Sri Lanka's dawn

| Friday June 18, 2010 00:00

Since this High Commission has diplomatic responsibility towards the Republic of Botswana, it is considered necessary to comment on this, not so much to disabuse the minds of the NY duo, for their anti-Sri Lankan mindset is quite obvious from their writing, but to place the factual position before the unsuspecting readers of the newspaper, for whom Sri Lanka may only be a distant dot on the Indian Ocean.

It is observed that the article has three distinct trails. First, it quite accurately refers to the ruthless campaign of the so-called Tamil Tigers (LTTE) in which they killed not only government officials, but often Tamil leaders willing to explore compromise solutions with the government, as well as civilians from all ethnic groups.

Their defeat is hailed as a 'positive development'. In fact, this admission itself is a positive development on the part of the erstwhile backers of the LTTE, who have seen the light only after the leadership of the LTTE was annihilated and their local infrastructure ? by the brave soldiers of Sri Lanka, under the present political leadership of the country, after those before them failed to bring about a peaceful solution to the decades old conflict, due to the intransigency of the LTTE.

Second, the article goes into a harangue of the Sri Lankan leadership in general and its popularly elected President in particular, which is nothing but retailing of the disinformation long distilled by the LTTE, its international backers and part of the so called Tamil diaspora. In the process, the NY duo mix up rule of law with problems of implementing two amendments to the Sri Lanka Constitution - 13 and 17.

As for the first, the maintenance of R of L is in the hands of the 'decent courts' to which the article itself refers. Incidentally, the trial by Military Court of former General Fonseka, is part of the legal tradition of the country, which is based on the systems of our erstwhile rulers - the British.

Further, if one is dissatisfied with the ultimate findings of these courts, recourse is assured to the superior (appeal) civil courts of the country. With regard to the 13 Amendment to the Constitution, it has been implemented from 1987, with the establishment of Provincial Councils under its provisions and the problems thrown up in implementation will be addressed in the next round of constitutional changes.

It is agreed by all that the 17 Amendment was a hurried piece of legislation, defying implementation and needs complete overhaul. This, too, is being taken in hand.

The 250,000 Tamil civilians (how easily the numbers are changed) referred to as been kept in virtual 'internment camps' are those who were kept as a civilian shield by the LTTE, during its last stages and rescued and taken care of by the Sri Lanka government, with the assistance of international aid agencies and friendly foreign governments.

Their resettlement needs reconstruction of infrastructure and more difficult, removing the mines placed by the LTTE.

Both are being attended to and the numbers have now been reduced to less than 50,000.

Those who have seen this work, including the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of the Republic of South Africa, have vouched for this fact NY duo is welcome to go and see this for themselves, instead of syndicating blasphemous material.

Third, article also gives some gratuitous advice to the president of Sri Lanka as to how the country could be made a truly multi-ethnic society and an inclusive and democratic polity.

Well, the truth is that Sri Lanka had always been a multi-ethnic society, where not only the 12 percent indigenous Tamils have been living for generations, but also 74percent Sinhala and the balance Tamils of Indian origin and Muslims.

They have enjoyed universal franchise even before independence, from 1931, and their representatives have sat (and are sitting) in Parliament and serve the country as members of the Cabinet of Ministers. 

As for reconciliation, it is not as daunting a trust as in South Africa, mentioned in the article, because in Sri Lanka, there was never any segregation - all communities participating in all political, social and religious activities, without any exhibition?

All that has to be reconciled is the cleavages made by the separatist project of the LTTE and a commission for 'Lessons learnt and Reconciliation' is already in place. 

That will do the 'hearing' that the article is urging and address the grievances, which have arisen mainly from measures taken to deal with the 'ruthless campaign' of the LTTE.

Last but not least, the constitutional changes necessary to underpin the post conflict policy of Sri Lanka are also in the making. Of course, it will not be just Tamil-? 

As the erstwhile backers of LTTE and the so-called Tamil diaspora, active in the informational for a at present, want to be. The parameters of such changes have already been set by the President of Sri Lanka and included in the Joint Declaration signed by him with the Prime Minister of India on 9 June 2010, which reads as follows:

Quote - '... the President of Sri Lanka reiterated his determination to evolve a political settlement acceptable to all communities to create the necessary conditions in which all people of Sri Lanka could lead their lives in an atmosphere of peace, justice, and dignity, consistent with democracy, pluralism, equal opportunity and respect for human rights' - Un-quote.

Note the words - all communities and all the people'!D. WijesinghoSOUTH AFRICA (PRETORIA)