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| Sunday, 17 November 2002 |
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'Peace is achievable' voices by Prof. Ravindra Fernando One year ago, I resigned from the post of Professor University of Colombo and from other posts held in different state institutions to contest the December General Elections. It was a sudden decision. The party lawyers insisted that I should resign from all state posts and must have documentary evidence that the resignations were accepted. I did not realise the difficulty of this initially. This was not an easy task to be accomplished in a few hours. Eventually, I was able to sign the nomination papers around eight in the evening to be handed over the following morning, thanks to Mr. K. Balapatabandi secretary to President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga and Mr. Chandrananda de Silva, the then Secretary, Ministry of Defence, who were willing to accept my resignation from the National Dangerous Drugs Control Board. My family members did not welcome sacrificing an academic career to enter politics. While some friends thought it was a "brave" decision, others thought it was "stupid". One batchmate said that it was a shame for a professional to do politics! A senior colleague living in the UK told me, "You are a b***** fool." A highly respected Supreme Court Judge who knew me for the last two decades asked me, "What's wrong with you?" Anyway, I contested the general elections and managed to win the Panadura electorate for the UNP for the first time after 1977, although I did not get enough preference votes to be elected to Parliament. The 37-day hectic campaign was extremely peaceful, thanks to my supporters and the opposing candidates from the PA and the JVP. In fact, my teenage son and daughter thoroughly enjoyed some campaign activities. The election convinced me that the present district-based voting system should be changed. The themes of my peaceful election campaign were economic revival and achieving peace. I emphasized the need for proper economic management to tackle the minus economic growth. The people in Sri Lanka in an almost free and fair election gave their mandate to UNP leaders Ranil Wickremesinghe to revive the economy and achieve peace in Sri Lanka. They again endorsed their support to the MOU signed by the government and the LTTE and the process of negotiated settlement, in the local government elections held early this year. I do not regret my decision to contest because I supported to elect a government that follows the path to peace. In the election manifesto of the United National Party, the establishment of an interim administration to the North and East was clearly spelled out. The manifesto did not make commitments such as having an interim administration headed by the LTTE for 10 years! The intelligent people of this country rejected all false allegations such as the so-called "Ranil-Prabha pact" and the imminent granting of "Eelam" after the elections. They wanted Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to follow the path of peace. Up to now, he has done what the majority of the people in this country wanted with dedication, commanding the respect of almost all political parties and leaders in Sri Lanka, the civil society and the international community. The path to peace is not easy. After two decades of brutal violence, mistrust, and destruction of lives and property, the PM has to do a very difficult balancing act. Contrary to views expressed by some prophets of doom, who stated with supreme confidence that the LTTE will not come to the negotiating table, a round of talks began in Thailand. It will continue in spite of the recent disturbances in the East. Doubts, fears Will the LTTE discontinue the talks, as they did three times before, and take up arms again? In such an event, what would be the devastation of the terrorist attacks on the economy and the lives of the people? Is the government prepared for a counter offensive? These are some of the fears in the minds of many Sri Lankans. Even in the international community doubts were cast whether the LTTE is genuine in their efforts to achieve peace. A few months ago, inaugurating a conference organised by the University of Colombo, an Ambassador from a Western Country publicly stated that he thought that efforts of President Kumaratunga and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to achieve peace are genuine but he did not think so about the LTTE. Yes, the LTTE has breached the trust of successive governments of Sri Lanka. Does this mean that to achieve peace the government should not talk to the LTTE again? The JVP took arms in 1971 and again in late eighties. If they take up arms again for the third struggle, does it mean that the government should not negotiate with the JVP to have peace and end their struggle? Of course the military capabilities of the LTTE and JVP were vastly different. Still, breaking three ceasefires does not mean the fourth ceasefire will also be broken. Since December 2001, at least 1000 - 2000 lives of members of security forces and Tamil youth has been saved. Men, women and children did not lose their brothers, husbands, and fathers. Many thousands did not lose their eyes and limbs. This alone is a great achievement of the UNF government. For a physician and a human rights educator this is indeed a satisfying experience. The support to the campaign of peace came form all quarters. Religious dignitaries, political leaders of all parties, especially the Opposition Leader Mahinda Rajapaksa, civil society, the non-governmental organisations, academics of all thirteen Universities in Sri Lanka should be commended for their faith and hope in the peace process. The issue of deproscription was another thorny issue. Up to 1998, the LTTE was not proscribed in Sri Lanka. As an immediate reaction to bombing of the Dalada Maligawa ("Temple of Tooth") in Kandy (which the JVP also did a decade earlier), Her Excellency the President proscribed the LTTE. Human rights However, the terrorist activities of the LTTE did not stop. In the same way, the deproscription, by itself, will not lead to the commencement of terrorist activities. As expected, no western government deproscribed the LTTE because we did so. It is essential that talks on achieving peace should guarantee the human rights of every person of every community including those living in the North and East. Sadly, two decades of violence led to unprecedented violations of human rights of the people. There were inhuman, cruel and degrading treatment of civilians and extra-judicial killings. The security forces, the LTTE and other Tamil militant organisations were responsible for these inhuman acts. It is the duty of all citizens of this country to request the government and the LTTE to continue to talk, and talk and talk. President Chandrika Kumaratunga will not derail a peace process which she initiated by inviting the Norwegian facilitators. Therefore, I think peace is achievable. I wish to conclude by quoting Karl Jasper, who wrote the following after the second world war: "Close relatives and friends are dead or missing. Homes lie in ruins. Property has been destroyed. With everybody experiencing trouble, severe privations and physical suffering, it is still something altogether different whether one retains a home and household goods or has been ruined by bombs; whether he sustained his suffering and losses in combat at the front, at home, or in a concentration camp; whether he was a hunted... victim or one of those who, even though in fear, profited by the regime... Men have come to the limits of humanity and returned home, unable to forget what really was... The suffering differs in kind, and most people have sense only for their kind. Everyone tends to interpret great losses and trials as a sacrifice..." |
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