Road Map to national unity and reconciliation in Sri Lanka

By: Dr.Rajasingham Narendran

"He abused me, he struck me, he overpowered me, he robbed me. Those who harbour such thoughts do not still their hatred."

"Those who imagine evil where there is none, and do not see evil where it is- upholding false views, they go to states of woe."
- (The Dhammapada)

(May 27, London, Sri Lanka Guardian) The opportunity to re-orient Sri Lanka as a modern state, where every citizen has the same status and has equal rights and opportunities, has become possible with the end of the three decade old and brutal civil war. The war ended as brutally as both parties to the conflict had fought it. Although a major blight has been lift off the face of Sri Lanka, it has left in its wake almost 300,000 Tamils 'Internally Displaced'- euphemism for the most miserable and forlorn people on earth now. Misery of these innocent Tamils should touch the hearts and minds of every Sri Lankan, while evoking a sense of mass shame and guilt. Every Sri Lankan, dead or alive; Sinhalese, Tamil, Muslim, Malay and Burgher; politician and voter; rich and poor; academic and scribe; men and women; teachers and priests; farmers and workers; lawyers and judges; elite and proletariat, should bear responsibility for the series of events that unfolded since independence to culminate in the current human tragedy. None of us reacted, as we should have in the face of the unfolding and escalating evil. We are all guilty of complicity either by our silence or by our support!

While the Sinhala population is celebrating the hard-fought victory of the armed forces, the Tamil population is sullen and fearful. It is incumbent on the Sri Lankan government and the Sinhala people to allay Tamil fears and assure through their conduct and actions the Tamils too have very good reasons to be at least relieved, if not jubilant.

President Mahinda Rajapakse has rightly said in his recent speech (19/05/09) declaring victory in parliament,

"Protecting the Tamil speaking people of this country is my responsibility. That is my duty. All the people of this country should live in safety without fear and suspicion. All should live with equal rights. That is my aim. Let us all get together and build up this nation."

'It is necessary that we give these people the freedoms that are the right of people in all parts of our country. Similarly, it is necessary that political solutions they need should be brought closer to them faster than in any country or government in the world would bring."

The recently concluded war has affected their kind and their kin, to an extent, that was not foreseen by most Tamils. Their self -proclaimed messiah's have led them to hell. Tamils are also yet haunted by memories of the past, long before Tamil militancy loomed large on the Sri Lankan horizon and engulfed her. The Tamils are at their most vulnerable at present both psychologically, physically and socio-economically. They are a proud people who have been brought to their knees by forces beyond their control and for reasons they are not responsible. They are also victims of three decade long brain washing and, insidious and pernicious propaganda.

Sinhala celebrations should not turn jingoistic nor tolerate incidents that reinforce Tamil fears and fuel Tamil resentment. The suspicions of the Tamils vis-à-vis the hidden intentions of the government and sections of the Sinhala polity should be laid to rest by actions of the government starting now. Every word and action of the government and the Sinhala polity will be examined through the microscope by the aggrieved, sullen, fearful and suspicious Tamil polity. There are elements within the Tamil polity and within the Tamil Diaspora who will use these circumstances to invent and exaggerate incidents to fuel Tamil fears and suspicions. Tamils are now the most vulnerable to such dastardliness. Tamils are a people without leaders, but with many human-vultures circling above for a bite. They are a people who fear to hope.

Winning the war is going to prove relatively easy, compared to the efforts needed to win the hearts and minds of the Tamil population for the government of Sri Lanka. The coming months are bound to be the most critical, in the face of the enormity of the tragedy that has engulfed the Tamils and the nation. The government must not only act with bona-fide intentions but also appear to do so. Like Caesar's wife, the government must be above suspicion. The security of the Tamils should be foremost in the eyes of the government. There should be haste, determination and tangible outcomes in resolving the new problems that confront Tamils and those that have persisted since independence.

