The need for a tsunami aid scorecard
The recent revelations about the Tsunami finances by the Auditor General are astonishing. The continuing tragedy of the people in spite of the massive international assistance that was committed is indeed appalling. A historic opportunity that opened up through the tragedy has been wiped away.

Once again governments have proved themselves to be incompetent, corrupt and unable to place the interest of the people ahead of their own political machinations and political manoeuvres for power and wealth seeking. The nation has suffered a double blow, the tsunami and the inability to restore the damage swiftly. Once again the country has missed an opportunity to boost development while restoring the lives of those affected by the disaster.

Even at the very beginning there was doubt that the aid received could be effectively utilised. Such scepticism was based on past experience of low aid utilisation, the enormity of the task and the inevitable corruption when large amounts of money are involved.

Statements by the President that not a cent has been received added further misgiving on whether pledges of aid meant much in terms of actual commitments and release of funds in time.

The latest revelations of the Auditor General are, of course, horrendous.
What is clearly needed is far more transparency in the actual amounts pledged, how much has been committed, how much utilised and what they have been utilised for and the ground level accomplishment. All these stages are important, as it appears some donors pledge large amounts that are not finally committed.

Even after commitment, there appears to be quite a lapse of time in some cases for the funds to be released. Often these funds appear to be released so late that they could hardly help in a disaster that requires quick action. Then the local problems arise. First the plans on the ground and their execution are tardy — so tardy that nothing much appears to be done. It is at this stage that the corruption too sets in.

There has been some excellent work by NGOs. This must be admitted. On the other hand, some prestigious NGOs have hardly done anything substantial as most of the funds have been used by consultants and in expenditures that don't alleviate the conditions of the people. There have also been many instances where funds have been freely given to those who were in fact unaffected by the tsunami.

What is needed even at this stage is a clear indication of how much funds were released, how they were used and what was actually achieved. A Tsunami Aid Scorecard should be kept and updated regularly and the information released monthly through the press. Such a release of information would also be useful in the public's assessment of what has been going on and for the public to comment on whether the ground reality tallies with the facts and figures in the scorecard.

If such a device had been used from the beginning, there would have been a lesser disparity between the amounts pledged and committed. The release of funds may have been faster and above all the use of funds and their effective utilisation better. It may have reduced the possibility for corruption.

It is still not late to start such a scorecard. It will partly serve as a post-mortem but may sometimes help in what is yet to come and future aid utilisation. Here is an area where many dimensions of accountability are involved and transparency is an essential element of that accountability.

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