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Timely insights

As all important eyes on the world stage focus on Sri Lanka and other tsunami-devastated countries of Asia, we hope every effort would be made by the local authorities to act on certain thought-provoking insights and perceptions which were articulated by some of the foremost foreign dignitaries visiting Sri Lanka over the weekend.

The first of these was US Secretary of State Colin Powell who said that he hoped the current crisis would lead to a united effort among all Lankans to restore the country to normalcy. This, in turn, he hoped, would lead to a joint national effort among all relevant parties, to resolve the ethnic conflict.

This amounts to re-iterating a sentiment which is now widely shared both locally and internationally. The devastation of December 26th, has very clearly established the oneness of the Lankan people, besides humbling us and proving in very clear terms humanity's puny nature and vulnerability in relation to the forces of nature.

All of Sri Lanka - regardless of caste, creed or community - are suffering as one man today. What some sections among us were ignoring for long, are being forced on the consciousness of all - all of Sri Lanka is one family and this family unit should think and act unitedly to survive and forge ahead.

Some local sections were locked in what seemed to be a relentless and ruthless struggle to go their separate ways but in the current, unprecedented crisis they are forced to come to terms with the fact that we all need to strive together - sharing and caring along the way - if some progress is to be made in nation- rebuilding and national rejuvenation.

This doesn't apply to only the LTTE but to all currently squabbling political parties of Lanka's South. Any more differences would only aggravate Lanka's pathetic condition. Clearly, there needs to be a joint, united effort on every front: reconstruction, rehabilitation and peace-making.

At this juncture, equal significance needs to be attached by the Lankan Government to an observation by World Bank President James Wolfensohn that transparency should be established in the current, aid disbursement process.

There is no denying the fact that absolute accountability on the part of all involved in using the foreign assistance which is flowing into Sri Lanka is a must.

Given the quantum of aid which is coming in, it cannot be denied that a fool-proof system should be evolved to ensure that the assistance is well and effectively used. We call for procedures of accountability which will ensure the honest use of aid on the part of all involved in the reconstruction and rehabilitation effort.

To begin with, as the World Bank President suggested, the State could launch a web site setting out details on how the aid is being used, on a regular basis. Nothing should be left to chance.

Fish for all seasons

If you are among the thousands who regularly buy lunch packets, you would have noticed the complete disappearance of fish lunches. Fish stalls are empty and specialist seafood restaurants are virtually closed. It appears that fresh fish is being shunned widely in this post-tsunami Asia.

The reason ? Many fear that fish may have been nibbling on the corpses washed out to sea by the December 26 tsunami. Others avoid fish out of respect for those who were killed in the catastrophe.

In any case, these concerns are mainly psycological. While the majority of fish are carnivorous and many will eat dead creatures, there is little likelihood they will eat decomposed bodies.

Experts stress that these fears are unfounded and that eating fish is completely safe. World Health Organisation (WHO) Director General Lee Jong-Wook Saturday said fish being caught off the tsunami-battered Sri Lankan coast were safe to eat and urged locals to return to their favourite dish.

"The World Health Organisation always encourages people to eat fish, it is a good source of safe protein," Lee said.

Experts generally agree that fish should always be cooked well. Thoroughly cleaned fresh fish, if cooked well, should thus no pose no health risks. "Consumption of fish is without risk, and completely so if cooked," says Professor Alain Dessein of France's Institute of Health and Medical Research.

"There are, in principle, no problems or risks except those of a philosophical or religious nature," says Jean-Francois Narbonne, a toxicology professor at the University of Bordeaux. Sri Lanka's National Aquatic Resources Agency too has sprung to the defence of fish, which it says have been unnecessarily demonised.

We must also spare a thought about the plight of the fisherfolk and small-scale fishmongers, already battered by the waves. With fish of the menus, their livelihood is gone.

This could potentially lead to a major socio-economic problem. The fisheries industry could take months, if not years, to recover, but the foundation should be laid right now.

In any case, we should have an alternative source of fish for situations of this nature. The inland fisheries sector should be developed rapidly with this aim in mind. Sri Lankans should abandon their inhibitions about inland fish, which are said to be actually more nutritious than their ocean counterparts.

Sri Lanka imports tons of canned fish per month, spending a large amount of foreign exchange. This can also be minimised if we have a fish storage and canning centre. Moreover, such fish stocks can be released to the market in an emergency such as the present one.

Saltwater or freshwater, fish is a gourmet's delight. It can be presented in a variety of ways to enliven the table and delight the taste buds. So do yourself a favour: say 'yes' to fish.

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