Call for national unity

by Ranga Jayasooriya

Views of Ven. Kotugoda Dhammawasa Thera, Secretary General, Sri Lanka Amarapura Maha Sangha Sabha, on the peace process.

As the Lord Buddha preached, righteousness is the first requisite for a prosperous nation. Right Morality leads the populace to the right way of living, i.e. the panchaseela Philosophy. Panchaseelaya leads the people to live in a world sans murder, theft, torture, adultery and drug use and peace is the ultimate outcome of such a living. Peace leads to prosperity.

Thus to achieve prosperity, rulers should make sure that their subjects are living righteous lives. Peace, prosperity and righteousness are thus interconnected.

It is in this context, that the absence of war during the past year should be admired. The 20 years of war has finally come to a halt; lives and property damages due to war have been brought to an end.

The United National Front and the People's Alliance should unite in all efforts to lead the peace process to a successful completion. All parties should work together to build a nation where Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims and all other communities live in peace and brotherhood.

The Government should not have doubts on the support of the masses and the clergy; they are already backing the peace process.

Sri Lankan history runs back two thousand and five hundred years; this land was inhabited since the Rama-Ravana era . It is obvious that the country has achieved a great degree of progress since the Buddhism was introduced during the Devanampiyathissa era. And on account of its close location to India, our nation was influenced by Indian culture; arts, architecture, clothes, medicines etc. It is already accepted that North Indian influence on the various aspects of Sri Lankan life had led to a number of positive developments. Bond between the Sinhalese and Tamils is one such example.

Even though the Sinhalese and Tamils had fought each other on certain occasions of the country's history, during its greater part they lived in peace sharing each others' joy and sorrow. It is the responsibility of the rulers or the politicians to revitalise this centuries old relationship and build a nation where all receive equal treatment - irrespective of ethnicity- as Sri Lankans.

Looking back, one may find how prosperous we were. Now with the ceasefire having shown us the fruits of peace, it is time for all Sri Lankans to strive to build a united nation where our future generations will one day be proud citizens.

If we refuse to see the world in its reality, and decide to continue on the path of bloodshed on which we had been walking for two decades till we were brought to a certain understanding last year, we will in the near future find that we are isolated from the rest of the world. This is the time for peaceful resolution of the conflict, not for aggression.

It is not necessary to elaborate how the 20 year ethnic conflict has ruined the nation, both economically and spiritually. The war has not only cost sixty thousand lives; its social consequences have not spared our younger generation; long respected family values have been shattered, a gun culture has come into being.

So when the ceasefire agreement completes its first year, I call on all Sri Lankans to strive for a permanent peace in this country and to shed hostilities to build a nation where we all can live in harmony.

by Rashomi Silva

Opinions culled by the 'Daily News' from a cross-section of Tamil society on the ceasefire agreement in particular and the peace process in general.

Prof. P. Balasundarampillai: Vice Chancellor of the University of Jaffna:

We appreciate the MoU for the change it brought about in our lives. No more mass killings were reported since the LTTE unilaterally declared a ceasefire on 24, December 2001. That may be considered as the biggest achievement of the MoU.

Earlier when we want to go to Colombo we have to prepare at least two weeks prior to the visit. Ministry of Defence clearance has to be applied, had to produce the householders card and many other documents. And the journey is continually disturbed by the numerous check points we had to pass through. In Colombo our movements were restricted, as a Tamil from North or East has to go through lengthy questioning at the check points and looked at with a mixture of suspicion. Opening of the A-9 road with the implementation of the MoU has changed it all. Even if one opts to use public transport by spending about Rs. 400/-, in less than in 10 hours, he can be in Colombo without much difficulty.

With the lifting of the economic embargoes goods flowed freely to North and East and the goods that were earlier available only in Colombo are now lavishly available in Jaffna.

All in all, the living standards of the people in Jaffna have increased to a great extent.

With the intervention of the SLMM and the keen interest of the international community the peace process seems to be going on the right track despite the minor incidents.

The present period we are going through can be considered as an interim period. We are waiting a long term final solution not only to the two decade old war but to the ethnic problem that dated as far back as independence. The Government should use this interim period to address the sensitive issues such as language and the cultural problems of the Tamils.

Any minority will want to retain its cultural identity. The language problem is persisting to a certain degree, even though a constitutional solution was achieved. In practice it (the solution) has its own shortcomings. The Government electronic media should devote more time for Tamil audiences. Channel Eye has made some improvements in this regard but not to a satisfactory extent. Generous attitudes in sensitive issues as these will enhance the goodwill of the parties.

The standardisation in university entrance started in 1970s too has carried the ethnic problem to a great extent. This problem is not some thing that is crucial only for the Tamils but to the entire nation as a whole.

The Government must devote more time and energy to addressing the issues that affect the entire nation. By doing that genuinely and consistently only we can regain Sri Lanka.

Tawaraja, EPDP spokesperson:

We are for the Peace process and we appreciate the MoU for what it has delivered to the country. However the absence of war does not signify that peace has dawned. The battle between the security forces and the LTTE may be over. But the LTTE continues with their undemocratic acts. They are forcibly recruiting children, intimidating opponents and absolutely have no concern about Human Rights.

