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Native Vedda / August 30, 2021
SJ must be dreaming.
I believe he is nostalgic about those good old days, long queues, Hahatta Hakkuru days, black market, rampant stagflation, police brutality, destruction of Cooperative movement, state jobs for party lackeys, …… He must be longing for those days, ….
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leelagemalli / August 30, 2021
Native,
.
Many tamil srilankens I got to know in person, praised SIRIMA#S principles. According to them nothern provinces overflew with the excesses of harvests during that peirod. I cant know its truth, because I could not visit those places then.
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If anyone would compare it with that of mlechcha Rajapakshes (criminals), that is no right. Rajapakshes deserve no respect looking at how much they looted from the state. At the time, GGovernance came to power, there were no records left specially on the transactions they had made for CHOGEM and several other proejcts. That WANDIBATTAYA ajith cabral will have no choice but to scratch his back and ears, if any powerful journo would question him on the huges gaps left behind. Today the shameless bugger repeats about a 6% economic growth during Regime 1, however, there were no records of increase of jobs during that periods. Salary hikes came into being with the dawn of Good governance. Our people are ungrateful as usual, would not see it right even about looking at their own pay hikes.
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Giving a better place to local products would be fine, but Rajapakshes dont do it,… they focus on chinese products be given the first priority. Look, low qualitity chinese goods are overflowing in srilanken markets.
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old codger / August 30, 2021
Native, LM,
It is true Jaffna farmers were happy because chillie and onion imports were banned. But production wasn’t enough, and, like rice and sugar, had to be rationed. There are people (mostly those who weren’t even born then) who believe that it was a great time when everything was produced here, like radios and cars. But the truth is that all the parts were imported. A radio was a luxury that usually cost a month’s salary. The primitive radios had neither FM nor cassettes. Quality control was non-existent.The car industry fell apart once imports were allowed. New technology was not imported. I was astonished the first time I went abroad and saw Teflon thread-seal for pipe fittings !
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leelagemalli / August 30, 2021
OC,
.
In Switzerland (Population-7millions), if you would buy vegetables imported to the country are much cheaper than their swiss made products. I think it is THE attitude of the people make any goods expensive. in that special country. The swiss would prefer own products to the imported ones. I know i am totally wrong to compare the richest nation with a poor one of our nature.. however, our people should finally learn how to introduce better systems. Sadly, Rajapkshe made our hell, even fragile chinese accessories would be in demand, because they are imported. That is the culture. If locally grown veg and fruits would be preserved well, srilankens will have enough food which are locally produced.also in out off seasons. .. Those tiger countries in asia (malaysia, indonesia, singapore,) tend to follow the steps being taken in Switzerland and France, while our PINGONAs stay staganated, not respecting international trends and norms.
. I have no doubt , those srilanken diaspora community with their years long experience could do lot more good work booming srilanken economy if they would be given a chance to develop the country. African diaspora do their job very well.. and they are given red carpet welcome when they go back to their own countries. while our stupid politicians being caught by SINHALA BUDDHISM/racism, stay blocking the chances for their own youth for a better future in the natually beautiful island.
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leelagemalli / August 30, 2021
continuing.
Then local farmers would definitely earn more. Previous govt was about to build storage facilities in Dhambulla and the like regions. However, media ballige puthas did not give them the due publicity.
Day before yesterday, one srilanken dairy farming entrepreneur was making public speech about ” being self sufficient by milk production”: is that true ? If that is true, why should the govt import milk powder further ? Why cant they invest in building company where pasturization could provide the consumers with ” fresh milk” through out the year ?
Even in NZ, they dont their milk power to locals, becuase those people are made aware that fresh milk is the best. That is the case also in european countries. I have not seen, milk powders such as what you drink in sl, are available in EU markets. if available that is only in asian or other foreign shops/super markets. People in europe would not go after artifical milk powder while fresh cow milk is much cheaper, cheaper than water in some countries in EU:
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If a kg of Sugar (cane sugar or white sugar made out of sugar yams) cost 80 cts (euro) in Germany ( meaning 192 rupees). 1 Liter milk packet (fresh milk) is just 240 rupees.
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old codger / August 31, 2021
LM.
You can’t expect people with low incomes to prefer expensive local food over cheaper imported stuff.
