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. |