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Development for all

The substantial influx of foreign financial assistance to Sri Lanka since the acceleration of the peace process has given rise to the query in some quarters whether Sri Lanka's South would be left out of the development process which the incoming monies are expected to spur.

Some countries and agencies figuring prominently in this aid effort have already said that the development assistance is national in scope and wouldn't target only the North-East. No less an institution than the Asian Development Bank has also clarified this issue by stating that increased financial assistance it has earmarked for Sri Lanka is intended for country-wide development and not only for the North-East.

By drawing attention to these developments we do not intend to shift the spotlight from the war - devastated North-East, which is the focal point of the peace effort but to highlight the non-partisan basis of the development drive. We also believe that a niggardly attitude should not prevail in these matters because North, South, East or West all these regions constitute Sri Lanka and form essential components of the State.

The people inhabiting these regions, accordingly, are Sri Lankans and should be considered in a fraternal light.

Nevertheless, it is important and right that the donor community brings a national perspective to the disbursement and utilization of aid. The appropriateness of this approach could be gauged by the widespread nature and depth of poverty in Sri Lanka. True, the North-East has suffered the most immediate negative consequences of conflict and war but the latter has made a deep imprint on other regions too.

For instance, it could be observed that national poverty levels have not been reduced over the years. The vast majority of our people remain poor and this phenomenon cuts across regional boundaries. Moreover, the increasing defence outlays over the years have played a significant role in the rapid pauperization of the people.

Therefore, an equitable development policy recommends itself as suitable for our current needs although North-East development should be seen as an important priority. After all, it is the latter which would principally determine whether the guns in the North-East would be transformed into ploughshares over the next few months. There is no denying the fact that failure to develop the North-East would turn dreams into ashes in the region.

However, poverty is an equally potent factor in social disaffection in the South. This is the reason why we cannot do without a national perspective in the development exercise. The present aid effort should be seen as a Marshall Plan of sorts for Sri Lanka.

It is encouraging to note that some of the incoming assistance would be used for the development of the country's physical infrastructure, such as its road network. The ADB, for instance, proposes to provide funding to the tune of Rs. 5,400 million for this purpose.

If the interdependent nature of North-South development is to receive emphasis in the days ahead, there is a great need for the upgrading and expansion of the country's physical infrastructure. The development of the country's highway system, for instance, would play a lead role in increasing economic interaction among the country's regions. The produce of Northern farmers, for instance, should be transported to the South and goods from the South need to be supplied to the North. It is only a sound road network which would make this possible.

However, we also believe that we should not look at the affairs of this country in purely North-South terms any longer. This could be a hindrance to the rapid integration of the regions into a unified state.

However, it shouldn't follow from this position that priorities shouldn't be earmarked in geographical terms in the development exercise.

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