May minds be cleared soon

(Written in mid 2010, this column is an account of personal experience of mine of that time.)

 

By Renton de Alwis

Reportedly, around 400,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) are located away from their homes. Over 80% of them are housed in large temporary facilities at several Camps in Mannar, Batticaloa and Vavniya. At different times, similar facilities also operated at different locations to meet immediate transitional needs. This was a need at times, when the LTTE terrorists forcibly sent away Sinhalese and Muslim villagers living in areas controlled by them.

To meet the needs of the mass exodus of people who were caught up in areas where the final battles took place, the single largest facility was set up at the Menik Farm Complex at Chettikulum in the Vavniya District. Here a reported 261,000 live in Four Transitional Villages named after well known leaders of the Tamil community; i.e. M/s Kadirgarmar, Ramanathan, Arunachalam and Cumaraswamy. According to sources, four more such camps are being set up to ease the current discomfort in having more occupants in each of the tents than its specified capacity.

Questions are asked by many as to why the displaced are not allowed by the authorities to get back to their respective villages. Issues are many; the land mines laid by the terrorists need to be cleared for farmers to return to their farm lands. Even the surrounds of irrigation tanks, we were told, is laid with mines that can be fatal for children and adults alike. In the minimum, basic infrastructure need be set up in areas cleared of mines. Security issues need be sorted out and rehabilitation of tortured minds needs to be done.

It is indeed a sad reality that we have had to face such an unfortunate situation, similar to the devastating Tsunami, where several hundreds of thousands have been made homeless and destitute. Unlike the Tsunami, this is a devastation we have brought upon ourselves, as result of the conflict that raged within our country for nearly three decades. It is also a reality that it is a huge responsibility and a moral obligation, we as the Sri Lankan nation have to face and overcome with a deep sense of responsibility.

While these thoughts linger in our minds, I was able last week to witness a saga of different sort. Within the barbed wired perimeters of Menik Farm IDSL Camp’s Zone 3 or the Arunachalam Transitional Village, I witnessed first hand as a volunteer visitor myself, how a group of young Sinhalese doctors from Colombo, with the support of a few volunteers from the Rotary Club of Capitol City, were conducting participatory counselling clinics to identify the needs of over 4,000 IDSL’s under their charge. My column today attempts to capture the spirit and the care they shared with those in need, in a most humble manner.

Spirit of voluntarism

I had heard the rest of the world call them Internally Displaced Persons or IDPs.  But not Supem de Silva, the lead volunteer coordinator of the Rotary Club’s effort at the Arunachalam Transitional village’s sections A, B and C. I was taken by his use of the nomenclature of Internally Displaced Sri Lankans or IDSLs to describe our brethren in the Camps. Such focus I thought, augers well for our future, where we need to identify, own and seek solutions to our issues by ourselves. I appreciated that Supem had identified the need for us to recognise and own both the problem and the solution. He had realised that this was critical if we were to have lasting peace within our country, with conflict and terror never, ever raising its ugly head again.   

He together with his wife Eshani, had left their three little children, with his mother-in- law to leave Colombo at 3 a.m. that morning to reach Chettikulum in time to meet his other colleagues who had already arrived. Having begun these visits in April, this perhaps is his eighth or ninth weekly visit to coordinate the work that the Rotarians were doing here in sections A, B and C. Other Rotarian who joined him on this visit was Senaka Kotagma, an exporter of tea, when away from the voluntary effort supporting the IDSLs. We also had with us Stanley Obeysekera, who joined in as a volunteer observing the needs with a view of supporting future efforts.

For medical doctors, Ajith Amarasinghe, Suranga Ranasinghe, Nilupul Perera and Anil Weerasinghe, the visit that originated in Colombo at 2 a.m. was indeed no fun run. After a hard day’s work in a leading private hospital in the city, they drove with Rotary Club’s President- elect Hiran de Silva.

Dealing with the many

Sections A, B and C  under their charge is at the far end of the Zone 3 village and houses families with children, the disabled, elderly and expectant mothers in the main.  There are 4,000 persons in over 400 tents and it has been established since April this year in a well planned manner. But with the sudden inflow of IDSL’s in mid May, the tents had to be occupied by more than the desired numbers.

The doctors, saw the enormity of the task before them in identifying the manifold problems faced by the people in the three sections and seeking adequate solutions for them. True there is a Grama Niladari appointed to each of the sections. But with inadequacy of water supply, toilets and other basic facilities in the early days, the task faced by each of them had been insurmountable. To add to this situation, until a little over a month ago, most in the camps had viewed outside volunteers with suspicion and doubt.  With the doctors providing initial care and medicines at the several clinics held, they were able to win some level of confidence that gave them a way ahead to seek involvement of the people themselves in setting up self-help initiatives.

Interactive solutions

With Dr. Suranjith’s experience and training as a community medicine specialist and the assistance of the Grama Niladahri, they began appointing a volunteer leader for a cluster of 10 tents. The task of the leader was to visit each tent and record in Tamil in an exercise book provided for him, all details of the families and their needs such as the health status, clothing needs, food and nutritional status, displacement from other family members, special needs of children, pregnant mothers, disabled and the elderly. Each week, the doctors would sit around on a mat with the volunteer leaders and have an interactive discussion (with the help of interpreters found from within the leaders) to identify and prioritise the most urgent issues that need attention.

At the sessions I observed last week, there was discussion on the need for more toilets and for a scheme for them to be operated under supervision of the leaders to ensure cleanliness.  To establish study centres with adequate electric lighting in the night, seek permission to extend the tents with ‘pol athu’ (coconut thatched roofing) shelters, the poor segment wanted to seek work within the camp for wages to enable them to buy additional items of food and other needs from the Sathosa Cooperative Shop established within the Zone 3 camp site were the other identified issues. They also wanted to begin cultivating maze, manioc and spinach plants around their tents and sought a supply of mammoties and other basic implements for that purpose. 

