version. Tsunami was unprecedented, government department such as Geological Department, Meteorological Department and the University were not equipped and prepared to give timely notice of a catastrophe of this nature. Let us await the recommendation of the Committee as to how we should meet a catastrophe of this nature in the future. by B. B. Perera, The example I give below is only one similar to several or many pilferings occurred down the coast line from about Payagala to near Galle. I had an incomplete house in granite stone walls up to roof level by the side of the Colombo-Galle Road. Almost the whole of that structure was levelled to the ground by tsunami. A few weeks later, relief workers allegedly a under renowned name had appeared in the name 'environment clearing and cleaning'; heaped up the granite stones of the fallen walls into about five big heaps. After a short silence, these heaps of granite stones disappeared. By this over two lakhs damage to me caused by tsunami has been aggravated in addition to pain of mind given in the name of "cleaning relief." This is one example of present day society in double standard aid work. How many more are there like me? May concerned authorities or high ups in Red Cross realise the necessity to investigate down the line for required redress. by Y. Amarasena de Silva, Thanks to the JRJ Constitution we, Sri Lankans were lucky to see a true politician among others who generally come to power by the people's vote giving many false promises to the people for the sake of their own interest. The late Lakshman Kadirgamar who was selected by our president from the national list in 1994 held the post of Minister of Foreign Affairs showing the highest performances in foreign diplomatic service and sitting beyond other ministers of the Cabinet of CBK government until he was slain by the LTTE. The vacuum that has been created by this great leader would not be filled by anyone for many years. Even though he was born as a Tamil, he worked for the benefit of the Sinhala Buddhists that we have never experienced from our own Sinhala Buddhist leaders. Unfortunately, our people did not understand the value of this great leader who had played a vital role for the benefit of the country in spite of the consent threat to his life by the LTTE.I feel that if Kadir had been given the Premier post, the present crises that has been prevailing in his country over two decades would have been minimised for a certain level as it will prove to the world that there is no communal discrimination in Sri Lanka and also the propagandas being spared by the LTTE in the western countries are false. How could the LTTE say that they are the sole representatives of the Tamil people if Kadir had been appointed to the Premier post in Sri Lanka? by W. G. Chandrapala, The public was greatly inconvenienced by the all out strike by private bus operatives a few days ago. The reason why they called a strike was to express stiff opposition to the increase of fines for traffic offences on the part of the private bus crew. Considering recent fatal road accidents, caused mainly due to reckless driving, the decision to fine errant drivers or all traffic offenders, was taken with the aim of minimising spiralling road accidents as private bus drivers are to blame for most of these accidents. At a time when road accidents are on the increase the Government's utmost priority is the safety of the public and all right thinking people welcome it, as they need safety when travelling. But, private bus mudalalis only intention seems to be nothing but shackles. The people may not rest assured that their lives are safe from accidents, as they are not providing the public with a better transport service. If private bus operatives go on infringing road safety rules in this manner, the situation will go from bad to worse and no doubt, more and more people will become victims to accidents as the case may be. When the Government takes action to control the situation to some extent these bus operatives unreasonably resort to strike actions, causing inconvenience to the travelling public. It's imperative to impose stiff laws and sentences to all traffic offenders who kill people on highway. by L. W. Gamini C. Kumara, It is strange that though I heard of so many frustrated stories regarding the obtaining of a visa, my wife and I had no problem at all with the British, Canadian and US Embassies. Our applications were made through a reputed travel agent, and the girl who handled it knew all the procedures and documentation. When the day arrived when we had to go to the Canadian Visa Office, we were on pins and were wondering whether we will face the humiliation that so many people claimed. We had a pleasant surprise and within two hours we were told to collect our passports in the same evening. The next was the British Visa, here we had to spend the whole day and were told to collect our passports the next day. On the next day, we had a telephone call from the Embassy telling us that our finger printing did not come off well and they gave us a date and time to come for this purpose. Once that was settled we got our visas. I was astonished that at the entrance, the mention of our names and the purpose, we were allowed entry at a moment's notice. In fact, they told us that they were instructed to let us in immediately. However I did not see anyone hanging around the gate. The US Embassy, with their new innovation of faxing your application though initially it appeared suspicious but now it is apparent that it is less time consuming for everyone. They asked us to be present by 7.30 in the morning, checked all the papers and we were in within a few minutes and we were out by 10.00 with the visa. We were interviewed for about three minutes, basic questions were asked and answered, and that's it. So it is my conclusion that if one has the papers ready, your visa is almost instant. by Walter Fernando, As a small investor I received the Dialog Telecom share certificate today, August 4, 2005. However, the trading of this share commenced on July 28, 2005. There would have been many others too who would have been deprived of exercising the right to sell their shares due to the inefficiency of the Registrars to the issue. None of the share certificates was posted by July 28, 2005 to the investors who did not indicate a CDS account. Dialog gave much publicity to the success of the issue. Yes, if success meant repatriating the funds collected to Talekom Malaysia on July 22 even before many shareholders had the share certificates in their hand, then the company is correct. Of course, there do not seem to be any reason to believe that the delay was intended in anyway to manipulate the share price. But in fairness to all investors the CSE should not in future allow trading on IPO, at least until the date of dispatch of share certificates to every shareholder. Small investor. The decision taken by the Minister of Buddha Sasana to have a ban on all private tuition classes on Sunday and declare that day as a Daham Day is highly laudable. One of the most important objectives in doing this is to encourage children to attend Dhamma schools and inculcate religious and good moral values in them. To achieve the desired results, the quality of teaching in some of the Dhamma schools should necessarily be improved by providing them with the facilities they lack. Sunday is the only free day for the adults who are employed. Among them, there are many who have to attend private classes on this day. If the ban applies to all private tuition classes they will be at a loss. A Daham day should be regarded on par with a full moon poya day. Therefore, it is not only the private tuition classes that should be kept closed but liquor shops, meat stalls and cinemas as well. by N. L. Jayawardena, |
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