The rejuvenation of Vakarai

The indications are that Vakarai would soon be a lively, bustling town in stark contrast to what it was earlier, when under LTTE control.

It is as if this once small town in the East has received the kiss of life. In fact it was hardly on the map of Sri Lanka; so unknown was it. But today Vakarai has blossomed into a centre of dynamic development activity, thanks to the liberative endeavours of the Lankan State and its Security Forces.

The story of the born-again Vakarai was told on our Op-Ed page yesterday and we hope it had the desired effect of impressing on our readers that all is well in this little town of the East.

The pictures tell it all. People are going about their daily chores, children are back in school, development work is getting into top gear, villagers are receiving welfare benefits - all this and more convey a message of life, rejuvenation and revival. This is a far cry from the earlier dolorous state of LTTE tyranny, starvation, malnourishment and extreme deprivation and poverty.

To be sure, much more needs to be done before Vakarai could be described as being in the pink of economic and social health, but it is abundantly clear that the State is putting its heart and might into redeveloping Vakarai. No stone is being left unturned by the State in its efforts to completely empower the people of Vakarai.

This is as it should be. Development in the real sense of the word, is the strengthening or empowering of every woman, man and child, in every respect and it is this process which is the best guarantee of peace and stability.

Therefore, the State’s approach of ushering empowerment through development is the soundest course to embark on in relation to the liberated areas of the East, including Vakarai.

This sensible approach to township rejuvenation should continue unabated. The State needs to prove that it is the very antithesis of the LTTE. The LTTE’s sole obsession is subjugation and slavery and towards this end it would apply all the means available to it - including terror and tyranny.

Any resident of Sampur or Vakarai would testify to this unpleasant truth. The LTTE could not be bothered in the least about the well being of the people because keeping their “subjects” happy is not the concern of the LTTE tyrants. The LTTE’s sole preoccupation was power and self-aggrandizement and to this end it strained every sinew and muscle in its beastly being.

Needless to say, the exact opposite is true of the State. The aim of the State is reconstruction, rehabilitation and development and it would strive to achieve these ends in Vakarai, come what may.

In fact, the Government would be striving to further these ends in whichever area it liberates from the brutal clutches of the LTTE.

If the climate for the pursuit of livelihoods is created in these areas and if they are endowed with all the relevant resources and infrastructure which could conduce towards development, what more could the inhabitants in question need ?

Contant and relentless development of liberated areas should be the policy of the State.

This is the most effective answer to the deprivation and hopelessness which the LTTE has been thriving on. No-holds-barred development of these areas would ensure the eternal defeat of the Tigers.