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An ignominious episode

The brutal violence frenziedly unleashed against the Sinhala-Tamil Cultural Festival at New Town Hall, Wednesday, besides being a sound measure of the panic and desperation which have seized the anti-peace forces of this country, carries a dire warning to those sections which are taking-up and are supportive of the cry of intolerance, non-accommodation, war and ethnic hatred.

That is, by supporting the agenda of the forces opposed to peace, ethnic reconciliation and a shared destiny among the communities of this country, they are only helping in creating an ethos which is supportive of tyranny, oppression and the brutal suppression of democratic rights.

In other words, the staves, swords and stones which are today being directed at the advocates of ethnic reconciliation, tolerance and mutual-accommodation, would very soon be unleashed at these very sections which are both overtly and tacitly supporting the agenda of the enemies of peace, with the possibility of the arsenal of the latter growing to include deadlier weapons and instruments of dehumanisation.

We saw this happening in the late Eighties and early Nineties at the height of the "Reign of Terror". A failure on the part of our body-politic to speak unitedly against intolerance and ethnic hatred could take Sri Lanka to another long night of terror, with the possibility of this country never coming out of the hell-fires which would be thus ravenously stirred.

So, the writing is already on the wall and we need to guard against losing ourselves in a Fools' Paradise. If ignominious incidents of the kind which were witnessed at New Town Hall on Wednesday continue to go unopposed and uncondemned we would soon find ourselves a benighted people, weighed down by the unbearable chains of tyranny and intolerance.

Meanwhile, we warmly salute those working tirelessly towards ethnic reconciliation and a just peace in this country. We call on the organisers of the cultural event in Colombo and others in like endeavours to carry on courageously with their great enterprise. It is their growing successes which have helped open some democratic space. May their tribe increase.

While assigning blame for Wednesday's shameful episode is not our priority right now, we cannot help but note the gradual build-up of a climate of intolerance, ethnic hatred and religious bigotry in the country. These blights usually come in tandem with the growing momentum of peace efforts. We recollect, for instance, how peace fora were disrupted by anti-peace elements a few years ago. Unfortunately, this ethos of intolerance is gaining sustenance from encouraging pronouncements and actions from those who should be knowing better.

We are certain, for instance, that anti-peace ghouls would have been greatly encouraged by the vague reactions of, the Sihala Urumaya's Thilak Karunaratne, to Wednesday's attack.

This is a moment for deep soul-searching by all concerned, including the opposition and their leaders.

Are we going to stand idly by while the country hurtles towards another catastrophe on the lines of July 1983? If not, it is the bounden duty of all of us to staunchly oppose the anti-peace ethos which is struggling to come over the country. It is essential that a broad pro-peace, pro-democracy movement is mounted.

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