No false hopes

When I walked around, I met several men and women who sought assistance in locating their missing kith and kin. I was advised earlier that we as volunteers should not make promises or give hope where we did not have the ability to assist with a degree of certainty. The doctors were collecting information through the appointed volunteer leaders on this aspect to present them to the appropriate authority to assist in the process of locating them. A significant observation I made while at the Arunachalam transitional village was that everyone there from the assigned volunteer organisations were performing useful functions. The school area at the edge of the Zone was operational even at 4.00 p.m. A few weeks ago, a vocational training centre had been set up where wood work, carpentry, welding and computer training is provided on six months NDT certificate level courses. A Kovil (Hindu Temple) for worship was to be available from this week set up by the Rotary volunteers. Setting up of a Christian Church is also on the pipeline, a barber shop (run by an IDSL himself) has set up business and was already active. A library with Tamil and English books is to be set up soon and several TV sets are to be installed. Discussed and resolved at last week’s meeting, a home-grown solution has been found to counter the problem of flies that were breeding in the garbage disposal pits. This week they were covering it with the ash from the cooking area. An idea suggested by a volunteer leader at the interactive session.

Mending hearts and minds

All is not certainly well at Sections A, B & C of the Arunachalam Transitional Village or Zone 3 of the Menik Farm IDSL camp. But what I observed encouraged me immensely and gave me a renewed sense of faith in the spirit of voluntarism and the level of commitment our young demonstrate, in working towards healing our wounds and mending our hearts.

May the minds be cleared, while the process of clearing the mines goes fast forward to ensure the safety, security and the well being of all sons and daughters of Mother Sri Lanka.

Unifying to seek unity

By Renton de Alwis

Written in early 2010, this column may provide even a narrow baseline to assess where we are today.

Let us take our minds back to the post-Tsunami period of 2005. We as a nation responded magnificently to the call of that time and were all excited about our need to help those affected among us. The level of commitment and involvement by the majority of Sri Lankans living here, as well as the Diaspora was of gigantic proportion. The will to assist and support maintain and rebuild the lives of our brethren on our coastal areas was so high, there was nothing much else on the canvass of the nation’s psyche at the time.

Although the circumstances are different, the current need we have of feeding and looking after needs of nearly 300,000 of our mainly Tamil and to a lesser extent our Muslim brethren who are displaced is much more complex and demanding than that of the post-Tsunami period. The government assisted by some civil society and international organisations is making a valiant effort to make sure that we Sri Lankans own this problem and deal with it ourselves without making it someone else’s. This indeed is, what it should be; our problem, our effort and our solution.

It indeed will take a while for us as a nation to prove to ourselves and to the rest of the world that we can rise above the mistakes we have made in the past. We need to bring the hearts and minds of our people together to see and share a common vision. We need to leave the hurting of the past behind us. Then and only then, can we be content that we have come of age as a nation.

 

Long road ahead

In Mahatma Ghandi’s words ‘each of us must be the change we wish to see in this world’. I do not think that there is a single right thinking Sri Lankan who does not wish for lasting peace and yearn for not having reason for any form of terror ever to raise its ugly head. The reality though, is that peace like many other elusive concepts, does not fall on our lap as a given. As a nation, Sri Lanka will need to work against a lot of odds and traverse a long road ahead to achieve peace and prosperity for our nation. While the right leadership, strategies and effort will be key ingredients, each of our individual contributions in terms of commitment and positive action will be the final determinant of its success.

Needs are many

It is now nearly a month after the defeat of LTTE terror and the exodus of displaced people into the camps. The defence forces, relevant government agencies, and an alliance of UN programmes, some INGOs and local NGOs have taken on the task of setting up and operating the camps under extremely trying conditions. Meeting the immediate needs of adequacy of food and water, maintenance of hygienic conditions, ensuring safety and security, attending to the wounded and the sick, and dealing with extreme cases of trauma are among their priorities. According to reports, at the moment the World Food Programme (WFP) is providing each of the internally displaced persons with1880 calories per day consisting of rice, wheat flour, dhal, 20ml oil and 20g of sugar, which is the minimum food requirement provided by the WFP for emergencies. In addition, the WFP provides supplementary food such as corn and soya blend as part of their normal food parcel to families with pregnant women, lactating mothers and children under the age of five. Given the culturally accepted norms of minimum food consumption needs in Sri Lanka, this indeed is inadequate. The government in the main and other humanitarian organisations have stepped in to augment these supplies. There were also several instances when nutritional food parcels were prepared by civic organisations and business houses that were distributed among the needy.

The enormity of the task of feeding and looking after the needs of such a large number of persons must be appreciated by us all. Similarly, we must also appreciate the traumatic conditions under which they fled and the threats there were on their lives. Being used as human shields or being caught in the cross-fire in a battle field is a bitter experience. The influx of persons within a few weeks in May during the last phase of the war, created challenges for all concerned in setting up facilities. The healing will include those innocent victims as well as others who may have actively participated in the LTTE activities. While the techniques of healing may differ for each group, both must be on the basis of expressing loving kindness with huge doses of magnanimity.

Active participation

Within the process, there is a need now for every able citizen in Sri Lanka to actively participate in this effort. Although several professional groupings such as doctors, technical persons and counsellors are already actively engaged in that effort, the buy-in of the population at large has not been anywhere near what we saw during the post-tsunami period. What seemingly is missing is the sense of urgency and the need for ownership of the issue.

Beyond short-term gain

I believe that it is now time that the political leadership mobilised all citizens of Sri Lanka for this task. As articulated by the Head of State, we now need to join in at all levels.  This indeed is not the time for navel gazing or to seek short-term gain and look for benefits at the individual, group or enterprise level. A good beginning will be to form a ‘united parliamentary front’ to assist the effort. Being divided on party lines when dealing with national issues and working at cross-purposes, must be put aside for good. New beginnings must be made to work on a common agenda and purpose. It was indeed encouraging to see the leader of the opposition on stage with government representatives the other day at the Armed Forces Victory Day Parade. The same unity of purpose is hoped from him and all other political leaders, in the process of supporting and assisting the upkeep and resettlement of the displaced and efforts at rebuilding a unified nation.

