USA’s opposition to Gota contesting
A certain daily has commented that the United States’ objection to Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s possible candidature for the post of President of our country, amounts to interference in the internal affairs of the country.
Gotabaya Rajapaksa is said to be a citizen of the United States of America. Hence the objection is in respect of the fact that he is a US citizen and as such the USA government has a right to do so.
Upali S. Jayasekera
Rajagiriya.
Provide solutions, not distractions
Every day seems filled with uproar about the state of the economy, the unpredictable hike in fuel prices, escalating taxation, and the constant struggle to keep up with the increasing cost of living. Amidst this chaotic landscape, the government’s priorities in tackling the country’s burning issues seem misplaced. Due to political agendas and the fight to win favour with some constituents and affiliated parties, government authorities have turned towards the tobacco and alcohol industries for an easy win. While curbing alcoholism and the fight against tobacco is a noble cause, one must question whether it is right to use these as a bait to distract the public from the government’s inability to solve even the most basic issues, such as, garbage disposal.
While I commend the government for their diligent work in this regard, I have noticed that whenever the government faces pressure from the public to address larger social issues such as, corruption, poverty, proper access to clean water and of course the garbage fiasco, it is inevitably followed by a lot of talk on their next steps toward eradicating smoking and drinking in Sri Lanka. Currently, the latest debate appears to be centered around the plain packaging of cigarettes. This seems a crude distraction to spur the public to engage in discussion in a hot topic and direct the conversation away from the aforementioned burning issues for which these officials are accountable to find timely solutions.
A Concerned Citizen
Singing legends need felicitation while living
\Kalasuri Latha Walpola and Visharada Sujatha Attanayake are undoubtedly two living singing legends who have contributed immeasurably to Sinhalese films since the 1950s. The duo had dominated the playback songs to such an extent that the mass of songs sung together supersedes all other film songs sung by all other female vocalists combined.
The triumph of many films have been accredited to the involvement made by this fashionable twosome as playback singers.
From the time the Island became independent there had been many legends in the field of Art. To name a few Sunil Shantha, Karunaratne Abeysekera, MS, Pandit Amaradeva, MK Rocksamy, Mohamed Sally, Mohideen Beg, R Muthusamy, Prema keerthi de Alwis, KDK etc.
It is unfortunate that the relevant authorities had failed to even commemorate them. Only the Independent Television Network had recently produced appropriately to felicitate their contributions to the field of Arts via the admired concept “Nomiyena Sihinaya”.A series of such programmes are currently being conducted by the ITN.
A journalist stated in one of these programmes that it is more vital that such legends be felicitated while living , which is supreme food for thought for the authorities.
Unlike in most countries, it is unfortunate that legislation has not been approved to compensate the lyric writer, musician and the vocalist. The benefit of this lapse has been reaped by owners of FM channels and various other institutions. In this context it is time the authorities commence felicitating those living legends in the Arts in their twilight years.
It is proposed to the authorities to commence this exercise by awarding some benefits to Kalasuri Latha and Visharada Sujatha, such as a comfortable dwelling, a monthly substantial pension, and medical facilities in their twilight years. Of course, all others who had contributed to the field of Arts should also be made eligible for this much wanted precedence.
Sunil Thenabadu
Brisbane