Fresh milk right now is about the same price as India, but distribution is poor. Do you know that a cup of tea costs 3 times more in SL than in India though?
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leelagemalli / August 31, 2021
OC,
Media must improve the awareness of ” consumption of fresh milk over powerded milk”. Media can do the job if they are honest. .. but srilanken media is handled by mafia net work which is even worst compared to that of drug trafficking mafia.
.
My father ( an early nonagenarian) was very happy about sustegeon, my repetead explaination ended up in vain….. until he died lately… no matter nothing much would have been init… he was praised about the tin of milk powder offered to him by his UK relatives again and again. Likewise, people s mindset is so conditioned as nothing can change it. This has lot to do very much with SRILANKENs and some colonised folks in Africa. Today, a mouse click would help anyone about the facts of any unknown things. But our people are tied to TELEDRAMAs by media prostitutes, so that their valuable times are robbed out fully.
:
Gotukola (centella asiatica ) is grown in asian coutnries and a herbal medicine to any one suffering from asmatic allergies, being plucked by themselves would not be welcome by people , but THANAKOLA like Salad leaves … packeted as salads to the style seen in german and UK markets are in demand today…
.
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old codger / August 31, 2021
L.M,
Economics is a factor with milk powder. A 400 gm packet, equivalent to 3 .2 L of fresh milk costs only Rs. 380. But 3.2 L of fresh milk will cost you more than 750, and you can’t keep it too long. So milk powder is a no-brainer.
By the way, I am curious how 3.2 litres of milk worth 750 is worth only 380 when reduced to powder? Who is making money?
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leelagemalli / August 31, 2021
Meaning a litre of MIlk – should be 235 rps. That is almost a 1 EURO. In Germany, a packet of milk (fresh) is 70 cts (164 rps). If you would buy pasturized milk, it is even cheaper 0.5 cts (120 rps).
Acocrding to them, srilanka is now self sufficient in Milk; so why do they charge a litre of fresh milik in liquid form that much ?
.
My dear OC, as is the case with other imports, it should be another corrupted deal. This reminds me, that matara MP was higly vocal on this issue during previous govt.
who is making money – the govt.
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If they cant be without powdered milk, what they could do is to allow companies to produce them within the country. I think those imports from NZ is notat all a clean deal.
:
This is no different to their vehicle purchases amounting to billions. Why do those so called ANTI CORRUPTION COMMISSIONs stay as if they are fed with clay ?
——————————-
also helpful you guys to know…
Rapid antigen test / is reported to be 2500 or more.in sl
You can buy a kit for 75 cts (euro) in Germany.
/
Sinhala_Man / August 31, 2021
Dear oc,
.
Fresh milk comes in a TetraPak, so some money goes to a family in America.
.
You know all about me, but you don’t know about my father, who was also a teacher and passed away in 1963. Those guys were very different from us!
.
He used to wake when it was still dark and clean the cattle shed, then milk the cows, etc. Then be in school by 8.00 am, more formally dressed than me today.. The cows spent the day grazing the patnas, which are all built up now. They were milked again in the early evening. I’m not at all the practical man that he was. He was also a better bilingual than me, but he wouldn’t have been going into the intricacies of World Politics. They feared God and lived good lives but didn’t worry about ozone layer and the like.
.
Also, today we don’t trust the simple villager who lives within walking distance of us – actually we can’t. So, our liquid milk is no longer fresh, coming in a glass bottle that was used a thousand times. Extrapolate!
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leelagemalli / September 1, 2021
Dear SM, Dear OC,
.
“Also, today we don’t trust the simple villager who lives within walking distance of us – actually we can’t. So, our liquid milk is no longer fresh, coming in a glass bottle that was used a thousand times. Extrapolate!”
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WIth this being the public secret, why dont the govt/pvt sector make no effort to provide the consumers with milk in clean bottles/packets ?
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They should not compare it with rich Europe, but just looking at the manner how some countries in south asian countries, they could do some palapable changes gaping up the niche market.
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My first visit to Singapore was in 1984 (37years ago) , even back then, that small country was well developed at their food distribution. Packeted milk were available everywhere. And still today, we srilankens have no country specific proper systems to preserve their own milk so that consumers could rely on them. Politicians as lawmakers have done nothing in that regard, though decades passed since then. Our politicians are real ” kalakanniyas- time killers”.
