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| Sunday, 23 April 2006 |
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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.
G.C.E. (O/L) results: when oh when? Every time, we parents of students who are eagerly awaiting the GCE (O/L) Examination held in 2005, inquire from the Department of Education as to when the results will be out, they come out with the answer "we have not yet decided to release the results". Does this statement by the Department of Education mean that the results are already available, but that they are waiting for an auspicious time to release the results? Can't the well-circulated and widely read Sunday Observer help parents and students to get the results fast.? Anxious parent. Because of the corrupting and harmful consequences on society, all countries ensure that liquor and tobacco industries are carefully regulated and that they follow practices of good corporate governance in all matters. In this business, revenues simply flow in despite the strict controls imposed on advertising and governments are in a moral dilemma. On the one hand, they have got used to the heavy taxes and duties paid by the industry while at the same time suffering from a sense of guilt because of the severe damage caused to individuals, families and society at large by the harmful effects of their products. So, governments are forever debating whether to promote or discourage this sector and while this never ending debate goes on, liquor and tobacco industrialists use every possible rule of marketing to promote their sales while always testing and touching dangerously the legal limits placed on them. Whatever controls adopted it will be of no use unless the owners and directors of these companies operate honestly and practise what is embodied in their published codes of conduct. In Sri Lanka the tobacco industry has been acting at least with a semblance of responsibility. But there is no such restraining factor with regard to the local liquor industry, which is dominated by one major player that seems to believe there is no room for any other players in this lucrative field. The laws governing their activities are weak because the liquor industry was historically owned and controlled by the Government and there was no question of the Government not paying proper taxes and duties because revenues anyway went into Government coffers. But with privatization things are different. The virtual monopoly held by Government has passed onto the hands of a private individual who has been using the free flowing cash income and same corporation name to bring under his control many other sectors ranging from tea exports, insurance, banking, shipping, tourism, milk foods, food imports and many other strategically important sectors. There is no point now regretting that the then government sold DCSL, ICSL for a song to their cronies. The government and excise regulators should at least now ensure the new owners do not abuse the near monopoly to harass dealers, other smaller liquor manufacturers, depriving consumer of a proper choice. Another danger here is that through the DCSL monopoly its owners also controls several other very important sectors of the economy including banking, insurance, tea exports, tourism, hotel & travel, airline & shipping - thereby being a major threat to the entire society of Sri Lanka. It is high time that politicians and regulators realized this threat and took corrective action to break the monopolies. K.H.Jayatissa Women who fight for equal rights as men should step up their campaign specially in the provinces. The message they give has not reached the four corners of the country. This was evidently shown at the local government elections held recently. In the Galle district alone, a hundred and seventy six women contested independently and from recognised political parties, out of whom a hundred and seventy four were rejected by the women, who, add up to about fifty per cent of the total number of voters. The two women who won were from the governing party. Out of the forty seven women who contested in Baddegama alone thirty eight contested independently and nine contested from political parties. All forty seven were rejected. P.A. Binduhewa |
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