What’s my share?

Recently I involved in some consultancy project with a government department. If you served in any private sector company who have dealings with government departments or places like harbour its a known fact that there's a special fund, allocated to give commission, or in local language bribes to officers.

If the commission was not given, it’s better to give up hopes on that particular project or task to be done. In these dealings, you have to gift the ground level workers starting from ministers. Commission goes to different officers depends on their power & ability to get the work done. If it’s a very big project, most of the share goes to minister or his family or electoral. These are most of the times indirect as well as direct.

Very surprisingly in my recent project I met an officer who never gives any hint on bribes. Not only he didn't ask for commission, he was a very talented officer. When he started his duties in the last year, that department had funds only enough to pay the salaries. As a person who closely worked with that organization I saw how they developed. In terms of profits as well as in terms of scale. They started some major projects, some with foreign investors. He expanded their work in to larger category.

Last week I suddenly got to know that he was dismissed from his job. I couldn't hide my curiosity I called one of the directors of that Bureau who is a friend of mine. I asked him,

"That chairman has showed incomparable results during his time & I heard he was fired?"

His reply was,

"Yes he is superb. But what's the use for us? What's our share from that profit? Nothing. What did minister get? Nothing. There are enough people who supported us in the elections & there are more elections to do. When he was requested to give some jobs to minister's carders he refused saying there are enough & more people in that office. So I don't see why we keep him any more"

Even though this was quite a normal news for us, I felt I should write it here as a respect to that gentleman who did his duties. What do you think people? This is the system we have. Is there anything we can do to change this? Most people enter this system becomes a part of it. Otherwise they will be a victim of it like the hero in my case.

What do you think? Can we change it?

Missing in action

If you are watching “News 1st", abductions may not be such an alien topic for you. I feel many things when I watch these sad news every day. Different people say different things. I would like to share your views as to how would you feel about this.

Some people say these people who are abducted & killed are LTTE intelligent officers or some sort of terrorist attached with them. Therefore people think SL army is using a " Mozard" system to disappear them. There was a belief that when you disappear the supply for the problem, problem will get disappear with time. One of my friends in the SL army claimed that these people are not innocent & involved in killing so much of innocent citizens. Therefore it’s not a sin to kill them. He claimed that people should support the government for this as the same way American people supported the war against terrorism. His point was after Bush started so called "War against terrorism" there wasn't a single terrorist attack in America. Therefore it proves the success of it.

Another set of people think these are done by organized gangs in Colombo. People think they are abducted to take huge ransoms. One of the guys who stand for this argument told me that they abduct people who earn so much black money. Because then, when they get released they could not go to police & complain about the real amount they paid. Then they will have to answer the questions of income tax officers who will be at their door step next day morning. So some category of people thinks its fine to charge them since anyway its unlawful money. But as we all know, not only rich people get abducted.

But in my opinion I cannot agree with any of these. I do not know what happened to these people. I do not know whether abductions are for real like "News 1st" says or those are fake like president says. I do not know who do these things. (But I am sure that is some group with a very high power & political backup). All sorts of people belong to all levels & all religions get their victims. In the beginning it was only Tamils. But recently I saw they have abducted some Sinhalese lady & her little daughter at the Battaramulla check point. Whether its Sinhala or Tamil it’s human. It’s our people after all. Every person has a right to live. My friend still argues these people are terrorist & therefore should get punished. I agree. But there is a way. There is a law. You should give them a chance to prove their innocence before the court.

This shows that our society is not developed much. It’s true that even in developed countries these things happened. If you have watch “Prison break" you may have see how the intelligent service disappear the people. When these things happened in a country, after some time there are so many criminals that gradually develop. People uses the chances for their personal users & who are with power will always win.

Is it fair?

Did anyone think what will it be like if this happens to any of our family members? How sad it will be? Their families also must be feelings the same way. My friend here argues that people who get killed by them & their families also have fundamental rights. I know. I know. But still I feel very sad about this. What do you think?

Most Critical Problem in SriLanka

What do you think the most vital problem in Sri Lanka these days?

Is it War? Corruption? Abductions? Poverty? Cost of living? Well… when I read the news papers & listen to radio these days it seems that none of the above is “THE” problem of Sri Lankans. It is Lasith Malinga’s hair. There are so many conversations, arguments, insults on this talented boy’s hair style.

What do you think? I felt like analyzing who are these people who made it their favorite topic? First category is quite surprisingly a few Sri Lankans who are migrated to other countries, doing small super market & petrol shed jobs & feeling inferior about them selves. They don’t even work for this country. They don’t try to be Sri Lankans in any aspect. But try to make others live in the past forever.

Other category is who are here not doing any creative things & blaming others for whole day & expect someone to come & make a miracle for us. When a poor lad from here comes to an international level, they expect him not only make the hair style as they want but head too. What a joke it is. If he don’t play good cricket, then it’s a problem. If he’s not a good team mate it’s a problem. If he is match fixing it’s a problem. But he should have all his rights to cut his hair as they want. What harm does it do to other people? It’s all their deceitfulness. Patriotism is something different.

I remember once I met a daughter of a well known businessman laughed at one of our good cricketer saying he can’t speak good English. I asked her whether she can play cricket. She got shocked & mad with me.

Don’t be scared Malinga. & don’t look back. We need new people. New thinking. New patterns within the frame work of rule of law & fair play. We’ll always be with you. Even though you made up your hair style often, you are original by heart unlike some people who blame at you.

Go Malinga go.