Genesis Of Northern Qualm
By Camelia Nathaniel
The employment statistics in Sri Lanka are flawed said Dr Muttukrishna Sarvananthan, Principal Researcher, Point Pedro Institute of Development. He pointed out that the official figures take unpaid farm work as employed and even work of one hour per week is counted as employment. “This inflates the employment figures. That is why in official statistics, the unemployment rate in Sri Lanka is as low as 4 percent. But if the methodology is changed and unpaid farm labour and other such untenable criteria are removed, the unemployment figure for the country will be 18 percent,” he said.
According to Dr Muthukrishna’s calculations the unemployment rate in the Northern Province was actually 31.2 percent in 2012. The total working-age (15-59 years) population in the North was 647,271 in 2012. “If we make an allowance for people not able to work due to legitimate reasons, we could assume that only 475,000 persons in the working-age group in the North would be able to work. But only 326,791 persons were employed in the North in 2012; which means there were 148,209 unemployed persons in the North in 2012. Hence, the unemployment rate in the Northern Province was 31.2% in 2012.
A total of 422,111 net employments were created in Sri Lanka as a whole between 2010 and 2012. The highest number of 61,133 was created in the Western province; 30,742 were created in the Southern Province; and 24,303 were created in the Northern Province. This is very slow growth,” he said.
There is a lot of construction activity in the Northern Province, but these have not generated enough jobs for the locals. There was a 76 percent increase in the projects in terms of financial outlays, but these projects resulted in a 5 percent increase in jobs only. This was due to the capital intensiveness of the construction work. Construction companies also preferred to bring labour from the South because of non-availability of local skilled labour.
The Northern Province has a higher rate of unemployment when compared to other provinces. In 2012, while the unemployment rate for the island as a whole was 18 percent, in the Northern Province it was 31.2 percent (as per Dr Muthukrishna’s methodology).
Poverty
Poverty is relatively high in the Northern districts. In 2012-13, the headcount poverty ratio in descending order was; Mullaithivu 28.8%, Mannar 20.1%, Batticaloa 19.4%, Kilinochchi 12.7%, Galle 9.9%, Trincomalee 9.0%, Jaffna 8.3%, Matara 7.1%, Ampara 5.4%, Hambantota 4.9%, Vavuniya 3.4%, Kalutara 3.1%, Gampaha 2.1%, and Colombo 1.4%.
Meanwhile Social researcher and activist T. Nirosh told The Sunday Leader that the basic problem among the youth in Jaffna is that they have no role model and no guidelines. “During the conflict years, there was the Eelam movement and the various militant groups which were guiding them and giving them a goal to achieve. In the place of emptiness, there were a definite thought process and a set of goals, though these were related to the war and the ethnic conflict,” he said.
However Nirosh said that when the army took over the Jaffna peninsula in 1995 and the influence of the LTTE waned, the youth lost their goal in life, and there was nothing to fill the void. “They filled their spare time watching blue films. The army and the police tolerated it. Many thought that the forces were deliberately encouraging such activities to keep the youth away from the militant Eelamist movement.”
After the war, he said, a new situation was created by the entry of the global economy into Jaffna. Money started pouring into Jaffna homes from relatives abroad, and a consumer culture was created by commercial companies from the South which set up shop in the peninsula. Leasing and finance companies came up with attractive schemes enabling Jaffna people to buy a variety of articles which were alien to Jaffna households for more than 30 years, he said adding that the Jaffna man, woman and youth went on a compulsive buying spree, even getting indebted in the process. Due to the compulsions of the consumerism, he said, boys are now snatching chains to put a few liters of petrol into their motorbikes.
“The army introduced some constructive activities such as organising sports and musical events to give some direction to the youth. But these efforts have been piecemeal. It is five years since the war ended, but there is still no overall plan for the youth in the peninsula and the Northern Province. The Government distrusts the Tamil youth and the Tamil youth distrust the Government,” added Nirosh.
Higher education
One of the reasons for the youth being irresponsible, however, is that there is nothing to occupy them after they do their ‘A’ levels. Only a handful can get into the university. The rest are left high and dry with no opportunities to go for higher studies and there are no job opportunities for them either. Many seniors in the North are of the view that at a loose end, these youth indulge in undesirable activities including forming gangs and showing off in public to attract attention. Most members of these gangs are in the 20 to 30 age group.
