The return of the Displaced from T'Nadu

The news of the return to this country of those sections of Sri Lanka's Displaced in Tamil Nadu, points to the urgency with which the state is going about the vital business of returning the North to normalcy. The Displaced in Tamil Nadu constituted some of the hardest hit victims of the conflict here and it goes without saying that justice should be meted out to them by enabling them to return and resettle in their native land. The return of these sons and daughters of Sri Lanka to their former habitats and homesteads is a cause for rejoicing.

We cannot help but reflect that Sri Lanka is bringing back its Displaced at a comparatively brisker pace than other countries which are saddled with similar problems. There are some of the Displaced Palestinians from the Middle East conflict, for instance, who are continuing to languish in camps from the late 1940s in some countries in Israel's and the contested regions' neighbourhood. They constitute the stark evidence that the Middle East conflict is far from over. In fact, the Displaced from the Middle East issue and their resettlement is a continuing hot topic in efforts exerted towards ending the conflict.

However, Sri Lanka seems to be handling this issue with comparative dexterity. Considering that most of the Displaced are helpless victims, their resettlement should figure as a top priority. It would be relevant to point out that the majority of these persons are not 'economic refugees' of the kind who are today leading comparatively comfortable lives in the West and are continuing to work against Sri Lanka's interests. They are victims of the foolhardy war which was triggered and sustained by the LTTE, beginning 1983 and ending May 2009, and it is only right that they be readily brought back by the state.

It is in the fitness of things that these returnees are being provided land for settlement, cultivation and other legitimate purposes because they must feel at home in this country once again.

This feeling at home factor has a profound relevance to what is referred to as nation-building and we hope the state is taking cognizance of these urgent needs.

Generally speaking, communities feel at home in a country only when they are treated with the utmost respect and this needs to be always borne in mind by the relevant sections, such as, state agencies and other actors who are responsible for the resettlement and rehabilitation process in the North.

It is also relevant to remember that it is not only material factors that are relevant to nation-building, although their importance can never be underplayed. For instance, the provision of the returnees' material needs is of the utmost importance along with the installation of infrastructure facilities and the like that contribute towards the material comfort of our citizenry. However, the need is also great to ensure that the resettled take increasing control over their day to day lives. This could be facilitated a great deal by bringing about their political empowerment. And local government and provincial elections are part and parcel of this process of political empowerment.

It is not often realized that political empowerment bears a close relations to nation-building. Political empowerment and the feeling that comes along with it that the people of a province, an urban centre and a locality are in charge of their lives, at least to a degree, would generate within them reverence and love for the land of their birth.

This is the connection between provincial and local elections, national unity and nation-building.

Accordingly, as the Displaced get back to their former homesteads in increasing numbers, the political process also needs to get into top gear. Provincial elections in the North must be held before long and the people of the province enabled to run their lives to the extent possible within the framework of a united and unitary Sri Lanka.

Meanwhile, the Parliamentary Select Committee process should get off the ground without further ado. This process should be viewed as a brand new opportunity to bring a permanent solution to the conflict and we urge that this effort gets underway as quickly as possible.