Archives

A constructive path to peace

Tripartite talks for the second time in two weeks between the principal parties to the Lankan peace process is convincing proof that the conflict-resolution effort is firmly on track. "Talks on talks" which Minister Milinda Moragoda along with Ambassador Bernard Gunatilake were scheduled to hold with LTTE spokesman Anton Balasingham in Oslo yesterday with key Norwegian officials in attendance, are bound to quicken the tempo of the peace process and raise hopes of concrete efforts being made to launch comprehensive negotiations.

These developments which are most welcome constitute the effective rebuttal of claims in some quarters that the peace process is running out of steam. Although, time-frames needn't be transformed into an obsessive concern, it is, nevertheless, correct to take up the position that the peace effort should register verifiable, concrete progress if it is to command any credibility among the public. However, speed in this context, cannot be achieved at the cost of a secure foundation for the peace talks and we are now witnessing the laying of this foundation.

As Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe observed some time back, popular peace hopes are soaring well beyond those of the Government, the LTTE and other political forces. This accounts for the perception in some quarters that the peace effort is moving at a sluggish pace. However, it should be remembered that haste in these matters invariably produces waste. It is more advisable to carefully plan and carry out each step in the peace effort, rather than look to dramatic results which would unravel on encountering the smallest obstacle. This lesson is offered by past, failed attempts at bringing peace. Let us not go the way of failed experiments in peace but seek to build on firm foundations, shunning in the process, the popular penchant for the grand gesture which grounded the peace efforts of the past.

There is a section of the local media which today has almost made it a sacred duty to relentlessly highlight the perceived short-comings of the peace process, which, even the naive among the public, never expected to unfold without a hitch. It wouldn't prove worthwhile to pinpoint the folly of these detractors in detail, but they need to recall the lessons of history. A country which wilfully ignores these lessons is liable to repeat them. Suffice it to mention, that a refusal to make peace in the past has only earned for this country, horrendous bloodshed and misery. Is this the fate these pen-pushing, arm-chair critics desire for Sri Lanka ?

In fact, the official, political opposition shows- at least in its public pronouncements - a greater awareness of these issues than these blinkered sections of the media. The PA, for instance, says it is supportive of the peace process although it too raises issues which go down better with the critics of the peace effort. Such ambivalence could be more damaging to the peace process than do it any good. If the peace process is to be nourished and perpetuated, the long term interests of the country should be considered more precious by the opposition than short-term political gain. Both principal parties of the South need to remember that peace could only be brought about through a collaborative effort on their part. For, without a Southern consensus, a political solution to the conflict would not be possible. Peace cannot also be postponed any longer because the majority of the people are yearning for it.

Amid these confusing developments among opposition political forces, the JVP is reportedly making the preposterous demand that the Government immediately discloses its solution to the conflict. The Government, of course, doesn't possess a magic peace formula. This has to be negotiated with the LTTE and it is for this purpose that talks have to take place.

The JVP needs to realise that the political aspirations of the Tamil people have to be met within a geographically intact Sri Lanka if the seeds of peace are to be sown. This cannot be achieved by one party to the conflict. The solution has to be found at the negotiating table. Nor can peace be forced down the throats of one party to the conflict.

This is the reason why peace talks must be given a chance. The best that the politically bankrupt could do in these circumstances is to be quiet.

News | Business | Features | Editorial | Security
Politics | World | Letters | Sports | Obituaries |

Produced by Lake House
Copyright 2001 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.
Comments and suggestions to :Web Manager