A commendable gesture

Measures taken by the Government to ensure a continuous supply of food and essential items to the Jaffna peninsula would no doubt be a great relief to its civilian population.

Time and again we hear of shortages of basic necessities in Jaffna. These were mainly due to logistical problems such as delayed shipments which apparently are being overcome now.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa has issued instructions to ensure that the Northern population is not left in want even amidst the mounting difficulties in maintaining a smooth supply route due to the road blocks placed by the LTTE. The Government has not hesitated to even charter vessels from India to fulfil this obligation.

The President’s intention no doubt is to reach out to this segment of our population who have been cut off from the mainstream of national activity and make them part and parcel of the Sri Lankan community.

According to Government Agent Jaffna K. Ganesh who was quoted in our lead story on Saturday there is no shortage of food or other commodities in the Jaffna district as the Government has taken all possible steps to send essential items to normalise food storage in Jaffna.

He said present food stocks are sufficient for three months and almost all essential food items are available in the peninsula. He specifically noted that the Jaffna residents did not need rice for three months since they already have sufficient stocks and expect a good harvest.

This is certainly a most encouraging sign since it is an indication that the industrious Jaffna farmer has once again taken to the plough with gusto and could be a catalyst for a groundbreaking transformation in the North.

That the Government is taking pains to ensure the people of Jaffna do not live in want is a gesture that could go a long way in reestablishing broken bonds between the two communities. One way of ensuring equality is to ensure this segment of our population is brought on par with their brethren in the South to enjoy the same facilities enjoyed by the rest of the population.

This formed the core argument in allegations of discrimination levelled against successive Governments that eventually paved the way for the current conflict.

Hence all efforts of reconciliation should be based on genuine goodwill and the sharing of resources equitably. With the Government determined to liberate the people in uncleared areas from LTTE tyranny it is of vital importance that all barriers be pulled down and ethnic lines obliterated as the nation gears itself for the task of rebuilding.

The healing touch

President Mahinda Rajapaksa has taken up the cause of our nurses and has issued instructions for steps to address their multifarious grievances and other issues.

Meeting with the officials of the Government Services Nurses Union at Temple Tress the President directed the authorities to enhance the annual Uniform Allowance to Rs. 9,000 and also resolve the 36 hour overtime issue.

He has also directed Higher Education Minister Vishwa Warnapala to expedite the transfer of Nursing Education to the university system.

Today nurses have evolved as major force in the health sector not second to doctors in winning their demands. Their militancy sometimes does not accord with their profession synonymous with lending the healing touch.

Even today they strike at the drop of a hat holding innocent patients to ransom similar to their superiors wielding the stethoscope. All this however does not militate against the genuine grievances of our nightingales who are subject to the vicissitude of the cost of living.

Sri Lanka can be proud in the fact that we have highly competent nurses who are in demand even in foreign countries and it speaks volumes for the training and skills acquired in their Motherland. Several countries have requested the Health Ministry to send our nurses for their hospitals.

Our nurses too have made a great sacrifice in opting for what is considered to be demanding job that sometimes requires a round-the- clock presence.

It is only fitting that their issues are looked at with sympathy. The President no doubt has realised the hardship and sacrifices endured by our nurses in his decision to ameliorate their conditions and ensure better returns for their effort in the noble task of tending to the sick.