Tuesday, 8 October 2013 00:00
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MODERATION is the magic word. Sri Lanka’s first Northern Chief Minister Justice C.V. Wigneswaran took oaths before President Mahinda Rajapaksa last morning, heralding hope for a country that is weary of war but has not yet achieved peace. There is much to be gained by both sides taking the middle path – both locally and internationally.
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) clearly understands the need to attract and prove itself to the moderate Sinhalese masses, most of whom are viewing the new provincial council with trepidation. They are also concerned about what it would mean for the tentative peace that was established in 2009. For most people living in the north and south, the relief of living without war, even in the absence of true peace, is a luxury that cannot be let go of. This means that people in the south, already burdened with negative perceptions of the diaspora and Tamil Nadu, who are key players in the TNA paradigm, will need strong reassurance from the TNA.
It is heartening that the TNA has pushed ahead with its decision to work with the Central Government and put at least some of these fears to rest even at the cost of its internal unity. The symbol of agreeing to take oaths before President Rajapaksa was clearly a gesture of attempting to move towards a moderate path. Notable absentees were TNA General Secretary Marvai Senathirajah, EPRLF Leader Suresh Premachandran and TELO Chief Selvam Adaikalanathan, who were reported to have boycotted the swearing-in. Whether the TNA can maintain a united front, even when the TELO leader has decided to leave its ranks, will be interesting to see.
The freshly-minted Chief Minister lost no time in appealing to the Sinhalese majority to respect, empathise and understand the love their Tamil counterparts have for their language – an overture that will take some repeating before it will bring tangible returns.
On an international level, the hurdles have been made clear. Just last month UN Human Rights Chief Navi Pillay’s speech gave a definite deadline to the Government and could result in serious repercussions if Sri Lanka does not pull out all the stops in engagement for reconciliation.
Asserting that no new or comprehensive effort has been made to independently or credibly investigate the human rights allegations in Sri Lanka, UN’s Rights Chief Navaneethan Pillay said that Sri Lanka should use the time between now and March 2014 to engage in a credible national process with tangible results. The shocking part was the insistence that in the absence of such steps she believes the international community will have a duty to establish its own inquiry mechanisms.
It is clear that the Government and Pillay, which for a fleeting moment seemed to come together during Pillay’s visit, have now firmly parted ways again. If anything it seems that the rift is wider this time around.
What cannot be disputed is that come March the Government will be tested once again at the UNHRC. This is yet another in a long list of reasons for it to make good on what international support it has, by pushing ahead with reconciliation measures. Dealings with India could also become much smoother.
The new northern administration has added to this weight and Sri Lanka’s future hinges on the Government doing right by all its people, especially minorities.
