Opinion: Sri Lanka needs reconciliation

WASHINGTON — The Sri Lankan government and the separatist rebels of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam say, in the words of the Tigers, that the civil war that has claimed more than 60,000 people has “reached its bitter end.”

The war may end. Separatists may be defeated. Peace, much needed in one form or another, may return to Sri Lanka. But how will the nation move past the atmosphere of winners and losers, address legitimate grievances, and eliminate the deep-rooted mistrust and animosity that has been created between the Sinhala and Tamil communities?

Sri Lanka is a multi-ethnic, multi-religious and multi-lingual society. Each community in Sri Lanka rightfully regards its history with pride. Any long-lasting solution to fulfilling the aspirations of all these communities and resolving the current ethnic crisis cannot be accomplished merely through people tolerating each other, considering each other separate but equal, or through the submergence of minority cultures into the majority culture. A governance structure must be put in place to ensure the rights of the minorities.

There is very little discussion on this subject in Sri Lanka at the moment. Civil society has rightfully been calling attention to the suffering of civilians and the war’s collateral damage, but it has not been able to initiate long-term programs. The government has been too busy fighting the war and concerned with ending the separatist movement before dealing with the legitimate grievances of its minorities.

The Tamil Tigers have been on a fight or die course. Meanwhile, the people of Sri Lanka have been forced to take sides — are you with the government or against the government? Are you pro-Tigers or anti-Tigers? They are being forced to take sides every day with their friends, their co-workers, their families. The tattered fabric of this tiny nation is being torn asunder.

There are very few models of reconciliation in the world today that are rooted in the principles of universal human rights. Ireland and South Africa are often hailed as models of societies emerging from an era of oppression moving towards equity and justice. A similar model needs to be created in Sri Lanka to be able to get past the deep-seated prejudice that exists at many levels.

One of the essential responses to Sri Lanka’s challenge of the day is to develop such long-range programs to eradicate communal hatred and prejudice in its people. Such programs should involve the dissemination of factual information as one mean of eliminating misconceptions and prejudices about ethnic, religious and linguistic groups, so that people of Sri Lanka can establish constructive relationships with persons from different backgrounds with confidence and ease.

Much focus should be placed on the education of the younger and future generations to ensure they grow without the attitudes of the previous generations. Programs for children and youth focusing on learning about the history and culture of all communities of Sri Lanka and on showing respect and appreciation for diversity should be implemented on a nationwide scale.

Students of both major linguistic groups in the country should begin learning each other’s languages and English as an auxiliary language. An inter-religious forum for peace and reconciliation should be formed with sincere commitment from all participants. All should commit to a persistent and sincere effort. Should the government and civil society in Sri Lanka undertake such an effort, supported by the commercial sector, they will no doubt reap positive results.

The public must also be determined to work towards reconciliation. Responsibility falls equally on the majority community, who must trade their sense of superiority and often patronizing attitude for genuine friendship and close association. Acknowledgement of wrongs should be unconditional and there should be a genuine welcoming of minorities to the mainstream of Sri Lankan society. Minorities, be they religious communities, ethnic groups or linguistic groups, must demonstrate on their part a readiness to set aside the past and move beyond suspicion resulting from a long period of grievous and slow-healing wounds.

The war between the Sri Lankan government and the Tamil Tigers may have ended, but the real battle must now begin if this victory is to achieve a real peace.

Vasu Mohan, a native of Sri Lanka, is deputy director for Europe and Asia at the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES).

Read more about Sri Lanka:

The Tamil diaspora’s responsibility

In peace, Sri Lankans still disappear

Silenced in Sri Lanka