Help hapless IDPs
There was a vast
outpouring of sympathy for the civilians who escaped the jaws of
the LTTE and fled to the Government controlled areas risking
life and limb. In fact, many were shot while thus fleeing and
while some of them perished others arrived with gun shot wounds
to unfold the gory details of their ordeal. All these scenes
shown on TV moved the people of the South to open their purse
strings for these hapless souls and we saw both cash and
material assistance pour in on their behalf. Even places of
religious worship were converted into collecting centres of this
assistance and businessmen and the corporate sector came out
with their fat cheques. Overall, the picture resembled the
avalanche of assistance in the tsunami aftermath.
But one does not see this momentum of the initial stages. If
anything, the assistance have now tapered into a trickle with
even the loud publicity given to such events almost muted. True,
the IDPs cannot live on handouts forever and the Government will
have to somehow acquire the funds to maintain these people until
they are finally resettled in their original homes.
But it would be ideal if this empathy with the plight of
these civilians who are after all our own brothers and sisters,
that was there in abundance initially, is not allowed to wane
and the assistance keep on flowing as before to supplement the
Government's own efforts.
Yesterday, we carried in our lead story a comment by Minister
Maithripala Sirisena that the Government spends over Rs. 250
million daily for the welfare of the displaced civilians. The
funds are used for food, healthcare, education and vocational
training. India too has pledged US dollars 100 million for
relief and rehabilitation of the displaced. There is also
assistance pledged by other countries.
But we, on our own should also add our mite to these
initiatives and show our empathy with these folks who are after
all thrown into their misery by sheer force of circumstances. We
should not let our empathy diminish with the passage of time but
strive to retain the picture of their suffering at all times. As
such, every individual should make it a point to assist the
Government in whatever way possible to see that these people are
delivered of their pain and misery and restored to a normal
life.
Especially, the business sector will certainly have a stake
in the regeneration of the North. Here too we see a paucity
after the initial activism and enthusiasm when generous cheques
were presented to the President almost in a rush. True, the
Government is not short of assistance for this second phase of
its humanitarian operation. But things can move much faster if
this can be supplemented by our own generosity to make our
unfortunate brethren pick up the pieces of their lives.
Tamil commentaries
President Mahinda Rajapaksa should be commended for ordering
ball by ball cricket commentaries in Tamil which for the first
time enabled Tamil cricket fans particularly those in the North
enjoy a running description of the action on the field,
beginning with first test match against Pakistan.
Earlier, only resume of the game were given in Tamil either
during the regular breaks or at the fall of a wicket. Now all
Tamil cricket fans can have the full match when they switch on
their radios.
This is a significant development in the light of the
integration process that is now underway. It would not only give
due recognition to the Tamil language but also bring it on par
with Sinhala and English in a sporting sense, which can be
described as a coming together of sorts by all communities.
True, any true cricket fan from whatever community is well
conversant with game to follow the English commentary without a
problem. But this has the danger of compartmentalizing people
giving a certain segment an elitist patina. The President's move
has now removed this class barrier allowing a level playing
field all round. |