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OPEN LETTER TO HE. MAHINDA RAJAPAKSA –PRESIDENT OF SRI LANKA.Noor Nizam. Sri Lanka Peace Activist Canada.HE. Mahinda Rajapaksa
Excellency Sir, The need to set-up a Ministry for Development Aid and Humanitarian Assistance under the Provincial Council of the East with immediate effect.
If the financial crisis facing the newly elected Eastern Provincial Council as stated by Eastern Province Governor Vice Admiral Mohan Wijewickrama in a letter addressed to your Excellency (news dateline – The Nation Sunday the 20th., Sri Lanka) should be averted, both on a short term and long term pragmatic approach, which will be a reality, your Excellency should give serious thought to this “OPEN LETTER” which I am addressing to you with dignity, respect and honour.
I am writing this “open letter” with full responsibility and willing to face any challenge from any critics, if the need arises my analysis is professionally incorrect or it cannot be achieved as suggested. As a son of the “Eastern Soil” and hailing from the district of Trincomalee, with a long standing political involvement with both the SLFP and the SLMC as District Organizer for the Trincomalee District and having a background of nearly 30 years of engagement in development aid, humanitarian assistance, Peace and Facilitation initiatives, regional development, INGO/NGO activities and Public Service, I stand my feet, that I am fully qualified to write this sincere “open letter” to your Excellency” most kindly please. Whether it was an election seen as undemocratic or unacceptable due to many allegations or whether it was a fair or unfair election as challenged by the loosing party, the Commissioner of Elections declared that the UPFA and the TMVP alliance have come out the victors. For the citizens, they want the “goods delivered” still for the politicians they may call for a review. Until a “judicial review” will finally decide whether it will be turned around, the fact remains that the UPFA/TMVP alliance will govern the Provincial Council of the East during the tenure prescribed. So what was this PC Elections all about? The ethnic conflict had brought much misery to the ordinary people of the East which had been engulfed in violence and destruction of infrastructure and the disturbance of normal life and the malfunctioning of civil administration. Whatever was left of the political governance and handed over since 1988, to civil administration, it was an experience of “falling from the frying pan to the fire”. The 20 years of so-called civil administration of the East have just been a “hoodwink”of the bureaucrats of the East exercising their whims and wishes, tilting towards communalism, party loyalties or subdue to pressure of extremism and violence. Amazing wealth by any means through corruption, bribes, swindling government funds, fixing tenders for a % cut, taking public contracts by passing tender procedures in the names of their kith and kin and doing shoddy works, fixing audit reports and getting kick backs on government procurements and using long arm tactics on the “whistle blowers” and blaming the armed groups, have been the day to day life in our areas in the East. The Eastern politicians have also had a hand in these daylight robberies. With the fulfillment of the Provincial Council Elections in the East, and the functioning of the Eastern Provincial Council, the responsibility of the government has become more challenging in terms of “Democracy” and democratic civil administration and good governance of the East. If so, the activities under the “Nagenahira Navodaya” (Eastern Revival) Programme have to be worked out to make the best for the people of the East. This needs the commitment and fullest support of all concerned in the affairs of the “paamara makkal” (the ordinary people) of the EAST. While commending the political lieutenants, Ministry Secretaries and departmental heads who have spent so much of pragmatic thoughts and planning to advice the President and to have laid out the most effective and beneficiary plans and programmes as explained in the www.neweast.lk & www.ep.gov.lk – the reality in the present context of appointing the “Special Task Force for the Administration of the North and completing the Provincial Elections in the East , creates an entirely different scenario. The reality of the scenario is – not only “pragmatic planning”, but the delivery of the goods to the ordinary citizens of the East (fulfilling the plans and programmes/keeping the promises made). The question is - How can this be done sincerely? The call of the hour is for all interested parties and concerned forces to join hand, putting aside their political differences and be “REAL” in their commitments to the people of the EAST. All the political parties who fought the PC elections should now rally round the common cause severing the people of the EAST – the “paamara makkal” (the ordinary people) of the EAST with sincerity. Enmity and political rivalry or political polarization in the EAST between the UPFA/TMVP and the UNP/SLMC alliances is not the answer to the above questions raised. This has to change now and it is the responsibility of HE. Mahinda Rakapaksa to be magnanimous to include the UNP/SLMC in consensus building and to put in place the much needed civil administrative machinery that will deliver the goods in the most efficient and able manner, in a way most reasonable, sincere and fair to the people of the EAST – “the paamara makkal” (the ordinary people). The UNP/SLMC has also a bound duty to reciprocate