Protecting Consumers from Racketeers
Source:Dailynews
Every week we discuss something reported in the mainstream media and social media. Most of the time, it is something major. But small things also matter and sometimes small things matter more than those major things. Maybe certain things are very small or minor for some but the impact of those things may be experienced by the entire society for decades to come. This is why we talk about certain small things here today.
Almost all of us have travelled by buses and trains. If we take our mobile phones and headphones off at least once or twice during our travels, we can remember one thing for sure. It just takes a lapse of concentration on our part being distracted by someone selling Incense Sticks and other non-essential, useless items which are sold in buses and trains by people stating that their livelihoods depend by selling those items.
According to Chest Consultants, the smoke of these Incense Sticks is cancerous and harms human health. It is the same with Air Fresheners. But doctors had stated this hard fact only once or twice during media briefings and no one paid attention to the fact at all. In one way it is connected to religions. On the other hand it is connected to human health. But why on earth are people allowed to sell Incense Sticks inside buses and trains? Why? Why can’t they sell something healthy and useful? Why don’t the relevant authorities ban the sale of harmful stuff and promote healthy stuff such as candles, Wicks (Pahan Thira), mosquito repellants, lottery tickets, etc.?
Unhealthy food habits
Last week another health hazard was removed by the Health Ministry but it was only for the meals served at various State Institutions coming under the purview of the Health Ministry. The Health Ministry introduced new rules and regulations for tenders prohibiting adding salt to rice. This should be done at national level prohibiting the addition of salt to rice. In the past no salt was added to rice and this fatal trend came only during the last decade or just before that. Only god knows who promoted this fatal habit making the entire population sick. Anyway, present day society prefers taste to good health, nutrition or the safety of food. Traditionally, Sri Lankans do not add salt to rice.
It is hilarious to know that the bread we eat almost every day in our life is produced and sold according to an Act enacted 66 ago. The Bread Ordinance Number 13 of 1864 was amended in 1956. According to media reports, bakers use various loopholes in this Act to offer low quality and underweight bread to the consumers for extremely high prices. Anyway, Sri Lankan businessmen are very talented at using the loopholes of the existing law in order to earn profits while offering low quality goods and services to the customers. Now, it is high time for all the relevant authorities to amend this outdated Ordinance.
All the customers here in Sri Lanka should understand that they can control the market price because they did so on two occasions in the last few months by changing their consumer patterns. The first such product which the market price slashed due to the action of customers themselves is biscuits. Biscuit manufacturers increased the prices of their products to an extremely high price and consumers stopped buying biscuits gradually. They should have done it immediately. After a month or two, all biscuits manufacturers reduced the prices of their biscuits and were practically at the mercy of customers to buy and eat biscuits as they did before. They did not stop there. They even went on a campaign to showcase their biscuit products inside supermarkets in a manner that caught the attention of the customers who walk around the supermarket checking out the items on the shelves.
The second product which the customers’ actions led to the reduction of the high price is chicken. After chicken producers increased the price of a kilogramme of chicken to an unaffordable extremely high level, customers stopped buying chicken. They should have resorted to this type of action immediately after the price hike but they did it gradually within a month or two. Then the chicken producers’ greed will not take them anywhere and were compelled to reduce the price of a kilogramme of chicken. People realized they can live without eating those products.
These are only two examples that show the entire country that the customers can control the market prices of goods and services by simply changing their consumer habits. All they need to do is stop using extremely expensive goods and services as they did for biscuits and chicken. Now the customers can do this to products such as bread, buns etc. and three-wheeler rides. Then the customers can bring down bakers and three-wheeler drivers on their knees. They will definitely offer a loaf of high quality bread for Rs.100 and a three-wheeler ride of five kilometres for Rs. 470.
The innocent poor population can receive benefits if people organise themselves through social media and implement the strategy islandwide to a certain period. The slashing of prices of goods and services can be enjoyed by everyone. The people’s power should be shown through this type of behaviour and not through destructive form of behaviour like through the Aragalaya which only pushes the country towards further darkness while offering millions of dollars to a handful of crooks.
Another issue which has a direct impact on people’s health was revealed last week in connection with bus fare. At present, all private buses charge fares introduced during the COVID-19 period in order to reduce the number of passengers transported by buses. According to the rules and regulations introduced during the COVID-19 period, only seated passengers can be transported in buses and the relevant fare charged from them. But no private bus adhered to this rule which made passengers fall sick with COVID-19 and all the other airborne respiratory diseases by packing passengers inside buses by force just like loading coconuts to lorries. Exactly knowing that it will take time to change certain rules and regulations, now private bus operators demand the change of rules and regulations to reduce the bus fare to normal pre-COVID-19 period. The pathetic situation is they never followed those rules and regulations during the COVID-19 period. Public transport is not safe for passengers then and now.
Last week another act of ignorance by Police was reported when a policeman shot a child in the head. This is the second such incident reported within a few weeks. Earlier, a young woman who was travelling in a bus was killed when the Police shooting misfire resulting in the passenger’s death. One or two mistakes that happen during a period of a few decades can be forgiven but mistakes cannot happen once a month. This is because this is all about the innocent ordinary citizens who have no connection whatsoever to any incidents or issues. The life of a young girl who died in a shooting cannot be forgotten with mere compensation. The families have to suffer for the rest of their lives due to the negligence of some Police officers. It is the duty of the Police to rebuild the confidence of society in the Police.
Unfit Police officers
On the other hand certain media reports pointed out that around 4,000 Police officers do not have the required fitness level and therefore they had been given light duties and that plans are afoot to remove them from the service in future. The same media reports pointed out that those ‘unfit’ Police officers somehow produce medical reports and stay in the service without doing any hard work which is unjustifiable for all the other Police officers who are doing heavy duties. Various media, politicians, individuals and all expressed various views on this issue.
But in reality the most important factors were not mentioned in any of the media reports or by politicians etc. Fitness is essential for law enforcement officers. It is a must. But if any Police officer loses his fitness due to his official duties (doing various duties without relevant equipment which protect their health should also be included in this), then he is not responsible for that and it is the duty of the Police Department to look after such Police officers for the rest of their lives. All the other medical reasons should not be valid to stay in the service and avoid hard work. This should be the basis for any future action in connection with the fitness of the Police officers. Otherwise, any public servant can avoid hard work by producing a medical report obtained after paying money.
