Exporting Unqualified Labour – Who Should Be Responsible?
Posted on January 20th, 2013
Prof. Hudson McLean
Armed only with dreams of a better life, they soon wake up to a nightmare- http://www.sundaytimes.lk/130120/news/armed-only-with-dreams-of-a-better-life-they-soon-wake-up-to-a-nightmare-29598.html
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Sending a poor uneducated Sri Lankan citizens as Domestic Helpers (DH) or for any other labour function should be Strictly Controlled by the Sri Lanka Government (SLG).
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The Agents who hunt for the poor victims of economic circumstancesƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ exploit the desperate poor and this illegal human traffic is a Violation of Human Rights, and must be controlled by the Government.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Government should set-up Educational Centres where DHs are properly trained to handle household appliances, and are given a basic course in English and possibly in other languages to facilitate their migration.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Other points such as hygiene, behaviour, and basic household etiquette should be part & parcel of the induction training.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ After all, the wages, salaries are repatriated to Sri Lanka and the main beneficiary is the SLG.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ I am astounded when I spoke with several operators of Ayurveda Clinics who send Therapists to Japan and Europe. The Principals themselves lacked basic education and the command of English was well below standard.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Hopefully the sacrifice of one human life in Saudi Arabia may offer a wake-up call to those persons who are able to make decisions.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ From what I see, the only person who can and who will make a positive decision is His Excellency the President Mahinda Rajapaksa!
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January 20th, 2013 at 1:58 pm
“Hopefully the sacrifice of one human life in Saudi Arabia may offer a wake-up call to those persons who are able to make (positive) decisions.”
In the current climate, i hate to have imagined if Rizana (RIP) had been a Sinhala Buddhist. In a way Mahinda Rajapakse is sighing with relief.
Think!
January 20th, 2013 at 4:04 pm
Professor, you are writing under the wrong assumption that politician and the officials (the educated professionals) in Sri Lanka care about the welfare of the general public, specially the rural poor and the blue collar workers who basically carry the economy in addition to their kith and kin made most of the sacrifices in the war. Politicians and the educated lives off the productivity of these blue collar workers like housemaids. And more blatantly assign themselves privileges like duty free luxuries. Sadly the corruption and non-contribution from these thieving privileged classes is going to negate the gains of victory over the terrorism.
January 20th, 2013 at 11:45 pm
The government of Sri Lanka should focus on eradication of poverty and start joining forces with all communities to develop the natural resources and build a productive work force. Self sufficiency in food, clothing, shelter and creating a sustainable energy policy (Solar, Hydro, Wave, Wind) within our means would be a positive lesson learnt.
January 21st, 2013 at 5:22 am
Sinhalese domestics in the Middle East is a minority. There are more Philiphenos, Bangladeshis, Indonesians and others from other poor nations. This is an accident and the number of beheadings are no more than the capital punshments in the US.
Hardly any Tamils (other than some from the plantation sector) goes to ME as domestics. It is the Hindu religion that allows ony low caste to be serwants. Anyway it is almost impossible for low caste to leave India. All Indian colonial parasites in the Indian colonies are high caste Indians.
The problem in Ceylon is the Indian colonial parasites who are bleeding the nations. They have done this since their arrival since 1792 with the British. Almost all the wealth the foreign based workers bring in to the country ends up in the hands of the Indian colonial parasitic merchnts.
How did Singapore came so rich. Lee Kwan Yu almost destroyed the Indian run economy of Singapore.
January 21st, 2013 at 7:25 am
In Sri Lanka, Tamils brought in by the British numbering over one MILLION to work the tea estates, were not high caste. Same as those Tamils brought in by the Dutch (about half a MILLION), to work the tobacco plantations – they were not high caste either.
Somewhere along the way, Tamil of low caste in Tamil Nadu, thought that Sri Lanka exists for ‘Tamil caste liberation’. Thus our Tamil problems here. Question: does Sri Lanka exist for Tamil caste liberation ???!!!
Anyway, the main point now is that Sri Lanka ought not to send ANY people anywhere to work as live in ‘servants’. Create jobs in Sri Lanka. If Sri Lankans travel, they ought to travel only as tourists or for well paid jobs with proper legal arrangements so that their lives are not in jeopardy. Life above Money should be our job motto.
Shenali Waduge in another article to this website states that a Sinhela Buddhist man is awaiting beheading in Saudi merely for keeping a small Buddha statue in his room ! I am shocked that anyone would even set foot in such an extremist and intolerant country, let alone work there. Life above Money must be our motto.
The Sinhela Nation must learn to be more Entrepreneurial here in Sri Lanka. Form Co-operatives and flourish in the villagers. Do not travel and work in hostile foreign countries.
January 21st, 2013 at 7:36 am
One also wonders why the sudden ‘beheading sessions’ of Sri Lankans in Saudi ?
There was a news item abroad that Saudi & Iran are competing for top post in Mid East. Can Sri Lanka buying Iranian oil etc have something to do with this competition ?
Prez should recall all Sri Lankans in Saudi (our ambassador there has been recalled, wasn’t he ?). Sooner the better, lest these poor souls lose their ‘heads’ for no good reasons.
January 21st, 2013 at 11:49 am
typo : read as ‘ … and flourish in the villages’.