The following is a an outline of a road map to national unity and reconciliation in Sri Lanka, with a time frame, I think is necessary from both the Tamil and national perspectives:

A. IMMEDIATE OR SHORT TERM (6-12 MONTHS)

1. Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).
a. A database for all IDPs should be established with as much details as
possible with regard to individuals, their families and original areas of
habitation.
b. IDP camps should be brought under civilian administration as soon as
possible.
c. Reduce over-crowding in camps
d. Improve conditions – Nutrition, Health, Sanitation, and Children & Youth-
education and vocational training. Pre-schools for the war-traumatized children are very essentials
e. Surgical, medical and psychiatric care, and rehabilitation
programs for the war maimed.
f. Re-unifying separated family units.
g. Gainful employment for those fit and idling in the IDP camps.
h. Reduce gradually the military presence and increase police presence and
patrolling.
i. Permit visitor interactions – family and friends- in specially designated areas
in camps.
j. Permit those who want to leave camps to live with relatives or friends to do so,
after personal undertakings and the necessary security checks.
k. Prevent access of Tamil ex-militant groups to IDP camps.

2. Reconstruction and resettlement of IDPs.

a. De-mining of war affected areas in a planned manner, starting with areas
previously with large populations, first.
b. Re-building /repair of destroyed and damaged housing units.
c. Re-establishment of infra-structure and public services-
electricity, water supply; schools; primary , secondary and tertiary health facilities; repair of roads; restoring public transport; and facilitation of trading activities .
d. Open the A-9 highway to Jaffna for public use and movement of goods.
e. Security and safety- Police services of the highest standards be restored
and overt military presence minimized.

3. Re-settlement of IDPs in their original towns and villages.
4. Assistance to re-settled families in need for at least one year.
5. Rehabilitation of LTTE cadres in government custody.

a. Humane treatment and sympathy
b. Psychological therapy
c. Programs to re-integrate into society
d. Vocational training
e. Gainful employment
f. Re-unification with their families and social integration.

6. Program for surrender of LTTE cadres yet in hiding or mingling with general
population-

a. Amnesty be announced
b. Humane treatment of those surrendering.
c. Torture and forced confessions to be banned.
d. Rehabilitation
e. Vocational training
f. Gainful employment
f. Re-unification with their families and social integration.

7. Permit fishing and agricultural activities in restricted zones.

8. Interim Provincial Council with nominated membership and an appointed Management Council.

a. Should enjoy the full powers granted to the Provincial Councils under the 13th
amendment to the constitution.

b. Should consist of able administrators, technocrats and emerging community
leaders.
c. The ex-militant Tamil groups, who yet have armed cadres, should not be accommodated in the ‘Interim Councils’, until they are disarmed.

The inclusion of individuals from groups with armed cadres will reinforce suspicions of most Tamils that a ‘Vichy –France-like' situation is being imposed. The elections in the east and the aftermath have been an unhealthy precedent. The sensitivities of a large number Tamils, who saw hope in the LTTE and see a void without it, should be respected, if our national wounds are to be healed.

The debt of gratitude the government and the anti-LTTE Tamils may owe to these groups should not be paid at the expense of the disaffected Tamil population.

These group should preferably contest free and fair elections once 'Normalcy' returns and be endorsed by the people free from fear and intimidation.

d. The ‘Interim Council system’ to function for three years, until conditions
in terms of security, population and socio-economic conditions return to
normalcy.

e. The National Government should provide the resources, funding and advisory
services for the ‘Interim Councils’ to carry out tasks effectively and efficiently.

f. The National Government to work through the ‘Interim Councils’ in the
re-settlement, rehabilitation and re-building activities.

9. Armed groups:

All groups, other than the police and armed forces, bearing arms for what ever reason, should be disarmed immediately. Armed cadres of these groups should be
absorbed into the armed forces after suitable training.

10. All Colonization schemes and changes to demographic patterns:
The government should assure the Tamils and Muslims, changes to pre-war demographic patterns through devices such as colonization schemes will not be made. Clear, nationally accepted policies should be formulated with reference to land use and colonization schemes in the north and east.

11. Funding mechanisms:
Funding mechanisms constituted as joint ventures between
the government and Diaspora groups should be set up at the earliest to involve the
Diaspora in IDP care, re-settlement, rehabilitation, re-building and development activities.

12. Encourage organized groups from the rest of Sri Lanka (the so-called South)
to participate in IDP care, re-settlement, rehabilitation and re-building
programs.

