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Striding steadily into a united future

A country on the march into a new future of promise and prosperity would need to put the past firmly behind it. It may be fatal to forget the past entirely but the future cannot be built on the ashes and the debris of the past. The future needs to be built on new and strong foundations and the material for this new basis should be found in a synthesis of all the forward-looking and positive ideals that the culture of this country has thrown-up over the centuries.

Communalism and ethnicity are characteristics of modern times. They were unknown in times past when persons of numerous ethnicities served a common Head of State in the form of a monarch. A peep into those times would reveal, for instance, that persons of different so-called ethnicities served readily and unitedly under Sinhala kings in their armies, and in very high profile positions too.

By making these comments we do not intend to make a case for pre-democratic and pre-modern political and socio-economic formations. Repressive structures that support social inequalities and connected anti-democratic societal features could in no way be defended, but democracy, if not qualitatively developed over the years, could breed some pernicious iniquities and communalism is one such modern-day anomaly which every civilized society would do well to contain if not uproot completely.

Democracy is of numerous forms and dimensions but whichever way one may choose to define it and see it, democracy would be nothing less than an empty slogan if it does not provide for personal and collective empowerment. This is the defining essence of democracy.

Looked at from this point of view, Sri Lanka has traversed some distance in post independence times but these decades have also witnessed the steady but ugly bourgeoning of ethnicity and communalism, since democracy, narrowly interpreted, has also boiled down to, very often, a numbers game, where opportunistic politicians have unscrupulously played the 'communal card' to win and keep votes. This has been true of both Southern and Northern Sri Lanka. It has proved a time-tested tactic over the years of vote-catching. For those hoping to come to power by hook or by crook, playing on widely-shared ethnic animosities and prejudices, has proved a very handy approach. As a result, communities and social groups have been driven apart and whole societies have come asunder, as did happen in even Sri Lanka's case for nearly three decades in its post independence years.

Therefore, it would not do to only maintain the more formal features of democracy, such as, voting at elections, every now and then. The challenge before us is to ensure that the democratic system results in the steady empowerment of all on an equal basis, irrespective of ethnicity, language, religion and social background. This is democracy in the real sense of the word and it is in this direction that the system of governance that we have inherited and sustained since 1948, needs to be taken.

It is our hope that Sri Lanka would now be taken into such a brave new future. The ending of the conflict with the resounding defeat of the LTTE, in May 2009, opens out breath-taking, interesting possibilities for Sri Lanka, which we hope would be judiciously used.

Fortunately, there is reason to be hopeful. For instance, after several decades, perhaps, the Vesak festival was celebrated on a grand scale even in the Northern peninsula by the Tamil populace there. Pandals, Vesak lanterns and other signs of celebration were prominent by their presence on the A9 highway. There is a sense of unprecedented fellow feeling among our citizenry and Northern citizens are freely visiting the South and mingling happily with the rest of the citizenry, free of the fears of the past. Likewise, the North-East is seeing a steady influx of visitors from the South.

So, unless they are misled by unscrupulous politicians and fire-breathing, communalistic demagogues and opinion-makers, the tendency among the generality of the people is to relate to each other with cordiality and humanity. By ridding Sri Lanka of the LTTE cancer, President Mahinda Rajapaksa has enabled such fellow feeling to thrive among our communities once again, but these pluses must be steadily built on. Inter-communal harmony must be actively promoted by the state in collaboration with other well meaning sections.

Fortunately, for Sri Lanka, the state has seen and understood the need for harmonious communal and cultural relations. For instance, we now possess a Ministry of National Languages and Social Integration, whose task it is to weld Sri Lanka's communities into one united collectivity. There is also a very healthy interest among the communities to learn each others languages. The Sri Sambuddhathva logo, we note with great happiness, was carried in all three languages during the recent festivities.

All in all, Sri Lanka cannot traverse the old paths of communalism. It is the wish of President Mahinda Rajapaksa that the whole of Sri Lanka marches into the future under one flag. This is the reason why the President is on record that there are no longer any 'majority' or 'minority' communities. The whole of Sri Lanka must aim at being a united, indivisible whole.

A closer look at the Darusman Panel

Each member appointed by Ban had expressed derogatory views about Sri Lanka long before they were appointed. Therefore they should never have offered themselves to sit on a panel, merely to collect millions of dollar payments. Ban himself knowing that each of them had entertained preconceived prejudicial views amounting to hatred towards Sri Lanka, and its forces, should never have selected precisely these three,

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A story of a girl, a photograph and a photographer

Anuruddha Lokuhapuarachchi worked for Reuters at the time. One of the most skilled photo journalists this country has produced, Anuruddha possessed an eye that could extract the ‘human’ in the things he surveyed through lens and mind,

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The Mouse’s Tail

Attempted rape is a heinous crime, even worse when it is committed against an employee - sexual assault compounded by sexual harassment in the workplace. But Strauss-Kahn has only been accused of this double crime, not convicted - except perhaps by the media,

Full Story

 

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