Media unity

The media can also play a major role in the mobilisation effort, be it for provision of food, clothing, drugs, medical supplies, sanitary-ware or calling for help of volunteer service providers for treating the sick, those with special needs and the traumatised.  In spite of the finger-pointing type political discussions that take prime time and space in the media, discussions can now be focussed on nation building with the specific purpose of mobilising citizens in that effort.  There is at present a multiplicity of visual material, songs and other creative work on TV channels and radio featuring different artists saluting the war heroes, singing praises of the leadership and calling for a unified nation. It will serve us well if all our media houses in Sri Lanka, formed a unified front with the same theme, the same song, the same appeal and branding in working towards the healing, reconciliation and nation rebuilding process, maintaining a unity within the diversity.  

Nation’s dream

The same must be called for from chambers of commerce, business and manufacturing sectors, regional administrations, professionals and their institutes, educationists and creative artistes. Seeking a unified Sri Lanka where all citizens enjoy equal rights and have equal access to opportunities, must be our goal. A land where all sons and daughters of Mother Sri Lanka, are able to live with dignity and honour under the protection of an independent judiciary, where the rule of law is upheld to the fullest, is our dream. The call and the need of the hour now, is for all to seek such unity of purpose, to make our nation’s dream a reality.

 

When seeking rainbows

Written in the immediate post war era and published in the "Daily News"in Sri Lanka, this article accounts the then scenario with optimism and hope. Much has happened since and it is hoped that this will bring recall to many readers of the then ...
 
By Renton de Alwis

The post victory euphoria over LTTE terror will soon fade. As our President stated more than once, the realities of national reconciliation and rebuilding will take priority over all else. His vision of building a Sri Lankan nation where there are no minorities, but only Sri Lankans will be on the front-burner. A long and hard road is ahead of us all. There is never a doubt that the political process must bring about a lasting solution as early as possible, to end the uncertainty of what that solution will be.

We all know that it will need to be a solution that will ensure that Sri Lanka will be a unified state, where all her citizens are treated as equals. More importantly they must be offered equal opportunities and should be able to live in a secure and safe environment, with honour and dignity. All must have access to social and economic opportunities to build a better future for themselves and their children. It must be a nation where diversity is celebrated and racial and religious identities are respected.  A lot has been said by the political leadership on this need. It is now time for all to agree on a common agenda, with the giving and taking being done with reason and rationality as key factors and not petty divisive ‘who scores the most points’ or ‘winner takes it all’ type of agenda.
Interestingly, this is also the  wish on top of the agenda of Sri Lanka’s youth as demonstrated in the findings of an extensive dialogue-based survey carried out of young village community leaders by ‘Sri Lanka’s Promise; Village Development Trust’  in the recent past. The study undertook to determine what our youth considered as happiness factors. Contrary to the belief of those who present light-hearted lumpant type representations of decadent sub-cultures on our media to attract the attention of our youth, they have demonstrated that they are above it all. According to the findings of the study, they consider preservation of basic values of upholding the rule of law, security and safety, access to opportunities, national and personal integrity, bringing back lasting peace, respectful  caring for the aged, children, women and the disabled as important considerations in the formation of their happiness index.  

It is time that initiatives such as ‘Mother Sri Lanka’ take on strong positions to ensure that these key messages are communicated effectively to all Sri Lankans regardless of where they are located. The peace doves we saw as only a distant dream in the past,  now must be reflected on white flags and must fly along side Sri Lanka’s national flag to symbolise  the need to take on the challenge of nation rebuilding. They can symbolically be carried by our war heroes, youth and people from all walks of life. Unifiers such as the Mother Sri Lanka theme song and all others that focus on the reconciliation and building of national unity must be featured in the media and all efforts of communicators be they of the public or the private sector must be in tandem with the central theme of peace, reconciliation and rebuilding the Sri Lankan nation.  The time when some were excluded or opted to stay excluded from the process need be over. It is a motherhood truism that the long-term success of the process will depend on the buy-in and participation of all in the solution.

It is time that we stopped looking at issues with coloured eye-glasses, tinted with affiliations and dogmas of our self, group or bipartisan interests and place the national interest above all. It is time we looked at ourselves in the mirror instead of looking through those tinted glasses at issues around us.

Vision and direction

The title of a presentation made by a Village Leadership Development Trust group on Sri Lanka’s future development was “Puthu venuwen ratak, rata venuven hetak “. In Tamil it reads “Oru desham enadu pillai aha, nalai enadu deshathika aha” with its English meaning ‘A nation for my Child, a tomorrow for the Nation’. It takes our minds aptly to the aspiration of every Sri Lankan mother and father regardless of their race, cast or creed. Each wants to ensure that there is a future that will be bright and sustainable. A future they can leave behind with confidence for their children. ‘Mother Sri Lanka’, a programme driven by an independent Foundation on the initiation of the President’s office was set up long before the defeat of LTTE terrorism was in the horizon. It demonstrates the vision and direction that was in the offing, not as an outcome of recent events, but as a means to meet the real need for reconciliation and rebuilding.

Many ideas have now been placed on the table for consideration based on a broader agenda to meet this vision and direction.  A special peace song created for the programme is now presented on most electronic media and can well form the theme song for reconciliation and rebuilding efforts. It is presented with a strong focus on the future and how bright and hopeful it can be for all Sri Lankans, when seeking a unity within the diversity that should be the future hallmark of our nation.

Ensuring sustainability

Looking beyond the creation of emotive appeal, there are thoughts on the type of development that must take place in the North and the East. The determinant of the ideal scale and model of development must naturally be determined by the elected representatives of the people of those provinces, within a guided policy framework of national interest. Given the socio-cultural realities, rushes of gold-digger type investments from outside, be they from rest of Sri Lanka, from neighbouring India or other lands, may lead to an overwhelming situation resulting perhaps in building further mistrust, unless carried out with direct stakeholder participation in the form of joint ventures. According to some analysts, this aspect, if mishandled may defeat the very objectives of why fast-paced development of these and other backward areas of the country is sought.

