Reconciliation, our way
Reconciliation is
certainly on the cards, but it will be entirely our way and not
in the manner in which some obtrusive external quarters would
like to have it. This is one of the many thought-provoking
points which were made by Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa
in the course of his recent address to the inaugural National
Conference on Reconciliation held in Colombo. Besides, Sri
Lanka's conflict resolution effort would be entirely home-grown
and would be in keeping with our indigenous cultural and social
values, the Defence Secretary pointed out.
Such observations on where Sri Lanka should go from the
present juncture, wherein the reconstruction and rehabilitation
drive is being persisted with, are of the first importance and
it is gladdening to note that peace and reconciliation are being
factored in by decision and policy makers as essentials for Sri
Lanka's present and future. The Defence Secretary was absolutely
right when he told the reconciliation conference that this
country is not in need of any guidance on the issue of making
peace and bringing reconciliation among its communities. Sri
Lanka, after all, has a centuries-long civilization and this was
in full bloom when some cultures and communities of the world
outside were roughing it out in the most subhuman conditions in
caves and dugouts.
Ours is a civilization that has been continuously fertilized
by the best of the world's most prominent religions and ethical
systems. For instance, the thought that care and concern must be
showered on each other by humans is no alien sentiment to most
Sri Lankans. This great ethical principle is central to almost
all the religions that have taken deep root in our midst, such
as, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam and Christianity. To be sure, the
nuggets of wisdom in these religions constituted the foundation
of a good part of the UN Charter, but they were known very well
to the communities and cultures of this country from time
immemorial.
So, the West, in particular, would be wasting its time by
telling the rulers and people of this country on how they should
manage a reconciliation effort which is aimed at durably uniting
our communities. We know all about reconciliation and we have
been treasuring such collective wisdom in our hearts and minds
over the centuries and millennia. Let not the converted be
preached unto. The majority of the people of this country know
fully well that a human should not treat another in a manner he
would not like to be treated. The practice of this principle is
an essential requirement for reconciliation and peace and this
is indeed part of the collective ethical thinking of Sri
Lankans. The West, in particular, would not be saying anything
particularly new by underscoring its importance to us in Sri
Lanka.
However, in the days ahead, this principle would be needed to
be borne in mind by the Sri Lankan family as it persists on the
road of nation-building. Nothing short of a polity which would
lay the basis for equality of condition and opportunity would
suffice for the purpose of building a new and strongly united
Sri Lanka. This is an ethical principle the proposed
Parliamentary Select Committee would need to bear in mind as it
deliberates on the best and most effective ways of resolving the
grievances of our communities.
However the peoples of the world seem to be more enlightened
than some of their rulers. For instance, at the time of writing,
the news is that the 750,000th tourist has arrived in this
country, which is great news and a certain pointer to the steady
pace at which normalization is being achieved in this country.
The so-called ordinary people of the world are apparently not
looking at Sri Lanka through the blinkers some of their rulers
are adept in using in relation to Sri Lanka. The majority of
foreigners see Sri Lanka as a land of great potential and
promise and nothing that some of their governments may say about
this country seems to be deterring them from visiting Sri Lanka
and enjoying the simple pleasures she offers.
What this latest development in the tourism sector proves is
that Sri Lanka needs to forge people-to-people contact on an
increasingly vast scale, to advance the tourism industry and to
foster in people everywhere an admiration for this country. The
latter factor would prove invaluable in rebutting adverse
opinion about Sri Lanka and in winning over to its side world
opinion. |