Reconciliation: the way forward

by Gnana Moonesinghe

Where Sri Lanka is concerned, reconciliation means different things to different people. To me it means recognizing that ours is a plural society where everybody living in this island nation are equal in law and in all other measurable indices. To reconcile in a plural society one has to first recognize that the discussion is taking place in an environment where different communities with different religious and cultural background co-exist while living in close proximity to each other.

What is astounding to me is that despite the demand for reconciliation from interested ethnic groups, be it from minorities belonging to diverse racial and religious groups or politicians drawn from among them, they have not expressed their interest in identifying with the Sri Lankan nation state. If at all, they or some of them, have been determined to divide and rule and benefit from the division to gain entry to politics or sustain themselves therein.

The main minority groups in the country are composed of the Tamils, Muslims and Burghers the last named being of European decent . The majority of Burghers emigrated soon after the Sinhala Only legislation was presented to Parliament and passed. Unable to function in Sinhala they were forced to emigrate to the West.The Muslims, the other major minority, have not agitated for a separate state. In fact they have in large numbers opted to work with the Sinhala majority. In the North the Muslims did not join the LTTE, keeping away from the war and from conflict with the state.

The Tamil minority continued to protest and agitate on any issue they felt was relevant to their well being. The Tamil community had connections in different countries and owing to the nature of their distribution had what could be described as a competitive edge. It was not in their psyche to live in harmony with the majority or play second fiddle to the Sinhala majority.

Over the years they agitated for the unitary status of SL to be changed to one of federalism. This demand indicates that they do not consider the concept of a unitary state with Provincial Councils as part of a permanent solution. It is true that some provisions of the Provincial Councils Act have not been utilized as yet which is a serious default on the part of successive governments.

The Northern Provincial Council Chief Minister and his councilors, despite representing themselves as agitators for Tamil interests, have not yet even produced a development plan for the North. In fact the Council is known to have returned unspent monies to the Treasury. This seems unforgivable in the cash strapped context of the North as well as the entire country where prices of essentials have shot up to unaffordable levels for all.

This is not to gloss over the crying needs of the Tamils in the post war scenario. Many Tamils await closure over the death of loved ones. Not having finality to these cases prevent them from accepting that their loved ones are no more. More difficult to handle is the problem of disappearances. An effective way to track missing members of the community has not been worked out by the government or the minority Tamils. The situation remains in limbo and the Tamils remain a dissatisfied entity.

Another major problem is not having access to financial resources to engage in income earning projects for short term relief. Having read an article on this matter a former chairman of Singer offered a sewing machine each to the needy in his personal capacity. This kind offer was not taken up as there were no takers at the time. Big financial institutions entered the picture but their operations were merely financial and not people centered. Their interests charges were huge and the poor in Jaffna could not work with them.

Following the war many families had lost their breadwinner. Many households remain headed by women. It is essential that some program of work is put in place. There is a strong rumor that failing to find work, many women have become sex workers. If this be true it would be a tragedy beyond belief for the conservative Jaffna society.

The other problem facing the people has been education. Education has been their escape route to prosperity. Jaffna had invested and placed much value on education. With the introduction of Sinhala Only frustration levels have arisen as jobs were not easily available to Jaffna youth. The departments in the central government must at least apprentice candidates for suitable placements from among the Tamils with a reasonable fit for the jobs available. Another way would be to enlist successful entrepreneurs willing to help provide gainful employment.

There are other areas of deprivation to be considered. An important category would be war victims such as the tortured who continue to be sidelined by society and ignored by the government. They remain within society and is part of it. It is imperative that a speedy solution be found for them to avoid increasing discontent.

The war ended in 2009. Yet no conclusive solution to the people’s concerns have been found by the government or the politicians representing the Tamils. Human Rights Commissions are not the answer; it must come from a government wanting to give peace to a traumatized nation. If we are to develop and take our place among the other nation states of the world, we must find solutions to peoples’ problems in Sri Lanka itself. We must aim to be a multi-cultural state and plural society.