Given the global challenges we face today in the climate change domain and the need for instilling more sustainable and socially and environmentally responsible life-styles, a people-based small and medium sector dominated development is what may be envisaged. Ensuring the resettlement of the displaced, re-building devastated infrastructure and facilitation of needed resources will be the responsibility of the government supported by the professional and business communities, donors and other well wishers. The challenge of getting it right will fall squarely on the shoulders of strategic planners, technocrats and the political and civic leadership.

Novel solutions

Some have suggested to the government that it may be prudent to appoint a panel of respected and representative Sri Lankan civic leaders to assist initiatives on the fronts of reconciliation and rebuilding of trust and in managing the resettlement of the displaced.  There are ideas in place on using info-communications technology to overcome the difficulties faced by the Tamil and Muslim population in seeking administrative assistance as a result of the shortage of Tamil speaking officers and Police and other personnel. In addition to the call made by the Presidential Task Force for Redevelopment of the North to Tamil professionals, both in service and retired from the public and private sectors to assist in these areas with investment of time, effort and financial investment, there is also a call to set up ‘Call Centres’ operating round the clock to answer queries and service needs articulated in Tamil redirecting them via mobile phone or the Internet to persons qualified and are able to be of assistance.  

Host a family

Immediate relief measures can be set up to support the current efforts of the defence forces and other organisations in looking after needs of the IDP’s housed in camps.  What is suggested is to link each family in camps through web-based virtual ‘Host a Family’ programme, calling out to Sri Lankans living in Sri Lanka with the ability to help out at least for a year, the Diaspora (of all races) and non-Sri Lankans with goodwill towards Sri Lanka to "Lend a hand to our brethren to rebuild their lives".  Such a programme can be driven with the construction of an e-data base, transparent person to person contact facilities through Skype or similar networks, set up at the IDP camps and through direct but supervised money transfer mechanisms between the host and the supported families.

Another idea is to set in place a programme of "Lending a helping Hand"  for the development of agriculture, industry and business in the areas where resettlement will take place by linking farmers, businessmen and industrialists and small business operators of the rest of the country with those in the Northern and Eastern Provinces. Such a programme can be implemented as programmes of "exchange of visits", "helping with seeking and sourcing finance", "sharing of know how" and establishing 'family to family bonding'.

The challenges are many. The options and opportunities before us are also many. The thrust should be to ensure that the most transparent and trustworthy programmes are implemented. These naturally must be designed to meet the security concerns and needs as well with a “High Tech but High Touch” approach. Done well, these will go a long way in our nation’s quest to seek lasting rainbows for all our brethren.

  

Ownership, involvement, empowerment and sharing

By Renton de Alwis

Published in July 2010, a year after the end of the war in the Daily News of Sri Lanka, this column may give the reader an opportunity to assess where we are now in the required collective effort to move towards establishing real peace in our midst ..... 

 

No matter how hard it is for some to understand the jubilation of the people who ‘celebrated’ the victory over the LTTE, it must be understood that it was  a deep sense of relief and an expression of gratitude of many that formed the post victory euphoria. We need to sieve the dust of such jubilation to understand that perhaps there is not a single Sri Lankan, be from the North, South, East, West or the Centre,  whose very life would not have been affected by the terrorising that took its toll for nearly three decades. During those years, sometime someone’s son, daughter, brother, sister, mother or father was a victim of terror and the scars that were left behind on all sides are many. We also know that the causes that created and allowed the monster of using terror as a method to resolve issues, go even beyond the three decades of the LTTE’s unleashing of that terror. Our reflections and actions hereafter must indeed capture the causes for such and as was resolved by the President, we as sons and daughters of Mother Sri Lanka must take on assertive action to ensure that we never repeat those mistakes again.        

What is positive about the outcomes we saw on the streets and at events organised by the State is that it gave an outlet for those affected to erase those scars and heal the wounds. In addition to fulfilling the deep-seated cultural trait of ‘kela guna salakeema’ meaning demonstration of gratitude; it gave an opportunity for us to have moments of reflection to understand and resolve that we must not see such pain and suffering ever again. It also gave us, as Sri Lankans the opportunity to understand what clear strategy, focus, dedication and hard work can achieve.

Now it is time that we put the celebrations behind us and direct energies and effort to rebuild unity working towards establishing a solid base for ensuring lasting peace. Here a good beginning is made by several in shouldering the responsibility of healing the wounds of those displaced by the conflict now placed in temporary shelters. Looking after the immediate, medium and long term needs of the displaced is indeed a priority need. Reconciliation and rebuilding of our nation must begin with expressions of compassion, loving kindness, understanding and equanimity on those who were willing or unwilling victims of the events that unfolded.

 

Enormous Challenge

The United Nations and the international community have offered us help and support in looking after the needs of the displaced.  While this is very welcome, the challenge before every right thinking Sri Lankan now should be to become a part of the solution.  Many responded to the calls for providing the immediate needs and we saw those expressions of care and concern from people from all walks of life.  There was the instance of a mother who brought with her, her lifetime savings and handed it over to the President in support of the rebuilding effort at a public ceremony. This taken as a symbolic gesture of the need for involvement of each and every one of us, becomes a strong and powerful message.

With nearly 300,000 displaced the enormity of the challenge of caring for their basic needs is huge. The wounded, the disabled, the elderly, children and women consist of most needy. Already, we hear of people from various government organisations, the defence forces and NGOs working beyond their usual calls of duty at the camps supported by volunteer medical and other personnel. This is in addition to the support we have got from coalitions of international NGOs in the setting up and operation of the camps. Local foundations and volunteer groups have contributed to the effort. We must salute them all and understand and appreciate the enormity of the task before them.  There is so much more to be done. At no time can we make this the responsibility of the international community and steer away from ownership of the issues at hand. All Sri Lankans have an enormous challenge and are duty bound now, to demonstrate that we as a nation can rise above all our petty divides to help each other, in even the most telling circumstances. This is a resolve that will hold us in good stead as we move into the process of building trust and gaining confidence of even the most extremist segments of the divide of the past.

