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| Sunday, 7 September 2003 |
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| News Business Features Editorial
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The Eastern theatre Rights of all communities must be respected by Amrit Muttukumaru Are we seriously interested in the peaceful resolution of the complex ethnic crisis that has already wrought havoc on this country with the potential to wreak further unthinkable misery? Can one be faulted in assuming that for a multitude of reasons with political expediency taking centre stage, the country at large led by the major political entities does not have what it will take to resolve this issue peacefully? Influential sections of the mainstream media, particularly print in different degrees are continuing to play a most irresponsible role. On the other hand, unrealistic sunshine stories too are counterproductive. What is expected of a mature media are objective and responsible reporting. A good example of irresponsible journalism is the seeming wide divergence between ground realities in the East and what is reported in the media. The prudent and savvy management of the Eastern flashpoint presents the single largest challenge to the successful shepherding of the peace process. Apart from the incessantly reported LTTE bogey, there are several others fishing in the Eastern theatre that goes virtually unnoticed by the mainstream media. These other players include those jockeying for political hegemony such as the different factions of the SLMC and NUA, those engaged in national power politics such as the PA, UNP (when in opposition) and JVP and still others essentially in the category of mercenaries. The expected provincial and even general elections gives impetus and urgency to these games. As if this were not sufficient, added to this complex cauldron could be foreign elements such as the intelligence services of certain key South Asian and West Asian countries not to mention some Western interests as well. One wonders whether those spearheading the peace process are equal to the task of firstly appreciating these complexities and then are appropriately meeting these challenges. This clearly would prove to be a nightmare to even the most seasoned professionals in the business. State Colonisation To a large extent, events in the Eastern Province will determine the success or failure of the peace process and hence the future of this country. Given the current state of play, particularly in respect of the misinformation being fed and the utter distortion of even the recent history of this province, it will be almost impossible to reach an amicable settlement unless there is an all round appreciation also of ground realities in this province based on fact. The sole objective of this exercise is to assist in forging a just negotiated solution through reasonable compromise and accommodation. Until aggressive State sponsored colonisation with overwhelmingly Sinhala settlers, the population of the Eastern province was overwhelmingly Tamil speaking. This is so even today, although to a much lesser extent.Even as recently as in the 1946 census with the benefit of the early days of colonisation, the Sinhala population was only under 10 % while the Ceylon Tamil population was 47% and that of the Ceylon Moors was 39 %. Colonisation schemes which included Kantalai, Padawiya, Allai and Morawewa in the Trincomalee district and the Gal-Oya scheme in the southern part of the then Batticaloa district, resulted in the Sinhala population ballooning to what it is today a little less than one third of the population in the Eastern province. As will be obvious, almost the entire Sinhala population is concentrated in the Trincomalee and Amparai districts. It should be noted that prior to Gal-Oya, Amparai was part of the Batticaloa district. Amparai was constituted as a separate district only in 1961. In this process, the Tamil population in particular has been severely diluted with all its implications. Today, the population in this province is approximately, a little over one-third Tamil, around one-third Muslim and a little less than one-third Sinhala respectively. This is not ancient history. This is contemporary history. Under these circumstances, is it fair to ignore all this with a view to diluting the just claims of the Tamils in the Eastern province? At the same time, there is no question that the rights of all other communities must be respected . This can only be assured through a final settlement based on human rights, pluralism, democracy and the rule of law. The rest of the country gives a very poor example in this regard. In fact, a major reason for the ethnic crisis itself is due to severe deficiencies in these attributes. Eastern Players In the larger interests of this country, we just cannot let this window of opportunity presented by the current peace process once again slip from our grasp. As stated earlier, the Eastern theatre would prove to be the watershed that would determine the future of this country. It should be appreciated that the situation in this province is indeed very complex. Apart from the implications of state sponsored colonisation, the pitch has been greatly queered by those jockeying for local and national political power. This includes various Muslim groups inclusive of the SLMC and NUA, armed Tamil and Muslim groups apart from the LTTE, national political parties mainly the PA and UNP, the spoiler activities of the JVP, possibly certain key South Asian and West Asian countries as well as some Western interests. The current U.S. led clumsy war against terror adds another dimension. Hence, it would be apparent that there are several other players apart from the LTTE each with their own agenda operating in the East. Yet, influential sections of the media and opposition groups conveniently hold the LTTE solely responsible for all the problems and violence in the Eastern province. Such naivete is counter productive to the search for a negotiated settlement. Although, the LTTE as a dominant and high profile entity may not be blameless, what about the contribution of all the other parties operating in the region? After all, it takes at least two hands to clap, does it not ? The tragedy is that the only access people have to what is happening in the East is the seemingly one-sided doctored information in the mainstream media. Even the governments peace secretariat seems transfixed and has made no meaningful efforts to issue objective statements on what is actually happening in the East. This is true of the peace process in general as well. In the meanwhile, influential sections of the media seem to be having a field day systematically poisoning the minds of the people and thus making a negotiated solution very difficult. Role for NGOs This writer under no circumstances is attempting to exonerate the LTTE for any culpability on its part. The point that needs to be made and emphasised is that it is high time the people of this country are made aware of realities such as (a) the reasons leading to the crisis in the first place, (b) the impossibility of a military solution until the just grievances and aspirations of the Tamils are honestly addressed, (c) a primer on the Eastern province which should include the history of state colonisation with its implications and the identity of those jockeying in the East for local and national political power and (d) the contours of a negotiated solution based on advanced federalism, power sharing and democracy. This has never been undertaken. Such an