Also expressing his views on the issue of youth in the Northern Province, Jim Sebastian (aka Sebastian Nehru) formerly of UK police Crimes Investigation Department, currently in Jaffna, said that having spent 15 years in the UK Crime Investigation Department before coming to Jaffna, what he found was a high rate of crimes in the province. “Twenty to thirty bicycles are stolen every day in Jaffna town. They are stolen not only from public places but also from houses too. Three bicycles had been stolen from my own house although they were in the compound with the gate locked!
One of the reasons for the high rate of crime is the inaction of the police and the readiness of the courts to grant bail. Police just watch as young people move around in motorbikes with no license. My estimate is that 70 percent of the motorbikes in Jaffna have no license.”
According to Nehru, the main reason for police inaction is lack of interest in the job. He said that eight percent of the police force in the Northern Province is Sinhala. “They have little or no knowledge of spoken Tamil. They would rather sit in the police stations and let crimes be committed. Venturing out and trying to investigate cases is too demanding a job for them. As far as I am aware, there is only one active OIC in Jaffna District and he would be in the scene of crime presto. He is Lawrence, who is part Sinhalese and part Burgher. But he was transferred from Jaffna town to KKS,” he said.
There is a huge gap between the public on the one hand, and the police and the Security Forces on the other. Language is a major barrier but attitudes are also important. While the public are wary about approaching the police or the Security Forces, they complain that the Security Forces are only interested in safeguarding their own interests. There is a crying need for experts who can talk to the public and the Security Forces and narrow the gap. The lack of commitment on the part of the police is also due to the low salaries.
Bail at the drop of a hat
The courts are to blame too. There are many allegations that the courts give bail even when the accused confesses that he has committed murder. The excuse given is that there is no space in the Jaffna jail, which is a house converted into a jail. “Surely, the accused could be transferred to Anuradhapura or Colombo and not given bail and let lose them in society. Surprisingly, no Tamil politician has raised the issue of law and order. They hardly take up such issues. All they are interested in is their “chair” (seat of power).
The “dollar economy” of Jaffna also encourages loose behaviour. Boys who have nothing to do but have money in the pocket and a smart motorbike to loaf around, entice schoolgirls into sexual relationships and when girls get pregnant, they just abandon them. The girls have no option but to hush it up as there is a social stigma attached to pre-marital pregnancy. Such girls commit suicide. Recently, there was a sex scandal involving a Catholic priest. Girls rather than boys commit suicide in Jaffna. There is a crying need to make Jaffna a crime-free society,” said Nehru.
Meanwhile the Assistant Director, National Youth Services, Jaffna I. Thabendran who has been working in the Northern Province for the past 17 years as a youth motivator, agreed that the youth in the North are largely directionless these days. “This is due to a lack of opportunities to make money and as well as the decline of the established occupations.
If you take trade for example, there is a fall in profits since the war ended. There was a lot of profiteering during the war years due to shortages and embargoes. But after the war, with a free flow of goods from the South to the North, trade is not as profitable in the North as before. Trade is not considered a very lucrative field now. And with money coming in from relations settled abroad, many families in Jaffna are content to sit at home and waste their time as the money sent from overseas is enough. As for the youth, they seem to have the time and resources to stray,” he said adding that if the youth want to work at all, they would rather go for a white collar job than become a mason.
Awareness
He said that what he had discovered was that the youth are not aware of the various options to keep themselves engaged and make money too. “Therefore, I decided to collect youth from 10 to 15 villages and take them on tours of the South to show them all what can be done with a little bit of training and orientation. During these trips the village youths are given a chance to get out of their cocoons and make friends with others from other villages. These networks would come in handy when a youth starts a project and seeks others’ participation,” he said.
During these interactions, the youth are made aware of various issues confronting the society and the economy. They are made aware of remedial measures in which they can participate. The youth are motivated to take part in public works and also become entrepreneurs, said Thabendran adding that practical lessons are given on getting bank loans, for example, if a young man wants to start a trade or set up a small workshop.
Granting responsibility
Equally importantly, the youth are given responsibility by offering them leadership roles. Committees are formed and the youth are asked to serve in them in various capacities. A thirst for leadership roles is thus generated which can be exploited later for constructive purposes. The leadership roles they get in these organisations meet a felt need among the youth for social and peer recognition and acceptability in society.
