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Thanks to EU President for conviction to restore GSP +
The news that the GSP+ concession to Sri Lanka is to be restored is most welcome. It was conveyed to the Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe during his recent visit to Brussels, by the European Council president and former Prime Minister of Poland, Donald Tusk. The Council president has said that it was due to the steady progress the country has achieved in social and political reforms in its brief spell of time of forming a new Government on January 8 2015. It is true, and a well known fact that the country has achieved tremendous progress in restoring democracy, and wiping out corruption and horror which the previous administration fostered and nurtured. I am glad the president of the European Council has endorsed and legitimized the progress the country has achieved during the two years of governance of President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.
While thanking the EU president for his commendable sentiments on Sri Lanka, I very earnestly and respectfully request him to restore the GSP+ as early as possible, and ease the hurdles of exporting apparel to the European Union.
Z.A.M.Shukoor,
Aranayaka
President’s House (Queens House - Rajagedera) and Gordon Gardens
Recently, President Maithripala Sirisena declared open the President’s House in Fort, Colombo for the public to visit. History records on 1 February, 1804 the British government took the private house of the last Dutch Governor of Ceylon Johan Gerard van Anglebeek. This became the official residence of British Governors and was named Queen’s House, as at that time Queen Victoria was the British monarch. It was Governor Sir Arthur Hamilton Gordon (1883 to 1890) who laid out the garden at his own expense, naming it Gordon, to honour Queen Elizabeth’s golden jubilee celebration in 1887.
I had the privilege of visiting President’s House in the early 1980s, when President J.R. Jayewardene was also the Minister of Power and Energy, and also President D.B. Wijethunga on official duty as an Assistant Secretary to the Ministry and had the good fortune of seeing Gordon’s Garden, where my father Gardi Arachchige Don Julius (G.A.D. Julius) had worked as Head Gardener, assistant to the curator. This recalls memories of his experiences which he related in later years. It was during this time that he married my mother Wickrama Arachchige Dona Marthinahamy and took her to reside in the quarters provided next to Queen’s House, which they refer to as Rajagedera or Raja Maligawa. Their quarters had a separate roadway between Queen’s House and the Indian Bank, now Hatton National Bank.
My mother recalled how she plucks flowers every morning from the garden and placed them in flower vases and an orchid flower from the garden to be worn by the governor on his coat lapel, although she was not an employee but helped my father. She also recalled the visit of Duke of Gloucester who came to Ceylon to celebrate the golden jubilee of Queen Victoria. There had been a great banquet, ‘BAALL KEMAK’ where Englishmen who held high ranks in government service, such as Government Agents, Planters who had aristocratic connections and also locals of high ranking social standing attended. One whom she made mentioned was Maha Mudaliyar, Sir Solomon Dias Bandaranaike who attended all functions at Rajagedera with his little son SWRD and my mother and father had carried him.
Another hilarious incident she related was that a bank employee peeps through one of the windows and makes annoying gestures, which she brought to the notice of my father. He in turn had informed the then Inspector General of Police, when he had visited Queen’s House. The next day, the window through which the bank official caused a nuisance was permanently closed and what happened to the employee was not known, probably dismissed from service or severely reprimanded.
During this time when he was working at Queen’s House my father had come across many tea planters. Perhaps on their invitation he had left the service at Queen’s House (Raja Gedera) to join the planting sector. The last position he held was conductor, Imbulpitiya Estate, Nawalapitiya and later made Nawalapitiya his home town. That is where I was born with seven others. All of us, those living and not have left that beautiful village to seek employment, where we grew up with all communities and those of other faiths in a brotherly relationship and everlasting friendship, carrying with us the pleasant memories.
G.A.D. Sirimal
Rubbish thrown into CEB meter room
When I visited my daughter who recently moved into occupation of one of the houses in the B1 Block of Armour Street Flats, Colombo 12, I noticed a lot of trash being put in the room where the CEB Electricity meters belonging to some 30 odd houses are installed. This room, which is kept under lock and key, is in the ground floor, adjoining the entrance to the B1 Block, with the flight of steps. I think it is not safe to keep all sorts of throwaways with the electricity meters, and it is an eyesore to the visitors to the building.
I hope the maintenance division of CEB or the National Housing Scheme will take prompt action to dispose of this garbage.
It is time that those responsible take steps to renovate and whitewash this room, which otherwise looks like a dungeon.
Mohamed Zahran
Layard’s Broadway
Colombo 14