Does proposed CTA threaten democratic rights of people?

OUR ECONOMY IS NOTHING BUT THE BLOOD, SWEAT AND TEARS OF OUR UNSKILLED FOREIGN WORKERS.

Our Treasury was left with barely $ 50m and The Island reported that the consumption of vegetable Kohila had increased by 45 percent. People were sleeping overnight at petrol stations for a liter of petrol and a dozen people had died at petrol stations waiting for fuels in long winding queues.

Our economy is nothing but the blood, sweat and tears of our foreign workers, estate workers and garment workers (mostly unskilled). All the luxuries the politicians and the top bureaucrats enjoy are out of the revenues they bring in and the revenues we get from tourism. Suits, six/ seven figure salaries, duty free vehicle permits (if husband and wife are executive officers ten permits plus two retirement permits), foreign travels, scholarships, concessionary loans and accommodations are a few to mention here.

And now foreign remittances and revenues from tourism are picking up. So are the revenues from other sources. Sri Lankan rupee is considerably appreciating against the US $ and the prices of essential commodities have come down too.

Amidst all these positive signs, a group of so-called environmentalists are protesting again proposed Apple Farm in Kudugala. A long letter addressed to the President criticising it is appearing in The Island today. They don’t want any project promoting tourism here it seems. Earlier they opposed cable car project and some other projects too. Their love for flora and fauna is the highest by the international standard and we don’t see it even in most developed countries. I was in British Columbia, Canada and cable cars were of much tourist attraction and flora and fauna of that country were not threatened by this project.

Mannar environmentalists too are protesting against wind power and ilmenite projects there. Perhaps they don’t want renewable energy. Their love for environment surpases the need for electricity. This too is a story in The Island today.

Animal rights groups are protesting against any animal destroying crops being harmed. Even the birth control of monkeys they oppose but they fully support human birth control. Elephants and monkeys are more important than human beings.

Another group of Senior Academics (mostly Sri Lankans sought refugee status in western countries) have written a long letter to the IMF criticising its deal with Sri Lanka. Among other things they regret that the IMF staff reports aren’t available in Sinhala or Tamil. This too, is appearing in The Island today.

A nation of lotus party, lotus tower and lotus eaters!

M. A. Kaleel 

kaleelmohammed757@gmail.com 

Kalmunai – 05.