Pay for healthcare!?
Mahinda’s recent visit to the US seems to be for some medical treatment or for a medical checkup. Whether it was for a treatment or a checkup, he is rich enough to fly to the America to see a doctor. Technically its his money so he can spend it on anything he wishes (I didn’t take his corruption record into account when I wrote this). But how can he expect Bandara’s wife to pay for her husband’s illness.
Access to quality healthcare and basic education are basic rights for all. Charging for either doesn’t make it accessible to all. If the government wants to increase its revenue why not privatize loss making government-owned entities, especially some of those undergoing a name change. If you can’t make constructive reforms, let the status quo exist until a new generation rises up to take its place. Please don’t mess the system more. At the moment most of us can’t afford to pay to see a doctor in Sri Lanka unlike the President whos doctor is in America.
We can connect to Egypt
But now, Egyptians are revolting in a large-scale. If the people of a country ruled by an autocrat for 30 years can revolt, can’t we?. well, the Arab world now has a vibrant free media, that can no longer be censored, thanks to satellite TV. In Sri Lanka, all we have is self censored media. Ben Ali and Mubarak chose the “icon” of the free world as their ally. America is a democracy and preaches it, although it doesn’t, in many cases, choose its allies based on it. But, when people revolt against its ally regimes, it at least puts some pressure on the regimes, like calling for “reforms” in Egypt. But China, our closest ally would never give a damn about freedom or democracy. It would rather advise Rajapakse to use live ammunition like it did in Tiananmen square or in Tibet.
Kim Jong Il, the Sun
It is a country that runs around just one man. Kim is the Sun and all other North Koreans are the planets. And just like the planets North Koreans do not have free movement. Kim’s magnetic field is too strong to let the planets move by itself. But, unlike the sun, Kim gives no light or energy to the planets. He rather absorbs all the energy from the planets (the North Koreans) and apparently is the single largest consumer of Henesse cognac. For Kim all those around him are dumb nuts, babies with no proper mind to make decisions.
Need to be more vigilant on “hidden” agendas- Lessons from Wikileaks
Wikileaks today released a list of “key infrastructures” and “critical resources”. According to the website, US embassies have been asked to gather intelligence information on these facilities. This is really serious and makes me wonder what other activities embassies and diplomats are doing in their respective countries apart from diplomacy. America’s foreign interests have been an open secret before, but not so specific. But, it is not just the US that eyes at foreign facilities to advance its defence and economic agendas.
Disabled In Sri Lanka
A few years ago I went on a holiday to Kalutara and stayed at the Kani Lanka Hotel. On one side of the road, leading to the hotel from Galle Road was a home for the disabled (I don’t remember the name of that place). After our stay there, while we were leaving to Colombo, someone in our car suggested visiting that home. When I entered the home, there was a new born baby kept in a cot near the entrance. He/She had no fingers and the parents had dumped the infant. The condition inside the home was gross, there was urine on the floor, flies were everywhere and some grown up inmates had no mattress, so slept on small wooden cots. I was thinking how lucky I was to be a “normal” person and how impossible it is for those people to carry on with there day to day activities without anyone’s help. This event affected my life for a few days, But as time went on I stopped thinking about it.
The Tamil Diaspora And Sri Lanka
It has been more than a year since the Tamil Tigers were militarily defeated. But their global support amongst the tamil diaspora is still strong. These days I have been working in Waitrose and there are many Sri Lankan Tamils working with me. And this has given me a great oppurtunity to know, what they think of Sri Lanka. Last week I spoke to this Tamil person (Mathu), who has been in the UK for over a decade, about the war and the tigers. His version of the war is more flawed and biased than that of Rupavahini’s. (contd.)
Jehanlive 