Archives

Defeating religious disharmony

Many a humanist and lover of peace would join Bishop of Colombo, the Rt. Rev. Duleep de Chickera in commending President Kumaratunga on the timely action she initiated a couple of weeks back to defuse religious disharmony and tensions in Sri Lanka and on the principled position taken by her on the need to protect the religious freedoms of all sections of the people, which comprise essential fundamental rights which cannot be violated - come what may.

In the face of attempts by some intolerant, bigoted elements to turn Sri Lanka into an inferno of religious strife, President Kumaratunga stood firm in her conviction that Satanic violence of this kind cannot be allowed nor condoned. Besides, the President ensured that the law and order machinery was activated and kept alert to ward off violence against minority religionists. For standing firm against violence of this kind and forthrightly condemning religious intolerance the President has earned the accolades of all lovers of peace and of civilized humans.

However, we would be naive in the extreme to believe that the dark clouds of religious hatred and intolerance have rolled by. A glance at Colombo's walls, for instance, ought to convince the objective observer that the forces of religious intolerance and fanaticism are continuously active, provoking inter-religious friction through incendiary posters and slogans.

There are, obviously, forces which are feverishly bent on adding yet another dreadful dimension to Lanka's woes - religious turmoil and the destruction of the freedom of conscience and religion.

Accordingly, the State needs to be constantly alert. Law and order will need to be continuously and stringently enforced and, above all, impartially. Good sense and wisdom would need to prevail among those entrusted with planning and initiating policy and among those wielding decision - making powers. Laws would need to be just and equitable and measure-up to the highest human rights standards. If these tests are not met, more harm than good will accrue to Sri Lanka.

It is obvious that the current, very often divisive debate on religious freedoms and connected issues, is driven mainly by emotion rather than reason. It is small wonder that the debate is generating more heat than light. However, the country needs to be guided by the foremost international conventions on these issues with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights providing the basic framework for discussion.

Unfortunately, these issues when debated in some quarters, take on an anti-human rights, theocratic colouration. While this could be expected of unenlightened opinion, the chief functionaries of the State, decision and policy-makers and the intelligentsia would need to steer clear of it by espousing the fundamental freedoms of conscience and religion - two values which today define the democratic state.

There can be no question of our politicians and opinion-moulders "running with the hare and hunting with the hound", in these matters. The choice is between democracy and rights denial.

The final frontier

One small step for a man, a giant leap for mankind, declared Neil Armstrong after his first step on the Moon nearly 34 years ago. Footprints on the Moon signalled Man's desire to conquer the "new ocean", John F. Kennedy's term for the unfathomable vastness of space.

Thirty-four years from now, another man is likely to take an even bigger step: On Mars.

Sending a manned mission to the Red Planet, which is being traversed by a NASA robot as we write, is one of the most ambitious objectives outlined in US President George W. Bush's Grand Space Plan unveiled on Wednesday.

"The desire to explore and understand is part of our character. We do not know where this journey will end, yet we know this - human beings are headed into the Cosmos," President Bush said, announcing plans to return Americans to the moon by 2020 and use the mission as a stepping stone for manned trips to Mars and beyond.

New manned missions to the Moon and Mars will add to the knowledge passed on to us by faithful robots speeding towards various targets in our solar system and beyond. They are exploring the rugged surface of Mars, the mystical rings of Saturn, the turbulent atmosphere of Jupiter and the icy nuclei of comets to satiate our desire to learn more about other worlds and to prepare the groundwork for manned missions.

There should be no delusions about the astronomical cost of a space project that would send people to Mars. International cooperation and cost-sharing will be essential to realise these goals. Space does not belong to one or two countries, it belongs to all Mankind.

Opponents of space exploration argue that these funds should be spent on this planet to solve its problems. They do have a point, but man's urge to explore unknown terrains cannot be stifled. Besides, the Earth's limited resources may not be enough to sustain life forever - colonising other worlds in our solar system and in other planetary systems may be the only option. We may not live to see that happen, but rest assured that our progeny would boldly go where no man has gone before.

www.ceylincoproperties.com

www.ppilk.com

www.crescat.com

News | Business | Features | Editorial | Security
Politics | World | Letters | Sports | Obituaries

Produced by Lake House
Copyright © 2003 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.
Comments and suggestions to :Web Manager