8/8/2019 Yet Miles to Go

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Insight

Yet, miles to go

With the decisive conventional military defeat of the LTTE and the elimination of its leadership by the armedforces, there is a historic opportunity for a just and lasting peace. The victory celebrations, the honouringand feting of the political and military leadership, the surge of patriotism and nationalist fervour must notobscure the stark and simple fact that there is a conflict to be resolved and peace to be won.

None of this is easy, but all the more important precisely because of this. The military has done the job it

was ordered to do; the politicians have to follow in doing theirs. Over the years, this is an opinion that hasbeen shared with me by many a member of the armed services.

There is a limited utility to the use of force and military force cannot be a substitute for politics. All theclichs apply a political defeat must not be snatched from the jaws of military victory.

In this respect, the Presidents speech to parliament on Tuesday held out the promise of progress ahead onthe political front. However, so did the APRC. For decades as we have fought we have argued the pros andcons of a political settlement of this conflict. In substantive terms it is not that there is nothing new underthe sun as far as constitutional reform as an instrument of conflict resolution is concerned. It is thatpolitical commitment, courage and imagination have been lacking.

Political settlement

We now have a political leadership, which enjoys the overwhelming support of the majority Sinhala polityand accordingly the political support to underpin a democratic and lasting peace, reconciliation and unity.Once ameaningful political settlement ispursued in earnest andaccomplished, major plaudits and honours

will most definitely be in order. Until then, we have the promise of possibility, the memories of failure andthe critical job unfinished.

A political settlement is by no means a panacea. The experience of Perumal and now Pillayan reveals thatwhatever it looks like on paper it can always be frustrated in practice. President Rajapakse must use hisconsiderable political support and savvy to convince his majority constituency that as with inclusive andsensitive celebrations of military victory, a political settlement in settlement of an ethnic conflict must begenerous and sincere. Or else, the risk of going back to the future could be great.

The environment in which this is to happen, though now marked by jubilation and relief over military victoryis also one in which a major humanitarian crisis persists and with it human rights violations and the cultureof impunity.

Consequently a holistic approach to ending the conflict within a framework of peace, reconciliation and unityrequires that this crisis be addressed rapidly and constructively.

We need international cooperation for this. Therefore the crude, combative populism that has characterised

the international relations of the regime in the last three months must be abandoned. Is there really anysound reason for restricting the access of international humanitarian agencies to the camps and to the warzone, particularly since there probably are civilians still trapped in the latter who are badly in need of basicassistance?

Something to hide

A minister has ventured the opinion that this is being done to provide relief to the IDPs more vehicles inthe camps will be tantamount to harassing them. Are the international humanitarian agencies pests, as thisseems to suggest or is it the case that access is being restricted because there is something to hide?

This takes on a greater importance and pertinence in the context of calls for an investigation of theallegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity by both sides.

Reconciliation requires that we know what happened. We cannot move forward by allowing unverifiedallegations to constitute the basis of myths of victimhood which in turn will fuel grievance and conflict. Thetruth needs to be known and justice needs to be done. Whilst this will be to the discomfort of both sides itis necessary in order to prevent the trading of allegations and counter-allegations into the future. And inthis context, there should be a monument to the civilians of all ethnicities who sacrificed their lives.

The onus of responsibility in all of this will lie with the government. This does not in any way, however,vitiate the major responsibility that falls on the shoulders of the leaders of the Tamil polity. They have to

nd Unafraid Unbo

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8/8/2019 Yet Miles to Go

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25/5/09 9:04 AMThe Sunday Leader

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step out from under the shadow of the LTTE and lead the Tamil polity back into mainstream democraticpolitics.

Time is of the essence here, since there are likely to be local elections in the north and a general election inthe very near future. Most importantly, the Tamil political leadership that has survived this war, needs totake on the responsibility for the protection of the IDPs and their immediate needs. It would be fatal if theywere to fail in this task and rely on the international community and India in particular, for instruction as towhat to do. Credible, independent leaders are the need of the hour.

The celebrations are understandable, but there is no getting away from the stark reality of the notinconsiderable unfinished business.

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