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.