The peace process has been dragging on for a year. And the only thing we know is there will be a federal solution. As we have seen from our past experiences, the earlier the solution is evolved the better it is for the country.

The Government should consult the main opposition of the country and a representation should be given to the opponents of the LTTE, that way all parties take responsibility for the solution evolved.

D. Sidarthan, President PLOT, MP, Wanni:

The MoU and the year long implementation had been, I should like to say, so far so good. The biggest achievement is that there are no more mass killings since the implementation of the MoU last year (despite the one or two reported killings by the LTTE). Apart from that people have been more free to move. The Tamils in South enjoy more freedom and we appreciate it very much. I am also happy about the role of the armed forces. They are trying their best not to disturb the MoU. The SLMM too seems to be improving lately. Initially they had been very lenient towards the LTTE.

I am not at all that happy about the LTTE's conduct during the past year. They are collecting taxes, forcibly recruiting children, threatening opponents and are engaged in other undemocratic activities. The MoU had not been much of a help to put a stop to those types of activities.

Both the Government and the LTTE should not try to make the High Security Zones (HSZ) a big issue, and try to destabilise the peace process. The army may be concerned over national security. We must take that into consideration too and apart from that there are hundreds and thousands of people who are displaced other than those who were living in the HSZ. Still as a party we whole heartedly welcome the MoU, and give our utmost support to the on going peace process.

Joseph Pararajasingham, MP Batticaloa and Senior Vice President of Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF):

The MoU signed last February 22 was a historic first. It was the first time an agreement was signed between the leaders of the parties. We got the services of an international facilitator to oversee the implementation of the MoU.

Since the implementation of the MoU the peace process has been moving in a positive direction. And I am also happy about the implementation of the MoU. The only short coming I see is that the armed forces are still occupying buildings in the North and East, violating the MoU. Although they have moved from most of the public places they are still occupying a fair number of houses. Since signing of the MoU except for minor violations by the parties the ceasefire agreement has been honoured by both the armed forces and the LTTE, displaying their true desire for peace and to abide by the cessation of hostilities agreement.

The parties have been warring for the past 20 years and the ethnic problem had been there for the past forty years. Considering all that the violations could be said to be insignificant. Therefore one has to expect minor violations. Anywhere in the world there had been no ceasefire agreement that was entirely free of violations.

It will take a few years to evolve a substantial solution. One has to be patient to see. MuthuKrishna Sarwanandan of the International Centre for Ethnic Studies:

The MoU is a very good political document. But there had been serious violations by the parties involved in implementing the MoU. Whilst both the armed forces and the LTTE may not have seriously violated the MoU technically, the very spirit of the MoU has been affected by their conduct.

LTTE taxation has prevented the people of Jaffna from enjoying the benefits they ought to enjoy after the Government lifted the economic embargo almost a year back. The prices of the goods and services are higher in North and East compared to the prices in the rest of the country.

The only way to overcome this problem is either the goods have to be airlifted or shipped. But that too will ultimately increase the prices as the additional costs have to be added. And there is nothing the Government can do in this issue as they (LTTE) are collecting taxes in the areas under their control. The LTTE themselves have to understand the situation and should stop taxing the people arbitrarily, as I have already suggested to them.

The armed forces occupying a vast area of land in Jaffan district as High Security Zones (HSZ) in the name of national security also poses serious difficulties. The land the army is occupying is very productive but the farmers are prohibited from farming in that area.

The coastal area from Kankesanthurai to Thondamanaru is a very productive region for fishing. Fishing too is prohibited in the area citing security reasons.

I like to suggest to the armed forces to drastically reduce the size of the HSZ. During the period 1990 to 1995 they were almost confined to Palali Air Port. If national security was not endangered then how is it possible national security is endangered now, with normal life starting in HSZ. According to my estimations nearly 100,000 people have been affected due to the adamant stand of the Security Forces on the HSZ issue. Other than these two shortcomings the MoU and the cessation of hostilities have worked out satisfactorily.

The Government and the LTTE have been at the table for almost a year now but nothing tangible has come out. The parties should I feel try to expedite the process.

Mano Ganeshan MP for Colombo District, (UNF):

I am happy about the achievement since the signing of the MoU. The agreement has lasted so far due to the honesty and the strong commitment of the leadership of both sides, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and the LTTE leader V. Prabhakaran were able to adhere to the MoU despite the minor irregularities and the minor violations by the lower level of the parties.

Nowhere in the world has a ceasefire agreement achieved 100 percent fulfilment.

The parties had talks on knotty issues like resettlement in HSZ and child recruitment by the LTTE and had been able to come into agreements that satisfied both sides.

We no longer get bodies of soldiers in the South and we don't hear of ariel bombing and battle in the North and most importantly nobody has died in battle during the past year that is the biggest achievement of the MoU.

Those who oppose the MoU, especially the JVP, I would say are the biggest separatist force in the country. They are pushing the LTTE and the Tamils back to war and to demand a separate state. The talks and the MoU are aimed at uniting the divided country.

V. Anandasangari, President TULF:

What I would like to tell both the LTTE and the armed forces is, adhere to the MoU without blaming each other.

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