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Taking the road to intolerance

The LTTE's studied response to the Government's Interim Administration proposals is yet to be submitted to the Lankan authorities through the facilitators but a plethora of pronouncements on it has already been unleashed from various quarters, besides ongoing desperate efforts by sections of the opposition to conjure what may be called a doomsday scenario on what could befall Sri Lanka.

This is a measure of the extent to which incendiary emotion rather than illuminating reason is being allowed to guide public reactions to the principal issues before the country. We regret to note that some well known public figures, who are usually considered as knowing what they talk about, are also lending their voices to these shrill reactions, at well known fora. One shouldn't be surprised if they lend their feet too to the ominous "protest marches" now on.

Concerned citizens couldn't be faulted for wondering whether efforts are being made to make Sri Lanka traverse once again, the familiar, disastrous tracks which put an end to almost all hope of resolving the ethnic conflict which has only sown suffering and death.

If current efforts at whipping-up mass hysteria and causing misconceptions on developments in the peace effort are anything to go by, Sri Lanka seems to have learnt nothing over the decades. We seem to be where we started in the late Forties - an intellectually and emotionally stunted people, who have registered little or no personality growth. Then too desperate politicians played "pandu" with the ethnic problem. Times have changed very little.

If persons and groups holding diverse political views cannot arrange for a meeting of minds and give reason and equanimity a chance in the resolution of their disputes, which have cost them so dearly, one cannot be faulted for concluding that the Lankan character structure is fundamentally-flawed. If they cannot see the disastrous consequences of having played power games over important issues over the years, they have failed themselves and the country very badly.

Their learning process seems to have stopped long ago at the hysterical shows of force and protest marches which put an end to many a well-meaning inter-ethnic peace pact.

This reference to the learning process brings us to an important consideration which seems to have escaped the notice of present policy planners and decision-makers.

This is the relationship of the educational structure to the cultivation of a culture of peace and reconciliation. While we warmly welcome preparations by the State to raise public awareness on the current peace process, we also call on it to seriously consider including a peace education component in the educational process at all levels.

The well known, serious, fundamental limitations in our educational system could also be seen in the fact that we have failed to produce a culture of tolerance, friendship and fraternity in the country.

Besides, we have failed to produce to the desired degree men and women of resourcefulness and drive.

If the excessive fixations, emotional obsessions and inhuman intolerance of several decades are continuing to dog the country, then, obviously, our educational system has made very little qualitative change to our lives.

The establishment of a just peace requires a qualitatively new Sri Lankan. The educational process is a suitable starting point to begin this vital venture.

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