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Ensuring the "peace dividend"

Our front page colour picture yesterday of a multitude of devotees at the annual festival of the Nallur Sri Skandaswamy Kovil in Jaffna, captured very cogently the spirit of freedom and the exhilarating sense of well-being which has enveloped once war-torn areas of the country. Confirming this conviction that peace is very much a people-centred phenomenon is the lead story of our 'Peace Quest' page, which follows this one, which features the local tourist traffic currently flooding the historically significant and picturesque Eastern sea coast town of Trincomalee. There, communities mix harmoniously, creating a rich, colourful mosaic of people of diverse origins co-existing peacefully and truly appreciating each others presence.

Peace and harmony, then, is the popular wish. It is on this basis that the Government is aiming at building its superstructure of a just, negotiated peace. A decisive move was made in this direction a couple of days back when the Government lifted the ban on the LTTE, enabling the latter to join the peace negotiations in Thailand with a considerable degree of dignity. This will ensure continued LTTE cooperation in the peace effort.

Speaking to journalists on Thursday, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe warned of possible "breakdowns and stutters" as the talks went ahead but didn't see the possibility of "a total breakdown of the process". These are welcome words but the task of solidifying the basis to the negotiated settlement, which is popular, people's support, cannot, on any account be delayed. People's support for the peace process would be forthcoming as long as the public are allowed to enjoy their basic rights and freedoms and are given the opportunity of savouring the economic benefits which flow from the peace process. In other words, they need to fully savour the "peace dividend".

The Government was faced with the Herculean task of bringing the economy out of the jaws of ruin when it was given the popular mandate to rule last December, but the indications are that the economy is limping back to a degree of normalcy. No less a person than Premier Wickremesinghe pointed out that the economy was being bolstered by the "economic reunion" of the country - that is, through the re-establishment of North-South economic links. To the degree to which people in all regions gain from these economic links, support for the peace process would be flowing freely.

It must be remembered that for long years, the people of the North remained mired in poverty and deprivation. Human enterprise and creativity in this region was crippled by the province's long night of suffering. On the other hand, most basic needs of the people of the South too remained unmet and they too suffered for prolonged periods. They paid out of their shrinking pockets for a war which only enabled arms dealers and commission-rakers to flourish.

With the peace process picking up, the suffering of the people could be expected to diminish but firm efforts must be made by the State to plough the vast funds siphoned for defence into the development process. The masses need to experience economic betterment in concrete, palpable forms. Their general welfare needs to register a qualitative difference. These are some of the factors which would bolster the peace process.

Next, the people also need to be educated on the issues pertaining to the peace process and must be mobilised in support of it. These are basic preliminaries which consolidate the effort to bring harmony.

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