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| Sunday, 5 December 2004 |
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'Mutual trust among communities should be strengthened' - Prof. Souza Professor Ronald de Souza, visiting fellow of the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, New Delhi, in an exclusive interview with Sunday Observer Staffer M.P. Muttiah, says that mutual trust among communities should be strengthened to achieve understanding and consensus on the peace process. In South Asian countries. Professor de Souza, who was in Colombo to attend a seminar on Democracy and Human Security organised by the Social Scientists' Association, believes there is considerable dissatisfaction among people as democratic institutions have become weaker. As a result he said there were divisions among people, which have led to the increase in violence and inequalities. He said that whenever democratic institutions lack cohesion, authoritarianism emerge and erode the enthusiasm of masses on democratic rights. It has made authoritarianism take deeper roots. He said adding that the judiciary, the Elections Commission and media in India were very strong and impartial whereas in other countries of South Asia it is not so. Souza said that lack of dialogue, understanding, recognition, representation, inclusiveness and improper implementation of democratic processes had marginalised the weaker sections of the society. He attributed the political domination of the elite in South Asian countries as one of the reasons for conflicts, violence and other social insecurity. Souza said that when the gap between the democratic institutions and masses widened, it inspired distrust and disillusion. Therefore, ensuring fair representation of marginalised communities and their recognition in the national and regional levels was crucial to quell the distrust and disillusion. If more trust was built, the capacity to accommodate differences and diverse views would be much stronger. Responding to a question on the peace process, Prof. Souza said that dialogue was the non-violent means for a solution. Methods of dialogue should be central in achieving the objectives of the peace process. As such, dialogue should be expanded and included to accommodate more groups as a method of binding the participants and protracted. He said that Sri Lanka faced the task of finalising the venues, institutions for extensive dialogue, which would certainly reduce the level of distrust among the negotiating sides. However, it was very important to motivate a new imaginative democratic approach among communities at grass-roots level, conducive to the peace process. When communities were able to strongly express their desire for peace, it would make it easier for the top level negotiators. It was the task of civil societies to articulate such a new imaginative approach to negotiations as in Northern Ireland and South Africa. The 'forget and forgive' slogan of former South African President Nelson Mandela and the Truth Commission changed the former apartheid nation as a vibrant democracy. Nelson Mandela drew inspirations from Mahatma Gandhi who was inspired by Tolstoy and Romaine Roland. They had showed the non-violent path to countries and people to achieve their objectives. He said that it was a hard path and there was no alternative to peace. Asked about the links between democracy and human security, Prof. Souza said that democracy was embedded in the law of a country. Democracy ensured human security. Though none of the South Asian countries face external threats, they spent more on national security to counter internal conflicts, but less on eradicating poverty and illiteracy and to curtail lack of social services. The preamble of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted five decades ago by the United Nations General Assembly, had proclaimed that freedom from fear and freedom from want were the greatest aspirations of the common people. They were components of the human security. Therefore, solutions to human security issues also depended on the policies of a government. Prof. Souza said that the link between democracy and human security was to respect the people's needs and aspirations. Democracy was the only form of government that guaranteed political and civil freedom and the right to participate in policy decisions and debate. However, the experience of democracy in South Asian countries had posed many questions about human security. Political violence, armed conflicts, killings, disappearances, violation of individual as well as group rights had become a political process which needed special attention and resolution. |
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