sense of inevitability

There is a sense of inevitability in Sri Lanka at the moment.  Each day the sms news alerts and the newspapers tells a story of an advancing Sri Lankan army venturing ever so close to Kilinochi, the ‘capital’ of the LTTE self declared  homeland.  Each night the ‘embedded’ reporters of the mainly government run or pro government tv stations report from the front line.  Almost like watching a race in slow motion, the countdown has every one watching with bated breath, 15 km! 10 km! 5 km!  It has now become a question of when not if!

For the man on the street, it is obvious.  Strike up a conversation with anyone from a taxi driver to a grocery store keeper and the tone is the same ‘our boys are nearing closer.  We will win!!’

For the humanitarian organisations involved especially those at the front line, the ‘boys’ maybe nearing closer, but there is still the question of the civilians, who like in any other conflict are the real victims after being caught in the middle of something they did not start or want a part of.  The recent government request for agencies to vacate to safer areas was met with some reluctance.  Understandable to some extent considering the plight of the civilians especially as they face the danger of getting caught in cross fire, a concern as regards the mandate of the organisations, particularly as no one seems to have a grip on what the final numbers are.   But the reluctance was met with the usual cynicism from certain parts of the media and certain political parties who cried conspiracy theory accusing agencies of trying to create a ‘kosovo like’ scenario.

It is a tough situation and no one exactly knows what to say or not to say.   People within the humanitarian community are reluctant to comment for fear of sounding anti state but there is a real and genuine concern.  Whatever final numbers of displaced people there will be, the concern is always with regards to looking after them and their welfare and eventually their future.

This is something that people are not yet talking about.  The question of ‘what next?’ is not on the lips of people just yet, but it must be in the back of their minds.  As the guns go quiet and normalcy beckons, what is the next step?  How easy will it be?

Therein lies the conundrum.  After twenty plus years of conflict and even a greater number of years of ethnic polarisation, the wounds are deep and severe.   There will be the task of resettling people back to their homelands.  For some of these people, it will be after decades of living in refugee camps either in Putallum, the east or across the water in India.  Their families have led their lives for the last 20 years or so under these difficult situations, their children have gone to school, got married and had kids of their own.  What about the land rights or compensation?  How about livelihoods and infrastructure?

Houses may be rebuilt and people may be resettled but the real task is how do you reconcile the community?

The years have ensured that layer and layer of mistrust has been built up.  How does one even go about tearing down these walls? To truly reconcile this requires a change of heart .  The answer has to come from the people themselves.  They will have to reach in deep into themselves to come out with the answers to reconcile, to forgive and to move on.  That change of heart has to come from a strong spiritual foundation.  Hence a great role in reconciliation will have to be played by rediscovering the spiritual base and giving a greater role to be played collectively by the faith community.

It is not surprising because largely throughout history (give or take a few episodes), it has been the power of spirituality, flavoured by the various religious teachings, that  has sustained peace and harmony among the diverse citizenry.  Where this spirituality and responsibility has become diluted into faith and ethnic identity and rights, it has 

become ineffective to guide the people.   

In Sri Lanka the conflict has polarized different segments of the society dividing the communities amongst ethnic, religious and caste differences and instilling fear and suspicion amongst each other.

The success and stability of any solution to the conflict and post conflict reconstruction will depend among building trust, removing suspicion and eradicating the fear that prevails among the local communities.

There are three things that are essential for this to happen effectively:

• Intellectual empathy,
• Deep faith and rationality
• Spirituality.

These three factors ensure that dialogue can be done with patience and humility and done in a spirit so as a move can be made towards respecting, understanding and accepting each other and their differences in an atmosphere of justice and equality.  

The great leaders of the world such as Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr and Nelson Mandela, have all professed and practiced non-violent social actions as a way of establishing peace and justice.

The role that spirituality plays in influencing this spirit of non retaliation and forgiveness can not be under emphasised. This requires not only no violence but also peoples’ awareness of their internal power and commitment to use it with responsibility.   A solution that does not involve respect for the opponent cannot resolve the underlying conflict and create an environment for consolidating a lasting understanding and acceptance.

Sri-Lanka has the spiritual base to make that change, to forget and forgive and to teach that  everyone came from the same source and everyone  has a space in it.