Need for vigilance

The past few weeks have seen a spate of attacks by the LTTE on civilian targets in the South. From the bus bomb in Piliyandala to yesterday’s carnage in Moratuwa, which saw the deaths of 21 innocent people, the pattern is clear.

The LTTE, battered in the North and completely vanquished in the East, has found the easiest target to take its revenge - civilians. It is a sign of desperation and hopelessness on the part of the LTTE.

The LTTE has always been known to target non-combatants through is acts of terror, but the new wave of strikes has taken its barbarity to a new level. These innocent civilians had nothing to do with the conflict - they were going about their day-to-day business.

Yet, there is an answer. It is called eternal vigilance. Even as this incident shocked the Nation yesterday, several other explosive devices were detected thanks to the alert eyes of civilians in many parts of the country. Needless to say, their vigilance prevented a number of tragedies.

As the saying goes, Governments have to be lucky all the time and terrorists have to be lucky only once. But vigilance can - and does - stop the terrorists in their tracks. The Armed Forces and Police cannot be present everywhere, all the time - we should be their eyes and ears at all other times.

The next time you see a suspicious parcel, other object, vehicle or person stop for a moment and call the relevant authorities. This simple action may save many precious lives.

It is also extremely important to remain calm under these trying circumstances. The very intention of the LTTE is to raise communal tensions and gain international sympathy. Any such event will have negative consequences for Sri Lanka and its international image.

The public should also cooperate fully with the investigations of the Security Forces even if they have to undergo some inconvenience in the process.

We must all bear in mind that the terrorists need one slim chance to cause death and destruction. Whether they are military or civilian lives, Sinhalese, Tamils or Muslims is immaterial to the LTTE.

Increased public vigilance is essential. Even a seemingly trivial observation may yield clues to a bigger destructive design by the ruthless LTTE. Thus a raised level of alertness by civilians will enable the Security Forces and the Police to discharge their duties even more effectively.

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GSP Plus

The Government has laid to rest some of the fears surrounding the extension of the GSP Plus facility by the European Union. Minister G.L. Peiris, addressing the Cabinet news briefing explained that contrary to disinformation spread by certain elements, the deadline for submitting applications is a long way off. More than five months, in fact.

Prof. Peiris stressed that the Government was doing all it can to secure this facility for Sri Lanka, especially for the sake of nearly one million Lankans directly or indirectly involved in the apparel sector.

One of the main arguments of Lanka’s detractors, both local and foreign, is that the country does not meet the stringent human rights conditions needed for granting this concession which enables Lanka to access the EU market (mainly for garments) duty free.

In a landmark ruling earlier this year, the Supreme Court reaffirmed that Sri Lanka does indeed meet these requirements to the letter.

An extension of this argument is that Sri Lanka would have to amend its Constitution specifically to incorporate such requirements. In the light of the SC ruling, this becomes irrelevant and totally unnecessary.

It is important that the Opposition participates fully in this exercise as it is a national issue. Politics apart, the apparel industry is one of the country’s leading earners of foreign exchange.

It is a vital component of the economy and no future Government will be able to resurrect the industry if it collapses.

This is why it is important for the Opposition to work together with the Government to secure GSP Plus.

As Prof. Peiris explained, it is also important to prepare a very comprehensive dossier to be presented to the EU, in consultation with all stakeholders and the European Union itself. It is heartening to note that the EU is having a close dialogue with Sri Lankan authorities in this regard. A top level EU delegation will be here next week for extensive talks on this issue.

While securing the GSP Plus, the garment industry should also strive to improve the quality and range of its products, find new markets and improve access to existing markets in order to compete with other countries in the region and elsewhere aggressively promoting their garment products.