What has happened to our alma mater?

Haec victoria nostra fides! - what has happened to our great alma mater, well known in Sri Lanka and even overseas as an excellent academic institution which produced honourable ladies. Not merely known as the sceptics think, as an expensive finishing school. This is an ill-conceived notion. In reality it was the most student – friendly, child- oriented College which was home away from home to many who attended this prestigious institution.

We were truly privileged to have studied from the Kindergarten to High School and have gained so much from it.

The highest of traditions and lofty ideals were held, with humility being given pride of place, in accordance with our College hymn.

Now, all this has changed so drastically and crashed to a low level where no traditions, false values and insincerity prevail. It has now emerged that a ‘state of bullying’ has arisen, where students with items that are not branded are looked down upon and frowned at and in addition these students are bullied. A set of noveau rich students have crept in and curry favour with the heads, so whatever they do goes unpunished. This is the sorry state of affairs that prevails in the school.

Total disregard for the victim’s emotions and the emotions of parents is the forte of the heads of our school. Their inefficiency, inexperience and hypocritical standards have brought the school to the lowest level and it is no wonder that parents. (Some who have been students themselves in the school) are hurriedly removing their daughters.

It is envisaged by concerned old girls that these heads have very little teaching experience.

The clergy from Colombo and Kurunegala must pay heed to this clarion call which is the final one from well meaning past students! Do something immediately!

V.C.O.G.
Colombo

The sad plight of train commuters

Train commuters face untold hardship. Office trains are jam packed and in many instances some commuters cannot even board the trains as the trains pull off after a few minutes.

Young commuters hang onto the footboard and somehow travel dangerously in these trains. There is no breathing space for commuters inside the train.

Can’t the Railway Department do something about it? More additional carriages should be added to these office trains plying on the coastal line and even the trains on the upcountry line.

Has the Minister of Transport ever travelled in trains during office times?If he has he would be aware of the sad plight of commuters.

It is high time the authorities take srious not of this and take remedial action.

A.M. Cooray
Aluthgama

Do we need independent, foreign judges?

There was a huge hue and cry against the idea of deployment of foreign judges for certain cases in this country. President Maithripala Sirisena was spot-on against that propaganda machinery and categorically dispelled that false allegation.

It is no secret that the majority of the politicians of this once resplendent and badly corrupt paradise island abuse their power to amass illicit, filthy lucre for themselves and their lackeys. However, when they lose power they use the money accumulated during their reign, to get the things done in their favour.

Sri Lankan politicians are a funny creation as many of them publicly lament the abuses of the members of previous regimes and repeat the same misdeeds using their power as the in-coming or present legislators. The end result is the continuation of corruption galore. Honest and straightforward officials in government sector, Police department and many other government institutions are not in a position to implement the law and order due to interferences by the politicians.

In the recent past we saw, a plethora of ‘King Kekille’ type judgments, transfers, sackings etc to honest officials and reappointing notorious corrupt officials (as per the media) into higher places. The way that some cases are being postponed for exceedingly long periods, reasonable doubts would be conceived at the hearts and minds of the public that in future some cases might be postponed beyond 2020, the year that the next election is due. Idea of deployment of independent foreign judges will crop up once again in the future.

After the introduction of FCID by the present government, a few politicians of the last regime and officials affiliated to them were remanded on suspicion of corruption and frauds supposed to have committed by them during their time. It is a common occurrence that most of the times the remanded persons immediately get themselves admitted to the hospitals after being recommended by the doctors for the so called illnesses. In some cases the ‘seriously ill’ label being pasted.

Where the corruption is concerned in this much eulogized (by the politicians) utopian country the medical profession is no exception.

Therefore the services of independent and professional foreign doctors will be an urgent necessity in the near future.

Lalith Fernando