Yala Park bungalows

Closure to thwart privatising bid

By Hiranthi Fernando

The Wild Life Department bungalows in the various national parks will be closed to the public soon.

The Department of Wild Life Conservation (DWLC) operates 16 park bungalows, in the national Parks of Yala, Uda Walawe, Wasgamuwa, Horton Plains, and Galoya. These are rented out to the public at reasonable rates.

Explaining the reasons for the proposed closure of the park bungalows, Director of Wild Life A. P. A. Gunasekera said, "A week after I assumed duties as director, one of my first duties was to sign the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) already agreed on with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for the development of wildlife in the country".

"I could not even read it properly. However, when I scrutinised it, I felt it was not suitable for us. When the ADB officials came to start work on the implementation of the agreement, we were able to convince them of the unsuitability of the project. By then by working together, we had effected many improvements in the department and the ADB officials were pleased with the results. They decided to study and redesign the project", he said.

He said consultants from the ADB came to Sri Lanka, held workshops, visited the parks and studied various aspects of the project, which was estimated to cost US $ 10 million. After their study was completed they redesigned the project, expanding it to cover US $ 35.3 million. Of this amount US $ 10 million comes from the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) as a direct grant, a further US $ 8.3 million as a loan on very low interest and the balance US $ 7 million in local currency as counterpart funds.

"The earlier project included a proposal to privatise the parks, starting with the Minneriya Park being managed privately. We refused to privatise the parks on any account and that proposal was discarded. There was also a proposal to privatise the bungalows. However, we said we would not be able to control the people coming in and going out if the bungalows were privatised", Mr. Gunasekera said.

He explained that the thinking behind the privatisation proposal was that the department should not be involved in tourist or commercial activities. The ADB felt this should be left to the private sector.

The MOU says, "Within two years of loan effectiveness, DWLC will have commenced implementation of contracts with local communities and the private sector for the environmentally low impact operations by such local communities and private sector".

"As we cannot agree to the privatisation of the bungalows, we are taking steps to close the bungalows to the public by the end of December 2002, which would be two years from the date of effectiveness of the loan", Mr. Gunasekera said. During this period, the private sector will be encouraged to build bungalows or hotels outside the park area, he said.

He said many enthusiasts welcomed the move since the closure of the parks would not harm the wildlife but rather be beneficial to them. People who occupied the parks sometimes misused the facilities and disturbed the animals at night.

"We cannot forego all this money for the development of wildlife, for the sake of retaining 16 park bungalows. We will use this money to improve the condition of the parks. It is a condition we have no option but to accept for the good of wildlife in the country" he said.

Mr. Gunasekera said they planned to retain one of them as an official bungalow for visiting officials from the department. The others would be converted into research stations and beat stations.

Before carrying out the decision, an announcement would be made and the private sector would be encouraged to put up bungalows outside the buffer zone of the parks.

"We are joining up with the Tourist Board and the Pradeshiya Sabhas in the areas to help the private sector in this venture," he said. Meantime, the bungalows can be booked by the public at the Wild Life Department office.

Bookings are accepted on every first Monday of the month for the following month. Any priority bookings already accepted are indicated on a board. Numbers are given out to all those present by 9.15. a.m. and they are called in accordingly.

Perks make system corrupt: Lilantha

By Dilrukshi Handunnetti

K. B. Lilantha Perera is one of the three sons of assassinated UNP politicians to secure victory in his first attempt at a parliamentary election. Having much in common with Sajith Premadasa and Navin Dissanayake, two other sons allegedly who lost their fathers to the LTTE, he does not believe in playing safe and keeping away from the arena- but rather in getting fully involved and finding solutions.

Excerpts from an interview:

Q: What made you enter politics? Did nepotism play its own role?

A: In a sense it is a family tradition, but I have always liked politics. I contested the municipal election at the tender age of 20 way back in 1983, soon after leaving school. My father contested and won. Plans for higher studies in London were shelved as I got a real taste of politics. In 1989, I filled a CMC vacancy and took oaths before my father who was the Deputy Mayor, creating history.

