Building on SL's historic triumph

Three years into our country's law enforcers' memorable triumph over LTTE terrorism, we could say that the foundation is being laid for a future of promise for this country. The military triumph over the LTTE in May 2009, bestowed on the state and the people of Sri Lanka a future which is pregnant with interesting possibilities and the challenge facing one and all now is to exploit these openings for the collective betterment of all.

The military victory over terrorism was a historical necessity. The present with its rich possibilities would not have been possible if the LTTE were still around, striking terror into the hearts of people, North, South, East and West. They were given ample opportunities by President Mahinda Rajapaksa to come to the negotiating table and iron out their differences with the state, but they preferred to persist in their savagery and bloodshed. Accordingly, the state had no choice but to militarily defeat the Tigers. This is the memorable victory which the Sri Lankan people celebrate today on Galle Face green along with their War Heroes.

But there is much more to be achieved and 'miles to go' before we could 'sleep'. That is, we as a collectivity and a country could hope of winning some respite from our present labours expended in 'picking-up the pieces' left behind by the conflict, only after the laying of a foundation for durable harmony and stability. There is no avoiding the challenge of working out a political solution to our conflict, and the fact that the state recognizes this great need is brought out in current efforts at launching a Parliamentary Select Committee which would be tasked with addressing the issue.

Finding a political solution which would meet the just aspirations and needs of our communities would prove to be no easy task but it is essential that this undertaking is accomplished within a specific time frame. Sections of the political Opposition have said 'yes' to this mechanism of a PSC while others are yet to respond positively to the state's initiative, but the challenge facing our polity is to place the national interest above all else. Such policy perspectives are yet to prove popular in this country and we hope some soul-searching will be engaged in by those sections which are finding the PSC initiative not exactly to their liking.

Meanwhile, those recommendations of the LLRC which are practicable need to be implemented. May be there is a range of problems waiting to be addressed, but we need to make a beginning somewhere, lest a sense of complacency sets in and valuable time is lost. We should by now be aware of the dangers of overlooking grievances in any quarter with a strong basis to them. A sense of grievance cannot be allowed to rankle in any section without being redressed.

In this connection, much comfort could be derived from the realization that the Mahinda Rajapaksa administration would not be tolerating communalism in any section of the polity. Communalism or racism has had a blighting impact on local society over the decades and we need to outlaw this scourge if we are to progress as a country. One of the first things those Miracle Economies of South East Asia did in the process of laying the basis for their remarkable development was to ban communalism and all those forms of politics that have a divisive and destructive impact on national harmony. This is the way forward for Sri Lanka too.

There is no doubt that a good future for this country consists in equitable development, among other factors, which will bind us together rather than separate us. Our economic indices continue to be impressive despite the dampening impact of the conflict and we hope things would remain this way. But it is vitally important that the growth that is achieved is equitable. That is, the gap between the 'haves' and 'have nots' needs to be increasingly narrowed and the wealth of the country distributed evenly among our population segments.

It is also encouraging to note that the Security Forces are playing an increasingly positive and prominent role in our development process. This is particularly true of the North-East. This is proof, among other things, of the professionalism and people-friendliness of our armed forces. In a way, the Humanitarian Operation of May 2009 is continuing.