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Dispelling scare stories on economy

Secretary General of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, Prema Cooray's statement to this newspaper yesterday, which earned for itself Lead Story status on account of its importance, should expose the baseless nature of many a canard currently winning currency over the SLFP-JVP MoU. Essentially, Cooray's position was that the alliance shouldn't trigger any alarm bells because it is of a purely political nature.

"From a private sector viewpoint, if the alliance can instil good governance, maintain law and order and wipe out all forms of bribery and corruption, we would be satisfied", Cooray explained, putting the issue of the alliance having a dampening impact on the healthy state of the economy, beyond doubt.

In fact, the majority of the citizenry - save those of the lunatic fringe who would be driven to extremes over party and power - would agree wholeheartedly with this observation. For, clean and efficient governance is the clear choice of the majority. Accordingly, the scare-stories put out by sections of the State over the SLFP-JVP alliance, thus, are shown to be red herrings, aimed at misleading and befuddling the public. Except for those die-hard "greens" it is unlikely that any right-thinking person would have fallen for these delusive concoctions.

"For who should govern the country, let fools contend. Who governs best is best", we are compelled to remark, in an improvised variation on those memorable words by that great English poet of the Augustan Age, Alexander Pope, who indicated in verse the futility of contending over forms of government, when it is obvious that the system of government which is practised "best, is best". Therefore, it is best that the Government thinks in terms of ruling well and cleanly, rather than become obsessed with imaginary fallouts from the SLFP-JVP alliance.

Coming back to the economy, it is clear that most indicators in this sphere are unaffected by current political developments. Another leading business personality, Vice President of the Tourist Hotels Association of Sri Lanka, Hiran Cooray, was quoted saying that tourist arrivals have hardly been affected by the politics of the country. The simple truth is that the average tourist is completely unconcerned about internal political developments.

Exploding these canards further were grand plans by the BOI which intends targeting investments to the tune of a billion dollars by 2006. This year's corresponding target is $ 500 million, a news report in our Business pages said yesterday. This amounts to a complete refutation of earlier rumours that some investors were pulling out of the Lankan scene.

Thus it is clear that the world business community's confidence in Lanka is remaining strong. This could grow out of the widely shared conviction that the take-over of Ministries is giving Lanka greater direction and strength.

The nuclear crisis

The world apparently has not learnt a bitter lesson from twin the tragedies of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The awesome destructive power of nuclear weapons helped stop World War II, but at a terrible cost: Millions of innocents perished instantly.

According to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, only the five established nuclear powers can maintain nuclear weapons. Even they are under obligation to reduce weapons stockpiles under international treaties. Nevertheless, it is no secret that many countries have developed - and still are developing - nuclear weapons and other Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD).

Some, such as Pakistan, have openly admitted it while others, such as Israel, keep the international community guessing.

In our region, both India and Pakistan possess nuclear weapons. Fears have been expressed that an India-Pakistan clash could lead to a nuclear war. Although these apprehensions have receded in the light of better relations, the admission by Pakistan's nuclear father Abdul Khan that he provided information to third countries is deeply disturbing.

Among these countries is Libya, which has pledged to discontinue its WMD programme. That leaves Iran, which insists that its nuclear programme is peaceful, and North Korea, which is engaged in talks to end the nuclear deadlock. It is heartening to note that the two Koreas have agreed to resolve the crisis as the US and several other countries have called for complete, irreversible and verifiable dismantlement of North Korea's nuclear programme.

What is truly horrifying is the ease with which Khan and his ilk have spread the nuclear seed worldwide. Such clandestine efforts have shaved years off the nuclear weapons development timelines of several states. At this rate, the prospect of a nuclear bomb falling into the hands of a ruthless terrorist group can no longer be ignored. The consequences of such an eventuality defy the imagination.

Several countries contend that their nuclear programme is for purely civilian purposes.

There is only one way in which this assertion can be verified: By granting the International Atomic Energy Authority complete access to their nuclear development sites. Such openness will allay the fears of the international community and make the world a safer place.

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