Though I entered politics due to family influence, I am continuing for different reasons. I want to carve out a political career which is realistic and people-friendly.

Q: You lost your father and sister on the same platform along with Gamini Dissanayake and others. When a family member has been killed by the LTTE or in political violence, usually other members of that family beat a hasty retreat from politics. Instead, you have opted to be in the thick of it?

A: History creates no slots for the timid, but for the daring and bold only. My father nurtured this electorate the way he nurtured us. I felt it was my duty to accept the mantle after him.

I believe destiny spared me to take on the responsibility. I was seated next to my father at the Thotalanga meeting and walked away with another councillor Sirilal Perera, to smoke a cigarette.

He returned to the stage before me, and in a split second 78 people literally went up in smoke.

My need to smoke had spared me from death, and I feel that such a life should be dedicated to serving the people my father treasured.

Q: How do you view your success?

A: I obviously built on the foundation my father laid. My political career is very short compared to some of the veterans and I feel very lucky to have been elected in my first attempt. Things have changed drastically since the time I entered. My electorate is poor and lacking in basic infrastructure. Of them 75 % are shanty dwellers lacking basic facilities, such as, water and electricity. In addition, unemployment is at a peak.

When I received nomination, I discussed a programme for poverty alleviation and curbing unemployment. And I think people appreciated what I proposed for their benefit.

Q: The 11th Parliament has returned a record number of new faces, 50 % of them below 40 years. The UNP has over 40 new legislators. How do you view this situation?

A: It is an intelligent decision of the electorate at large to return so many young persons. As we are in the opposition, I view this as a grand opportunity for us to learn the parliamentary process.

With the infusion of young blood, I think there could be a more critical evaluation of the government's programmes and better efforts to resolve the burning issues. More importantly, it is a golden opportunity to lay a firm foundation for a new political culture.

As for us in the UNP, we will pressurise the government to adapt more people-friendly policies and call for the democratisation of society through a common agenda.

Q: As a new parliamentarian, how do you view the perks enjoyed by MPs including duty free vehicle permits, liquor licences and a pension after five years?

A: I think most of these perks have reduced the value of a legislator.

There is mounting public protest against all these because the system has got truly corrupt. If everyone else can wait until they reach 55 to draw a pension, why should relatively young politicians enjoy such a privilege? I believe in the complete abolition of most of these perks which have made politics a business rather than a service.

Q: How do you view the series of political defeats suffered by the UNP? What is its future?

A: We were not defeated this time, despite the concocted statistics. Traditional UNP bastions have been secured by the PA- in stark contrast to public opinion, using the now infamous Samurdhi mechanism.

But they did not employ the same tactics where they wanted to embarrass some senior PA leaders who were critical of the leadership. That is why the public will was truly reflected in the Polonnaruwa and Hambantota areas.

Q: Given the present scenario, how do you view the role of the UNP as the main opposition ? While criticising the PA administration, the people seem equally unhappy about a weak opposition which doesn't even raise a whimper of a protest?

A: The UNP is not being laid back, but biding its time. It is the subtle tactics of the UNP which defeated the move to introduce a draconian Constitution.

We have also given the government a December 31 deadline to introduce the three commissions and are calling for effective containing of the cost of living.

A UNP government will replace the present regime, sooner than you think. People know that we have a good team, the experience and vision to take this country forward.

widow politics not for me: Anjaan Umma

Anjaan Umma has created political history by becoming the first Muslim female to enter Parliament. The former Western Provincial Councillor strikes a conventional image, clad in traditional hijab belying her radical thinking which surfaces only when she speaks on issues close to her heart.

Excerpts from the interview:

Q: What made you enter politics?

A: Ever since I was a child, I believed that our country needed more democracy, equitable distribution of resources among its people and enhancement of personal freedom. You may find it difficult to believe what I say, because of my conventional appearance. But I grew up believing in a social revolution where the oppressed are rewarded.

