Appeal to Prelates to assist in peace process

COLOMBO: Mahinda Rajapaksa, President of Sri Lanka, in his Independence day message to the Nation had said, "All of us who celebrate this 59th anniversary of Independence should remember that in the great struggle for freedom all our communities Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims and all others, were committed as one to the cause of freedom.

Therefore Freedom was won not for anyone community but for all which includes the Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims, Burghers, Malays and all others who comprise the Sri Lankan Nation" said V. Anandasangaree President Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF).

He said Our President quoted from the speech made by the first Prime Minister the late D. S. Senanayake on that historic occasion in 1948 as, "Independence was obtained to reduce suffering and increase happiness among people without any discrimination on grounds of race, political affiliation, religion or any such difference".

This quote could be construed as His Excellency's admission of failure on the part of the successive Governments, to adhere to this noble principle, that had brought ruin to the country and misery to its people.

'Applaud call for unity'

"The Minorities of our country as well as those of the majority community applaud his call for the unity of all forces irrespective of any differences and also endorse his views that we can rise up as a country and nation, when we are united. No unity can be achieved with un-contended ethnic groups in the country.

So to achieve unity we all must rise above all our petty differences and rouse our patriotic feeling that lies deeply buried in the hearts of many of us, with selfishness raising its ugly head.

"The President wants all the Patriots who want the country's problems solved, to rally round him. I am sure that the ethnic problem would have been foremost in his mind.

Everyone knows that the ethnic problem is the biggest hurdle to the progress of the nation, which once cleared the progress would be ten fold and with the resources available in the country, properly utilised the progress would be much more than one's imagination.

To my understanding, based on my experience, a true patriot is one who loves his country and its people and certainly not one who loves his country and his people. That is not patriotism and such people will not help to solve the country's problems.

I love my country and its people and do not see any difference between people of two different communities or religions. I do not have a single enemy in any one of the ethnic or religious groups except perhaps those who support terrorism directly or indirectly.

1st Sinhalese "Baker Mama"

The first Sinhalese I ever met, as far as I can recollect, was the "Baker Mama" for whom I used to wait every evening clinging on to my mother's 'saree potas'. Four O' clock on the dot he was there at our door-step during his daily rounds around our village, with varieties of cakes and buns most of which, we do not now see in the show cases of bakeries.

The next was a midwife, very much liked and respected by the village-folk. In the good old days each village or a group of small villages had a midwife most of whom were Sinhalese. With the limited medical facilities available then, the Sinhala Midwife was our gynaecologist and it was under her care and attention most children in our village were safely delivered.

She lived among us like one of us and very much respected by all. My play-mates were her brother and the son of a Muslim trader who lived among us peacefully.

"My father, a teacher and a contemporary of the late Dr. W. Dahanayake, when accepted the Principal's post in a village school made it a precondition to admit children of minority Tamils not given admission till then.

He also had a graduate Buddhist Priest to teach Sinhala to Tamil students. School with 100% Tamil students had Teachers to teach Sinhala till 1956 when the Sinhala only bill was passed.

"This type of experience, very many during my childhood, helped me to grow without any malice towards anyone who did not belong to my community or religion.

Irrespective of whichever ethnic group we belonged to, we lived like brothers and liked each others. That is exactly so with the Sinhalese, Muslims and others too in their respective areas.

This will surprise the present day Sinhalese youths from the South and will be shocking to the Tamil youths living in areas under the control of the LTTE where they have no contact with the outside world.

They had not seen a Sinhalese person in their life-time. Most of them have heard of a train, but not seen one. They are brainwashed to such an extent, that in their thinking the Sinhalese are treating them cruelly and that Prabakaran is their saviour.

Blood shedding must stop

"I am one who had the rare opportunity of living among the Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims and Malays and also studying together with Sinhalese, Tamil, Muslim and Malay students.

I had the privilege of being taught by Sinhalese, Tamil, Muslim and Malay teachers and had taught Sinhalese, Tamil, Muslim and Malay students. Hence the love and respect I have for one community is in no way less or more than what I have for another community.

It is a poem that I learnt, when I was in school authored by Sir Walter Scott if I remember correct, titled, The Lay of The Last Minstrel, that inspired me to love my country so much and to prepare myself for any sacrifice for the sake of my country and its people.

