Monday, 08 November 2004  
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Wake-up call for South Asia

The age of globalisation is upon us, but South Asia is continuing to wilt and wither in poverty, and deprivation. The mere fact that the vast majority of the world's poor live and die in South Asia is ample proof that economic globalisation has been least beneficial to this region with its proliferating populations. India alone, has a population of over one billion.

There is, therefore, no grounds for complacency on the part of South Asian political leaders, and their policy makers. Our development paradigms, so far, have only enabled a microscopic minority in each of the countries of South Asia to grow increasingly wealthy and affluent while the majority of our populations continue to remain mired in poverty and deprivation.

It is against this bleak backdrop that President Kumaratunga's address at the Hindustan Times, Leadership Initiative in New Delhi needs to be evaluated. It could be considered a wake-up call to the entirety of the ruling elites of South Asia, their bureaucracies and Think Tanks, for urgent action for the amelioration of the living conditions of the South Asian masses. Besides, the measures suggested by the President towards this end could be seen as a catalyst in the process of furthering and consolidating South Asian unity.

Some of the measures outlined by the President are: making SAFTA-operational by 2006, working out regional plans within the Millennium Development Goals programme to reach stipulated targets, setting out plans for achieving SAARC poverty alleviation targets and those set for health, education, women, youth and children and the development of people-to-people contacts within the region.

In a sense, we need to think "international" but act "regional". While we should not follow an isolationist policy as a regional bloc, we need to try out every means to bolster regional oneness, cooperation and unity to enable South Asia to develop as one man while selectively and pragmatically making use of the opportunities for economic and social development, the globalization paradigm offers us. The measures outlined by President Kumaratunga, therefore need to be looked at closely by decision-makers of this region for the purpose of speeding-up development in South Asia.

As mentioned by us a couple of days back, South Asia has made some progress towards regional amity and stability with the improvement of relations between India and Pakistan. Such progress removes a huge hurdle on the path of South Asian progress, because India and Pakistan are the largest states in South Asia. SAARC should exploit this atmosphere of relative amity and peace to further collective growth and development prospects.


Monkey business

Monkeys seem to be doing no good in our neighbour India. According to latest reports, they have virtually taken over many urban centres there. It is epic urban jungle version of the fight for survival from the land that gave us the Ramayanaya.

With the human population exploding, monkeys are said to be behaving less than graciously. The common rhesus macaques have refused to move out of India's cities and frequently go "ape". The marauding simian mobs, which can carry rabies, maul people frequently.

This tale of the tail is familiar to most Sri Lankans, both in urban and rural areas. Monkeys are a frequent sight in the suburbs and recently we saw a simian enjoying a stolen snack right in the heart of Bambalapitiya. They do not seem to notice the humans and carry on regardless. The problem has not yet assumed the proportions reported from India, but it is getting closer. Visions of a future Planet of the Apes chill us to the bone as the primates gradually spread far and wide.

Though monkeys and humans parted ways some millions of years ago on the evolutionary path, the two species share many common traits. Intelligence happens to be one of them. They also respond collectively to any danger. There have been many reports of monkeys removing roofing sheets and getting into homes, just to raid the refrigerator. We can also recall another report from Vavuniya where monkeys had set upon a van driver who ran over one of their 'friends' not unlike the mobs who set fire to private buses in the aftermath of a fatal accident.

In India, they follow the adage of getting a thief to catch a thief. Long-tailed langurs have been employed to shoo the rival rhesus species away. We might have to employ the same methods if the monkeys increase exponentially.

But the monkey - man conflict is not an isolated phenomenon. Man is rapidly encroaching into the territory of wild animals in his insatiable bid to expand settlements. The human - elephant conflict in Sri Lanka has attracted international attention. This is also a result of human settlers 'invading' the areas in which elephants used to roam freely in the wild.

From leopards in India to foxes in Britain, many species are fighting for living space with humans. Both man and animals must clearly co-habit in the biosphere. We cannot blame animals for looking for food in built-up areas. More studies are needed to find ways and means through which both man and animals can co-exist in the same living space.

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