Deception or Naivete?

Tamil Tiger representatives have told Paul Martin, the Prime Minister of Canada, that the (humanitarian) aid that they have received from Canada to Sri Lanka is being used well. "The prime minister praised their work, saying Canadian aid is going exactly where it's needed." How a visiting tourist like Martin would know where the aid is exactly needed in order to make that call is not reported.

In light of the recent and ongoing debate in Canada about monies alleged for humanitarian purposes being funneled out of this country for Tamil Tiger fighters, that can only mean that the PM is sure that they are not buying weapons with the aid. He has also been assured that children are not being forced into the guerrillas ranks, in spite of many reports to the contrary.

How is Martin sure? Well, because they have told him so! Now, the credibility of some of those the prime minister has met, and from whom he has received answers, raises some serious questions about the PM's judgment, and about the actual usefulness of the visit. As the CBC has said:

Two of the MPs Martin met with have been denied visas to Canada on the suspicion they were intending to raise money for the Tigers.

Martin has sold this part of his trip as a fulfillment of a promise he made to Canadians to verify that the aid was being delivered properly. Which raises other questions: How exactly is the prime minister going to determine that this is the case? What else would the PM expect them to say but that the aid is being distributed, that no child soldiers are being recruited among the orphans, and that no weapons or explosives are being bought with the money? Would they really tell him, if they were doing all of these other things?

One should not be surprised that the Tiger representatives have said what they said. Either because they truly are not terrorist, or precisely because they are. They could not say anything else, no matter what. What is baffling is that the PM would uncritically come out and repeat it for all to hear, however.

Ronald Reagan once reminded Gorbatchev about the "old Russian saying: trust, but verify." Paul Martin is doing a great deal of trusting and not nearly enough verifying. It shows emptiness for the promise he made and about his intent to fulfill it; it shows a rather naive lack of judgment or a desire to deceive.