| by Robinhood
(May 21, 2012, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) It is been three years since the end of the war there are no visible post war reconciliation has been manifested in the war affected areas in the north of Sri Lanka. Post war reconstruction, rehabilitation, reconciliation and reintegration are different components which have to be exercised in parallel identifying the needs of the affected people at large. The government is in the view that after the end of the war it is nothing but economic development and did not pursue or show any interest to pacify, reconcile the minds of the war affected and reintegration of the Tamil and Sinhalese community together.
This process has to be initiated from the Rajapakse administration, if it has the commitment, a true political will to find a lasting solution for the thirty year old war
Still the people in the Vanni who witnessed the horrible atrocious of the war have not recovered from post war traumatic conditions. Such victims should be treated for post war traumatic disease to uplift their minds to return to normal. Prisoners of war who are under rehabilitation, ex combatants who are convicted for jail terms should be released and allow them to rejoin with their families. This would help the victims to recover from mental agony and return normalcy. Without bringing the victims back to normalcy it is difficult to reintegrate them and bring communal harmony between the two ethnicities.
There are several government development projects undergoing in the North. According to the residents no people (war affected) of the area were taken as employees for those projects. It will be difficult to uplift the lives of these people if the Government don’t include them and provide opportunities for livelihood.
When resettling the people in Vanni, the government should give priority to resettle the people in the same area where they were before. They should allow the residents to engage in their traditional livelihood they did before the war. De-mining should be expedited fast and done in parallel with other INGO organizations. Government should provide or seek the help of ngo’s to provide machineries needed to start livelihood. They should remove army camps built within resident areas and remove checkpoints blocking people’s movements and allow people to mobilize freely thus not watching people’s movement.
Almost everybody in the Vanni was affected by the war. Women who lost their husband are deprived of their basic needs and women’s lost their big children has a great insecurity of their future. Those women’s suffer from emotional shocks should be subject to counseling and treated for post war traumas and know their needs and desires about their future, if not those women are not healthy to raise their children unless they are treated for this.
The government should demilitarize the entire north to build the trust of the Tamil people in the Vanni and the Tamils living outside Sri Lanka. This will help the large moderate Tamil people to have trust with the government. The government should allow the freedom of expression and right to engage in social activities. The Government should remove ex military officers from the public service in the North. This will allow the public to build trust and gain confidence and engage in dialogues. The government should appoint a Tamil G.A’s (government agents) from the same area who knows the residents. The government should unarm pro government political activist, paramilitary forces enabling an atmosphere creating a risk free civilian movement. The government should create a conducive environment for the people to move forward with trust. Without achieving the trust, both the GOSL and the people in the North has to permanently live with a doubt which will not benefit either parties in the long run to achieve peace.
This process has to be initiated from the Rajapakse administration, if it has the commitment, a true political will to find a lasting solution for the thirty year old war
If not the government has to always undergo criticism where as a result it will treat the Vanni people as second class citizens. Further the trust has to be confirmed by giving a permanent political solution to the ethnic conflict through the 13th plus amendment as suggested by President Rajapakse. It is not difficult for the Rajapakse administration to achieve this but it all depends how the Rajapakse administration sustain its governance in power amidst all these.
The coalition members who are pro government and who survives under the majority Sinhalese vote bank are not in favor of giving a political solution to the ethnic minority and to implement the 13th amendment to the minority Tamils and the 17th amendment to the general population. They consider the country is owned by the majority Sinhala Buddhist where as other religious/ethnic communities are guests who cannot claim for rights but can live under their protection. President Rajapaksa has to free himself from these pro national coalition members who oppose for the political solution and 13th amendment. The failure to enforce the 17th amendment has a greater effect to the social stability of country and the failure to enforce the presidential commission on committee on public enterprise (COPE) has a greater affect to the economy of Sri Lanka which has already led the Rajapakse administration to lose its popularity. Failure to implement the 17th amendment will have a weaker public service which will confirm and continue further corruption.
The Rajapakse administration is aware that if it enforces the COPE commission the administration will be collapsed as most of the ministers in the Rajapakse administration are charged with corruption. Owing the fact the government will collapse the Rajapakse administration will never implement the COPE which has given immunity to most of the ministers to engage in corruption and continue their support to the Rajapase. This conforms a mutual understanding between the Rajapakse and the ministers where both partners are mutually benefited in terms of monetary etc etc.,
There is a widespread view that the Rajapakse Administration is purposely abstaining to implement the 13th amendment and the political solution in order to sustain its popularity within the Buddhist masses to be in power. It appears to keep the government in power Rajapakse administration will never implement the above factors which are detrimental to their existence.
Now it has come to a situation where the government ministers, secretaries, political appointees are engaged in mass scale corruption which the government has no capacity, choice or ability to stop. Though the government has the majority in the parliament there is a certain uncertainty prevailing in the Rajapakse administration. Due to this the ministers, secretaries, political appointees are engaged in making quick short money in sordid deals before the collapse of the Rajapakse administration.
When we read the above it is clear that the partners above are joined in a system where one partner cannot leave the other losing benefits. Each partner is engaged in more corruption everyday where the central power is incapable to stop. This confirms the central power is also part and parcel of corruption. The action of the executive is appearing to be always in the aim of safeguarding its power neglecting the wellbeing of the people. The executive and its surrounded arms are politicized and corrupt where the activities of the Rajapakse asministration do not show any integrity of its governance.
The question remains will Rajapakse administration implement the above destitute factors and lose its administration or gain its popularity among the majority Sinhalese by not implementing it.
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