Injustice acknowledged, but no redress yet

I had a problem with Health Ministry secretaries and Director Generals since 1993 and I feel it amounts to a violation of my fundamental rights.

When I appealed to the Ombudsman and the Public Petitions Committee, they found the injustice and recommended redress and relief. Though the parties accepted the ruling, they are yet to provide me relief.

I complained to the Human Rights Commission (HRC) and the HRC summoned the respondents but they defied the summons, thus committing an offence under Section 20(3) of the HRC Act No. 21 of 1996. The HRC too did not take action in spite of my repeated reminders.

Then I appealed to the President and parliamentarians. They too instructed the public servants to take action but their request too has been ignored.

Media exposures regarding the indolence of bureaucrats and the deteriorating public service are like ‘pouring water on a duck’s back’. M. Chandran

Kengalla

Today circumstances force both parents to seek employment to keep the home fires burning and in the face of poverty they are compelled to work long and arduous hours. The result is that they overcome one problem only to be replaced with others. They are compelled to neglect the home and when the children return from school they have no parent to welcome them.

No house becomes a home if there is no sharing of each person’s daily experiences. Hence the children tend to go astray and fall prey to other evils such as drugs. Now this is the problem the whole country is faced with - in fact the whole world is subject to.

Religious and nongovernmental organisations must address this problem not by demonstrations or walks. I as a Christian believe that instead of the church organising a demonstration at Ragama against drug abuse, the church should educate the parents of the students attending their schools. That would be a more timely and practical effort. George Abeyewickrema

Via email

APPRECIATIONS