The author of the poem is asking, "Breaths there the men with soul so dead who never to himself hath said, this is my own my native land". At that tender age I saw all citizens of Sri Lanka known as Ceylon then, as children of mother Lanka irrespective of their ethnicity, caste or creed.

It is this attitude towards humanity that urged me, inspite of the grave risk I faced, to take a pledge to redeem my country and to help to bring it back to its old glory. The blood shedding must stop in Sri Lanka, the fear and tension in the people must cease and there should be absolute peace in our country.

The Sinhalese, the Tamils, the Muslims and people of all the other minority groups should once again live in peace and harmony, as equals enjoying all rights and privileges and with mutual love and respect for each other.

We can't bring all the people together by threat or by force. It is only by showing love and compassion that we can win our people. This is what all our religions also preach.

All of us who believe in re-birth should concede that it is only by accident I am a Tamil and that I can be a Sinhalese or a Muslim in my next birth. Hence we can't discriminate against one another.

"Because of a meaningless war, over 70-80 thousand valuable lives had been lost. More than 20 thousand Tamils and another 20 thousand Sinhalese and Muslims had been widowed due to this war that had achieved nothing but only brought deaths and destruction.

Apart from this many thousands have been orphaned, be-numbed, lost their limbs and eyesight. Billions and billions worth of property both public and private had been destroyed.

Above all, people of all communities cannot walk on the streets, travel by bus or train without fear and with the assurance of safe return after a day's work.

This situation is prevailing for almost quarter of a century, with people still expressing fear of division of the country without realising that there is no need for such fears in a just society where people lead a contended life.

No one in whose family war had brought destruction or loss of life or limb, will dare to talk about continuing the war.

Those who want war must visit the families in which some one died or widowed or orphaned or lost a limb or eyesight or have become be-numbed due to the war directly or indirectly, to feel for themselves the cruel effects of war.

I lost six members of my family and we have three widows and a few orphans.

Some say that I have taken a courageous stand. It is not my courage that made me to take a firm stand against terrorism, but is the sense of duty that I owe to my country as one of its citizen.

EU countries loosening grip

"The whole country is tired of war and is now yearning for peace which we all know can be achieved, only in a contended society.

Hence the need arises for the Government to come out with a reasonable proposal acceptable to the international community which is watching the developments in the country with great concern.

The countries that had banned the LTTE expect the Government to act reciprocally for them to move further in the matter.

The fact that the LTTE celebrated their heroes day in a grand scale in some EU countries clearly shows that the very same countries that banned them are now loosening their grip on the LTTE.

The international community is expecting a federal solution within a united Sri Lanka, as envisaged in the Oslo and Tokyo agreements.

"During the last two to three years I had met and discussed our problem with very many including religious dignitaries, leaders of political parties, leading personalities, various groups of Sri Lankans in Europe and Canada, most of whom are agreeable to an Indian model as an Alternative to a federal solution since some do not like a solution under both federal and unitary concepts.

The LTTE has its own agenda and will never compromise on their demand for a separate state.

The Government can strengthen its position and simultaneously weaken the LTTE also, only by offering a solution accepted as reasonable by the international community, so that they can recommend the same to the minorities with pressure to the LTTE also to accept it.

If the LTTE still refuses to accept such a solution the international community need not be told as to what their other options could be.

Advice of Prelates

"The practice of getting the advice of the Prelates existed in all countries during the monarchial rule in the good old days. It had been the practice in our country too to get the advice of the Maha Sangha.

The President knows my views in this matter. The mere mention of my name by him in his Independence day speech makes me feel that the President is prepared to consider my proposal too, to find a final solution to our ethnic problem.

It also gives me encouragement to continue my mission of finding early peace. What happened to the poor Brahmin Priest who garlanded the President at Vakarai should not happen again to another person.

Everyone in this country should ask himself or herself whether the future of the Tamils should be handed over to a group of unreasonable, arrogant and ruthless persons.

"I therefore seek the assistance of not only the Maha Sangha but also of the prelates of all the other religions in our country, to prevail on President Mahinda Rajapaksa to come out with a proposal based on the 'Mahinda Chintana' which is in reality based on natural justice that no one can find any excuse to reject.

I hope his proposal for a lasting solution will bring back peace to our suffering masses after a period of half a century," concluded V. Anandasangaree, President - TULF.