ANCL (LAKE HOUSE) TSUNAMI Relief Programme
Wednesday, 16 February 2005  
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Laws with enough teeth and sting

A happy and relieving ending has just been reported to the terrible ordeal suffered by a couple in Eastern Sri Lanka, who had to submit themselves to rigorous DNA tests to establish their parental links to an infant found among the tsunami debris, just hours after the tidal waves ravaged our Eastern coastline, over a month ago. Thanks to the fool-proof methods of scientific verification, Abilash - popularly known at one time as 'Baby 81' - is safe in the arms of his parents.

Despite the prolonged agony of his parents, Abilash could be said to be fortunate. He is back home, enjoying the warm affection of his parents. Things, however, could have been worse for the infant, because, we were told, there were others who claimed to be his parents. The DNA tests have put the issue beyond doubt and helped restore the baby to its parents but it is well known that all children, orphaned or left destitute by the tsunami, are not in the happy circumstances, Abilash is in today.

In fact, the tsunami has raised a crop of issues which is crying out for resolution - orphaned and single-parent children being only two of these. There are also issues such as the disappeared, the adoption of children, the granting of death certificates, payment of compensation to the next of kin of victims, corruption and malpractices in the distribution of relief and so on which need to be handled.

These problems constitute a monumental challenge for the Lankan State, but it is, fortunately, losing no time in arming itself with the required legal instruments to grapple with these post tsunami issues. The Tsunami Disaster (Special Provisions) Bill is one such law in the making. We hope it will be vested with the required teeth and sting, to take on the unresolved issues facing us.

As we have always said, it is just not enough to arm ourselves with a battery of laws. These need to be implemented and applied and that too very swiftly and effectively. This is particularly true of curbing corruption in the distribution of tsunami relief and in bringing child abusers to heel. In other words, the relevant laws should be shown to be having exceptionally sharp teeth.

It needs hardly be said that this plethora of problems, thrown ashore by the tidal waves, should be handled unitedly by the totality of the Lankan State and the people. We are glad that this need is being highlighted by President Kumaratunga. If the challenges are taken on unitedly by us, no problem would prove overwhelmingly daunting.

We don't wish to restate the obvious by saying that success in post-tsunami recovery efforts should be predicated on national unity. It is left to every relevant section in society to put their best foot forward in this crisis. Without such positive exertions, new laws wouldn't prove effective. Let's prove the prophets of doom wrong by uniting for rebuilding.

The driven man

Who's better at driving ? Men or women ? This is a controversial question and the answers are often equally controversial. Protagonists from both sexes claim that they are the better drivers.

Now the man in charge of driving test standards in Britain has steered into controversy by claiming that men are better drivers than women. In his role as chief examiner for the British government's Driving Standards Agency, Robin Cummins oversees 1.5 million driving tests each year. He has concluded that male drivers display "more natural ability" than their female counterparts, according to the Times newspaper published in London. "Overall it does seem to be that men can pick up the basic skills more quickly," Cummins was quoted as saying.

Statistics showed that men are better at controlling and manoeuvring a car and need less tuition, Cummins said.

While more women are taking to the wheel, males are still dominating the roads here and elsewhere. In Sri Lanka, most of the applicants for the driving tests are males. Although a similar study has not been made in Sri Lanka, driving standards here are appalling in any case.

If Cummins' observations are correct, the males seem to be having an intrinsic ability to pick up mechanical skills such as driving. This could be attributed to different ways in which the brain functions in men and women. Whether the men apply those skills on the road is quite a different matter. The answer, at least in Sri Lanka, is a resounding no. Males are the more aggressive drivers in any country and are indeed responsible for major crashes and 'road rage' incidents. Most men, even the docile ones, turn into different personalities at the helm of a vehicle. Most of them cannot resist the urge to go faster than the car ahead.

Women, on the other hand, tend to drive more carefully. Feminists would say this is a case of brain versus brawn, but only a few women display aggressive behaviour as they hit the gas pedal. Women generally tend to obey road rules and act more courteously towards fellow drivers.

In Sri Lanka, however, both sexes find it extremely difficult to navigate our crowded streets. With reckless driving the norm, even the disciplined drivers are forced into situations where they have to break the law to get through. This is not a healthy scenario, especially in a country which records thousands of road deaths a year.

Driver education is vital to reduce deaths on the highways. Better enforcement of road rules and punitive action against errant drivers are also essential.

Men or women, we need more competent, disciplined drivers out there.

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