Over the years, I realised that women have not played an effective role in power politics. While I seek to uphold the dignity of my community, I am also willing to fight for what I believe in.

Q: What made you select such a radical political party as the JVP?

A: My political baptism came when my brother actively worked for the JVP, way back in 1971. I was a little girl, but I watched everything with great interest.

But I think, the memories remained deeply etched, and when it was time to make a decision, the JVP seemed the obvious choice.

I have never trod a traditional political path. The two main political forces appeared to me as lacking in character and not representing the masses. And now I know my decision has been a prudent one.

Q: Why did the JVP nominate you ? Are you merely symbolic of the JVP's new found multi-ethnic approach to politics, or is it a subtle move to eclipse the first-ever elected Muslim female parliamentarian, Mrs. Ferial Ashraff- or a combination of both?

A: The JVP's politburo decided to nominate me. No, we have not been racial though we have campaigned for the rights of the majority community more often. It is the issue, not the race that matters to the JVP. Therefore it is wrong to view my nomination as a move to shed a communal image.

Similarly, we are not interested in pushing others to the background either. I am not here to do widow politics, nor am I here thanks to my ethnicity. I have been a provincial councillor and proved my mettle by actively contributing to the JVP's success, and that is why I am here.

Q: As a female legislator also belonging to a minority community, do you believe that a special quota should be created for women to enter Parliament?

A: I don't believe in sectarianism. I am here because I want to be here. I am not here to represent or replace my father, brother, husband or son.

Women should have enough strength to compete on their own.

By asking for special accommodation, i.e.; quota in the Parliament, administrative service etc., we admit that we cannot effectively campaign and compete with men.

What we need is more opportunities, more openings. Instead, a woman wanting to enter the fray is blocked by all and sundry- at home, work place and finally at party level. It is these attitudes which must change.

Q: How do you assess the JVP's unprecedented success at the recent polls?

A: It was not unprecedented, it was long overdue. Ours is a party which was crushed twice. But the JVP is like the phoenix, eternally rising from the very ashes, to fly free.

People are fed up with the PA and the UNP. They have tried both parties periodically for fifty years, and reaped more poverty, frustration, unemployment, an escalating cost of living and a protracted war. It is a far cry from what we enjoyed a century ago.

People wanted the true Left inside the House to represent their causes. Unlike other so-called leftist forces that the PA seemed to have purchased with the tossing of a few portfolios their way, we would honorably represent them.

Q: With the unique configuration of the 11th Parliament, what would the role of the JVP be?

A: Radical and people-friendly. We have fulfilled our promises and not breached their sacred trust. We asked for the key to this Parliament, and they have given us a remarkable representation.

The UNP and other parties must be feeling that they are leading the opposition. But, in the hearts of the people, the JVP is the true opposition- the only party which speaks and works for their benefit.

Politicised police mere onlookers

Unreasonable pension rights, demand for Cabinet portfolios and Deputy Minister posts far in excess of what the country can afford, duty free luxury cars, liquor licences, patronage to underworld rackets, processing government jobs, commissions on contracts, interference in the judiciary, and manipulating the Police, are all in the order of the day of our political masters. All this goes to show that the concern of our politicians is not to serve the people, but themselves, and that too to the detriment of the people.

So much public opinion has been expressed against political interference in the Police. That was in the context of politicians of the party in power exploiting the Police for political gain of the party. Political interference in the Police is now manifolding into many more menacing methods of political manipulation that can only be described as vulturous greed.

In the scramble for spoils by politicians, the Police Service is the worst affected. This is because by the very nature of their duties and powers conferred by law on policemen, politicians find policemen to be ideal tools for their vulturous escapades, much to the chagrin of most Police officers, save for those who also revel in such vulturism themselves.

Earlier it was a conflict between political powers on the one side and the law of the land on the other side. What exacerbates the problem now is that politicians in the same camp are vying against each other even in picking Police stooges to support their personal pursuits.

