| Editor, | | | | Specific sectors are recognizing their responsibilities |
| Business Top Ten Awards | | | | and orient their corporate social responsibility efforts to |
| The Business Today magazine recently organized a | | | | areas especially relevant to their business. |
| ceremony to celebrate the winners of the Business | | | | The tobacco industry is also involved in community |
| Top 10 Awards. The awards were presented to the | | | | level development projects such as providing |
| winners in recognition of their outstanding contribution | | | | vocational and management training, enhancing and |
| to the well being of the nation for the years | | | | supporting cultural activities, supporting the forces by |
| 2006-2007. The panel of unprejudiced and wise | | | | erecting tombs etc, supporting cultivation activities by |
| judges had selected the Ceylon Tobacco Company to | | | | providing farming technologies and even supporting |
| be celebrated for its contribution to the well being of | | | | government departments, erecting and promoting |
| the nation. | | | | facilities such as water supply by erecting lakes and |
| I am curious to know how could the tobacco industry, | | | | wells, etc. |
| the merchant of the most preventable cause of | | | | However, as in many respects, tobacco companies |
| deaths in the world, which is tobacco, receive an | | | | are simply not like other companies. Tobacco products |
| award for its contribution to the well being of the | | | | are legal, but they are also lethal. Tobacco is the only |
| nation? Annually tobacco kills about 20,000 people in | | | | consumer product available that kills one half of its |
| our country. Ven. Galeboda Gnanewara Thera of | | | | regular users. As such in terms of corporate social |
| Gangaramaya who addressed this ceremony urging | | | | responsibility activities they cannot simply figure among |
| the business community, the Top 10 awardees | | | | the ranks of other consumer goods companies. |
| including the CTC, in particular to assist the | | | | Despite the tobacco industry’s thinly veiled |
| country’s universal policy of uplifting who are | | | | attempts to gain corporate respectability and their |
| less privileged in their requirements and needs is surely | | | | claims to have changed their practices, they continue |
| a cruel joke! | | | | to use a vast of array unethical and irresponsible |
| Ceylon Tobacco Company is a large scale | | | | strategies to promote its products, expand markets |
| manufacturer of cigarettes earning a gross turnover of | | | | and increase profits. |
| rupees 42.8 billions in 2006, at the cost of many poor | | | | The role of tobacco industry in causing and |
| misguided people of Sri Lanka bringing sicknesses and | | | | perpetuating an epidemic that kills some 5 million people |
| untimely death, family disharmony, break up of | | | | annually would have been a key to developing a |
| children’s education, etc. | | | | tobacco control policy in general, and specifically a |
| Smoking is a major cause of premature death which is | | | | Framework Convention on Tobacco Control to stop |
| dramatically increasing. Apart from that it is a | | | | or at least minimize the menace. |
| preventable cause of disease and is always | | | | The so-called “corporate social |
| dangerous, rather than being dangerous in excess or | | | | responsibility” which the industry says, is to |
| when abused, as with other preventable causes of | | | | further strengthen their commitment towards achieving |
| death. It is highly addictive to many consumers and is | | | | world class standards to accomplish total trade and |
| actively and energetically promoted, often by | | | | enrich the satisfaction of their consumers, so that the |
| unscrupulous means, by one of the world’s | | | | users may prematurely march towards their grave. |
| largest and most powerful industries. Its use harms not | | | | It is a historical accident that cigarette manufacturing |
| only those who consume it, but also other people who | | | | and sales are legal and that they had been sold for |
| are exposed to their smoke. These important | | | | many years before their unique harmfulness became |
| characteristics help to make tobacco a particularly | | | | known. |
| difficult public health problem, requiring urgent action | | | | The compliments of the whole nation, I believe should |
| from a wide range of sources, including political action, | | | | be passed on to the people who adjudged the award |
| instead of recognizing the industries attempts and | | | | winners at a time when the whole world is concerned |
| action to promote smoking and pretending to be | | | | about the factor called “externality” which |
| socially responsible. | | | | contemplates the total impact of a product to the |
| The “hypocritical” intention of this industry | | | | society! The people, who were responsible for this |
| is to create false values of their fearful product across | | | | judgment perhaps, may be unaware that the present |
| the world and to move forward into their next golden | | | | world trend is towards environmental and people |
| age of enormous wealth. | | | | friendly factors. |
| Many businesses from a wide range of sectors | | | | Therefore the judges could proceed the whole hog |
| conduct projects and programs that aim to reduce | | | | and introduce an award for those who are indirectly |
| social inequity by creating or improving healthcare or | | | | helpful in increasing the rate of mortality! |
| educational facilities to those sectors. | | | | |