awareness will bring about a greater understanding of the issues involved and prepare the ground for a just solution. Even those peace entrepreneurs making a nice living from the ethnic crisis fight shy of this. But they are not averse to spending millions in foreign grants on 5-star hotel seminars for a select circuit on essentially repetitive topics resulting in glossy recycled reports, roadmaps, largely meaningless research surveys and foreign junkets for parliamentarians, journalists and themselves also to study federalism. Their activities for the most part are high on well traversed generalities and theory while being extremely low on specifics and hence largely of little practical use. In this connection, it is disappointing that the contribution of our engine of growth is virtually zilch. These rich NGOs and the organised business community have access to tremendous resources in terms of finance, manpower, materials, a wide range of services and potential influence at the highest political level. They have the potential not only to give effective leadership to civil society and function as a powerful pressure group but also to carry out an awareness programme on these ground realities. They have a moral obligation to mobilise these resources towards a negotiated settlement. That they have largely failed to do so is possibly due to their running with the hare and hunting with the hound syndrome with the objective of playing safe in pursuit of their commercial interests. This holds true also in respect of our handful of affluent NGOs. This will demand a level of commitment from them which may not please everyone. But clearly, the greater good will be served in the long run. Another area in which some of these NGOs can engage themselves in is to work with local NGOs in the East with a view to promoting confidence boosting measures and building bridges between the different ethnic groups. The empowerment of grassroot citizens groups towards identifying and resolving areas of conflict should be the objective. Muttur: Call for Inquiry The fallout from incidents such as the latest Muttur violence which has assumed dangerous proportions, if not appropriately managed have the potential to derail the entire peace process. It also presents a test case to determine what is really happening in the East. It is urged that the government immediately constitute an appropriate and credible inquiry panel with clear terms of reference to inquire into and report within a specific time frame (say one month) of the circumstances leading to, identification of participants, type and extent of violence, implications and recommendations with reference to the latest Muttur violence spreading to Samanthurai also resulting in the deaths of two Muslims at Chelvanayakapuram in the Trincomalee District on 13 August 2003. A key question to be answered by the panel is whether the starting point of the entire spate of the recent Muttur centred violence commenced as we are led to believe by the media with the killing of the two muslims allegedly by the LTTE at Chelvanayakapuram on 13 August 2003. The panel of inquiry apart from any others, should have government, LTTE and SLMC representation with the Norwegian facilitators being observers and the SLMM being the umpire . The findings should be presented to the people of this country in a responsible manner by the SLMM through the mainstream media- press, radio and TV even if necessary through paid advertisements. The objective of this inquiry is not to merely allocate responsibility for the violence but more importantly to map out strategy for the future to carry forward the peace process. A cornerstone of this strategy will be the participation of the people of all communities in the building of peace by highlighting their common destiny. This is where the NGOs have a crucial role. Tamil-Muslim Relations Historically, Tamils and Muslims in this country who share a common language have largely lived in amity and brotherhood. Aggressive State sponsored colonisation in the East not only drastically altered the demographics of the entire province but also adversely impacted on Tamil-Muslim relations due to reasons which included intensified competition for land and other resources. The grievances of the Tamils due to real discrimination and humiliation has to date remained largely unaddressed. A defining moment in this connection was the 1983 pogrom against Tamils with at least some degree of State connivance which gave an impetus to Tamil militancy. In this militancy, it is only the LTTE that has stayed the course by its resilience, courage, competence and tremendous sacrifice and delivered some dignity and results to the Tamils. The stark fact is that if not for the LTTE, we will not be having the current negotiations. This does not mean that the LTTE is without any blemish. There is no question that the LTTE must make a conscious effort to fast track its transition from militant freedom fighters to a responsible political organization. After all, they have before them several successful examples of such a transition. Notably this includes the ANC under Nelson Mandela in South Africa. The response of successive governments to this militancy has largely been crude and ruthless. Both military and constitutional powers were abused in this task. Indiscriminate carpet bombings and uncivilized and humiliating legislation such as the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) were manifestations of this. The wanton destruction to civilian life and property is conspicuously visible to anyone who visits the conflict areas particularly in the North. All this has proved to be counter productive to the cause of peace. The end result of such measures in the absence of addressing the real grievances and aspirations of the Tamils has been the exacerbation of the conflict. It has inter alia also led to the ascendancy of the LTTE and the rout of government forces even in key areas. The JR Jayawardene government under which most of these violations commenced, stoked the simmering fires by arming some Muslim groups to neutralise the LTTE and dilute Tamil demands. This was apart from arming some Tamil para-military groups which were essentially mercenary in nature. These armed Muslim groups encouraged by a divide and rule policy and state patronage severely dealt with the Tamils in their respective areas to settle various scores whether real or otherwise. Some sections in these groups also worked hand in glove with government forces against the Tamils and also functioned as informers. Tamils who lost out on their traditional lands due to State sponsored colonization, were quick to seize Muslim lands with LTTE help whenever the opportunity presented itself. LTTE actions such as its demand for the Muslim population in the North to vacate their homes in haste and violence unleashed by them on civilians are clearly unacceptable and must not be repeated. It is reported that much of the land seized by them has already been returned and that they have also apologised for the eviction of the Muslims from the North while welcoming them back. There is no doubt that the concerns of all communities should be addressed be it in an interim administration or final negotiated settlement. This can only be a reality in the context of adhering to internationally accepted norms of human rights, pluralism, democracy and the rule of law. It is unfortunate that the rest of the country gives a very poor example in this respect. The sooner this is corrected the better. |
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