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An epochal moment

Progress, which is synonymous with positive change, replaces the old with the new. This is not a question of presenting "new wine" in "old wineskins". It is a matter of containing the new wine in new wineskins, for, as it was explained centuries ago, the old wineskins would come asunder on contacting fresh, effervescent wine.

Likewise, the problems of the day cannot be resolved with the aid of old, dated mindsets, nurtured on past attitudes and habits of thought. New perspectives are needed to resolve problems which have defied resolution over the decades and to usher in new realities which are attuned to contemporary needs.

We need to dwell on these things because the issues confronting present day Sri Lanka cannot be resolved on the basis of mindsets which are rooted and, in a sense, trapped in the past. Unfortunately, some of those who are taking cudgels with the current peace process seem to be exemplars of this atrophied mentality. Their impossible endeavour is to analyse current realities on the basis of conceptual tools bred on past, historic times. Such approaches are foredoomed because the bringing in of progressive change could only be postulated on fresh, innovative mindsets.

Gone are the days when hegemonic control of the State by a single community was considered consistent with democracy. Today, political thought highlights the importance of stake-holder democracies, where power-sharing among ethnic groups is considered the primary essence of democratic governance and democratic development. The plethora of wasting regional wars over the decades testifies darkly to the disastrous consequences of states adamantly refusing to accommodate within their fold politically assertive ethnic groups on the basis of the principles of power-sharing and a common nationhood.

The current peace process, punctuated by epochal bilateral negotiations between the Government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE, is indicative of the fact that sections of the local political elite are prepared to face the challenge of drastically changing their mindsets and of remoulding the State structure on the basis of a democratic framework, to accommodate the legitimate political aspirations of Lanka's minorities.

Unfortunately, there are some who are persisting in the impossible task of pouring fresh wine into old wine-skins. They are bound to remain tragically trapped in the Stone Age of political thought.

However, the dialectical path chosen by history is unstoppable and we are fortunate enough to now witness the making of a grand synthesis in Lanka's troubled political history, under the aegis of those who are intent on making ethnic peace happen in Sri Lanka.

The perspective placed on current developments by Norwegian Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Jon Westborg, is worth considering in this context, for its inspiring and positive content. At a talk given recently, Westborg had reportedly said that although nothing is "certain" or "guaranteed" at this stage in the Lankan peace process, "things are moving in the right direction". He was referring to some reported "hiccups" in the latest round of GoSL-LTTE negotiations in Thailand and of the ability of the parties to persist with the negotiatory process. The ambassador seems to have been impressed by the parties' ability to accommodate each other and press ahead with the negotiations. These considerations led to the ambassador's optimistic estimate that, "Lankans can solve this problem... the problem can only be solved by Lankans."

Indeed, in these latest negotiations, progressive political opinion in Sri Lanka seems to have come of age. Rather than slump into past mindsets and atavistic fears, as some of our "dinosaurs" of political thought do at present, the negotiators in Thailand showed remarkable resolve to go ahead with the process of accommodating each other's needs and opinions. Priority was attached to the interests of the peace process and this approach has worked so far. May this spirit of compromise continue.

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