Significant progress in making Lanka a "safer destination"

Extracts of speech made recently by the Minister of Disaster Management and Human Rights Mahinda Samarasinghe at the Key Persons Forum held recently on "Disaster Risk Management and the Private Sector Role".

SPEECH: Terminologies such as disaster prevention, disaster mitigation, disaster response, disaster recovery and disaster risk management were foreign to us until we experienced tsunami in 2004 December. The government from time to time but rapidly considered on the subject of disaster risk management.

Specially in the context of achieving sustainable development. The entire focus was sharpened and emphasised as a result of the challenges that we faced and the lessons that we learnt and the demonstration which occurred as a result of the tsunami 2004.

Today two years down the road we are in a better position in terms of preventing, in terms of responding and recovering to a disaster of that magnitude.

As far as the private sector role in disaster management in general is concerned, there is a very important role to play. When we talk about disaster management, I wish to place before the private sector a very good example which comes from state of California which is prone to constant earthquakes.

They have had quite a large number of earthquakes. Considering the possible damage which could cause the private sector due to earthquakes, the private sector stakeholders had immediately taken a very prudent measure.

They formed an umbrella organisation to protect the business sector from incurring losses. The objective of this umbrella organisation called "biceps"is to assist the private sector enterprises to have inhouse, mitigation, preventive, response and recovery plans to face both natural disasters and man-made disasters.

They co-ordinate civil society, business enterprises or companies and help them to factoring this important area of disaster management.

There is ample proof that the companies who had paid heed on disaster risk management and response and recovery plans and those companies which are listed as public quoted companies have benefited in terms of sending out very positive signals to potential investors that given the vulnerability of areas to earthquakes and other man made and natural disasters that they have inhouse plans which can be put in place immediately to face such situations and recover.

Therefore when such organisations publicise such preventive measures and information, the potential investors are more likely invest because they will have confidence in those companies and they will not have any fear to invest or proceed with business because they are satisfied or convinced that even in the midst of a disaster they can sustain without paralysing, incurring losses or undergoing difficulties.

We expect this kind of programme to be organised and implemented in Sri Lanka too. In case the business community is prepared to activate to draw such a vital plan, the government is ever ready to assist in all possible manner to make the venture a success.

I had discussions with this umbrella organisation called "biceps" and they were willing to coordinate and assist, to provide expertise and to extend their fullest cooperation but quite unfortunately I was not a Minister or I did not have much powers to go along with them.

However, that concept still revolving in my mind. Not only the Federation there may be other Chambers who would like to organise such a programme which I consider very important can be mooted out.

The "Biceps" is willing to send their representatives to give their technical assistance and are willing to join with the Federation or may be with some other Chamber interested in taking a leading role to withhold any disaster mentioned.

The overall vision of my Ministry is to work towards making Sri Lanka a safer destination.

In order to fulfil that aspiration a national policy was prepared and finalised from resorting to wide consultations with government. stakeholders and the private sector. As a result now we have a "National Policy for Disaster Risk Management". And also today we have a National Disaster Management Act which was brought to light after the tsunami 2004.

Under this legislation certain responsibilities are vested with certain institutions to face a disaster situation. And also under this piece of legislation an apex body had been formulated namely Disaster Management Council which is headed by the President himself. We have ex-officio members such as Prime Minister as well as the Leader of the Opposition.

We have taken serious care when we drafted this legislation that we embark on a bi-partisan approach on this national issue. We wanted to cut across all political barriers and bring everyone together and we deliberately invited the Opposition Members especially the Opposition Leader and five other Members of Parliament who were nominated by the Speaker after consultation with the Opposition Leader.

I am not in this Council as a Minister but as an Opposition Member because my name was proposed by the Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe. Therefore I am an UNP nominee even now.

In addition to this Council we have formulated a body called "Disaster Management Centre". Although the Chairman of the Council is the President the "Disaster Management Centre" is Gazetted under my Ministry and there is an excellent linkage among the Council and the Centre and the Ministry as well. Wide powers are vested with the Council and the Centre by law.

