Amusement by the Government
Posted on May 22nd, 2013
Dr. Mareena Thaha Reffai,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚
Whether we suffer from rise in cost of living or not, we can be thankful the ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ government providesƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ some amusement for the common man at regular intervals.
There was this plan to jail the beggars and without any ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ warning some beggars were taken into custody ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” and we had beggar free streets just for two days. They are all back where they were ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” right in front of the noses of the police, but then who cares? The news provided fuel for conversation among the erudite ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…”as often it does for two days and ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” presto! We forget about the whole issue and life goes on.
The dengue prevention program takes life now and then. The inspectors of the gardens come in whenever they feel like ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” in various capacities ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” the PHI, the laborers, the armyƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ etc. and if there is a little bit of water on the surface of a pot they threaten court action, while the whole huge drain just outside the houses in the lanes are overflowing with garbage; if pointed out they say it is not their duty to check them but that of the RDA. A thousand drupes into the palm of these people makes them forget about the court action and then we donƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t see them for anotherƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ month or two. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ A good drama of amusement!
Then a couple of officers walks in to your home talking about the home gardens. They bring seeds and talk for hours and how to grow vegetables in pots etc. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The novice gardener starts off very enthusiastically but then the advisors are never seen again. Interesting amusement for a short time.
Suddenly some nitwit gets this idea that the flower sellers must go. Go where? Go home! And do what? Whatever you want to! How to feed the family? How do we know? A good topic of conversation for our armchair critics for a few days. And then are they are all back ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ where they started.
But the best plan of amusement ever ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ is the plan to have the parliament proceedings broadcast for public on large screens! With the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-dishum dishumƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ fights going on much better and more interesting ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ than our Sinhala films, it sure is going to provide much needed entertainment, specially with the raised electricity costs, when people will soon have to shut down their TVƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s.
We Srilankans are privileged indeed to be entertained at the expense of the state with no cost for us whatsoever!
May 22nd, 2013 at 4:25 pm
I agree. There is another amusement that starts early morning when someone howls in loudspeakers as if he is being mauled to death. But not to worry! He lives to howl again a few hours later. Phew!!!
It starts with something like “CATCH. CATCH HIM. BITE HIM.” in local language.
SL is turning into an amusement park.
May 22nd, 2013 at 4:39 pm
Then they sell cement bags with Halaal sign. Looks like all the wormins were killed buy cutting the neck off and letting them bleed to death humanely.
May 22nd, 2013 at 5:22 pm
…..and transfering j.m.o s and magistrates conducting investigations……..
May 23rd, 2013 at 4:00 am
Lets look at some truly amusing things….(just a small fraction….)
Among the top 10 countries that google the word “s*x”……. 1 Pakistan 2 Egypt 3 Iran 6 Indonesia 7 Saudi Arabia 8 Turkey…… the common factor seems obvious eh? Looks like the feigned modesty isn’t working! :D
Saudi cleric Abdul Al-Ala decrees that a woman switching on an air conditioner is “immoral”, as if the poor women of Saudi already baking in tarpaulins wasn’t enough.
An outdated system (lets say pre-prehistoric) where a rape victim needs four male witnesses to prove that she was raped.
The 2007 case of a Saudi man divorcing his wife for watching a TV show with a male host alone for 30 minutes (apparently she had spent time alone with a “forbidden” male)
May 25th, 2013 at 12:34 pm
mjaya…..For adultery, if someone refutes a woman’s claim of innocence, the onus falls on that person to provide four witnesses. The woman can also deny the claim by taking a solemn oath and clearing her name in public. She does not need even one witness to prove that she has been raped. Nowhere in the entire Quran or the ahadith has it been mentioned that a rape victim requires four witnesses.
Islamic legal scholars interpret rape as a crime in the category of hiraba (highway robbery, terrorism or promoting terror). Hiraba does not require four witnesses to prove the offence; circumstantial evidence, medical data and expert testimony form the evidence used to prosecute such crimes. During the time of the Prophet (pbuh), punishment was inflicted on the rapist on the solitary evidence of the woman who was raped by the perpetrator. Wa’il ibn Hujr reports of an incident when a woman was raped. Later, when some people came by, she identified and accused the man of raping her. They seized him and brought him to Allah’s messenger, who said to the woman, “Go away, for Allâh has forgiven you,” but of the man who had raped her, he said, “stone him to death.” (Tirmidhi and Abu Dawud)
unfortunately some tribal clerics without suffcient knowledge in islamic law may lead to such foolish descions.. and few months ago Sri lanka was first in the search list of “S..x in net…
unfortu