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leelagemalli / September 1, 2021
To everyone’s note,
I have added the link below for you.
.
http://www.statistics.gov.lk/Agriculture/StaticalInformation/rub11
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old codger / September 1, 2021
S.M,
Highland milk comes in plain plastic bags too. But still, it costs a lot more than powder. It takes a lot of energy and labour to turn liquid milk into powder. So, milk powder should be more expensive than fresh milk. Are the fresh milk sellers ripping us off?
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Native Vedda / August 31, 2021
old codger
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Many thought Siri Mao and her Merry Men were taking the country and people to Utopian self reliance.
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A closed economy without capital goods sector (unlike required in Feldman–Mahalanobis model) a combination of Harrod-Domar Model of Growth and Lewis model didn’t strike it rich for the island. I feel like doing a Dayan.
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While Siri Mao and her Merry men were basking in the virtues of closed economy Japan had already unleashed it potential through international trade.
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Now you see the difference.
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old codger / August 31, 2021
Native,
This is from 1974:
https://www.nytimes.com/1974/05/13/archives/sri-lanka-short-of-food-faces-an-economic-crisis-people-are-well.html?smid=fb-share
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Native Vedda / August 31, 2021
old codger
–
Brilliant
Thanks.
New York Times quoted
“Mrs. Bandaranaike, who is the target of bitter attack, repeatedly pronounces a single, stark slogan for her nation: “Produce or perish.”
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She ruled the country with iron fist holding a hand bag, from 21 July 1960– 27 March 1965, then from 29 May 1970 – 23 July 1977, any leader with some
Gray matter would have realised or anticipated what was needed in the future, the state functionaries would have collated annual consumption/production figures and projected the future production capacity and the growing demand.
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What were her merry men doing in their previous term of office and first four years of office?
Siri Mao the archracist was only interested in how to send the hard working upcountry South Indians back to India, how to stop South Indians illegally arriving by thonies, making this island a Sinhala/Buddhist country, deny equal opportunities to all people, …………………………… how rapidly enforce Sinhala language in North East as the language of admin. …………… and more.
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And now and then promising to provide free rice.
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The problem is the leaders and people think they are extraordinarily capable, in fact everyone believes he/she is entitle to be awarded Nobel Prize every year, for every category, forever.
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Native Vedda / August 30, 2021
leelagemalli
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“Many tamil srilankens I got to know in person, praised SIRIMA#S principles.”
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There are people on both sides who would praise all those leaders whom they like for reason only known to them, like SJ praising Siri Mao, chant hooray to Siri Mao,… the fact of the matter was that only a few who had land toiled and earned. I was told farmers couldn’t transport Chilly and rice to or from Jaffna Peninsula nor from Northern province. The ordinary people had to pay exorbitant price to pay for essential food items.
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People couldn’t go abroad for higher studies because of shortages for foreign exchange, dollar/pound crunch. However during this period how Anura Bandaranaike managed to get foreign exchange pay for his higher education at a the University of London was still a mystery. I am sure SJ would have some explanation.
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Those who wanted to go abroad between 1971 and 1977 needed to obtain exit visa from local police. You know what it meant.
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According my Elders it was one of the darkest ages of this island, paranoid Siri Mao and her men created the iron curtain copied from Eastern Block and China.
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When Siri Mao brought in land reform, do we know how many acres of her own land she redistributed to the landless?
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leelagemalli / August 31, 2021
Dear Native,
.
See srialnkens have improved their systems as no other like minded countries might have done.
.
Those days as you confirmed above needed police visa to leave the country, …. but today,
“Those who wanted to go abroad between 1971 and 1977 needed to obtain exit visa from local police. You know what it meant.”
.
Even at giving nominations to presidential candidate in 2019 (election of country s first citizen) there are no systems to scrutinize what a candidate he or she should be.
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High crminals can EASIY become country ‘s leaders… that is how alleged high crime doer GOTABAYA became president. Juliampitiya amaraya would have become the next candidate if MEDIA mafia men would spread about him only good….
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nimal fernando / August 31, 2021
Go easy on my brother SJ …..He is a dreamer …….and everyone has the right to dream!
