Let sharing and caring be the norm

This should not only be a time of joyous celebration, but also one of sharing and caring. These norms, we hope, will be uppermost in the minds of our major communities as they participate in the traditional festivities marking the Sinhala and Tamil New Year. The economy, as we reported yesterday, is on the rebound and there is a distinct possibility of the country advancing materially in the days ahead but the paramount task of nation-making relates to economic growth and much more.

Nation-making, examined in depth, is closely connected with bringing the communities of this land together in a spirit of brotherhood and sharing and our picture on page three yesterday of President Mahinda Rajapaksa speaking warmly and with the utmost cordiality with some undergraduates of the Jaffna University, captured some of the essence of the process referred to as nation-making. As our picture clearly showed, the President’s friendliness towards the students was readily reciprocated and such close and respectful interaction is part of the stuff of nation-making or national integration.

What better time to ponder long and deep on these things than the Sinhala and Tamil New Year season. There are great commonalities between our major communities and the New Year is one such binding link. North-East separatism played a major role in dividing our communities over the decades but now that the terroristic LTTE has been crushed, the need is great for the communities of this land to come together in a spirit of brotherhood and sharing.

The more progressive sections of this country could be glad that the government has sized up the challenge confronting it on the nation-building front. We have today a ministry which is dedicated to the task of fostering the learning and the inculcation of the national languages, besides being tasked with promoting national integration. As we see it, this portfolio is second to none in importance and should be shaped into an essential tool in building a united Sri Lanka. Hopefully, some progress would be made in the short and medium terms in building a bilingual Sri Lanka. Political and community leaders could be prime examples of bilingualism by acquiring a fluency in both national languages first.

New Year is also a time for earnest stock-taking. It is best that all sections of our polity get down to ascertaining what needs to be done as a matter of national priority in the days ahead. The state has done well to see an end to terrorism and laid the basis for a rejuvenated Sri Lanka. The economy is doing fine but as we pointed out yesterday, state policy should be to ensure that growth combines more and more with equity. This needs to be elevated to the position of a cardinal policy in national development.

Along side these gains on the economic front, the groundwork has to be laid for a strong and united polity where a spirit of amity would reign supreme. It is often overlooked that the UPFA government is best positioned to achieve this great undertaking, considering that it is a political coalition that encompasses almost the totality of our communities and ethnic groups. The UPFA has all the power at its command to achieve these laudable objectives in view of the fact that it enjoys a stable majority in Parliament which is almost unshakable. Therefore, it could work harmoniously for the collective good of Sri Lanka provided the necessary will is exercised.

It is of paramount importance that the communities of this country establish more and more people-to-people contact. Joint celebration of national events is very important but mere superficial contact between communities would not prove sufficient. We need to get beyond ritualistic participation in national celebrations to fraternal and close ties which would lay the ground work for sustained mutual care and respect. Ties that encourage people-to-people help and support need to be established.

We hope that more and more social service and people’s organizations would, from both South and North, visit each others regions, assess each others needs and foster friendly and supportive ties. Particularly, state agencies should penetrate more and more the once conflict-hit areas of Sri Lanka for the purpose of serving the needy and the poor. There is no getting away from the fact that state organizations are best placed to foster these links, given their far reach and influence.

The time is ripe to bring into being an all-inclusive polity and the UPFA government under President Mahinda Rajapaksa is best placed to achieve this. It is encouraging to note that our main line ministries are busy in the North and East, laying the foundation for development in those regions. These strengths must be increasingly built on to achieve the goal of national unity.