Call to Media, civil organizations and political parties

At the outset, we as citizens having the country at heart, call upon civil organizations and social activists to select decent and professional parliamentarians at the forthcoming election.

It is encouraging to see the print and electronic media presenting innovative programs to bolster this effort to forge ‘Good Governance’ starting from the next Parliament itself, without waiting for the passage of the 20th Amendment.

While these positive efforts are going on, we wish to make the following suggestions to buttress them.

‘PAFFREL to ensure that a hand bill carrying their set of ‘8 ethical criteria’ reach every household in the country well before the election. The mass media could certainly facilitate the achievement of this objective.

All contesting parties to ensure that their ‘Party Manifestos’ are received by every household well before the election.

All political parties to obtain a legally enforceable letter of under taking from their members to the effect that, if they decide to leave the party which they were voted for by the voting public, they will automatically forfeit their seat in the parliament. This letter should be signed before they take oaths in Parliament.

Both major parties/ Alliances to vouch before the public that, when they form the new Cabinet, they will ensure that all contesting parties are proportionately represented in the Cabinet, paving the way to a trulysincere ‘People’s Govt.The concept of ‘National Govt.’ has to be implemented through a ‘Cut and Dry’ method (rather than paying lip service) to avoid unnecessary bargaining with other parties.

We are confident that if the aforesaid steps are implemented, the current efforts by the media and the civil organizations will bear fruit and the peace loving public can look forward to a prosperous country which can become a ‘Role-Model’ for other countries.

Bernard Fernando,
Moratuwa

Pensions Dept. notorious for harassing elders

The Pensions Department is notorious for harassing elders and treating them in a most abominable manner. Despite the watchword ‘Pride of a Nation’ that features prominently on its website and on posters within the Department, they are anything but respectful, compassionate and considerate towards elders.

To sort out a problem related to pensions, one has to go several times to the Maligawatte office – which is a huge hassle and a costly exercise for a senior citizen. Nothing gets done in the first visit and elders are sent from pillar to post to wait for long hours and finally most give up even trying.

There has to be a code of good governance within the Pensions Department where the officers and clerks are at hand to take decisions and act fast so as not to inconvenience these aged folk.

The wage increase given during these past two months to public servants must obviously include the officers at the Pensions Department as well. Increase in wages must be accompanied by enhanced productivity.

The Assistant Director who is in charge of Foreign Pensions seems to be under the thumb of the ‘dandified lady clerks’ in his section.

One has to go to see that this is a total eyewash and the officers from the top to bottom have not changed at all.

The Pensions Department comes under the Ministry of Public Administration and the newly appointed Minister has to see that these officers in the Pensions Department are not allowed to harass seniors in the way they do.

‘Reporting a grievance’ is a facility included in the website of the Ministry of Public Administration. I have submitted my grievance three times within a month as there is no action taken by the Pensions Department on my problem, and all I get is a stereotype reply “your grievance has been received and action will be taken”. I visited the officer handling pensions and personally handed in my letter stating the problems I have been encountering these many months. I apprised her of the grievance (three in number with relevant details) and included these numbers in my letter. The officer who I presumed is a Director was rather surprised to hear about the Grievance Handling System (GHS) on their own pub/ad website.

Hence I inferred that this GHS is also an eyewash and has no meaning whatsoever.

The Pensions Department needs a full overhaul.

S. P. Warusawithana
Via email

Pensioners and arrears

The Government announced that pension arrears will be paid in August along with the July arrears.

They also stated that it will be an automatic process as the details were already computerized. However, pensioners are now called upon to fill forms giving details which are already available with the Pensions Department, since pensions are already being paid. One is flummoxed as to why pensioners are being harassed and inconvenienced so much, since they have given of their best in whatever capacity when they served the country.

Further when Life Certificates were furnished at the beginning of the year, details of bank accounts were also given.

What is more perplexing is, these forms are only in Sinhala and many pensioners find it difficult to fill these forms because of the technical jargon being in Sinhala. Isn’t it a requirement that goverment forms must be in all three languages? How are pensioners in Jaffna going to fill these forms? I request these forms should be set in Sinhala, English and Tamil languages and make it easy for pensioners who are in the evening of their lives.

Ageing Pensioner

Borelasgamuwa
Via email

Well done excise officers!

Nabbing an official vehicle of the Sabaragamuwa Chief Minister, Mahipala Herath with two kilograms of Kerala Ganja by excise officers is a fine example of the prevailing law and order in the country, after the Rajapaksa era of misrule.

It was found that the Chief Minister’s driver was involved in transporting the illegal narcotics inside the official vehicle of the Chief Minister and later another kilo was found in a pit inside his house.

It was unfortunate for the Sabaragamuwa Chief Minister, that Mahinda Rajapaksa was not in power to use his voice to release the driver as soon as he was arrested.

Thank god the Rajapaksa regime had come to an end.

However, I admire the audacity of the excise officers who nabbed the driver and thank them for their bravery.

Z.A.M. Shakoor
Via email