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Germany's magnanimity

Germany is a friend indeed, having come to Sri Lanka's assistance in its time of need. Her spontaneous outpouring of empathy for us in these traumatic times is an object lesson in humanity which is unlikely to be forgotten by the more appreciative among us.

While there is some concern internationally on the timely delivery of pledged foreign assistance to the tsunami devastated countries of Asia, Germany has been most generous with its assistance, both in cash and kind.

At the time of writing, Germany has pledged financial assistance to the tune of 500 million euros while German businesses and private individuals have reportedly promised around 330 million euros in financial relief to Sri Lanka.

All this is in addition to the men and material from Germany which is already here for the re-building effort. One would agree with Lankan Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar that this is an "absolutely fantastic" response by Germany to our predicament.

Proof of German large-heartedness also come in the form of its readiness to help in promoting Lankan tourism and in initiating debt relief measures for us.

Compounding this generosity were pledges to help Sri Lanka in penetrating European export markets. This attractive package of relief measures was the highlight of German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer's recent visit to the island, in the course of which he held talks with President Kumaratunga and other Government leaders.

German sensitivity and responsiveness to our condition shouldn't be wondered at because Germany has herself suffered loss and devastation of awesome proportions. It should be remembered that Germany which had slumped into rack and ruin at the end of World War II, lost no time in getting back into the effulgence of prosperity and growth through unrelenting, sacrificial industriousness, spurred on considerably by the Western inspired Marshall Plan for Germany's economic and material recovery.

It needs to be remembered that Germany lived through the horrors of Hitlerian tyranny very stoically and at one time lacked even the basic essentials of living. When the Hitlerian regime was demolished and defeated, Germany was in the throes of economic decline.

Yet, Germany rose as one man to the challenge of picking-up the pieces and setting Germany on the path to economic recovery, prosperity and political stability.

The valuable lesson here is that Germany didn't succumb to a spirit of defeat. She took on the task of national reconstruction and rejuvenation with great courage and fortitude. So Germany has seen and felt it all - that is, national ruin and defeat.

Rather than being driven to an isolationist course by these grim experiences, Germany is today going more than the extra mile to help countries, such as our's, which are struggling against mighty adds. This is a lesson in humanity for the rest of the world.

Maldives must bounce back

Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand and India received blanket press and electronic media coverage after the tsunami disaster, but less attention was paid to the Maldives, partly because of its much lower death toll.

According to the latest estimates, Maldives could have suffered the biggest "collateral damage" from the tsunami, although the actual damage caused by the December 26 tsunamis is far less compared to neighbouring Sri Lanka. (Eighty two people killed and another 26 missing)

Maldives, which consists of 1,192 coral islands, some inhabited, others bereft of human presence, depended heavily on tourism before the disaster struck. The tourism sector has been affected heavily as many hotels are still not ready for occupation.

Maldives faces a huge challenge as far is reconstruction is concerned, because practically everything, even sand, has to be imported. Maldivians say that reconstruction costs will be six times more than the corresponding figure in neighbouring Sri Lanka.

The islands already depend on sand imports for construction needs. Demand has risen since the tsunami havoc. The geography of the archipelago also adds to the cost of reconstruction. Only 200 islands are inhabited and power generators in 53 of those need to be replaced after the tsunami disaster. Transporting building materials to the islands is no easy task either and the costs will be astronomical.

Maldivian President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom says he needs 1.3 billion dollars in the medium term to rebuild the nation of 300,000.

With the UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, who visited the Maldives at the weekend, saying he wanted "recovery plus," the new UN buzz phrase for rebuilding better quality structures rather than simply replacing what was there before, Maldives has a huge task to accomplish.

Maldives has been actively campaigning for the welfare of small islands. President Gayoom has told many international fora the dangers faced by small islands from climatic changes and the consequent rise in the sea level. Now the tsunami disaster has added impetus to growing calls for protecting the small islands.

As Maldives rises to these challenges, the rest of the world and other small islands will be watching keenly. Fast recovery will be very much in Maldives' interest - it must regain the lost paradise.

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