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| Sunday, 29 May 2005 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Muslim factor in post-tsunami rehabilitation by Ranga Jayasuriya
Given the fact that the waves picked its victims from all communities, the general impression was that nature did not discriminate in unleashing its rage on the populace. Though seemingly perfect, this may distort the real picture, for the fact that minorities had suffered disproportionately. As a community, Muslims were the worst affected, 12,000 deaths amounting 41 per cent of the official death toll of 30,718. The magnitude of the agony of Muslims is underlined by the fact that Muslims amount to only 8 per cent of the Sri Lankan population. Coastal zones accounted for nearly a two third of the total Muslim population in the country, which means that the coastal Muslim entity is the biggest segment of the socio-political map of the Muslim community. To put Muslim dimension of the catastrophe in a nutshell: of 10,436 total deaths in the Ampara district, 7,258 are Muslims. In Trincomalee, out of 1077 total deaths 808 are Muslims. In Hambantota, out of 4,500 total fatalities, 3,800 are Muslims. Out of 5,815 total missing persons, 1,980 are Muslims. Over 41,670 Muslim families have been displaced. The total displaced population in the Ampara District, amounting to 107,885 is equal to the combined figures of the tsunami devastated areas of the Southern and Western coast. To add insult to injury, Muslims feel that the media had down played the enormity of the agony of the Muslims. "It is regrettable that the media has deliberately or otherwise, left out the Muslim dimension of the catastrophe," states a report compiled by the Muslim Information Centre. "... if the magnitude of deaths, displaced and property lost mattered, then this district (Ampara) should be receiving greater attention and high priority in relief and reconstruction process than that received by the combined Southern and Western Provinces," notes the report which charges of discrimination of Eastern Muslims in post-tsunami rehabilitation and reconstruction process. This raises the need for a joint mechanism to coordinate post-tsunami rehabilitation to assure the quicker and equitable delivery of assistance, irrespective of geographical and bureaucratic obstacles. But, again Muslims have expressed concern at the ethnic composition of the proposed joint structure, where they fear that the regional minorities would be undermined by the LTTE. Muslims are concerned that despite the fact that they being the worst affected, their representation in the regional body is limited to three members, whereas the LTTE can nominate five members. The proposed joint mechanism is a three tiered body consisting an Apex Body at the national level, Regional Body and District Committees. It will initially be for one year, but can be extended for two years subject to the approval of the parties involved and its authority is confined to an area of two km from the coast. The Apex Body will have three members each representing Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim communities. The Regional Body will have five Tamil members, nominated by the LTTE, three Muslims and two Sinhala members. District Committees, headed by the Government Agent will comprise local Parliamentarians, local and international NGOs and, perhaps, some observers. The District Committees will formulate the action plans, which will be passed to the Regional Body. If the Regional Body approves the plan, it will be sent to the Apex Body, which after studying the plan, orders the treasury to release funds for the implementation of the plan. However, according to the Muslim Peace Secretariat chief, Javid Yusuf, the government is considering a possible safeguard for the regional minorities who come under the proposed joint mechanism for the post-tsunami reconstruction in the North-East, whereby a two-third majority will be required to pass crucial decisions. According to this, if any two members disagree with a proposal taken up at the Regional Body of the joint mechanism, it triggers a requirement for a two-third majority, meaning the approval of seven members of the ten member regional body. Muslims are still haunted by the grim memories of ethnic cleansing and mosque massacres carried out by the LTTE. "In the past, the LTTE's relationship with the Muslims was never good. Muslims have memories of harassment at the hands of the LTTE," says Mr. Yusuf. But he sees an opening for the LTTE to redeem its reputation among the Eastern Muslim community. He says: "the LTTE will have an opportunity to win back the confidence of the Muslim community". However, questions remain open - first and foremost, is the uncertainty that whether the joint mechanism will ever be set up, and then as to whether the LTTE will keep up to its promises to respect Muslim interests, over which the Tigers had a free run in the past. |
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| Produced by Lake House |
For those who have seen graphic video footage of Kalmunai obliterated by
the December 26 tsunami, the scale of the catastrophe on the Eastern coast
need no further elaboration. Ampara was the worst hit district with nearly
12,000 swept to death by the massive sea waves, nearly one third of the
death toll of the island. 
