Democracy vibrant in Lanka despite conflict

European MP tells EU President :

BELGIUM: Notwithstanding 26 years of conflict and bloody separatist suicide terrorism, Sri Lanka still functions as a mature open democracy where the rule of law prevails and where even the main political parties have agreed to cooperate to advance the national interest and national security, European Parliament Member Nirj Deva has stated in a letter to German Chancellor Dr. Angela Merkel, the current President of the EU.

The Lankan-born Deva, who leads the Overseas Development and Cooperation Committee of the European Parliament, said that After 26 years of a conflict fuelled by terrorism, democratic values have not been easy to maintain but remarkably, Sri Lanka has done so.

Commenting on the human rights situation, he said: "I understand current concerns about the human rights situation fuelled by the enduring conflict.

This is of course a matter of importance. Of equal importance is the ability and opportunity of 29 million ordinary Sri Lankans from all communities including the Tamil community, the majority of whom live prosperously side by side with the Sinhalese in the South, to continue to live a life that realises their opportunities and potential."

He argued against linking aid to political conditions and human rights. He also urged EU countries not to impose blanket travel advisories covering Sri Lanka as no tourists have been affected during the entire period of the conflict.

Deva added in his letter: "The promise that was Sri Lanka in the 1950s was destroyed by the continuing asinine terrorism let loose by the LTTE in the early 1980s in response to chauvinistic and short sighted policies of some Sinhalese leaders in the 1960 and 1970s.

That was then.

Today notwithstanding 26 years of conflict and bloody separatist suicide terrorism, Sri Lanka still functions as a mature open democracy when the rule of law prevails and where even the main political parties have agreed to cooperate to advance the national interest and national security.

This is a phenomenal achievement given that many other countries including some in Europe have succumbed as we saw in the 1930s to dictatorship and fascism in similar circumstances of instability, terror and unemployment.

In the SAARC region in particular Sri Lanka is a model of institutional stability and rectitude; when compared to Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal, the Maldives to name a few.

In my capacity as Development Coordinator and Budget draftsman, I played a part together with my Parliamentary colleagues in securing succour and support for Sri Lanka to achieve stability during her time of crisis. In this I was particularly grateful for the support of Dr. Hans Gert Poettering, then leader of the EPP ED and now President of the European Parliament and my colleagues in the Development Committee.

The first was the tsunami when the EU then under the Luxembourg Presidency assisted the Parliament to secure sufficient funds from the Emergency Reserve. This led to a rehabilitation programme similar to the one undertaken in Banda Aceh to provide long term economic rehabilitation through road building for the poorest and most tsunami affected part of Sri Lanka in the deep south. The road building from Matara to Ampara and Batticaloa commenced after contracts were signed and is underway; and is linked to the tsunami emergency reconstruction programme.

Tsunami reconstruction is a humanitarian response to a natural disaster. It is therefore very inappropriate even to think of linking this project to political conditions like human rights.

We would not link EU relief to the Pakistan earthquake victims to the reform of Madrass as in Pakistan and to a time table to return from a military dictatorship to democracy, nor do we ask the people freezing to death on the slopes of Azad Kashmir to continue to do so because President Musharraf has just arrested the Chief Justice.

On the contrary, we appear to be most accommodating to Pakistan in all matters because they are also apparently fighting a war on terrorism, which has a direct bearing on the peace and stability of the EU and European lives. So when our interests are threatened we appear to apply a different standard to when they are not. This cannot be and the European Parliament is very conscious of this.

Secondly, Sri Lanka has assiduously worked to protect core worker rights as defined by the ILO and has satisfied the other conditions required, for her to be granted GSP plus status for garment exports. Pascal Lamy then Trade Commissioner, to the Government of Sri Lanka and the European Parliament worked over a period of three years to achieve this in the face of opposition from some EU countries. Over 700,000 young women depend on these exports to live and support their families.

I would be bizarre to say the least, to argue for the empowerment of women as we in the EU incessantly do; and then cast these women into poverty in Sri Lanka simply to teach the Government a lesson about human rights int he conflict zones, by not granting the GSP plus status previously agreed for 2008. I do not believe the Parliament would accept this.

Again to look at a parallel, I cannot recall the EU applying these criteria to its trade with the USA over collateral damage incurred by the Americans in the war in Iraq, which personally I am in favour of, as I am, in rooting out terrorism in Sri Lanka.

Thirdly, the "travel advisory" issued by the Federal Republic and by Fiance is deeply damaging to the secure lively hood of thousands of hotel workers and travel related jobs. Having being bombed by the IRA in Brighton and London myself I have never been aware of a travel warning by other European countries about visitors to London.

Bombs in Ireland or more recently in London and Madrid have not elicited a travel advisory by Members States about travelling to Britain or Spain.

Yet with the conflict in Sri Lanka, in a country the size of the whole of Ireland, largely confined to the East and requiring about 10 hrs of travel on poor roads to get to the conflict zone, why is there a travel advisory that covers the whole island? In the 26-year conflict not a single tourist has been killed or injured or abducted. So why is there such a blanket travel caution which damages the economic livelihood of some of the poorest tsunami affected people in other safe parts of the country ?

If we are to use our "soft power" to further EU influence in the world, we need to do so with consistency and fairness. To do otherwise will make us a laughing stock in the international community at a time when the EU is poised to celebrate 50 years of a common purpose and common values. If we do not, China and other emerging powers will fill the vacuum."