🚨 Sri Lanka's Disaster Response: A Tale of Two Funds 🇱🇰

Sri Lanka faced two major disaster relief efforts, offering a stark contrast in governance and transparency: the "Helping Hambantota" fund in 2004 and the "Rebuilding Sri Lanka Fund" in 2025. • Helping Hambantota (2004): • Established after the devastating tsunami, led by then PM Mahinda Rajapaksa. • Became a national scandal when Rs. 82 Mn intended for relief was allegedly transferred from an official fund to a private "Helping Hambantota" account. • A CID investigation was quashed by then Chief Justice Sarath N. Silva, who later publicly apologized. • This episode deeply eroded public trust in disaster relief management. • Rebuilding Sri Lanka Fund (2025): • Formed in response to catastrophic floods and landslides (Cyclone Ditwah) in November 2025, led by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake (AKD). • Established as a statutory entity under the Presidential Secretariat, managed by highly qualified professionals, not family members. • Emphasizes transparency, with a management committee chaired by the Labour Minister and Finance and Planning Deputy Minister. • Garnered unprecedented local and international support due to perceived integrity and swift, compassionate government action. • A generous relief package was announced within seven days for affected citizens. • Key Difference: The 2025 fund signifies a shift towards integrity, transparency, and collective responsibility, aiming to rebuild trust shattered by past misgovernance.