Trudging along to secure some kind of normalcy after the devastating tsunami attack of December 26, the government of President Kumaratunge is finding itself bombarded by accusations from the LTTE and the opposition parties that it just isn't 'doing enough'. Close on the heels of the LTTE complaints comes those of the Muslims with the head of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress, Rauf Hakeem, stating that the government was not prepared to trust other political parties with regard to relief measures.
Now is that the island government has proposed a Post-Tsunami Operational Management Structure (P-TOMS) to be operational for an initial period of one year across a two-km belt in the tsunami-affected region. It is interesting to note that a regional fund has also been proposed with a multilateral agency as a "custodian" for relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction in the six tsunami-affected districts in the north and east. According to current indications, the World Bank is likely to be the custodian !!!
According to a source close to the President, the meetings by Ms. Kumaratunga are aimed at exploring all possible political options to pursue the P-TOMS and maintain government stability.
Agitations, fasts and protests against Post Tsunami Operational Mechanism Structure (P-TOMS) are also on the ground which expose the acts of exploiting human misery for mean political agenda of the leaders and by a section of the Buddhist clergies in the South.It is learnt that P-TOMS, the aid relief mechanism structure has been worked out between Jayantha Dhanapala Secretary General of the Government Peace Secretariat assisted by his officials and S.Puleedevan, Secretary General of the LTTE Peace Secretariat and Dr Joy Maheswaran, LTTE’s rehabilitation specialist.
The P-TOMS, said as a simple a mechanism aimed at planning to share US $3.0 billion in the international tsunami aid with the Tamil Tigers and the Sri Lanka Government to work out ways and means to rehabilitate millions who are affected by the tsunami in the country. Norwegian, according to sources, facilitated the talks between the two Secretariats to come to a consensus regarding the shape and form of the PTOMS. The aid mechanism will initially last one year and can be extended later if both sides agree, Tamilselvan pointed out. In the meantime international donors are also of the view that PTOMS is an aid sharing mechanism to help the millions of Sri Lankan who are displaced and affected by December 26 tsunami devastation.
A diplomat of one of donor countries told that Sri Lankan leaders are bent on making their parochial politics over the misery of the millions of Sri Lankans. He said that ‘neither the Buddhists clergies nor political leaders agitated or showed any sign of defiance, when the worst happened on 22 February 2002, at the time when Ranil Wickremasinghe signed the Ceasefire Agreement with the LTTE, which virtually declared the existence of two states in the Country and the areas controlled by LTTE as an ad hoc state where it is virtually under the control of Tiger Supremo – Prabaharan’.
Information as of now suggests that, right now the situation has not ripened for a fruitful deal. I am not in a position to forecast a possible turnout of the events. Let me keep my fingers crossed. Anyway I will try my level best to update the events on this issue.
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