Integration as part of
development
One of the most
heartening developments in the North-East is the highly
beneficial way in which the Armed Forces and the agencies of the
state are helping out in the development process, besides being
of considerable help to the general populace. These facets in
Sri Lanka's onward march need to be constantly focused on by the
state and other concerned sections in view of the erroneous
notions that are entertained about this country by critical
elements on the local scene and abroad.
In fact, widespread ignorance about Sri Lanka and the gains
made by it over the past three years in the socio-economic
sphere in particular is helping the sponsors of the resolution
against Sri Lanka in the current UNHRC sessions. If the record
about Sri Lanka is put right constantly, there are bound to be
less takers among the publics of the world for misguided
initiatives of this kind coming from some of their rulers.
Today, the Security Forces, for instance, are playing a
significant role in the development process of the North-East
and are proving crucial to the material sustenance of the
people. They are not only helping out in the infrastructure
development of the North, but are of the utmost assistance to
the ordinary citizenry.
Our front page news report yesterday, on the Jaffna Bishop
hailing Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa on the help
rendered by the Navy to the people of the North during an
important religious festival on the Kachchativu islands, is just
one case in point.
We also know for a fact that the armed forces are of immense
help in the resettlement process of the displaced.
Over the past few months this newspaper has been consistent
in highlighting the national integration efforts of the state by
way of, for instance, not only rehabilitating one time LTTE
cadres and returning them to mainstream society but also through
the recruitment of more and more Tamil citizens and
Tamil-speaking persons to the Police force.
These are national integration efforts that would go quite
some distance in achieving nation-building and national unity.
It is also gladdening to note that more and more school boys
from the North and East are going in for cadet training under
the Army. This too is a timely measure which would help in
further integrating the North-East citizenry into the larger Sri
Lankan society.
Hopefully, very soon, it would begin to dawn on the world
that the Sri Lankan Security Forces are no longer mono-ethnic in
nature but that they are representative of the entirety of the
Lankan citizenry.
We hope that these and many more of the positive developments
that are materializing in Sri Lanka would help in dislodging
from the minds of the misguided and the prejudiced the idea that
Sri Lanka is standing still in terms of evolving towards a
better order of things for the totality of its people.
At a time when questions are being raised about the progress
that is being made towards implementing the practicable
recommendations of the LLRC report, these advances by Sri Lanka
need to be borne in mind. It needs to be realized that
development cannot be spoken of in isolation from national
integration. If development in the truest sense of the word is
happening in a country, then there also needs to be national
integration because development, correctly understood, is the
empowerment of all sections of a country's citizenry. This is
currently happening to a degree in this country and to that
extent we could be said to be ushering development in the truest
sense.
We need to move ahead in a positive frame of mind and
progressive national integration efforts would prove to the
world that Sri Lanka could easily measure up to the standards
that are expected of an egalitarian and fully developed society.
However, this news must be blared forth to the world. |