Actions speak louder than words

Quiet minds cannot be perplexed or frightened, but go on in fortune or misfortune at their own private pace, like a clock during a thunderstorm – Robert Louis Stevenson.

Several e-mails I received following the recent Japanese turmoil carried pictures of the disaster zones. A particular story of a 9-year-old boy, who lost his parents and queuing up in a long food line, was fascinating. A Policeman approaching the boy had offered part of his food ration saying: ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-When it comes to your turn, they might run out of food. So hereƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s my portion. I already ate. Why donƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t you eat it?ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚

The boy accepting the bag of food had gone and handed it over to the food distribution point. The Policeman, naturally shocked, wanted to know why he did not eat it, instead added to the food pile. The boyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s response had been: ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Because I see a lot more people hungrier than I am, if I put it there they will distribute the food equallyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢. The original author of the e-mail had summerised the action of the little boy thus: ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”A society that can produce a 9-year-old who understands the concept of sacrifice for the greater good must be an impressive societyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢.

Affected people

Japanese have demonstrated from their recent tumult how to elevate from disastrous situations to be tolerant. According to news reports, there had not been a single visual chest – beating or wild grief.

Their dignity was displayed with disciplined queues for water and groceries without a coarse word or a single crude gesture.

Japanese selflessness was displayed unquestionably when affected people sparingly bought only bare necessities at a chaotic moment thinking of others purely to share with everyone. What a graceful gesture of humankind to emulate?

Not a single sight of any looting, wild and panicky overtaking of vehicles with ear piercing horns was reported distinctively when roads were sinking in an earth-shattering state. To hear about customers in a supermarket leaving in silence after placing everything back on the shelves what they had collected to purchase, during an electricity failure sounds like a fairy tale.

Restaurants cutting down on charges purely to help the affected, and how the strong cared for the weak have displayed the tenderness of Japanese mentality during a national disaster.

Radiation exposure

Training the old, young and the children alike precisely to react and keep calm at a time of a misfortune bolsters Japanese far thinking qualities. Hats off to media for their magnificent restraint in news bulletins and not finding any harebrained reporting.

Fifty odd workers sacrificing their lives to stay back at the N-reactors just to pump sea water to save millions of lives of others from radiation exposure speaks for itself more than words.

The two pictures taken on March 17 and 23 illustrate the gaping chasms in a Japanese road which make evident the power of the earthquake that hit Japan on March 11, 2011.

In a matter of six days after the adversity the crated section of the Great Kanto Highway in Naka has been repaired and back to use.

Actions speak louder than words. Here is a valid example of Japanese ingenuity, dexterity, courage and commitment displayed by those responsible in Japan which opens the eyes even of ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”highly developedƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ and sophisticated western whiz children.

Sri Lanka cannot be compared with Japan by any means, yet, one has to admit that Sri Lanka is on a rapid development programme under the second phase of Mahinda Chinthana where hamlets are changed into new and modernised towns and city and the rural skylines are transformed into sophistication.

President RajapaksaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s determination to uplift the mother country to International standard deserves bouquets, simultaneously brickbats get thrown at some administrators and big wigs in town and municipal councils and all connected tentacles who are responsible for the maintenance of roads for the benefit of movement of people and goods in this country.

Japanese example

Laid back administrators who appear to be inactive and unprofessional should be made answerable to the sorry state of some of the highways and byroads in Colombo conurbation which often cause immense damage to vehicles when spinning in and out of massive pot-holes, ruts, sharp unfinished edges of asphalted and/ or concreted roads, which not only cause motorists additional repair costs in terms of wheel balancing and replacing shock-absorbers regularly, but make pedestrians and schoolchildren too inconvenient immensely after heavy rain falls.

Those who are responsible for the maintenance of Parliament Road (to site an example) can take a lesson from the Japanese example illustrated. At a time escalation of road accidents has become a hot topic, perpetual darkness that dominates for months on end, from Welikada Police Station up to McDonalds in Borella, remains an unsolved mystery.

Despite keeping motorists in the darkƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ deploying Police officers to control traffic at such road junctions in pitched darkness not only add more misery to the growing problem but certainly forces Police on duty to take their life into their hands.

One person alone, as the head of a nation, cannot resolve all the problems in a country. He needs the collaboration, dedication and commitment from his subordinates who have been appointed by him and elected by the people to work for the public as ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”servantsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ in the country.

It is, therefore, an ignominy when the President is seriously committed to a mammoth redevelopment programme the main conurbation is turned into a ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”dark cityƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ in the nights.

Perhaps the photographs shown should open the eyes of those responsible for road development and lighting of streets in the metropolis to fathom what responsibility and commitment entail.

Let President RajapaksaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s repeated mantra to administers and all responsible government officials ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”to serve the public honestly and dedicatedlyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ resonate in their ears repetitively.