This is important in a society where elders do not give respect to the youth and expect them to be subservient. Society is yet to realise that giving respect and leadership to the younger generation will release an enormous amount of energy into the society which is currently slothful and soul less.
“In the groups we have formed, the goals and targets are not necessarily handed down from the top. We ask the members what problems and issues they face in their villages and then we work out a plan to solve them. This way they become relevant to their immediate environment and society, too,” he said.
There are no taboos as regards the problems or issues that are taken up by them. “If the issue is political, we take it up. If a youth wants to take a political role, we encourage him as political work is also a social service. Likewise, we organise sports and musical meets and thereby discover and foster talent.
So far we have involved 17,000 youth in our activities. Last year, there was a boom with 14,000 new registrations. As for funds, a certain amount comes from the Ministry of Youth Affairs, but we also get contributions from the Northern Provincial Council, local NGOs and some International NGOs. Some private concerns have also chipped in, as their involvement as sponsors gives them some publicity,” said Thabendran.
Further commenting on the issues facing the youth in the Northern Province Prof Daya Somasundaram, Psychiatry at the Jaffna University said that there are a lot of problems relating to the youth in the Northern Province. There is aimlessness and violence and also an increasing tendency towards suicide. He said that the Youth seem to be at a lose end, not knowing what do with their lives. One of the reasons for this is the lack of leadership, the absence of inspiration from any quarter, whether from the peer group or the elders.
“The youth dream of going abroad as if it is the panacea for all their problems. They do not see a future for themselves here in Sri Lanka. The future is indeed bleak, unless of course they and the larger society and polity pull themselves up by the bootstraps and do something to fill the vacuum with something meaningful, inspiring and satisfying. Dreaming about going abroad does not take the youth very far, as not all can make it. Frustration piles up.
The high use of liquor is the result of the vacuum in the lives of the youth. The drinking habit is creeping into the schools of Jaffna. And with money from the Tamil Diaspora, the liquor that is consumed is of the expensive kind like beer and whiskey. With so many hotels, restaurants and bars coming up after the war, meeting for drinks is common now. Even drugs are being used increasingly,” added Professor Somasundaram.
Youth who have nothing to do, hang around in groups on streets and indulge in eve teasing, he said. There is conspicuous consumption, with youth zooming around in brand new motorbikes or flaunting the latest mobile phones, added Somasundaram claiming that there is an urge to be publicly noticed and admired, but this urge is satisfied not by constructive activity but by showing off through conspicuous consumption and even gang violence.
Create opportunities
“What can be done to fill the vacuum and prevent young men from straying? We need to create opportunities by running training programmes in various trades and entrepreneurship. There is already an incipient movement to create awareness of opportunities for the younger generation. We have got local newspapers to write an article every Sunday on an opportunity or an avenue, the youth can explore or exploit. This is then followed by an interview with an expert. Finally, the issue is open to the readers for comments. This three-stage approach has led to awareness about many issues and what youth can do to address an issue or make use of an opportunity. Trades, professions, educational openings and social activism are some of the avenues which are placed before the youth for follow up action.
There is a lack of economic opportunities in the North. Agriculture and fishing are no longer considered to be profitable. So, youth from farmers’ and fishers’ families do not want to farm or fish. They want white collar jobs. Therefore, it is important to make agriculture and fisheries profitable. This is basically the job of the State,” said the Jaffna University professor.
Vest youth with responsibility
However just criticising the youth will not take society very far. The youth will have to be entrusted with responsibility because responsibility not only gives them something to do, but it also gives them status and a sense of self worth.
With responsibility and some work they become role models for their peers. According to Professor Somasundaram, in his experience, youth who have been given responsibility, have done well and have inspired others.
Use Ex-militants
Another allegation by the youth is that post-war Sri Lanka has failed to use the ex-militants.
Having been in a disciplined and motivated organisation, the ex-militants would have inbuilt dedication to a given cause and acquired leadership qualities. These could be exploited for peace time roles needing dedication and leadership.
In the government rehabilitation camps, the ex-militants had been taught some trades, but there had been no follow up after their release.
They have to be given the tools and finances to pursue the trades they had been taught.
But the ex-militants have been left high and dry. Ex-LTTE women cadre are more affected by such neglect than the men. Therefore before pointing fingers at the youth and blaming them for the current situation, those in power need to look at ways of diverting their skills and knowledge into more productive schemes before it is too late.
