Sri Lanka: Calling forth Extremely Difficult Responses in Extremely Difficult Times

If we have anything to do now, it is building an active non-violent people's force to demand accountability from the government. 

by J. M. Joseph Jeyaseelan, CMF

Among the responses I received for my initial write-up on Sri Lanka's Easter day crisis, published also in "Sri Lanka Guardian", most of which were affirmative of what I wrote, a particular email provoked in me some reflections that I am going to share here.

The entire email is not quoted here; but only the question that was raised. It can be paraphrased this way: On April 22nd you wrote that since we do not know the culprits and their motivations, we should not pit one (ethnic/religious) community against another from the guesses we can make and that we should refrain from taking the laws of the country into our hands. By now we have information about where the culprits come from and what their motivation was. What do you say now? Do you still have the same stand?

A good question! Logical in its essence. And I understand the background and the cynicism of the question. In short, I still share the same position that I took on the 22nd. As I was writing the piece that I sent out on the 22nd evening, I was feeling deeply along with the Christian community that I am part of about the drama and the trauma of the Easter Sunday morning. I knew quite certainly that the target of the attacks was the Christian community as no temple, mosque or kovil was attacked in any part of the country around the same time the churches were being bombed. And there were hints already that a radicalized group linked to the Muslim community was the perpetrators. But at that point it was not fully confirmed as it is today.

Why do I have the same perspective still after credible evidence has emerged about the perpetrators and their irrational goals? We are a country that has experienced "peace" as a result of a vigorous and violent military campaign. What we experienced is a kind of volatile or negative peace. Real peace is still a dream that we are chasing after. Even that negative peace has been severely disturbed by the events of the Resurrection Day (of the Christians). In this background if we take the laws of the country into our hands because we think we know whom to deal with and how exactly to do it, we are going to destroy our country further. The only people who will profit from that possible retaliation and vandalism will be the politicians who are looking for conflicts so that they can thrive on war money. If what has ended is an ethnic war what may be next if we give space for our instincts to run amok is a religious war. And we certainly don't want one of that kind. And as a country we can't afford it. We should not allow our children to see another war (ethnic or religious) in our country.

If we have anything to do now, it is building an active non-violent people's force to demand accountability from the government. It was reported in the media that the Sri Lankan defense establishment was alerted as early as the 9th of April about the carnage that unfolded on the 21st. And possibly because of the internal tussle within the government, it did not act the way it should have to prevent this national crisis from tearing into tatters the fabric of the Sri Lankan polity. Now the buck is being passed and we know what to expect from all these games. The government has to be held responsible for non-action. I am not demeaning or underestimating the efforts that are being taken now to manage the crisis. It's quite sufficient. But that does not absolve the government from what it failed to do to protect its citizens. In any other decent democracy a failure of this magnitude would have forced the government to resign. Or its conscience would have forced it to step down. But not in a country like Sri Lanka. And it is only futile to expect that to happen, because we are a democracy in the Sri Lankan style. So, my contention is this: taking the laws of the country is not the solution. It can never be unless we are ready to pay a huge cost. Holding the government accountable and forcing it to take any action that would end this national crisis as early as possible is what we must look at and work towards as responsible citizens.

For my Christian brethren, my appeal is this: Jesus did not accuse or curse those who were inflicting cruel pain on him. From the cross he only prayed that they may be forgiven for what they were doing. He knew that although the soldiers who were doing violence did represent a particular group or community, they were not representing an all-agreed agenda of a vast people who were members of that community. Jesus cursed neither that small group nor the community they hailed from. As Easter people, this is an important proposition that must guide our responses in the the aftermath of the suffering inflicted upon the body of Christ. Let us be imitators of Christ in these testing and tempting times.

This is a difficult time. It is difficult to contain our emotions as the loss we are suffering is so huge and we don't know where to rest our heads for consolation and to find an answer to why what has happened has happened the way it happened. Where was God? Where was the Risen Christ on that Easter Sunday? Where was the miracle worker St. Anthony when Kochchikade was bombed? Where was the soldier-turned hero of the faith St. Sebastian when Katuwapitiya was bombed? These are questions that have no convincing answers. My position and contention may provoke anger in some people. Some may blame me or curse me as a heretic or an unrealistic pacifist. I understand all that. But we shall all pray that peace may return to our land. "Peace be with you!" was Jesus' message after his Resurrection. Unfortunately as they were hearing these same words gruesome violence was visited upon some Christians. But we should not lose hope that he can grant us peace even in the midst of this faith and national crisis, because he said the peace he gives is not the kind of peace the world gives!