13. Establish programs to permit physical/direct participation of the Diaspora in
IDP care, re-settlement, rehabilitation and re-building activities.


14. Invite and facilitate private investments in agriculture, fisheries, education,
health care, industry and infrastructure development.

15. Provide employment opportunities for the war-affected in rebuilding and
development activities.

B. MEDIUM TERM (12-36 months)

1. Conclude the APRC process to achieve a Southern consensus and in consultation with the Tamil and Muslim polities the necessary constitutional changes should be made to,

a. Ensure equal citizenship and equal opportunities to minorities in all aspects of life
b. Greater devolution of power to ensure communities and provinces can manage their affairs to the greatest possible extent
c. Permit greater participation of the minorities at the level of the National
Government.
d. Implement constitutional provisions relating to the Tamil language to the fullest extent, as soon as possible.

2. Legislate to make words or deeds detrimental to the sensitivities and welfare
of any community in Sri Lanka, a hate crime, severely punishable in law.

3. Re-settle the Muslims displaced from the Northern province and the Tamils and Muslims displaced from certain areas in the eastern province.

4. Progressively reduce the military presence among civil society, while increasing the police presence.
5. Reduce the extent and number of high security zones around military camps.
6. Restore property confiscated by the LTTE and the armed forces to their original owners.
7. Restore lands fraudulently possessed by those affiliated with the LTTE to their original owners.
8. Reinforce the principles of rule-of –law and due process in national life, to win the confidence of the disaffected, including the minorities.
9. National reconciliation and integration:

Organize activities and programs to bring about greater interaction between the different communities in Sri Lanka and educate the people at large about the need for reconciliation, mutual respect and mutual accommodation.

10. Recruitment into National Government services to be merit-based and
dependent on tri-lingual capability.

11. Plan to make the tragedy that has destroyed much of the north and east, an
opportunity to re- build with the needs of the 21st century and beyond in mind.

C. LONG TERM (3 years plus)

1. Elections to the Provincial Councils in the north and east to be held.
2. Military presence in the north and east to be the absolute minimum
necessary to prevent the re-emergence of militancy and terrorism.
3. Tamil and Muslim youth be recruited into the armed and police services in larger numbers (at least in proportions to their populations).
4. Establish national super highways to permit rapid and comfortable travel between various points in the south to the north and east.
5. Enforce trilingual education at the elementary and secondary levels of education in every part of the island.
6. Automatic dual citizenship be granted to all Sri Lankans and their descendents who have obtained foreign citizenship.
7. Create conditions for the Diaspora to return and/ or invest in Sri
Lanka.

All the people in Sri Lanka should join hands with their government to build a new Sri Lanka, where the past if not forgotten is at least forgiven. The larger goals- national unity and the welfare of all people- should be borne in mind, in the face of problems and misunderstanding that are bound to arise over the coming years. The needs of the war-affected Tamils should be national priority and the efforts in this direction should be as focused as the war effort.

It is easy to find fault and destroy. It is easy to be angry and blind to consequences. It is much more difficult to be rational and objective in the face of provocations and propaganda. However, it is a crime to remain silent in the face of evil. It is a greater crime to consort with evil. Only true democracy can resolve these dilemmas. Democracy in Sri Lanka has to be genuine in every sense of the word if national unity and reconciliation are to be achieved. “Vox Populi, Vox Dei”- the voice of the people is the voice of God. If the voice of the larger population in our country is given an opportunity to be heard, justice and decency will assert themselves. We treat our people like village idiots, assuming they do not know, what is right. This has to come to an end. The system should tolerate criticism, debate, dissent and protest, within boundaries of law, and have mechanisms in place for the underlying messages to be heard and responded.

A swallow does not make a spring. Similarly, a few thugs, a few extremists and some eccentrics do not make our nation. They should not be permitted ever again to hold our nation to ransom! They are also not the voice of our people. We need to be patient and dogged to re-build our nation to become the beacon to the world. We need to be wise to pursue this lofty vision. We should evolve and support leaders who can take us towards this laudable goal. We can do it! We have to do it!

(The author was member of the Diaspora Group of 21 that visited Sri Lanka in late March ‘2009, at the invitation of the government. Inputs of a few other members of this group have been included in this document)

-Sri Lanka Guardian