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Truth and Reconciliation and the role of religions

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Former President Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu

The world is being given to understand that the Sri Lankan government is in dead earnest about delivering to the country Truth and Reconciliation (T&R). The hope of peace-loving sections everywhere is likely to be that some progress would be made, this time around, towards the realization of these noble ideals.

Let the rulers of Sri Lanka be placed on notice that peacemakers the world over may be looking forward eagerly to some early positive results from their seeming efforts towards the establishment of enduring ethnic and religious peace in the country. Already some initial moves towards the establishment of institutional mechanisms, such as a Commission for Truth, Unity and Reconciliation, have been made and to all outward appearances at least some small, fitful steps in the direction of reconciliation are being launched. But much, much more needs to be done.

However, the more seasoned and informed commentators on matters Sri Lankan cannot be prevented from being skeptical and even cynical about these much publicized, state-initiated peace efforts. Because all such projects over the past 30 years have started with a bang but ended in a whimper of abject failure.

Governments’ lack of sincerity about ethnic peace, has been the principal reason for these T&R debacles of the past. Apparently, all that governments sought from these barren exercises were a few short term political gains.

Accordingly, if some political parties in Northern Sri Lanka are campaigning strongly among their publics for a boycott of any forthcoming elections, they cannot be faulted. For, their collaborative efforts with central governments in the belief that their publics’ legitimate needs would be met, have proved futile. Small wonder that state-initiated ‘peace efforts’ are being rejected by those sections desirous of peace, with a high quotient of cynical scorn.

Could the current Sri Lankan government prove these cynics wrong? On whether it could do so rests the feasibility and viability of its loudly trumpeted T&R project. Peacemakers are waiting with eager anticipation.

Meanwhile, the Ranil Wickremesinghe regime would do well to take a searching look at South Africa’s T&R arrangements, if it has not already done so. Essentially, in that South African experiment that proved successful to a great extent, violators of the laws of war and perpetrators of political violence, during the apartheid years, among law enforcers in particular, were given a pardon by the relevant Truth Commission in exchange for the truth.

A re-telling of the truth by these perpetrators of political violence in a contrite spirit before the T&R Commission, ‘set them free’, in that they were from then on at peace with themselves and the world. Such was the liberating impact of the South African Truth Commission. The huge challenge for Sri Lanka is to take a leaf from South Africa’s historic exercise in healing itself.

In other words, could Sri Lanka measure up to South Africa in respect of magnanimity and peace-making among communities? Still more specifically, does Sri Lanka have the likes of a Nelson Mandela or an Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who were great transforming catalysts in South Africa’s transition to apartheid-free, democratic rule?

We in Sri Lanka, do not have the likes of a Nelson Mandela among us, nor did we have such charismatic political figures in the past. Likewise, we are most unlikely to have political personalities of Mandela’s stature in the foreseeable future. However, we have among us some members of the clergy who could make some contributions to peacemaking, although they may not measure up in full to the iconic Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

There was, for example, the late Most Venerable Kotugoda Dhammawasa Thera of Sri Lanka Council for Religions for Peace fame, with whom this columnist had the privilege of associating, who struck one as having remarkable insights into the thorny issues thrown up by Sri Lanka’s ethnic conflict. He was a silent but effective peacemaker and Sri Lanka is currently in need of more personalities of his kind as it continues to engage in fitful peacemaking efforts.

At a time when the UN is in a veritable state of paralysis on account of the ongoing power struggles within it among its principal members, the religious leaders of repute the world over need to strongly consider as to how they could contribute towards international peacemaking. They would need to come out of their cloisters and push untiringly for peace in the way in which Archbishop Tutu did in South Africa.

In theatres of war, such as the Middle East, the intervention of reputed religious leaders could pay off since they have the capability to speak to the minds and hearts of men in a transformative fashion and they have a sizeable following to boot. The Christian and Moslem clergy in particular need to not only engage energetically in peacemaking in the Middle East but think ‘out of the box’ as well in these efforts.

Clearly, politicians are failing in delivering peace and reconciliation in the Middle East, to consider just one war zone. As matters stand, the bloodshed in the region is bound to continue unrelentingly since the latest peace process, announced by the US President for the region, is failing to impress the Israeli political leadership. If religious leaders from across the region’s political divide, throw their weight unitedly behind the peace plan, the chances of the peace effort getting underway could be greater.

The above comments should not be construed as meaning that the secular foundation of peacemaking should in any way be done away with. Far from it. The secular foundation of conflict management should remain undiluted but inspirational leadership by religious leaders could inject a degree of dynamism to all political processes aiming at inter-ethnic and inter-religious peace. Intervention by the clergy proved doubly effective in South Africa, the same could go for theatres of severe blood-letting, such as the Middle East.

Accordingly, the magnitude of the challenges to international peace is of such proportions currently that all men and women of goodwill need to figure vibrantly in peacemaking. Politicians are visibly failing on this score.

Likewise, democratic governments of the South in particular need to go the extra mile to defeat and bring to justice those ethnic and religious forces that are sowing the seeds of division in their midst. This is happening in Sri Lanka in relation to the Moslem community. It ought to be plain to see, for instance, that some extremist sections in Southern Sri Lanka are intent on fanning the flames of disaffection against peace-loving Muslims. The state is obliged to bring these hardline elements to justice and ensure that all of Sri Lanka’s communities coexist in peace.

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