 

The good old days

The reality is that a good part of the present generation of Sri Lankans have grown within an environment where terror, uncertainty, insecurity, trauma, fear and loss of opportunities were lining their horizon as dark clouds. Polarization of the major portion of the Tamil Diaspora is another issue. It is important that we make a concerted effort to create visions of hope for them as well of what is possible beyond that horizon. With the youth we must share tales of ‘the good old days’ when the people to people interaction in our Motherland was at its best.  With the Diaspora as well as all other Sri Lankans, we must attempt to involve each and everyone, beginning with the moderates, extending gradually to the non-believers. This we can do by involving and empowering them in the process of rebuilding.  Here there are also opportunities for us to use the power of Info-communications to reach out to them.

 

Uthuru Mituru

Uturu Mithuru is one such initiative that has produced and posted on the Facebook on the Internet, a most moving creative work in the video format in Sinhala, Tamil and English. It is reminiscing on the good old days of the Yal Devi, the Colombo-Jaffna railway link which was always a symbolic representation of the age old ties between the South and the North. Found at the web link www.youtube.com/watch?v=Izh0lX9-FOc , what it demonstrates to me is the power of good, solid story-telling in communicating a strong emotive message to our youth using the medium of creative film making on the Internet. I am not naïve to think that sharing stories of the ‘good old days’ and/or undertaking creative pursuits to communicate them will be the only way forward for us in the reconciliation process.  The emphasis I place is on the need to be positive and constructive when we build hope in the hearts and minds of our youth of all races, not only in Sri Lanka but all over the world.

There are also examples of other efforts such as the Theertha International Artists Collective where Tamil and Sinhalese artists were brought together to share their inspirations and insights. They have held exhibitions questioning the narrowly defined notions of what it means to be 'Sri Lankan’. The Abhina Academy of Performing Arts initiated by well-known actress Anoja Weerasinghe is another example of using theatre workshops as an aid for overcoming trauma while rebuilding confidence and trust.  There will be many other similar initiatives we can draw from and these are but a few used to demonstrate the power of such efforts in meeting the challenges before us.

 

Involve all

This is a time, when each Sri Lankan entity be it a school, business (big or small), welfare organisation, political party, a temple, church, kovil, mosque, musicians, performing and visual artists, sports men and women, NGOs or every individual citizen is called on to participate in the process of assisting those affected through a “Host” programme. Each entity can undertake to provide a material and /or service need, identified by those involved in caring for the displaced and /or the resettlement process. The contribution must be on the basis of affordability and ability and no effort must be considered more important than the other. Such an effort the columnist believes will enable Sri Lanka to rebuild unity and confidence through a holistic and participatory approach. This can help create lasting bondages between our people who must now begin to think as Sri Lankans unified.

The same programme perhaps can be extended to the Sri Lankan Diaspora and other ‘Friends of Sri Lanka’ as well, making them active and empowered participants in the process of reconciliation and rebuilding. 

We have won the battle against terror. Now the war to establish lasting peace has begun. Let us all believe in our ability to win that war and be party to that effort throughout its process.

 

Useful Web addresses:

 

Ministry of Resettlement and Disaster Relief Services - www.resettlementmin.gov.lk/idps-_statistics.html
An independent international media Development initiative - www.internews.lk
Efforts at Rebuilding Unity (Rotary Sri Lanka) – www.unitingsrilanka.com
United Nations Media Release on visit of Secretary General  – www.un.lk/media_centre/press_releases.php

 

Change we must believe in

By Renton de Alwis

This weekly column published between April 2009 - April 2012 in Sri Lanka's 'Daily News' newspaper  addressed core issues regarding sustainability, critically examining the current concepts, thoughts, strategies and actions adopted by us in the context of both the global and local economy.
Please read it in the time context which is mid 2010. It may be of interest to examine the current situation in the country and the socio-political and economic context of  today, with how I saw it then.

 

Over two and half decades of LTTE terrorism has now ended. It was a painful tale of suffering and struggle where many lives of young Sri Lankan heroes in the armed forces,  civic leaders, innocent citizens and those misguided by the terrorists used as fighting cadres, were lost. A single minded and well focussed effort of the political and military leadership backed by the peoples’ will to end terrorism was indeed its most critical success factor. Unlike in the past, there was no giving in to the ‘noise’ (as we know in communication) from the once dominant international community. It was realised that they were either ill-informed or prejudiced with tales of ‘liberation fighters’ or ‘separatists’ in calling a group of terrorists, who chose to kill indiscriminately to achieve objectives, that could have been achieved  through decent and dignified talk and discussion.

 

People of all walks of life, except for a few who made a business of the war and/or the ‘peace efforts’ in the past, were sick and tired of the instability and uncertainty that was created all around. That instability and uncertainty should now be over and nation Sri Lanka should be able to rise above all to realise her fullest potential.

 

The opportunity created in defeating terrorism, is a beginning beyond the sighs of relief and rejoicing.  It is time now, when all Sri Lankans must join in to rebuild solid trust among each other and provide a sense of dignity and hope of a better future to all people of this nation, regardless of race, cast, creed or political affinity. We need to understand the overlying aspirations of all and establish solid conceptual models to work with, in the future. As was discussed in last week’s column, Buddhist principles and way of life offer us a strong base to rebuild any lost trust through the genuine exposition of the virtues of  Karuna (Compassion), Mettha (Loving Kindness), Muditha (Sympathetic Joy)  and Upekkha (Equanimity).

