Restoring hearts
President Mahinda Rajapaksa in his Address to the
Nation from Galle Face Green at the Victory Parade said what is
most important to prevent the shedding of blood and tears for
the country is to restore hearts shattered by violence and ease
pain.
The country has seen too much of violence during the period
which extended to almost three decades. Many thousands on either
side of the divide perished in it. The majority among them is
not combatants but ordinary citizens caught in crossfires or
terrorist attacks. Each one the dead, whether combatant or
civilian left a bereaved family and many grievous hearts. Many
were left with no means of livelihood. The number of those who
were maimed or debilitated would be even greater. Hence the
urgency of restoring the hearts and healing the wounds of war.
There are several prerequisites for this restoration to be
completed. First and foremost is guaranteeing that terrorism
would not recur. That means looking into the causes that gave
rise to it and addressing the issues involved, whether real or
imaginary.
The second is to ensure a livelihood for all the victims of
war. This also includes the combatants who are now undergoing
rehabilitation. This process of rehabilitation by itself would
not be a guarantee that they would not take up arms again at a
future date. To ensure it, a conducive and free environment
should be created for people to lead a life of work and
contentment. The latter could be guaranteed through a process of
reconciliation and rehabilitation.
As often said it is necessary to evolve a home-grown solution
to ensure cordial and friendly relations between various ethnic
and religious groups inhabiting our little isle. It has been
proved that economic hardships lay at the root of many a
militant movement. Ensuring development with equity is a means
to eradicate such hardships. Being a poor country, development
and ensuring equity would take time. However, if there is
perceived commitment to reach that objective and if there is no
injustice people would bear it with hope.
In this process of restoring hearts and healing the wounds of
war, the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission could help
much. All nations that underwent such traumatic violent periods
have resorted to such an exercise of some sort. It is the
democratic and civilized way of erasing the scars of the past.
What the Sri Lankan people including those in the North and
the East want at present is peace and tranquility to re-build
their lives. Hence, it is most unfortunate that external forces
are trying to resurrect the terrorist outfit that breathed its
last a year ago. Certain local elements are also facilitating
their efforts knowingly or unknowingly. Therefore, a vital need
of the moment is to forge unity among the people. For this
purpose one has to give up parochial interests in the larger
interest of the nation and posterity.
The end of the war has brought about an entirely new
situation. Hence it is necessary to give up sectarian ideologies
that had their basis on the objective conditions of war and
separatism. The new thinking should rather correspond to the
need for peace, reconciliation and development.
It is by winning the development war and ensuring stability
and prosperity for all one could ensure that the difficult and
grand victory achieved over terrorism could be made long lasting
and permanent. As the President stressed, the Sri Lankan people
have the courage and capability to win the development war too.
Taking an example from the public service he said; “If our
public servants make a commitment for four years similar to that
by our Heroic Forces, we will be able to make this country the
Wonder of Asia”.
What is necessary is the will to do so. If there is a will
there is a way.
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