Ceylon Today Editorial

Saving Wilpattu

09 January 2017

It is saddening to see that the concrete jungle is gradually taking shape in Wilpattu which was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1905 during the British period. Wilpattu remains one of the largest wildlife sanctuaries in Sri Lanka with an area of nearly 131,693 hectares. The wildlife sanctuary is known as Wilpattu for its unique landscape with around fifty natural shallow reservoirs which are known as wil in colloquial Sinhala. The wildlife sanctuary remains a blessed land for rare wildlife species in the Island and its vast area of flora and fauna is considered unique in protecting the biodiversity of the dry zones of the North Western region of the Island.

The recent reports have indicated that several hundred acres of rich forest areas within the Wilpattu sanctuary have been cleared in order to create new human settlements. As the country's healthy forest areas are shrinking rapidly in the recent years threatening the bio diversity, the deforestation which is occurring extensively in the past few years with the end of civil war in the Wilpattu area has alerted the environmental enthusiasts to do everything to protect the wildlife sanctuary. The internationally renowned Wilpattu is famous for its leopards, spotted deer and the elephants which move around through the corridors connecting the jungles stretches up to Yala forest in the Southern tip of the Island.

The Wipattu wildlife sanctuary remained inaccessible for nearly three decades for wildlife enthusiasts as the sanctuary was trespassed frequently by the Security Forces and the LTTE during the height of the civil war seven years ago. However, the present situation in Wilpattu is indicating that the wildlife sanctuary is gradually turning into a concrete jungle with new human settlements coming up with infrastructure arrangements such as roads and electricity.

As the matter has now been brought to the attention of President Maithripala Sirisena, the President has directed the relevant Wildlife Conservation Department officials to take immediate action to halt the encroachment into Wilpattu and to expand the territories of the Wildlife sanctuary. The recent reports from the Eastern Province indicate the human-elephant conflict due to extensive deforestation in the province.

Vast areas of elephant infested forests in the Eastern Province have been cleared for agricultural purposes and to create new human settlements with the support of unscrupulous politicians. The wild jumbos are infiltrating into the newly created hamlets in search of water and food as the innocent animals have been threatened with unabated deforestation. Electric fences are on the increase in the Eastern Province to restrict the free movements of the innocent wild elephants.

So, if the latest threat to the flora and fauna in the Wilpattu wildlife sanctuary is not brought to an end immediately, the forest cover of the tiny Island which is already dwindling in various parts of the Island is expected to create a huge impact on the ecological system of the country. The unpredictable weather conditions are emerging already in the country with the prevalence of drought in several parts of the Island.

If the mushrooming new human settlements in Wilpattu are not stopped through stringent measures, the human encroachments in the Wildlife sanctuary will totally destroy the flora and fauna and replace it with the concrete jungle. The investigations carried out into the encroachments in the Wilpattu have indicated that political clout played a key role in the entire scenario.

While looking into the threats posed to the environment following the human encroachments into Wilpattu, an in-depth probe should also be made into Wilpattu encroachment. In recent years it has been found that the North-western coastal areas particularly from Kalpitiya to Mannar region remain vulnerable to narcotic peddlers.

They could even make manipulations to build up safe havens by putting up new human settlements in the peripheries of Wilpattu adjacent to the coastal areas for their ulterior motives like the way of jungle areas in several Latin American countries becoming the strongholds of the drug barons. Therefore, Wilpattu should be saved at any cost from the man-made threat to the environment and from the dangers posed by the nefarious elements.

Daily News Editorial

Two years on

09 January 2017

Two years is a short time to make a proper assessment of a new government's record in office. Usually, the first year is devoted to consolidating power while the second is the time when it gets down to business in earnest. It should also be borne in mind that although President Sirisena was voted into Office on January 8th the Unity Government was formed only in August following the general election. Hence the government's record should be assessed only from this point, some may argue. But, for all intents and purposes, the new government came into being with the election of President Sirisena two years ago at which time the change was ushered in and the government's overall performance should be gauged from this landmark happening.

Considering this, there is a lot to be happy with the turn of events and the changes wrought that has impacted positively on the citizenry. There can be no doubt that there is a discerning sense of freedom and an air of well being among the general public during the past two years. Many structures of the state that shackled the people have been dismantled and replaced by instruments that have enhanced and strengthened their rights. The oppressive powers of the President has been curtailed to a great extent through the introduction of the 19th Amendment and the long overdue Right to Information Act brought in to ensure probity and transparency in governance. Independent Commissions have been put in place to end arbitrary decision making and ensure fairness. The climate of fear that enveloped the nation is a thing of the past and freedom to criticise the government is only all too evident with several media institutions taking the government to task with gay abandon.

President Sirisena has also succeeded in winning over countries which were hostile towards Sri Lanka in the past and had the honour of a visit by a US Secretary of State to this country for the first time in several decades. He also had the privilege of being invited as a special guest to the G8 summit in Tokyo rubbing shoulders with world leaders including US President Barack Obama. All in all the country's standing internationally has risen appreciably under President Sirisena.

On the ethnic front, the past two years has seen communal harmony on an unprecedented scale with the President taking a personal initiative to make frequent visits to the North and interact with the Tamil community. He has also taken steps to reduce the military presence in the north and give back the lands, taken over by the army during the period of the war, to their original owners. Bold initiatives have been taken over the past two years to accelerate the reconciliation process and bring about a permanent solution to the national question, for which the President has won praise from many countries.

