Comment - Donors confident of 10-year development plan

The two-day Sri Lanka Development Forum held in Galle ended on a positive note with renewed hope for Sri Lanka. The donors who gathered in Galle representing 50 countries, as an endorsement of President Mahinda Rajapaksa's 10-year development plan have pledged US$ 4.5 billion. It is an unconditional commitment and would be given within the next three years.

However, some sections expressed negative expectations at the beginning of the forum. They said donors would come with a tough stance and the government would not get sufficient funds.

Soon after the opening session, some media reports said that the government would not get any money without agreeing to the tough conditions laid down by the donor agencies.

The opening remarks of the World Bank South Asia Director Praful Patel supported this view. He had warned that high inflation and escalation of violence had adverse repercussions.

Patel said, "We cannot spend two days discussing development plans if we do not place the conflict squarely within our sights as the largest obstacle." the LTTE official website Tamil net had immediately quoted these remarks.

None of the donors or donor organisations has said a new thing or anything that the Sri Lankan government doesn't know. This is the simple truth that our politicians say at any local or international event all the time.

As a nation we have been experiencing this truth every day for three decades. We, Sri Lankans, be it Sinhala, Tamil, Muslim or Burgher and others are suffering. We all know and agree that it has to end but that does not mean that we have to give into every whim and fancy of a terrorist organisation. If the war ends the funds can be diverted for rehabilitation and development and growth but at what cost?

Everybody should be willing to discuss and come to a negotiated settlement. But if the LTTE is not willing to come to the negotiating table what options does the government have?

The main obstacle to development is terrorism in Sri Lanka. They are being funded by international sources. During the first two decades of the war the country had to fight it alone, but in September 2001 the scenario was changed.

This was also explained recently by Central Bank Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal addressing an International seminar on "Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing".

He said "As many know Sri Lanka has been complaining for many years about fund-raising for terrorism taking place in many countries, where the funds were used to procure and supply weapons to wage terrorist activity in our country. Sadly our pleas were not taken too seriously. But the world took note of this scourge after 9/11/2001."

The scenario worldwide is no different as the main hindrance to development globally is also terrorism. Even globally organisations are staging a war against terrorism.

Therefore is there any difference between activities of the Al Qaeda and the LTTE? Addressing the forum US Ambassador Robert Blake said that there was no military solution to the conflict, which has claimed 65,000 lives since the 1970s.

We firmly agree with him. These deaths have equal value to those who are dying in hundreds of thousands in the war against terrorism in Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, Sudan and Etiopia. To him they are only numbers but to us, Sri Lankans, they are our citizens and our human capital essential for our economic development that we have lost.

However, with all good advice, warnings and theoretical economics and political lessons the ADB and WB expressed confidence in the government's 10-year plan and outlined that they were interested in forging ahead with the projects as proposed.

The Donors welcomed the attention paid by the government to reduce regional and income disparities. They said that though somewhat ambitious the country had the potential to reach these goals with the implementation of the policy program.

Now the country has the donors' confidence, their pledges for funds and the 10-year development plan. The challenge is to put the plan into action to accelerate the infrastructure projects facing the obstacles as we go along with minimum waste and corruption to build a better future for everybody under a united Sri Lanka.