Australian_Motorcyclist_2016_08_

(Brent) #1

and then Kandy. The road became
variable, and for a stretch we followed
an ancient canal that connects two
lakes or “tanks”, as the locals call
them in the Indian fashion. Where
there were potholes and patches,
there were usually lots of potholes
and patches so I learned to get used
to the rough and enjoy the smooth.
It was hot, as it had been all the
time except high in the mountains,


Build it, and...


If you think that Australia’s pollies, sorry,
parliamentarians, are good at pork
barrelling, you haven’t met their Sri Lankan
mates. Just one example: apart from its
main airport near Colombo, the island has
a complete, modern and fully operational
$210 million international airport in the
south called MattalaRajapaksha.This airport
LVHIIHFWLYHO\ FORVHG7KHUH DUH QR ÁLJKWV WR
or from it except for occasional visits by
Flydubai, a budget carrier. Nobody else
ZDQWV WR Á\ WR RU IURP LW%XW ² JXHVV ZKDW
²LW LV LQ WKH KRPH GLVWULFW RI WKH H[
President, and it was built during his rule.
The nearby town, Hambantota, is a sleepy
VXUÀHKLSSLH KDQJRXWNLQG RI OLNH D WLQ\
UDWKHU WDWW\UXQGRZQ² DQG GLG , PHQWLRQ
VOHHS\" ² %\URQ %D\ \HDUV DJR5HFHQWO\
the airport earned 16,000 Sri Lankan
rupees in an entire month.That’s a hundred
and twenty dollars. Puts National Party
projects into perspective, doesn’t it... and
in Sri Lanka, corruption takes many other
forms as well. It’s a real shame.

Maybe these people could
have used a real bridge
instead of an airport.
Free download pdf