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Playing with a straight bat

Some political parties seem to be unscrupulously resorting to a policy of deliberately obfuscating issues and disseminating disinformation, in their efforts to derive maximum political mileage from questions arising from the tsunami disaster. They have taken the extreme position - for instance - that the Government is embezzling and fattening itself on the abundant funds received by it for the country re-building effort.

These parties received an effective rebuttal from the President who said that far from pilfering these funds, the Government has not even kept five cents out of it for itself. She appealed to the people not to be misled by these rumour mongers. As clarified by the President, the factual position is that these funds are being remitted to an account opened by the Presidential Secretariat at the Central Bank and to an account established by the Prime Minister. Accordingly, no funds are being received directly and misappropriated by the Government.

Those wishing to be further enlightened on these issues need to only have a good look at a full page colour advertisement appearing on page 33 in this newspaper yesterday, run by the Task Force for Rebuilding the Nation (TAFREN) and the Ministry of Urban Development and Water Supply, which puts the record straight on the State's project on the reconstruction of houses damaged by the tsunami.

As could be seen, the Government has just launched this massive project and on March 16, numerous donors had pledged their ready support to reconstruct 67,857 housing units. A series of Memoranda of Understanding have already been signed with a number of donors for the reconstruction of 17,075 housing units, and these facts were highlighted in the advertisement which is replete with all relevant information on the Government's reconstruction drive.

We are certain too that the State is losing no time in instituting the procedures and practices of accountability which would further ensure the correct and judicious use of donations. It cannot be emphasized enough that transparency should receive prime attention in this exercise.

That the opposition is continuing to be guided by short-term considerations, is something to be deeply deplored. It as if the political parties of this country have learnt nothing from our tragic post-independence political history. How could we expect to recoup our losses from the recent disaster if politicians insist on being short-sighted and blinded by short-term interests?

A rough ride to adulthood

Child soldiers and child labourers are very much in the news, thanks to the efforts of UNICEF and Governments to stamp out the abhorrent practice of employing children against their will. The problem is more widespread than generally thought and exists in countries which you would not normally associate with such abominable deeds.

Until now, little thought had been given to camel jockeys in the Middle East. No, they are not adults as seen in horse racing. Some of the camel jockeys are as young as four. They are mostly smuggled from Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Pakistan.

The US State Department and human rights groups have raised the alarm over the exploitation of children by traffickers who pay impoverished parents a paltry sum or simply kidnap their victims.

The children are then smuggled into the Gulf states. They are often starved by employers to keep them light and maximise their racing potential. Mounting camels three times their height, the children face the risk of being thrown off and trampled.

The Gulf countries are now taking steps to stop this inhuman practice. The United Arab Emirates on Sunday ordered a ban on the use of children as jockeys in camel races, a favourite sport in the oil-rich Gulf region. From April 16, it will be illegal for jockeys under the age of 16 and weighing less than 45 kilograms to race, according to the official WAM news agency.

A similar move was announced in December by neighbouring Qatar, which plans to use robots as jockeys. We hope the ban will be effectively implemented this time. Since 1993, the UAE has banned the use of children under 15 but abuses were widespread and no-one has ever been brought to justice. Effective policing of the sport is essential to end the use of child jockeys once and for all.

Governments and law enforcement agencies must also tighten the screws on human traffickers. International cooperation must be enhanced to nab the leaders of human trafficking rings. Women and children are particularly targeted by these gangs, who earn millions of dollars from the illegal trade. Concerted action by Governments, collectively and individually, is needed to shut the door on child labour and trafficking gangs.

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