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| Sunday, 15 January 2006 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Three-pronged strategy against terror
by J. Vitarana The man in the Vanni is calling the shots. In fact he began the drama with a simple order - Boycott elections! By this single simple act he proved how far the destiny of our land depends on his actions. He had fathomed the southern mind better than the southerners who are still debating what happened.
When it became clear to him that Mahinda would get the overwhelming support of the South, Ranil became a spent force or a worn out coin. What benefit could he derive from any deal with a man who did not command a majority down South? Ranil has been crying foul. His followers including those in "civil society" called it the great betrayal. Calls were made for a re-poll in the Northeast, as if it would have mattered or would have produced a different result. Like the proverbial mice they could not find anyone to bell the cat. There was no Constitutional way, both media and legal experts realised much later. The government has been thrown into an unenviable position. The ceasefire is being violated with impunity daily. The security forces are becoming targets of "unidentified gunmen" (?) In face of unprecedented provocation the security forces and the government have borne everything with exemplary restraint. In the face of continuing terror an exasperated President once cried "Do not provoke. Do not think my patience is weakness!" Three-pronged strategy The government is not sitting cross-legged waiting for peace and tranquility to dawn. Its strategy is three-pronged. The first is to enhance security, to reinforce the presence of security forces in troubled areas, to maximise vigilance, to conduct cordon and search operations, to re-organise the defence structure. The second is to appeal to the international community, to apprise them of what is happening, to use their good offices to bring pressure on the LTTE to behave. The third is to pursue peace in earnest, not to get disoriented or not to fall back on war. On all these fronts progress is discernible. The extra security measures have averted many a catastrophe though100 percent success could not be guaranteed yet. The co-chairs and several friendly states have alerted the LTTE to the danger of not heeding their advice for restraint, not abandoning ceasefire violations. The European Union is contemplating a ban on the LTTE. The US Ambassador gave a tough warning that in the event of failure to abandon the path of terror the LTTE would have to face a strengthened Sri Lankan Army that has received vital training at the hands of US military experts. On the peace front the President has been talking to political parties independently and in groups. An all party conference is scheduled for next week to forge a southern consensus on a negotiated solution to the National Question. Despite the terror, despite the setbacks, the LTTE has failed to engender a southern backlash against the Tamils, any repetition of the ugly incidents of July 1983. So far mind has prevailed over the heart despite provocation from certain quarters. Yet the situation in the Northeast is highly volatile. There is an urgent necessity to defuse the tense situation, to build mutual trust between the communities and to begin talking at whatever level possible. Tamil Nadu factor Nothing should be taken for granted. The repercussions of these developments are also felt across the Palk Straits, in Chennai in particular. There are pro-LTTE political parties there and they are getting ready for the Tamil Nadu Assembly polls. There is the likelihood of the Sri Lankan Tamil issue being a top political issue at the elections. The Sri Lankan government and other actors in the political arena over here should keep this factor in mind. Since the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi sympathy for the LTTE has waned in Tamil Nadu. Unless Sinhala politicians are careful their actions could revive those sympathies. On the other hand dwindling of sympathy for the LTTE does not signify any dwindling of the support for the struggle and demands of the Sri Lankan Tamils for self-determination. A failure to understand this distinction could prove costly in the long run. The LTTE strategy is to blur this distinction so that they could claim to be the sole representative of the Sri LankanTamils. Media responsibility The media has a penchant for negative news. It likes to amplify - to blow up stories. Often the craze is for sensation. In certain other cases it may act on pure commercial interests being driven by market competition. In the volatile climate of today one could find many stories that could be blown up and even sensationalised. Unlike few decades ago we have spin doctors who could blow up any story for ulterior motives. Last week we saw how some of them blew up a minor story about a businessman being allegedly threatened by somebody. Like the story about the proverbial crow's feather it ended by alleging a conspiracy by a very highly placed politician to kill the gentleman and gag press freedom. The remote controlled media organizations too danced to the tune of those directing operations from behind. The media has a heavy responsibility to restrain the masses and save them
from being provoked by hostile acts of terror that seek to undermine the
relative peace we enjoy today. It is in this context we note with disdain
calls for land-grabbing in the North and calls for a military solution
appearing in media columns. |
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