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| Sunday, 3 July 2005 |
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Editorial
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Chamber chiefs hail President's move by Surekha Galagoda Chamber chiefs hailed the P-TOMS as a positive and bold move by President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga. As an immediate measure it will help bring relief to tsunami affected people and invariably help bring back peace to the country, they said. Post-Tsunami Operational Management Structure (P-TOMS), also referred to as the Joint Mechanism was signed by the government and the LTTE last week. Here are the views of the Chamber chiefs interviewed by the Sunday Observer Business Desk. President, Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry Sri Lanka(FCCISL) Nawaz Rajabdeen said" it is a bold and positive move taken by the President on the road to peace. The signing of P-TOMS is a gesture of goodwill and it has helped rebuild the long lost trust between the government and the LTTE. Most of all this is only an administrative mechanism to bring relief to tsunami affected people. He said the FCCISL will launch the Killinochchi Chamber of Commerce before the end of the year to support the government's move. Already the basic work has been completed and we will financially support the chamber for two years. Setting up a Chamber in Mullaitivu is in the pipeline. Rajabdeen said that establishing chambers in these areas helps the micro and SME business sector. Chairman, Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (CCC) Deva Rodrigo said our view is that P-TOMS will not give legitimacy to the LTTE's claim for a separate state or to the ISGA, in its present form. It will give confidence to the minority groups, in particular to the LTTE, that both the government and the main opposition party have the courage to take a common stand and support P-TOMS, notwithstanding vociferous protests from other political groups and some CSOs. He said P-TOMS, if properly implemented, will create an environment of co-operation between the people and the political leadership in the North and the South and pave the way to reopen peace negotiations. P-TOMS will be accepted and possibly acclaimed, by the donors, as a mechanism to break the deadlock on distributing donor funds to rehabilitate and reconstruct the tsunami affected areas and people. He said that legal experts, such as Prof. Marasinghe, should communicate to the people in the South the true nature of P-TOMS and its implications and thereby allay their fears. There is also a need to engage, in dialogue, political groups, such as the JVP and JHU, who oppose the P-TOMS, and endeavour to understand their concerns and ease their anxieties. President, National Chamber of Commerce of Sri Lanka (NCCSL) Ms Nirmalie Samaratunga said: It is a positive step and should have been signed some time earlier. Providing aid for the tsunami affected is a pressing need at the moment as six months have already passed. The P-TOMS should not be feared as it will only expedite the post tsunami reconstruction work without further delay. She said the tsunami has given the country an opportunity and we should all work together to build on it. In addition this is a good begining to start peace talks as a dialogue has been initiated between the government and the LTTE. Chairman, Ceylon National Chamber of Industries(CNCI) Nimal Perera said we welcome it as peace is of prime importance to develop the country. Our stand from the inception was that there should be some mechanism to rehabilitate the tsunami victims as soon as possible but it should not affect the sovereignty of the country. We do not know very many details but according to reports it is an administrative mechanism. Therefore since the base has been laid continue talks and find a permanent solution which will usher peace and prosperity to the country, he said. Immediate Past President, FCCISL Nihal Abeysekera said: signing of P-TOMS is a great step forward. But we are yet to see the details as we still have not had a look at the signed copies. People have only seen what was published in the newspapers. According to what people say the chairmanship of the regional councils in the LTTE controlled areas will be occupied by the LTTE. If so it might create problems among other communities. Nevertheless someone had to take the bold step and move the country forward and the President took it. But at the same time it is important to ensure that the other communities are not marginalised. Since the major parties have agreed in principle to iron out the differences, work out the implementation process to see the success. He said that hardly any work had been done in the eastern area. The war
is not a solution for everything and therefore in my opinion it is a step in
the right direction. |
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