 

In the midst of global issues of increasing poverty, incidence of endemics, unprecedented global warming, financial crisis, changing population dynamics and growing incidence of conflicts, it is time indeed that we looked back at basics. The basics of solid human values, building relationships based on caring, trust and mutual respect, hard work and ethical practises, bringing back discipline on the roads, seats of learning and other public pursuits, creating enabling environments for the disabled and the elderly and rehabilitation of those affected by the conflict. We indeed must have faith and a deep belief in the capacity and ability of all of us to change and change for the better. 

 

This week there is change everywhere. Most of it even defied conventional wisdom, international media hype, pollster results and wilful expectation. The ruthless LTTE terrorists are defeated and there is a sea-change in the mindsets of all Sri Lankans in wanting to rebuild and re-ignite a new national consciousness that will not allow reason for such turmoil and suffering ever again.  The President’s gesture of worshipping the soil of our motherland upon his arrival at the airport from the G-11 Summit in Jordon, Sunday last was indeed symbolic and worthy of deep reflection. It was symbolic in conveying a message to all Sri Lankans that we must love and care for our country before all else and be an essential precursor to taking on a solid process of rebuilding and/or change management.

In neighbouring India, general elections have brought about a change defeating regionalism with a strong focus on social and economic reform through a centrist thrust. Defying analysts’ predictions, 62% of India’s 712 million eligible voters brought back incumbent Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh to power. This was a fete repeated after nearly four decades of India’s electoral history. India’s youth also heeded the call of young Rahul Gandhi, that they must be determining their own future by actively joining the political process. Nearly 80% of the youth who sought office through the Congress party have been returned as law makers. In the state of Tamil Nadu, extremist and overt supporters of the LTTE and those calling for a separate state in Sri Lanka, stood defeated at the polls.  

In Kuwait, male domination of its politics of over half a century has ended with four women being elected to its Parliament in a historic first.    

Earlier, we saw US President Obama, taking a definitive stand on the need for recognition of the Palestinian State by Israel, as a prerequisite for attaining lasting peace in the Middle-east. There is now definite hope that the US will be an active participant in the climate change mitigating agenda, which it resisted for far too long, when the new protocols are determined in Copenhagen in December this year.  We also saw the US Secretary of State and the British Foreign Minister commenting on the IMF loan to Sri Lanka, linking it to the events on the Northern front, which indeed will not be applicable now.

In the context of ending terrorism in Sri Lanka, the change that comes about poses many challenges. Already, H.E. the President, His special advisor and the one tasked with the rebuilding efforts of both East and North, Mr. Basil Rajapaksha and the Secretary of Foreign Affairs Dr. Palitha Kohona have called on all citizens of Sri Lanka and Tamil citizens in particular, living in Sri Lanka or abroad to be active and mainstream participants in the process of rebuilding and redevelopment of these areas. He also extended a call to the international donor community, who can play a vital role in this effort. They have all recognised the enormity of the task ahead and focussed on the need for ensuring the preservation of the dignity and rights of Tamil citizens. Emphasised is the empathy and understanding that must be at the very core of all efforts, whereby alleviating any fears of reprisal and building of trust will be facilitated. It is also heartening to note the call from Mr. Wimal Weerawansa of the National Freedom Front, seeking stakeholdership of the Tamil Diaspora in rebuilding a unified Sri Lanka.

Like in everything else, all was not perfect in the initiatives undertaken. But the objectives were clearly defined and a strong focus was maintained at all times. The management of the tasks were done superbly allowing each assigned responsibility to carry out the job without interference and hindrance. The resources needed were found and disruptions were minimised. The local media played a huge role in building and maintaining the morale of the forces in the front and some even took it to surrealistic heights.

While the farmers and other rural folk of Sri Lanka, the man on the street and a better part of the middle class are elated and are ready to take heed of these initiatives, there are still those sceptics among us that question the bona-fides of the intentions and cast webs of doubt about the future efforts at rebuilding of trust, the economy and the nation. While we ‘Waited for Godot’ for too long, when Godot has arrived, we question if he indeed came. 

What is absolutely necessary at this time is to put aside these doubts and scepticism and contribute proactively in whatever and however way we can to ensure that they work and work well. There is no need today to stay divided on political party or other ideological divides. A task that was thought to be impossible has been taken care of by a strong leadership working tirelessly at it. We all know that the odds were against these leaders most of the time. There were active attempts at sabotage with powerful international lobbies and vested interests roosting the day. The fact remains that what was defeated was a terrorist outfit and not a representative group of the Tamil people. 
What has been achieved this far is more than commendable. What is left to be achieved in terms of national reconciliation and development is without doubt an even greater challenge. We as citizens of Sri Lanka must focus on taking on this challenge placing inquiring trust and confidence in our leadership. What we must do is to lend our shoulder to the process of change, to the best of our ability; for Our nation, for My Sri Lanka.

 

A solid conceptual base for rebuilding trust

By Renton de Alwis

This weekly column published between April 2009 - April 2012 in Sri Lanka's 'Daily News' newspaper  addressed core issues regarding sustainability, critically examining the current concepts, thoughts, strategies and actions adopted by us in the context of both the global and local economy.
Please read it in the time context which is 2010 during the Month of Wesak. Yet the issues are as real and call for even more urgent action by us all today.
 

Last weekend Buddhists in Sri Lanka celebrated Wesak. Wesak is the day when Buddhists recount the three most significant events of the life of Gauthama the Buddha. It is the day when the Buddha was born, won over his greed and attained Nirvana; breaking the suffering, the cycle of life and rebirth and passed away leaving the Dhamma or discourses of sense, truth and wisdom behind.