The national policy is primarily placed before the Council. The findings of the Council have to be sent to the Cabinet of Ministers. No sooner the approval of the Cabinet of Ministers is obtained the proposal is accepted as a national policy on Disaster Management.

Therefore, my Ministry is proud to say that with a close rapport with all the Ministries the Ministry of Disaster Management and Human Rights is proceeding ahead fulfilling the tasks entrusted on me.

Among the successes we achieved, today we have developed a communication network to receive disaster warnings. As an example, we all know that last month we were warned about an earthquake in Indonesia. I am proud to say that within 23 minutes the warning sent by the Japanese Meteorology Agency and the Havaii Tsunami Early Warning Centre was on my table and had an opportunity to test our communication strategy.

Today the Department of Meteorology which comes under my Ministry is vigilant to receive such information day and night even on poya days.

Sri Lanka is not susceptible for local tsunamis. The tsunami 2004 had taken 1 1/2 hours to two hours to come and strike Kalmunai. And expanded to other parts of the country. However, I am not so happy having such facilities and my intention is to have our own methods of early warning and we need to have a Tsunami Early Warning Centre and a Multi Hazard Early Warning Centre.

This kind of preventive measures are very relevant to the business community and to the private sector. Because, the business sector is not only expecting the economic growth or development but also they expect sustainable growth and an atmosphere to proceed with business without any barrier and without incurring loss. The business community and the entire country in general do not expect a tsunami again or a war to prevail.

The war, not only affects the political stability but also it will pose a threat to the economy or development.

Due to the cancerous war the tourism, import and export, development projects and other connected areas to business will collapse and the budgetary deficit will enlarge. Therefore, the business community has a very vital and a vibrant role to play in order to bring forth the peace process back in track.

The business community which is considered as a centre of powerful influence can pressurise the politicians to do the right thing. But I regret to mention that they are not organised to do that. However, individually you may be playing an important role to contribute with your words or deeds but rallying round to organise a body to implement a scheme to usher peace is very necessary at this hour.

The Tsunami Early Warning Centre and the Multi Hazards Early Warning Centre will be linked through several communication systems to reach right down to the grass roots level. We need to have Warning Towers right round the coastal belt like in Thailand.

December 26th this year is the second anniversary of the 2004 tsunami disaster. I was successful in obtaining the Cabinet approval to declare December 26, every year as the National Safety Day. I have discussed with the Federation and requested to get the participation of the Membership, employees and the people to take part in these events and to make the public aware the preventive measures to safeguard the country.

Among the other services rendered we have formed 24/7 operation centres to be linked with District Secretaries, Provincial Councils and other local authorities and also we have taken steps to receive ambulance facilities, fire fighting brigades and other key services ready to meet an urgent emergency situation.

The data collected by the Peradeniya University,international data gets by Pallekelle Seismic Facility, the data collected by NBRO on landslides and flood and data collected by the Department of Meteorology will flow into one table and the stakeholders will make researches and analyses jointly in the form of a panel of experts on the data collected from various sources.

Our efforts should not be confined to Colombo and it should be decentralised and we should reach all the bodies in outstations.

The wars which are man-made disasters should be eliminated. The war is a political problem and cannot be solved militarily. There are legitimate aspirations of the general public in those conflict areas which need to be addressed to and that can be addressed only through political means. In North-East there is a disparity in development provision of infrastructure facilities, basic services as compared to the rest of the country.

Therefore I firmly believe that the business community will focus their attention to the fact that they have a vital role to play to combat disaster risk management in whatever form whether it is natural or man-made.

(The 5th Forum of 2006 where this speech was made was jointly organised by the Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industries of Sri Lanka (FCCISL) and Small and Medium Enterprise Developers (SMED). SMED is the SME arm of the FCCISL, which was established by Friedrich Naumann Stiftung (FNSt.) in 1989)

(Compiled by: Walter Liyanarachchi)