For the sake of humanity

By Chandi Sinnathurai

(June 07, Chennai, Sri Lanka Guardian) Fear, distrust, witch hunt and the culture of impunity must cease in order for the process of peace-building to take root in the hearts and minds of the peoples in Sri Lanka. President Rajapaksha attempting to address the Tamils in their own tongue is a good start. If my memory serves me right, he might be the first President to do so. Premadasa was fluent in his Tamil but he did not give any public address. JR Jayawardene understood Tamil than he spoke. It is amazing, in such a small island, the majority Sinhalas never felt the need to learn spoken-Tamil. When I watched Rajapaksha speaking Tamil on YouTube, I was reminded of my good old 'Sinhala master'. Gone are those days...the gap of communication created a big gulf between communities.

The demonisation/dehumanisation of each other must cease. Respect for each other's culture and rights must be developed. Honouring each other's humanity is essential.

I am inspired and deeply moved by the work of the Divan Orchestra among the Arabs and the Israelis[external link] . The intellectual impetus of Edward Said and the musical genius of Daniel Barrenboim implanted this marvellous idea of bringing together young musicians among Arabs (Particularly Palestinians) and Jews (Israelis). Their musical interaction created a new landscape/mindscape; a fresh understanding of each other. They began to view each other from a different angle - not in little ghettos as "Arab" and "Israeli" but in exploring the common ground of humanity. It in this hospitable creative space (Some called it a human laboratory) new vistas and paradigms opens up leaving aside the cut and thrust of politics, but exploring the flesh and blood of the brotherhood/sisterhood of humanity.

Music gave these young minds the wings...That is truly a profound spiritual experience.

In May 2004 Barrenboim was awarded Wolf Prize [external link]. In his acceptance speech at the Israeli Knesset he expressed his opinion as follows:

"I am asking today with deep sorrow: Can we, despite all our achievements, ignore the intolerable gap between what the Declaration of Independence promised and what was fulfilled, the gap between the idea and the realities of Israel? Does the condition of occupation and domination over another people fit the Declaration of Independence? Is there any sense in the independence of one at the expense of the fundamental rights of the other? Can the Jewish people whose history is a record of continued suffering and relentless persecution, allow themselves to be indifferent to the rights and suffering of a neighboring people? Can the State of Israel allow itself an unrealistic dream of an ideological end to the conflict instead of pursuing a pragmatic, humanitarian one based on social justice?"

None of this initiative hindered the rights of each other. On the contrary it gave them a greater mutual understanding above all propaganda. Barrenboim - a Jew, courageously gave whole-hearted support for the two-state solution. This did not go down well among the Israelis. Some took this as an attack on the State of Israel. But Barrenboim stood his ground. The late Said - a Palestinian, true to his spirit and intellectual integrity was a supporter of breaking down ideological barriers and artificial walls that divide humanity. The following quote encapsulates the essence of Said's thought:

"I have spent a great deal of my life during the past 35 years advocating the rights of the Palestinian people to national self-determination, but I have always tried to do that with full attention paid to the reality of the Jewish people and what they suffered by way of persecution and genocide. The paramount thing is that the struggle for equality in Palestine/Israel should be directed toward a humane goal, that is, co-existence, and not further suppression and denial.”

Rajapaksha is a war president. The real test is to see how he conducts himself as a peace-builder. Will he genuinely honour the rights of the Tamils or will he simply follow the duplicitous route of all the previous Sinhala leaders?

How humanely will the President treat the many thousands of Tamil civilians who are languishing in tents and internment camps?

Only time will tell...

-Sri Lanka Guardian