On this very weekend of Wesak, we as a nation were once again at crossroads. On the one hand the nation’s collective conscience was seeking brisk ways to bring relief to the suffering of our Tamil brethren trapped in the Northern war front. Lives were being taken not only of those who have sought violence but also of innocents on all sides. We have the stark reality that people  are used as human shields by those who sought and continue to seek terror as a way to resolve issues for over two and half decades. The mistakes made by all of us over the years are many. The resolve to end terror and seek ways different to that of the past to find genuine reconciliation, building trust and confidence is looming. Yet, the suffering on the ground is real with pain, loss of life and survival touching those who are victims of circumstances. Healing deep wounds beyond the current suffering is the challenge we, as a nation face. Practising a true Buddhist way of life and seeking the true meaning of Wesak will, in the columnist’s mind give the Sri Lankan nation a way forward when we take on the task of reconciliation based on the principles of Karuna (Compassion), Mettha (Loving Kindness), Muditha (Sympathetic Joy)  and Upekkha (Equanimity).

What the Buddha sought, found and taught is that, there is a way beyond the suffering and pain, where hope of an enlightened way is possible. The way proposed is primarily a way for each which then will form the collective character of the way forward, be it for a nation, region or for the world. Transforming the way of the Buddhist discourse to that for lifestyles and economics will be the challenge before us. In times and circumstances where small, self- reliant and sufficient economies present, desirable and rational alternatives to the globalised, greed driven. ‘Big is Better’ type social and economic models, this may well be the way forward for us all.

 

Douse the fires

We are now tasked as a nation to seek ways of meeting the post-terrorism reconciliation and building of trust between communities in the North, South, East, West and the Central Hills. The immediate needs will be related to attending to the injured, sick and the traumatised. Survival needs of providing a sense of security and safety, preventing the spread of diseases through maintenance of good sanitation, feeding, clothing and the like will be vital. It will be months if not years before even a semblance of normalcy can be attained for those who are now displaced from their land and adobe. Rebuilding and reconstruction of lives and a fresh socio-economic web will be a slow and painful process. The need of the hour is for a united and unified effort of all. Raging fires of hatred must be doused at the local and international levels and licking of wounds must be replaced with solid, effective frontline action aimed for the welfare of the displaced, injured and the hurt.

Hope and trust

Infrastructure such as bridges, roads, hospitals, market places, administrative mechanisms will all need to be set in place, like we see happen in the East within a short span of time.  With each brick and with each layer of mortar, lasting hope and trust will also need to be cemented as strong as possible. Issues of establishing ownership of land of the displaced, providing them a sense of confidence of the genuineness of the intentions need be carried through on the fast-forward mode with credible and neutral institutional mechanisms. This in turn will help bring about a change of their mindsets about whom they perceived as the oppressor for this long,

Creating tension

It is also prudent to be mindful that there will be those who will continue to seek to benefit from the misery of a suffering people. They will seek to create tension through misinformation and attempt to deliberately design chaotic and undesirable circumstances. Anticipation of the modus-operandi of such and being ready to counter them will be the responsibility of all citizens as well as the Diaspora of this country. What we now need is genuine care, vigilance and a sense of protective giving from all alike, regardless of whatever differences of views there may have been in the past among us.

Critical to such process when we rebuild lives with trust and faith in each other, reaching out to each other, is the need to have a conceptual basis to that effort. It is important that it has moral and ethical credence that can rise above and beyond the mistrust, misinformation and misadventure scenarios of the past.  

A model for rebuilding

Buddhism as a philosophy and a way of life (not necessarily in its form as a religion) can help us meet this difficult challenge. Its way, when practised with a conscious mind, can encourage us to be compassionate and non-violent with ourselves as well as others, which is a good a first-step in building a model of trust and credence.  The leadership of the nation building apparatus need to articulate the basis for the model, positioning it transparently but away from any chauvinistic overtones of being a vehicle for propagating a religious identity.

Being traditionally a majority Hindu Community, the Tamils have at the root of their social fabric an acceptance of the basis of the true Buddhist way of life and that of the Gandhian philosophy of prudent and simple living. This can be a major platform articulated through sharing and understanding among local leaders and social workers regardless of them being Hindu, Christian, Muslim or Buddhist. Such an initiative in-turn can be a way to cement a neutral conceptual base for the rebuilding effort.

A disconnected society


In approaching to establish such a simplistic conceptual basis, we must also realise and be aware that it is the dynamics of the complex global economy which has created a disconnected society, psychological deprivation and a breakdown of the sustainable and natural way of life of ours, through the many shocks it brought about in the past few decades of fast paced growth.


In this context, Buddhism also can help us to focus on the system and its structural violence, instead of blaming or condemning ourselves or others within that system. The teachings can encourage an understanding of the many complex ways we affect others and our environment, and encourage empathy and a profound affirmation of life. Only by recognizing how we are all part of this system, can we actively work together to disengage from these life-denying structures.


The philosophy of Buddhism, also in its holistic approach, can help us to understand and realise how various symptoms are interrelated; how the crises facing us are systemic and deeply rooted in economic and social imperatives. Understanding the myriad connections between the problems can prevent us from wasting our efforts on the symptoms of the crises, rather than focusing on their fundamental causes. Under the surface, even such seemingly unconnected problems such as ethnic violence, terrorism, climate change, poverty, pollution of the air and water, pandemics, disruption of social institutions, and cultural disintegration are closely interlinked.


The entire fabric


Emotionally and psychologically, such a shift in our perception of the nature of the problems is deeply empowering for both the designer of a model for rebuilding as well as for all those who are the victims that need security, care, trust and attention. In a crisis of this nature, being faced with a never-ending string of seemingly unrelated and un-surmountable problems can be overwhelming, but finding the points at which they converge can make our strategy to solve them more focused and effective. It is then just a question of pulling the right threads to affect the entire fabric, rather than having to deal with each problem individually.

A fine focus on the Four Noble Truths of Dukkha: or realisation of suffering; Samudaya: cause of suffering as the desire to have and control things; Nirodha: effective action to ease it with Nirvana; and Magga; or the way through the eightfold path leading to the cessation of suffering can be an effective way forward for the conceptual base model for strategic decision making in rebuilding our once lost nation. 