accordingly, if the President will seek their cooperation of consensus participation. In addition, corruption within the Provincial Council government official cadres from top to bottom has to be wiped off totally. As a native of the East (Trincomalee district), though being a Canadian citizen now, I draw the attention of the UFPA/TMVP and the UNP/SLMC to the reality that - the vast East is still living in the medieval age, be it Tamils, Muslims or the Sinhalese. The East is a 3rd., world within the 3rd., world of Sri Lanka. The best brains of the East have been deprived of giving their best to the East or have been driven out as “Sri Lankan Diaspora” to the International West. I am sad that I too belong to that group now. As a Sri Lankan Canadian, with a wide knowledge and background experience in the field of NGO activities and dealing with International Aid agencies, INGO’s and NGO’s, working in the front line since 1969 to 2000, both in the Public and Private Sector it is my strong professional advice that a “Ministry for Development Aid and Humanitarian Assistance should be established under the Provincial Council of the East with immediate effect”. This Ministry should be responsible to “Harness, Manage and implement Bilateral, Multilateral and NGO/INGO development aid & assistance and Humanitarian Reach-out in the East. The challenges to be faced by this Ministry will be: 1. The handling and management of Development Aid Assistance and Humanitarian Reach Out funding of Multilateral and or INGO/NGO commitments. 2. To undertake these activities in the most “HONEST and DELIGENT” manner without keeping room for a repetition of events viz-a-viz – “Amazing wealth by any means – through corruption, bribes, swindling government funds, fixing tenders for a % cut, taking public contracts by passing tender procedures in the names of their kith and kin and doing shoddy works, fixing audit reports and getting kick back on government procurements and using long arm tactics on the “whistle blowers” and blaming the armed groups, have been the day to day life in our areas in the East”. 3. To make sure that the so-called “DONOR” organizations and agencies to not misuse the privileges that are provided by the Sri Lanka government under International Relations and covenants and to make sure that their participation and involvement/engagements are “NOT” detrimental to the sovereignty of the state and the Provincial Council of the East. The unveiling of new visa regulations on Thursday by the Government, that have been designed to "consolidate the linkages between the UN and other international organizations with ministries dealing with the relevant sectors of activities" is a positive administrative approach in this direction. 4. To plan strategies, interact, network, promote donor relationship and create innovative aid assistance and humanitarian support to generate as much bilateral, multilateral and other funding resources that are needed to support the effective and successful programmes of the new EPC. 5. To create, plan and implement Industrial, Agricultural & Animal Husbandry, Food Production, Inland and Deep Sea Fishing, Export Development, High Tec Industries, Alternative Power generation and Recycling investment programmes to support the development plans of the EPC by way of contributions of the Sri Lankan Diaspora and immigrants who are domiciles abroad through private/public sector joined-participation and investment in infrastructure and project development in the Eastern Province. 6. To establish a Nagenahira Navodaya Investment and Trust Fund to support the above programmes and to attract funding/investment from within Sri Lankan and abroad to meet the funding needs as highlighted by the Eastern Province Governor Vice Admiral Mohan Wijewickrama in his letter addressed to HE. the President as reported in the Nation – Sunday the 20th, July 2008. To assist and help the government to accomplish this great endeavour and to contribute our part to help our Nation and the East to achieve the goals of upliftment and development, IRRESPECTIVE of party politics or communal feelings, the Professionals and Academics of the EAST will be only too willing to return to Sri Lanka to give their best. What we need is the assurance that our abilities, professional knowledge and the foreign experience we have gained will be duly respected and integrated to find the best local resolution of pragmatic and innovative approaches to the gigantic challenges that will lay ahead in a team spirit environment with the local administrators. The UPFA/TMVP and the UNP/SLMC have to arrive at a consensus building to make this happen. To make this a reality, HE. President Rajapaksa should give serious thought to establish a “Ministry for Development Aid and Humanitarian Assistance should be established under the Provincial Council of the East with immediate effect”. If there are constitutional restrains to do so, then HE. The President should at least set-up a High Powered “Secretariat For Development Aid and Humanitarian Assistance” within the EPC with immediate effect. HE the President should immediately call for an interactive discussion of Eastern Sri Lankan expatriates in all fields of Technical Expertise, Administrative & Management backgrounds, Aid and Humanitarian Assistance Management and Financial/Investment Management to create a roster of commitment for those willing to be involved immediately. Surely His Excellency will have a very positive reaction to such an invitation please.
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