| by L.Annadoure
( September 26,
2012, Chennai, Sri Lanka Guardian) Vadakin Vasantham ( spring season in the
North), Kizhakin Uthayam ( sun rise in the East have become catch words or
phrases for the Rulers in Sri Lanka to brag about their so called development
activities which are said to be carried out in the North and East of Sri Lanka.
People have been hopeful that the Government would raise sky high their living condition and their well being after
the war and they have expected Vasantham
would set in on their life but nevertheless they have been reluctant to believe
a whit that the Sri Lankan Rulers would condescend to extend their helping
hand!
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| File Photo |
People say that mere re laying the roads, doing
patch works on the roads or repairing them
or constructing 36 multi storied five star hotels, swimming pools and
etc., with the loan amounts availed from Foreign Banks on the assurance of payment
of exorbitant interest will in no way
bring prosperity in their lives and they live in squalor and in utter poverty
and there is no peace in their life and
it is said that a majority of the people eke out their livelihood by doing jobs which they could not get
continuously and it is doubtful whether the loan amounts availed to meet specific purposes like elimination of
poverty and hunger and to assure food security are being really used towards
the said the purposes.
The Government should take steps to restore tanks and
irrigation systems in the northern part of Sri Lanka so that agriculture operations would carried
out and in reality investment benefits must reach the people without being
prevented by politicians and middlemen and
there should be an essential condition to prevent waste, frauds and corruption
carried out in such projects by politicians and middlemen. We are given to
understand that nearly 80% of the houses were destroyed during the war and
therefore suitable houses should be constructed for the people in the area so
that it would be a basic foundation for the development of their lives ensuring
their democratic rights.
Constructing and installing Buddha Viharas or temples in post haste all over North and East of Sri Lanka and substituting the existing idols of Hindu Deities with the statues of Buddha are not
development Activities in any way and similarly
renaming the names of the villages and streets where Tamils
predominately live is certainly not a development activity or in whatever name
such a work would be called. But all thoughts which would bring about a change must begin at the heart!
Some improvement
works like road laying and de siltation
of ponds and tanks are said to be executed in Mullaithivu with loans sought,
sanctioned and granted by Asian Development Bank, monetary aids received from
Foreign Governments and amounts received gratis but such of the works mentioned
above are being allotted only to the contractors who hail from Southern region
of Sri Lanka and such contractors in fact bring workers
and machineries along with them to execute the work. Owing to such a the
partisan attitude on the part of the Government
the people in the North and
East are being deprived of their
livelihood in a calculated manner and further the owners of lorries and
tractors have already requested the Government
to allot them at least those works which could be done with the help of
lorries and tractors and if done so they would be able to repay and discharge
little and by little the loans which they have availed from banks.
Now, severe
drought condition prevails in Northern and Southern parts of Sri Lanka. Nature showers its grace on all people in a
disinterested way and it does not bestow its bounties selectively on one people
alone. But it is very obvious that the political heads and Government servants in
Sri Lanka have taken on a partisan and biased attitude against the people in
the North in implementing relief measures.
The Government
has come to declare 5 Districts namely Kilinochchi, Mullaitheevu, Mannar, Vavuniya, Yazhpanam in the North and 7
Districts in the South as drought hit Districts. Agricultural operations could
not be continued as water is not available for irrigation and the fields have
been parched. There is scarcity for drinking water and tanks and water system
have dried up. As per the version of local officials, there are 1,62,000 people
in the North who have been affected by the severity of the drought and there
are 27,00,000 people who are affected by drought prevailing in the South.
The Government, in order to alleviate the rigorous situation, mitigate the
severity of the drought and to bring succour to those 27,00,000 people in
particular, has sought urgently a loan of
250 Crore Rupees from Asian Development Bank but whereas the Government
has completely forgotten the people living in the Northern part of Sri Lanka
and it has neglected them knowing fully
well that the people in the North too have been affected severely and that they
are also its citizens.
Why do they
continue to discriminate against and pose a biased attitude towards the Tamils
in the North? The Government has chosen to do so because the people who live in
the North are second class citizens and because a defeated nation of
people have no right to be so assertive
in their claim! Starve they must for aligning themselves with the liberators and
if they are persistent in their attempt at raising their voice then they will
be pursued after relentlessly and hunted down as terrorists! This is one
example to fathom and to conclude the attitude and mind set on the part of the
political Heads. They do vow to remain obdurate ever long and refuse to learn
from past lessons. This brings to mind a story of a teacher who had intended to
test one its pupils to ascertain whether the pupil had grasped the lessons
taught. The teacher had asked the pupil whether it had entered into his head.
The pupil who had been watching a rat entering into a hole in the roof had answered by saying that all had entered but
the tail! When will Vasantham set in to bring about a change in their stance
and attitude against the Tamils?
Thanks to
Uthaiyan e news Paper.
 Vadakin Vasantham ( spring season in the North ), Kizhakin U...){kind=link}