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Inspired moment of truth

President Kumaratunga's call for joint and united action by the major political parties in the country to resolve the ethnic conflict will meet with the approval of the majority of the public and draw many an appreciative accolade from them.

This is primarily because the perceptive sections of the people do not see an alternative to, first, harmonious cohabitation between the President and the Government and, second, concerted and purposive cooperation between the major parties - which really share many a commonality on the ethnic question - to bring about a settlement to the conflict.

In what must have been an inspired moment, the President was quoted saying in relation to the UNF's efforts to resolve the conflict that, "As a person who worked tirelessly to obtain the assistance of the UNP to implement our proposals on devolution of power to solve the problem, I might be one of the few people pleased with their present stance".

Positions such as these by the President, provide space for a cooperative effort between the President and the Government to resolve the conflict.

Since both, the PA and the UNF subscribe to power devolution as a means of ending the conflict, this opportunity should be seized to launch a cooperative peace endeavour between these parties. We recommend that these parties bury the hatchet until a solution is found to this problem.

A joint PA-UNF peace endeavour, however, calls for principle-based politics and not opportunistic politics. It is our sad experience that it is the latter which has held sway in this country thus far. If the ethnic conflict is to be resolved justly, principle-based politics should displace opportunistic politics.

The success of this venture, however, is determined largely by the moral and intellectual stature of the women and men who take to politics.

Unfortunately, not everyone who takes to politics today, measures-up to these standards. As the President herself has pointed out, the average politician of today has made politics a money-spinning enterprise.

They tend to be in politics for the commissions and kickbacks it brings and not for the vast opportunities it opens for service to humanity. Politics today, nevertheless, provide space for working towards peace - the greatest undertaking that opens to a citizen of this land.

This noble expectation has not been fulfilled to-date. It is plain to see that it is mainly self-gain which propels people into politics. Once in office, these persons play on the differences among people to perpetuate self and power. Consequently, we are nowhere near solving the major issues facing us.

While, as the President has cautioned, people need to use their vote wisely and help instal in office only women and men of integrity and honour, political parties must ensure that it is only persons of this quality who, in the first instance, run for office. It is our hope that the pruning knife of political leaders would fall on those wild elements who have dishonoured politics.

Celluloid success

Reports on the death of Sinhala cinema have been greatly exaggerated, judging by what is happening in the film scene. Last week, the Sinhala film Sulang Kirilli (Wind Bird) emerged first at the Dhaka Film Festival, while its main star Damitha Abeyratne won the Best Actress Award.

Lester James Peiris' Wekanda Walawwa (Mansion by the Lake) is in the running for the Oscars. Several recent Sinhala films such as Sakman Maluwa, Purahanda Kaluwara and Thani Thatuwen Piyambanna have won critical acclaim abroad.

The rise of artistic films augurs well for the local film industry. These movies have put Sri Lanka on the world film map and led to a high demand for our directors' creations in the international festival circuit.

It is heartening to note that several young directors are basing their films on timely and controversial themes which would have been taboo just a few years ago. Such movies stimulate viewers to reflect on these issues in depth after they leave the cinema.

On the other hand, there are mindless films with the 'comedy' tag that insult cinemagoers. Although cinema is basically an escapist form of entertainment that cocoons the viewer in another world for two to three hours, some Sinhala films sadly have nothing to offer cinemagoers except cheap laughs or flashes of nudity.

The authorities, in consultation with film personalities, should explore the possibility of formulating minimum standards for commercial films.

Several recent Sinhala commercial films that skilfully blended action, romance and comedy in entrancing storylines became instant box office hits. These films please the senses and exercise the grey matter in equal measure.

The making of local Tamil and English films must also be encouraged.

Local films must be actively marketed abroad for public and television screenings, especially in countries with big Asian populations. In the long term, this will create a wider international market for our films.

Technology-wise, local films are decades behind the latest trends in the industry. Movies, like everything else, are going high-definition and digital worldwide. Our film industry should embrace these trends or risk being left out in the global arena.

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