Crisis in Sri Lanka

THE sudden two-week suspension of the Sri Lankan parliament, sacking of three important ministers by President Chandrika Kumaratunga and the declaration of a state of emergency have caught most people by surprise. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe was away in Washington on an official visit and waiting to meet President George Bush when the suspension and sackings were announced. President Kumaratunga could not have chosen a better moment to embarrass her prime minister, if that was her intention. She followed up her action by sending troops out on the streets in a show of force more reminiscent of coups than normal administrative measures. She said she had moved because she could no longer countenance any further deterioration in the security situation, although in the past month or so there have been no major incidents of violence, barring some rioting between Muslims and Tamils in an eastern district. It is more likely that matters between the president and the prime minister have finally come to a head over the question of the best way of dealing with the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eeelam (LTTE).

Relations between President Kumaratunga, whose party is in the opposition in parliament, and Prime Minister Wickremasinghe have been tense ever since the 2001 elections. They have been sharpened by the handling of the Norwegian-sponsored peace talks with the LTTE, which has just come up with a power-sharing plan that marks a departure from its original demand for a separate Tamil homeland. The president was not happy with the prime minister’s stewardship of the peace negotiations and about how much autonomy to cede to the LTTE. Perhaps there is also some problem about who is to claim credit if and when a peace deal is signed with the Tamil Tigers. It will perhaps be argued from the president’s side that the prime minister was letting the LTTE get away with creating new facts by establishing its own institutions in the north and east as the peace talks dragged on.

Whatever the motivations for the 14-day prorogation of parliament, it is feared that the new development could delay or scuttle progress in a government-LTTE settlement. In their latest proposals, the Tamil Tigers are seeking autonomy within the Sri Lankan constitution for the north-eastern provinces, with an interim administration and elections in five years. They have also largely held their fire since 9/11, considering discretion as the better part of valour in view of the fact that the LTTE is already branded a terrorist organization by the US and other countries. A truce has thus been in place for several months, the most hopeful sign so far in the context the 20-year-old civil war that has claimed nearly 65,000 lives. It would be tragic if the tug-of-war between the president and the prime minister should now affect the Norwegian peace effort and set back chances of an agreement with the LTTE. President Kumaratunga surely would not want to be held responsible for a breakdown in the peace process. She should not push relations with the prime minister and his coalition government to a breaking point. Differences between the two can only encourage hardliners on both sides and provide an opportunity to other powers with political or economic stakes in Sri Lanka to fish in troubled waters. All friends of Sri Lanka will hope for an amicable resolution of the current turmoil and for peace to prevail in a land fabled for its beauty and gentleness.

China-exclusive zones

ONE hopes Chinese investors will respond enthusiastically to the offer made to them in the form of a China-exclusive economic zone which they can set up anywhere in Pakistan. Speaking at a Beijing conference attended by businessmen from the two countries, President Pervez Musharraf said Chinese investors could visit Pakistan to see for themselves the improvement in the business climate in the country. The incentives to the investors include hundred per cent ownership of projects, generous tax concessions, and repatriation of profits and capital with no discrimination between Pakistani and foreign investors. The offer makes eminent sense because the special economic zones set up by China have been a spectacular success. Production in these SEZs constitutes 50 per cent of Chinese exports. For that reason, Pakistan should be able to benefit greatly from the Chinese experience.

However, Pakistan should also note the reasons for the success of Chinese SEZs. These include a modern and constantly improving infrastructure. The Chinese have poured millions of dollars into the infrastructure. This has led to a turnaround in local economies and created millions of jobs. There is also the continuity of Chinese policies, and investors feel confident about the safety of their investments. Also, China is a model of good governance, with an excellent law and order situation. In Pakistan, the infrastructure leaves much to be desired. There may be some projects under way — like the Mekran coastal highway and the Lyari expressway — but they are few and far between. Similarly, rail and telecommunication links are far from modern. We are also aware how in the 1990s policy shifts, quick governmental changes and an overall climate of political uncertainty had seriously affected both domestic and foreign investment prospects. Also, in terms of law and order, Pakistan needs to do a lot to improve the situation. Efforts must particularly be directed at containing religious militancy which at times explodes into mindless violence and disorder, sectarian killings and targeting of foreign nationals. Islamabad would do well to ensure improvement in these areas so as to be able to make a success of the exclusive economic zone offered to China.

Nowhere to walk

PEDESTRIANS, it seems, have little or no rights when it comes to thoroughfares in any major city of Pakistan. There are very few roads with properly constructed and maintained footpaths for people to walk on without worrying about uncovered manholes, broken patches and so on. In many cases, footpaths that once existed have been encroached upon at places by vendors and shopkeepers, so that pedestrians are left with no option but to walk on the roads instead. This they do at the great risk of being knocked down by speeding vehicles. One wonders why city administrations look the other way when pavements are encroached upon despite the fact that the resulting chaos affects the flow of traffic and is also a constant nuisance for all road users.

Keeping all this in mind, it comes as a surprise that one local authority in Karachi has taken the extraordinary step of actually leasing out pavements to vendors to set up their cabins. A report says that the cabins have taken up most of the footpaths on two major roads in the Karimabad area, forcing pedestrians to walk on the roads. The entire concept of leasing out footpaths is a wholly unacceptably one but there are those who argue that since removing the encroachers is a difficult task, the next best thing is to regulate their presence. It almost amounts to arguing that since stealing cannot be effectively curbed, it might as be legalized. It is time the administration acted swiftly to regulate the slipshod manner in which this leasing of pavements is being done before other towns in Karachi or indeed elsewhere latch on to this novel money-earning scheme in other disregard of the problems this will cause to pedestrians and traffic alike.