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| Sunday, 26 June 2005 |
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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 A new beginning A Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on the establishment of the Post-Tsunami Operational Management Structure (P-TOMS) or the Tsunami relief Council (TRC) has been signed ending weeks of uncertainty. We commend both parties to this agreement for the political maturity, flexibility and pragmatism displayed in spite of a vociferous and provocative campaign against P-TOMS. It is to their credit that they have been able to set aside strong political and other differences and agree on a humanitarian mission to uplift the unfortunate victims of the devastating tsunami of last December 26. It has to be kept in mind that the impact of the tsunami was heaviest in the North and East and majority of the victims are still in refugee camps and temporary shelters. This agreement is a fitting consequence to the spirit of solidarity shown by our people in the immediate aftermath of the catastrophe where they made no discrimination on the grounds of ethnicity, religion or politics in the relief missions. Actually it was long overdue. Anyway it is better to be late than never. President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga deserves the praise of the nation for her steadfastness and sincere commitment to establish this humanitarian mission despite strong opposition from the government ranks itself. It is her determination that prevented a repetition of the tragic and unpardonable mistakes of the past where agreements reached between the Sinhala and Tamil leaders were torpedoed by a vociferous minority of chauvinists on the lunatic fringe of nationalist politics. The agreement is significant in many ways. First and foremost, it is the first time in the history of a nearly two decade long fratricidal war that the two belligerent parties agreed to cooperate in an administrative structure. It also signifies the return of the LTTE to the path of negotiation after they withdrew from the talks in April 2003. It should be recalled that one major reason for their withdrawal was the lack of an effective mechanism to deal with humanitarian efforts in the North and East. Though the present structure does not cover the entire North East experience gained in the operation of the P-TOMS would be valuable in future negotiations. Needless to say that P-TOMS would also be a confidence building mechanism, bringing the two belligerents and two estranged communities together. Proper working of the P-TOMS would also help to allay the fears expressed by regional minorities in the region about LTTE hegemony. It would be an interesting experiment in cooperation among the three ethnic communities inhabiting the region. Through the P-TOMS the LTTE has been provided with an opportunity to engage in mainstream administrative activities. Experience the world over has demonstrated that such opportunities provide best means for the return of militant movements to the democratic mainstream of politics. Another important feature of the agreement is the representation of the Muslim population in the joint management structure. Their involvement would facilitate the creation of harmonious relations between the different ethnic communities, especially in the East, which of late had developed into a focal point of contradictions in inter-ethnic relations. Last but not least the P-TOMS has the capacity to resuscitate the stalled peace process through confidence building activities. Now that agreement has been reached speedy action should be taken to implement it by establishing the necessary mechanism and proceeding at once to the tasks of relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction. Such speedy and productive work would allay genuine fears entertained by certain sections of the public, especially in the south. It would also deflate possible JVP - JHU counter-campaigns, which are based mostly on assumptions and apriori judgments without evidence. P-TOMS would also bring further goodwill and assistance from the international community. It should be remembered that in the modern world the best guarantee of a state's territorial integrity and sovereignty comes from the support it receives from the international community. The Norwegian facilitators should also be commended for the painstaking and untiring efforts they made to bridge the gap between the positions of the rival parties and facilitate the agreement reached. Let us hope that wisdom and courage will prevail on both sides of the divide to utilise the opportunities opened up by P-TOMS to make a new beginning in fostering harmonious inter-communal relations and forging a united and just Sri Lanka. |
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