Meher Baba
Meher Baba Speaks
| Sri Lanka Needs A Dose Of Politics Of Conciliation |
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| Written by Administrator |
| Thursday, 01 October 2009 16:22 |
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By M Rama Rao Mahabharata, the great epic story of war between Pandavas and Kauravas, says one should listen to advice from whatever quarter it may come. Going by this maxim, the Northern Sri Lanka should not brush aside the observations of Douglas Devananda, the EPDP leader, that the need of the hour in Sri Lanka is politics of conciliation. Douglas may not be eminently qualified to render such an advice since fellow Northerners see him as a survivor with a streak of unadulterated luck. Whatever be the subjective considerations about him as a person, there is no denying that he has read the political pulse correctly with his call for conciliatory politics. He made the call in the context of Northern politics, which is his chosen theatre. South too stands to gain if it gives a go-by to argumentative politicians.Sri Lanka is facing a very complex situation. Politically, economically, even ethnically. The end of Wanni War has thrown up its own set of problems. For instance, nobody knows clearly as to how many LTTE armed cadres and agents are hiding amid ordinary refugees. And the refugees are a staggering 280,000 persons. LTTE was defeated militarily. Not the ideology it had come to represent. Rump elements are lying low. So are the overseas life-lines. Security paranoia is understandable though it baffles the West, which brands Rajapaksa government as ‘unreasonable’ and ‘ungrateful’. The West is angry because it is unable to have its way with the relief programmes. Nowhere was it so badly marginalized as in Sri Lanka today. And in its considered view, Rajapaksa government is ill-equipped to undertake rehabilitation of its battered economy and provide succor to the internal refugees. British daily, The Guardian, articulated these concerns editorially on Sept 8. ‘The Colombo government wants aid but it also wants to micromanage the way it is deployed and to bully those who have the job of delivering it. It is time that the donor nations and the agencies formed a united front to resist this unreasonable and ungrateful attitude’, the daily said. The White Man suffers from colonial hangover. And believes he is the White Knight in shining armour ever able to bail out the needy Third World countries. The West is unwilling to come to grips with its poor ratings. Raving and ranting are no substitute for credibility particularly in the post-Lehman Brothers phase. The White Man has not covered himself with credibility in the countries which are caught in conflict situations. Yet, he refuses to shed the colonial mind-set. And the belief that the West knows solutions to all problems. The very charge that Colombo wants to micromanage the aid can be made against the West too. Brettonwood twins have learnt their lesson the hard way. Their bail out package meant reciting ‘structural adjustment’ mantra unmindful of the political and human costs. It is only now the World Bank and IMF realized that there can be no uniform solution and each country should be allowed to tailor its own programmes. In fact, the problem with the West is it’s refusal to trust the government in Colombo or any other Third World Country. The repeated calls for permission to visit the IDP camps, for instance, stem from this lack of trust and also appreciation of ground realities. London, New York-Washington and Toronto-Montreal have been the magnets of post-1947 ‘freedom fighters’ from the sub-continent. From Z. A. Phizo (Naga leader) to Altaf Hussain (MQM leader from Pakistan) and Antony Balasingham it is a long list of ‘honourable’ rebels with a cause. As eminent writer, Raj Gonsalkorale, observes, hardcore separatists have always found the going very smooth in these capitals. There is no denying that adventurist elements still dominate the ethnic Tamil diaspora of Sri Lanka. They appear to have a listening post in the State Department. Whether this window is a part of genuine sympathy or a deliberate State policy of protecting self-interest in this part of the world, which is becoming a theatre of rivalry between emerging super powers and a fading super power, makes an absorbing study by itself. It in no way dilutes the case for unity amongst all stake holders in Sri Lanka particularly Northern Sri Lanka and the diaspora as well. Disunity and games of one-upmanship have done enough harm to the ethnic Tamils. In a sense, the mess they find in is their self-inflicted wound. Now that the threat of AK-47 and suicide squads has receded, they should overcome their inherent fears and put aside their egos to work on a single unified platform. That will gain for them the respect that is their due. The dialogue will automatically move towards what is achievable under the constitution. Just as the Sinhala majority cannot wish away the ethnic minority, the ethnic minority too cannot wish away the majority community. Both have to live together and work for the common good with no historical hangovers. All those brooding over the past will do well to remember that they run the risk of being stranded even marginalized. Like it is happening in India these days to sections of upper castes anchored in their Vedic past. The Sri Lanka government too should endeavour to carry all sections of public opinion at home and abroad. In this age, no country can remain an island, even if it is an island geographically. Post-GATT, the world has become a global village. Success or sorrow in any one part of the world is captured with in seconds by satellites hovering over the horizon. Every nation has a stake in the emerging global grid. Take the Wanni War. Apparently, it was fought with direct help from a couple of countries, which have since reaped the benefits. Nonetheless, credit cannot be denied to several other countries- including the UK, USA, European Union and India. Theirs was not a front-line role. But what they did in their own quiet way had cut the ‘life-line’ to the LTTE. The outfit was banned; its sources dried up; they kept a hawkish eye on the sky, and shared ‘intercepts’. Any future historian of Wanni War will certainly give due credit to these friends. So much so, there is case for Colombo to take these friends on board, whatever be its reservations on their critique even if it appears as ‘myopic’. Expulsions or detentions generate bitterness and suspicions of the worst kind. Poverty, tough camp life and logistic nightmares cannot be wished away. When they are a part of every day life, hiding them behind an iron curtain serves no worthwhile purpose. Throwing them open to the preying eyes may instead create the badly needed understanding of the gigantic task a tiny nation is handling with a sense of national spirit and sacrifice. What the Sri Lankans, whether in the South or the North, want is an honourable peace and tranquility. This is possible only when ‘politics of conciliation’ is practiced. When security paranoia evidenced by moves to ramp up the army by 100,000 to 300,000 strong is given up. And when obfuscation over nationalism ends since there can only Sri Lanka nationalism and not Sinhala nationalism or Tamil nationalism. |
| Last Updated on Thursday, 01 October 2009 16:24 |