This is resulting in conflicting instructions by different political masters leaving the Police in utter confusion, and struggling for their personal survival – law and order going into the limbo of forgotten things. "To be or not to be; that is the question"- is the mindset of the Police in the present context.

The Bindunuwewa episode and its repercussions in Talawakelle are perfect examples of such indiscretion. It is just the start of things to come – though not always necessarily in a communal form. Both in Bindunuwewa and Talawakelle, it was criminal negligence on the part of the Police to just look on when a build up was clearly seen and even while the gory incidents were taking place. It is clear that the Police are just taking the lead given by their 'handlers' with no proper application of the law or proper investigation procedure being adopted. Too many 'handlers' giving conflicting leads to the Police, is creating confusion most confounded.

The public are vehemently expressing their views on these matters in the media, and are gravely concerned, but not so the 'vultures'.

Hain coming with Irish lessons

Foreign Office Minister Peter Hain who is visiting India will be here on Wednesday and Thursday, the British High Commission said.

Mr. Hain's visit to Sri Lanka will be his first as a Foreign Office Minister, and the first by a British Foreign Minster since the late Derek Fatchett visited in 1998. Mr. Hain will meet President Chan-drika Kumaratunga, the Prime Minister Wickremanayake, Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar, Constitutional Affairs and Industrial Development Minister G. L. Peiris, members of the Opposition, and representatives from civil society and a cross-section of communities. The High Commission news release said Mr. Hain had no plans to meet any LTTE representatives.

Mr. Hain will give a speech at the British Council in which he will explain British policy on devolution and the Northern Ireland peace process and suggest lessons for helping to resolve the bitter conflict between the Government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE. He will also launch a Sunera Trust project on community building and conflict resolution.

Commenting on his visit, Mr. Hain said:

"I am looking forward to building a personal relationship with the new Sri Lankan Government, and will take the opportunity of my visit to hear the views of all communities.

"I recognise the historical tensions in Sri Lanka, From my own experience, both in Britain, and my childhood home, South Africa, I am convinced that the only way to solve ethnic conflict is through dialogue, not violence. Our own experience in Northern Ireland has important lessons for Sri Lanka.

"Britain continues to urge both sides to cease hostilities and seek a long-term solution through dialogue in a peaceful climate, addressing the hopes and concerns of all of the Tamil people within a united Sri Lanka. The role Norway is playing in facilitating the dialogue is very important. Britain completely supports their efforts, and stands by to help, if asked by both sides."

LTTE steps up child recruitment, says envoy

ARLINGTON, Virginia: Sri Lanka's Ambassador to the United States, Warnasena Rasaputram, has said that the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) has been increasingly recruiting children to fight its war against the Sri Lankan security forces in defiance of mounting international opposition.

Rasaputram, who was the keynote speaker at an international seminar this week on "Terrorism and Children in the 21st Century: National, Regional and Global Perspectives," at the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies — a think tank that focuses on international terrorism — warned, "If such a brutal terrorist group, recognised as the deadliest terrorist group in the world succeeds, can any country bear the consequences of fascism and terrorism not only on adults but also on children."

In a revealing disclosure, the envoy said that, "according to estimates taken from the dead cadres of the LTTE, nearly 40 per cent of their fighters consists of children between nine and 19 years of age." "Though international and national organisations are campaigning to stop children from being recruited to the LTTE, there is no known mechanism by which this can be supervised when it comes to a ruthless terrorist group like the LTTE," Rasaputram said.

He said the children "have been brainwashed and indoctrinated to respect their leaders as a God and are told that after their death they will become eternal heroes in their community." He said commemorative events such as Heroes Day "tend to make them believe that even in death they will be revered."

The ambassador also acknowledged that in high-risk operations, children had been found to perform better than adults "as they do not think very far,"and as today's weapons "are very light the children can carry them without difficulty."

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