Responses to questions from IRIN, the news agency funded by the UN Office of the Coordinator for Humanitarian Assistance.
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1) What are the main challenges to reconciliation at the moment?
I think the biggest challenge is the idea that reconciliation is all about the past, about war crimes and possible punishment for these. Sadly, some of those who have been harping about these with no regard for truth now claim that reconciliation is impossible without reckonings. Thus a word that ordinarily refers to a process of bringing people together has been traduced, which I think takes attention away from all the positive actions that are happening, but should happen more intensively.
2) What specific measures is the Sri Lankan Government taking to rebuild social harmony amongst the country’s Sinhalese and Tamil communities today?
Most important are the rapid measures being taken for resettlement. Obviously there is much more to do, but if you consider that, twelve months ago, the Eeyores of this world were claiming that we were planning to keep everyone in internment camps for years, it is pretty impressive that such a large proportion are back, and have much better facilities than people in comparable situations in other countries. Education and health facilities are back to what they were before the war, in fact better in some areas since children no longer have to fear being conscripted, as happened in LTTE times.
There is much greater concentration than ever before on infrastructural and economic development in the North and East. As even the Tamil politicians with the longest history of opposition to government, and acquiescence in LTTE claims now say, a forceful factor in promoting separatism was deprivation – just as deprivation in the south contributed to two Sinhala youth insurgencies in 1971 and in the late eighties. Apart from that, we are also working on language and employment policies to help with integration, given that these were areas in which deprivation contributed also to alienation.
3) What steps are being taken to achieve greater inclusiveness of Tamils in the decision making processes of the Sri Lankan Government?
You must remember that Tamils have always been involved in decision making, and that the equation of Tamils with the LTTE is a myth that the LTTE cultivated by killing off Tamil politicians who worked with government, beginning with the Mayor of Jaffna in the seventies and most recently the Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar and the Chief Government Whip Jeyaraj Fernandopulle. All Tamil parties with representation in Parliament support the government, except for the TNA alliance which had to fall in with the LTTE after the assassination of Neelan Thiruchelvam in 1999 – but there again a couple of the earlier Parliamentarians supported the government in the General Election, while the TNA refused nomination to another set as being too extreme, so they may be able to move back to moderation now.
It should be noted that the Tamil ministers and members on the government side in Cabinet and Parliament are now able to speak more freely than when they were under threat from the LTTE. In addition the government has opened discussions with the TNA, and it also has plans to introduce a Second Chamber with greater regional weightage to help decide questions pertaining to devolution.
4) How will the newly formed Commission on Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation ensure that the voices of discontent are heard and concerns addressed?
Its mandate includes extending opportunities for all citizens to communicate with them and be heard. You need to be careful though about privileging the discontented, as opposed to those who have suffered and been deprived. Reconciliation with the professionally discontented is not easy, whereas reconciliation with those who have suffered is more feasible since you can address their concerns more precisely.
5) Does the Sri Lankan Government believe the Commission can bring about a lasting peace in your country? If so how?
It can help but it is obviously not the only instrument for such a peace as indicated above. We also need, in addition to more inclusive political and social policies, to adapt our education system to get rid of the compartmentalization that our children have suffered from since the forties, with schools described as Sinhala or Tamil or Muslim schools, rather than schools for children where people of all communities can learn together. We need to build on measures government began to take a couple of years ago to commission Tamil officers in the armed forces and to increase recruitment of Tamil and Tamil speaking policemen. We need to promote bilingualism and trilingualism and also enhance linguistic and translation capabilities in the public sector.
6) Please feel free to add any additional information you feel would be of interest to IRIN readers on the position of the Sri Lankan Government.
It would be good if IRIN in particular, given the funding it receives from the United Nations, but also other media organizations, highlighted positive measures addressing a better integrated future, rather than dwelling on the past and recrimination.