Some point out that the Yahapalanaya government under President Sirisena has not moved along in the expected pace on the development front and that corruption is raising its head again in government. Opponents have also taken the government to task for allegedly being lenient towards Tamil politicians who express pro-separatist sentiments and for taking the country on the path of division. Even those who voted for the President are largely disappointed by what they see as a lackadaisical approach of his government in making fundamental changes. For instance they find fault with the government for tardiness in bringing to book the corrupt of the former regime. There is also criticism over high taxes and the steep rise in the Cost of Living. The Opposition is quick to point out that development had stalled and that no new development projects have been started under the Yahapalanaya regime and indeed it was opening projects commenced by Mahinda Rajapaksa.

While there may be some justification to these claims the government cannot be expected to perform on all fronts at once in such a short time. It cannot plunge headlong into development projects without taking into consideration the cost benefit factor. The country has been landed in a massive debt burden thanks to injudicious moves by the former President to opt for mega schemes such as the Hambantota Port and Mattala airport without proper assessment of the economic returns that will accrue to the country.

For all that, the Yahapalanaya government under President Sirisena has displayed the will to succeed.While settling the mountainous debt, left behind by the Rajapaksa administration, it has taken determined strides to rebuild the economy and also usher in prudent development that would bring beneficial returns to the country.

President Sirisena has repeatedly asserted he would not allow a separation of the country and has put to rest fears entertained by the public over the new constitution, which the Joint Opposition is attempting to drum into their collective minds. As he has often said the constitution is still in the making and will be finalised only with the inputs of all stakeholders. The President has already declared that the 2017 will usher in a development revolution in the country and asserted that the Yahapalanaya government is unshakable and would run its full course.

The Island Editorial

Enter the Dragon!

09 January 2017

 

The yahapalana government’s development partnership with China got off to a bumpy start on Saturday in Hambantota. The launch of a Chinese industrial zone was marred by a mini battle in the area. Riot police, backed by heavily armed STF commandos and water cannon, cracked down on thousands of people protesting against the handover of the Magampura port and 15,000 acres of land to the Chinese.

Government leaders put on a brave face on Saturday’s protests. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe promised a ‘powerful Sri Lanka’ and many jobs. Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Yi Xianliang, told a fascinating fairy tale; he said his country’s investment in the southern industrial zone would reach as much as USD 5 billion and help create about 100,000 jobs within the next three to five years. (He beat Hans Christian Anderson to it!) Now, the government has something to flaunt at a future election.

Saturday’s drama in Hambantota was replete with irony. Those who condemned what they termed Chinese invasion of Sri Lanka two years ago have agreed to hand over an inland port and 15,000 acres of land to the Chinese. The Joint Opposition (JO), consisting of the Rajapaksas and their backers, once blamed for their subservience to China, are now leading demonstrations against the Hambantota deal!

There is no love lost between the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe government and China; it is out of sheer desperation for funds that the former is currying favour with the latter. However, the fact remains that Hambantota lies in a strategically important location in the Indian Ocean and a heavy Chinese presence there is sure to be a thorn in the flesh of some other powerful states, which may seek to counter perceived threats to their interests at the expense of Sri Lanka.

It is doubtful whether the JO leaders, beholden to China for obvious reasons, really want to torpedo the Chinese-funded projects in Hambantota or elsewhere. They may flog the issue hard enough to gain some political capital and drop it quietly in time to come. The JO has succeeded in stealing a march on the JVP, whose bark is worse than its bite when it takes on the government.

Minister Rajitha Senaratne made a fiery speech on Saturday in defence of the controversial Hambantota deal vis-à-vis public protests and the police crackdown. His oratory reminded us of a declaration he made on behalf of the UNP at an Anti-War Front rally in Colombo in 2006; he said the UNP would not support military action against the LTTE. Prabhakaran was controlling about 76% of the North and the East or approximately 15,000 sq. km. Having advocated non violence in dealing with terrorists responsible for heinous crimes and bent on destroying the country, the UNP leaders are now unleashing police on civilians who are protesting against the handover of 15,000 acres to foreigners.

One wonders whether history is repeating itself. The UNP-led UNF government (2001-2004), lured by a four-and-a-half-billion-dollar aid pledge from the US, Japan, the EU and Norway, in return for appeasing the LTTE in the name of a seriously flawed ceasefire, resorted to a course of action inimical to the national interest; it incurred the wrath of the public in the process and crashed in 2004 as a result. Now, it is going hell for leather to hand over national assets to China in the hope of securing foreign investment to the tune of USD 5 billion!

Mervyn Silva used to seize television cameras in public with impunity under the Rajapaksa administration. The Prime Ministerial Security Division (PMSD) personnel acted in a similar manner on Saturday in Hambantota; they grabbed a camera drone belonging to Hiru TV. It was subsequently released as the government drew a great deal of flak.

The drone posed absolutely no threat to any of the VIPs who gathered in Hambantota; it was launched about two kilometres away from the place where they were present. On the other hand, if the PMSD had suspected it to be a source of danger they would not have waited patiently till it was brought down to intercept it.

The yahapalana regime has amply demonstrated once again that it does not baulk at anything in protecting its interests while flaying its predecessor for attacks on protesters and the media in the past.