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| Sunday, 25 July 2004 |
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Editor, Sunday Observer. E-mail: [email protected] Snail mail : Sunday Observer, 35, D.R.Wijewardana Mawatha, Colombo, Sri Lanka. Telephone : 94 11 2429239 / 2331181 Fax : 94 11 2429230 As we remember Black July Anniversaries are opportune moments for introspection. The anniversary of Black July 1983, which is being commemorated this week, is no exception. Yet July 1983 was an exceptional phenomenon. Never before in contemporary Sri Lankan history had such brutal, such bloody, such shameful pogrom been conducted against any community ethnic, religious or otherwise. By magnitude and intensity it surpasses all previous ethnic violence. Hundreds of innocent Tamils were done to death by most brutal methods including burning them alive. Property worth billions of rupees were looted and destroyed. Even inmates in state prisons were massacred in cold blood with the tacit approval and assistance of prison officials. What makes it more sinister was state management and state involvement in the whole pogrom. The UNP government of President J.R. Jayewardene not only used the state media to incite communal hatred, it used the state military and police forces to engage in acts of terrorism and vandalism instilling fear in the minds of all. In addition, special killer squads of the ruling party were set to plunder and murder the Tamils. President Jayewardene not only abdicated his duty to protect all citizens, he used the opportunity to "teach the Tamils a lesson." He not only allowed the situation to deteriorate but also arrogantly justified the violence. Sri Lanka had never earlier seen such arrogance and such foolishness in a Head of State. To add insult to injury he passed the notorious Sixth Amendment to the Constitution, which made any democratic struggle of the Tamil people for their rights inadmissible. Thus it was the state that paved the way for the birth of the armed struggle for a separate state. The Sixth Amendment provided moral justification for that struggle. July 1983 is the turning point in the long drawn out ethnic confrontation between the Sinhala and Tamil communities. It dethroned the Tamil United Liberation Front from the leading position it enjoyed till then in the national struggle of the Tamil people for their just rights. Militant youth representing a more radical new class took the reins. The theatre of struggle also shifted from the parliamentary arena to the battlefield. Furthermore, what was earlier an internal problem of Sri Lanka became an international issue. The influx of hundreds of thousands of Sri Lankan Tamil refugees made India a stakeholder in the whole issue. The creation of a widespread Tamil diaspora in the Western world added a new dimension to the conflict and attracted international attention to the problem. At the present juncture when both parties to the conflict are following a Ceasefire Agreement pending negotiations, it is advisable to ponder on what confidence building measures that could be taken immediately to assist the negotiation process. President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga on behalf of the Government has taken one such measure. She made a forthright national apology to the victims of the July pogrom at a ceremony held at the Presidential Secretariat on Friday to handover compensation to the victims of the pogrom. The award of compensation, though not adequate in terms of quantity and quality was a symbolic gesture of repentance on the part of the Sri Lankan state for the crimes it committed 21 years ago. Another such measure would be the repeal of the Prevention of Terrorism Act, which has been in the statute book for 25 years. It has also been counter-productive. Addressing cultural liberty The Human Development Report (HDR) 2004 published by the UNDP has touched on a new theme - Cultural liberty in a diverse world. It provides interesting reading and food for thought. The process of economic globalization, which characterizes the modern world, has also been accompanied by the rise of various movements for the preservation of identities of people along ethnic, religious and cultural lines. Many movements have arisen due to the threat of their cultures being swept away by the advance of the dominant Western culture. One should understand these diverse movements are not isolated. They are part of a historic process of social change, of struggles for cultural freedom, of new frontiers in the advance of human freedom and democracy, as concluded by the HDR 2004. The contemporary world is witnessing a huge movement of people and capital across borders. Many countries are flooded with migrants. Cultural diversity has become a permanent characteristic of many states. Every country is multi-cultural today. This makes multi-cultural approach not only necessary but also viable. Its unity in diversity that could guarantee the best possible climate for development. As concluded by the HDR 2004 "The advance of cultural liberty must be a central aspect of human development, and this requires going beyond social, political and economic opportunities since they do not guarantee cultural liberty". The Report focuses on five critical areas of human development: political participation, religion, access to justice, language and access to socio-economic opportunities. |
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