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A little more patience will pay

Murderous violence fed by seething frustration and anger among some sections of our people plunged Sri Lanka into bloodshed and war two decades ago. The destruction which was wrought in the course of the war blighted and benighted almost everything - including the minds and inner selves of those supportive of the policy of war.

As we should have learned by now, it is easy to destroy but exceedingly difficult to recreate and reconstruct. This applies to not only houses, offices, factories, public places, paddy fields, farms and the like, which count as physical assets, but to also the minds and morale of women, men and children.

This is one of the most unpalatable truths which war teaches us and the arduous difficulties and gruelling challenges faced by us in putting Sri Lanka into shape again could be considered as constituting one of the starkest statements on the sheer meaninglessness and counterproductive nature of war.

Besides, it is easy to start a war but incalculably difficult to put an end it. This truth too we are now experiencing and the truth should profoundly chastise those who clamour for a violent solution to our conflict. In fact, they need to sedately reflect over the possibility that prolonged war would have eventually led to the division of Sri Lanka and no divided state in the world is a happy state.

This is the reason why all parties to the conflict need to guard against succumbing to sudden rushes of blood to the head which leave trails of destruction in their wake. This should be realised by those crying foul at the Government's efforts to keep the LTTE within the negotiatory process, no less than by the LTTE itself.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, once again, detailed the profound challenges faced by the Government in restoring normalcy and in speeding-up development in the North-East, during his address on Thursday to the international conference of the Council for Asian Liberals and Democrats.

Essentially, what needs to be done is to put into shape once again, an almost totally devastated region of the country. We are compelled to begin from scratch almost, in this restoration effort.

We need, not only the financial and material assets but also the human resources and time for this uphill task. In view of the fact that they were a principal party to the war, this should have been realised in full by the LTTE. As indicated by the Prime Minister, some areas of the North-East, lack even the bare infrastructure requirements which would make effective administration possible.

On the other hand, the LTTE's impatience at the slow pace of change on the ground, also needs to be understood. After all, it is lack of equitable development in the first place which drove them to rebellion. Besides, they consider themselves accountable to the people of the North-East.

Given the fact, however, that the peace effort is pregnant with possibilities, it wouldn't do the North-East masses any good for the LTTE to remain disengaged from the peace process.

Remaining within the process offers the LTTE the best opportunities of initiating change. All in all, "a little more understanding" on all sides, would prove welcome.

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