Useful Web Addresses:

A Guide to Buddhist Resources - www.buddhanet.netA comprehensive TV Channel of Buddhist resource links -  www.buddhistchannel.tvOxford Centre for Buddhist Studies -  www.ocbs.orgJournal of Buddhist Ethics - www.buddhistethics.org/2/rightbib.htmlOntario Consultants on Religious Tolerance -www.religioustolerance.org/buddhism3.htmMinistry of Resettlement and Disaster Relief Services -www.resettlementmin.gov.lkInternally Displaced Persons; Human Rights Commission Sri Lanka  -www.idpsrilanka.lkMinistry of Defence, Sri Lanka - www.defence.lk/english.asp

Mitigate Global Warming: Rapid Action is a Must

This weekly column published between April 2009 - April 2012 in Sri Lanka's 'Daily News' newspaper  addressed core issues regarding sustainability, critically examining the current concepts, thoughts, strategies and actions adopted by us in the context of both the global and local economy.

Please read it in the time context which is 2011. Yet the issues are as real and call for even more urgent action by us all today. 

Last week’s column was an attempt to see what each of us can do effectively, to contribute towards being carbon clean in our day to day living. Each replacement of a incandescent light bulb to a CFL, taking public transport, car pooling or practising austerity, resolving to replace the big wedding tamasha with a simple ceremony for one’s son or daughter, are all effective ways of contributing. The list is long and the options are many. But actual effort on the ground for change is starkly seen to be far from adequate.

 

On the global governmental front the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) led by Indian scientist Dr. Rajendra Pachauri met last week in Antalya, Turkey at its 30^th session. Making his opening remarks what Dr. Pachauri had to say to the rest of the world and to each of us is indeed a revelation.

 

In my column today, key excerpts of his  speech is presented to serve as a reminder to all of us that there is very little time left for us to keep bickering on the validity of the scientific evidence on global warming. The need is for collective and individual action NOW to rethink and readjust our lifestyles. In the light of the scientific evidence, where we live on this planet, the magnitude of the local level issues we face and how big or small we are, deems insignificant. It is indeed an issue of our very own survival in the not so distant future. Our collective voices must be raised and assertive action on all governments, civil society, households and individuals alike.

 

Evidence is clear

 

A large part of the work of the IPCC has still not received adequate attention and precise understanding. Hence, impacts of climate change are still seen as distant and undefined. But science has given us precise answers and robust conclusions.

The IPCC is a unique operational model and mobilizes thousands of the best scientists in the world for its assessment of various aspects of climate change. This work is carried out with complete transparency and objectivity in all the procedures followed and peer reviews carried out at each stage of the process by experts as well as governments; the approval and acceptance of the Summary for Policymakers involves all the governments, which gives them direct participation in the process and a full sense of ownership in the work of the IPCC.

 

No room for inaction

From the Fourth Assessment Report of the IPCC, we now know the serious impacts of climate change, which would accrue as a result of inaction. We also know the nature of their worldwide implications.

Some examples of these impacts are:

- the number of people living in severely stressed river basins would go up from 1.4 to 1.6 billion in 1995 to 4.3 to 6.9 billion in 2050.

- Roughly 20-30% of species assessed are likely to be at increasingly high risk of extinction as global mean temperatures exceed 2°-3° above pre-industrial levels. We are getting close to that range.

- Abrupt and irreversible change are possible, such as collapse of the Greenland or West Antarctic ice sheets, which can lead to Sea Level Rise of several meters. For Greenland, the temperature threshold for breakdown is estimated to be about 1.1° to 3.8° C above today’s global average temperature. Again we are close to that range too.

- Climate change currently contributes to the global burden of disease and premature deaths. Adverse health impacts will be greatest in low income countries.

- Smallholder and subsistence farmers, who are generally dependent on rainfed agriculture, pastoralists and artisan fisherfolk are likely to suffer complex, localized impacts of climate change.

- Small islands, whether located in the tropics or higher latitudes, have characteristics which make them especially vulnerable to the effects of climate change, sea level rise and extreme events.

- If current warming rates are maintained, Himalayan glaciers could decay at very rapid rates. Decline in river flows as a result could affect 500 million people in South Asia and 250 million in China.

 

Poor more vulnerable

The differential nature of climate change impacts and the existence of other stresses leave the poor of the world particularly vulnerable. The ethical aspects of this reality need to be accepted in devising the implementing mitigation actions.

Our collective record of mitigation of GHG emissions has not been very inspiring. Global greenhouse gas emissions have grown, of course, since pre-industrial times, but there has been an increase of 70% between 1970 and 2004. Hence, the record of global action at mitigation has been very weak, even though the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was agreed on in 1992. This record goes against the spirit and intent of the UNFCCC.

 

Many benefits

Large co-benefits of mitigation would include health benefits on account of lower air pollution at the local level, higher energy security, higher yields in agriculture, and greater employment opportunities. The record of those countries that have proactively pursued greater use of renewable energy and pursued major improvements in energy efficiency have been able to increase employment in the economy.

But even the trajectory of stabilisation described by the IPCC leave some serious problems in the nature of impacts of climate change. We would need to consider whether the effort to limit increase in global mean temperature to about 2 degrees C would be adequate because sea level rise due to thermal expansion alone with this trajectory would be between 0.4 to1.4 meters. Add to this the melting of ice bodies, and we would have serious effects of sea level rise on low lying coastal areas and small islands.

”My (Dr. Pachauri’s) plea would be to please listen to and reflect on the voice of science, and please act with determination and a sense of urgency. We in the IPCC do not prescribe any specific action, but action is a must”, he concludes.

   

Useful Web Addresses:

IPCC’s work and reports and the full speeches : www.ipcc.ch/
UN Framework Convention on Climate Change: http://unfccc.int

Global Climate Debate – Source for Research News: www.sciencedaily.com
Practical Tips on Conservation to mitigate Climate Change: www.climal.com
Comprehensive exposition on Climate Change issues: www.oneclimate.net
Web resources on ecological good health of the earth: www.ecologicalinternet.org
Action tips on sustainable living:  www.sustainable-environment.info