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Some of them were dreamers
And some of them were fools
Who were making plans and thinking of the future
With the energy of the innocent
They were gathering the tools
They would need to make their journey back to Marx
While the sand slipped through the opening
And their hands reached for the golden ring
With their hearts they turned to each other’s hearts for refuge
In the troubled years that came before the deluge
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Native Vedda / August 31, 2021
nimal fernando
–
You must have forgotten to attribute this song to the poet/lyricist.
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Before the Deluge
Author: Jackson Browne
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There are more lines to this song.
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Raj-UK / August 31, 2021
I never thought we would experience another era similar to Sirima’s period of austerity but it seems it will be much worse this time round. Rajapakses were Bandaranayaka disciples, so the thinking is the same.
Blame the covid, maritime disaster or the stars but this govt. has failed spectacularly in every way, the most despicable being the blatant corruption & mismanagement of public funds . Despite GR’s leadership rhetoric, he is surrounded by military tough guys & a bunch of viyathmaga yobs pretending to be intellectuals, not to mention a group of monks whose wisdom from the teachings of the Buddha qualifies them to advise on governing the country, all which amply confirms the inadequacy & incompetence of a President, bungling his way in the dark. We are expected to have faith in gods (as demonstrated by the former health minister) & I am wondering if SL would also be governed by a council of Buddhist monks very soon, like the supreme councils of mullas in Iran.
We need a regime change pronto but the question is who is going to take over. Still, it can’t get any worse because we are already in the fire, having fallen from frying pan.
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ramona therese fernando / August 31, 2021
At least Sirimavo entered her governance with socialism in mind and the Lankan masses got some rice and manyoka to eat to fill their hungry bellies….pity about the 5% colombites who had to line up for….. Bread. Lanka would have build up slowly and been able to install a decent capitalistic model by now.
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Present lot went the opposite way : Vistas of Capitalistic Splendour that too soon has become rice and bread lines in forced Communist lockdown.
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ramona therese fernando / August 31, 2021
Lanka would have built* up slowly.
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Native Vedda / September 1, 2021
ramona [edited out]fernando
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“At least Sirimavo entered her governance with socialism in mind and the Lankan masses got some rice and manyoka to eat to fill their hungry bellies”
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Then, what?
Your intentions are similar to Siri Mao’s aspirations for people, keep them down, give them minimum food for their existence, isolate them from generally expected progress, ….
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Had Siri Mao continued her economic destruction we would have ended up using some primitive mode of communication, smoke signals, pigeon post, talking drums, marathon runners, two empty cans connected by a string, ……..
–
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leelagemalli / September 1, 2021
RTF,
.
I have the feeling if socialim could do some foundation work in a country, they would be easy to continue in democratic governance. Looking at east european countries that are now in democratic governance find it easy to continue. Look at poland, czech republic and the like countries.
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Native Vedda / September 1, 2021
ramona Grandma therese fernando
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“At least Sirimavo entered her governance with socialism in mind and the Lankan masses got some rice and manyoka to eat to fill their hungry bellies”
–
Then, what?
Your intentions are similar to Siri Mao’s aspirations for people, keep them down, give them minimum food for their existence, isolate them from generally expected progress, ….
–
Had Siri Mao continued her economic destruction we would have ended up using some primitive mode of communication, smoke signals, pigeon post, talking drums, marathon runners, two empty cans connected by a string, ……..
–
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ramona therese fernando / September 2, 2021
NV,
What silly things to say. Look at the Indo-Chinese countries and see how much better they are doing compared to us with their communist installations.
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Native Vedda / September 2, 2021
ramona ******* therese fernando
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“Look at the Indo-Chinese countries and see how much better they are doing compared to us with their communist installations.”
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You must be joking.
Where do you find communist installations?
Only the Stalinists, Maoist, Pol Potists, ……………… believe either their spiritual Gurus have already established such installations or they are going to install them in their own respective countries. They have been doing it for more than 80 years.
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Native Vedda / September 2, 2021
ramona ******* therese fernando
–
“Look at the Indo-Chinese countries and see how much better they are doing compared to us with their communist installations.”
–
You must be joking.
Where do you find communist installations?
Only the Stalinists, Maoist, Pol Potists, ……………… believe either their spiritual Gurus have already established such installations or they are going to install them in their own respective countries. They have been doing it for more than 80 years.
/