Inter-communal harmony vital for nation building

by Jaliya WIJEYEKOON

Our Motherland, once named the Paradise of the East, underwent the gloomiest period in its long history during the last three decades due to the atrocities committed by the LTTE which was the deadliest guerilla movement in the world. Peace loving citizens of our country irrespective of any difference (caste, creed, race or party) pay their unreserved gratitude and heartiest congratulations to President Rajapaksa and the heroic forces for militarily crushing in LTTE outfit which had been a cancer to the civilized world. It is quite evident from the results of the subsequent PC polls that the general public of the country had been grateful to the President for making that distant dream a reality.

Now the war is over, but there are myriads of things to be streamlined to put the country back on the correct track for plain sailing. The Government has already taken various measures for same, out of which the establishment of the Ministry of Nation Building is unique. This ministry started development work soon after liberating the Eastern province from the clutches of the LTTE.

The whole concept of nation building is an enormous undertaking which has to be handled with great care, concentration and dedication by all engaged in the project. Inter-communal harmony is one of the key factors which is of paramount importance in the process of Nation Building.

Attention should be drawn to the pre-independence period, when the leaders from different communities worked collectively in harmony as one entity to win independence from our colonial masters. To name a few, D.S. Senanayake, F.R. Senanayake, S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike, Ponnambalam Ramanathan, Ponnambalam Arunachalem, Dr. M.C.M. Kaleel and T.B. Jayah. In addition to the above, there was a whole lot of national figures from all communities who agitated relentlessly as one single body for the cause of national independence. All these leaders commanded the respect of all communities and they were loved by the public of the country without any discrimination. Because of their united and collective effort British rulers had to listen to them and the Soulbery Commission was appointed in 1947 and we won the independence in the following year. If not for the united effort of all communities independence would have been further delayed.

Similarly in the process of nation building too, we should garner the support of leaders of different communities, especially the Tamils and Muslims. Senior Presidential Advisor, Parliamentarian Basil Rajapaksa, the chief architect of the whole project has an enormous responsibility in dealing with Tamil and Muslim leaders in the area. It is quite encouraging to see some leaders like Douglas Devananda, Feriel Ashraff, Ananda Sangaree and Athaullah working very closely in this whole exercise. Also the arrival of Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan and Vinayagamurthi Muralidharan into mainstream politics and joining the Government is commendable in this connection. It is now left to the Government, to win the hearts and minds of these people. Also at the same time govt. should properly monitor the performance of these newcomers and their vision and mission in the nation building process.

Nation Building is not something which can be done only with a certain set of leaders and within a given time frame successfully. It has to be started from the grass roots level. There should be an attitudinal change in the minds of all communities. The Government should initiate action to dispel the deep rooted mistrust, anger, suspicion and hatred in the minds of the Northern Tamils indoctrinated by LTTE in order to reestablish inter-communal harmony.

The best platform to begin this project is the school. Ministry of Education has to play a pivotal role in addressing this issue. All three languages (Sinhala, Tamil English) should be made compulsory from grade 6 upwards Inter-school Educational programs, athletics and suitable sports activities and knowledge development competitions should be conducted on regular basis with schools in the Northern and Eastern regions.

Students from North and East should mix with their counterparts in the South. They will then build up a long standing friendship from small days.

The Sports Ministry has to perform an equally important role for inter-communal harmony which will finally lead to a successful nation building process.In addition to the two main ministries, other ministries and institutions too should work with close cooperation with the Ministry of Nation Building identifying the problems faced by the people in the North which had not been adequately addressed in the past.The Jaffna University is supposed to be one of the best universities in the island and it had produced a number of intellectuals in all three communities. This university should be expanded and equal opportunities be given to students from all communities.

In the past we had people of the calibre of Maithripala Senanayake and K.B. Ratnayake who worked tirelessly for communal harmony in our country and they commanded the respect of all communities.

Today it is commendable to see how the Presidential Advisor Basil Rajapaksa coordinates the whole nation building process developing and strengthening the mutual trust and inter-community harmony in the country.

It is also noteworthy to mention the Governor of Western Province - Alavi Maulana and Presidential Advisor A.H.M. Azwer who work very loyally in the process of nation building.