Wednesday, 24 July 2013 00:00
-
- {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Sri Lanka’s recent history is dotted with gory anniversaries, some of which like the Victory Celebrations religiously observed every May, are kept with much pomp and display of military hardware even though the human tragedy of the war remains a painful reality.
This week, another anniversary with as ghastly a past is being remembered – Black July. 30 years ago, tensions boiled over between the Sinhalese and Tamils resulting in the deaths of thousands, displacement and eventually, a fracturing that took another 27 years to partially heal.
Many observers of those horrific events including the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) had noted in their official report that the attacks on Sri Lanka’s main minority was systematic and took place over a long period of time and the violence of 1983 did not erupt spontaneously as some would believe.
There was also little accountability, almost no attempt to rewrite the wrongs and certainly no apologies or voices of concern from that administration in 1983. People who lost loved ones, their homes and their businesses also lost any sense of belonging. The survivors, most of who were hidden by their Sinhalese neighbours, either moved to the north and eastern part of the country or left these sun dappled shores forever. Their choice was harsh but it did not become easier with the succeeding years.
Three decades later, with a war just four years done, Sri Lanka finds itself at another crucial crossroads. The chance to reconcile and provide the rights that would enable the Tamil community to exist as equal citizens is within grasp. Yet, even though such an opportunity has come at such a high cost, there is great danger that it will be squandered for the benefit of a few who wish to retain power.
The northern elections, the 13th Amendment and the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) are just three in several dozen buzz words that are being tossed around among the public. They are interspersed by scarier words created by organisations that target minorities and whip up communal fury, deepen insecurities and attempt to reduce the rights of other communities. Instead of promoting public discussion openly, fairly and with magnanimity, the discourse is being manipulated to hide, or even worse, justify the wrongs done to minorities.
These insecurities are motivating people to view the upcoming elections in the north with increasing trepidation. An anniversary like Black July rolls around and cries out for people to remember and learn. To learn so that the same mistakes are not made out of fear. To learn so that more lives are not lost. To lean so that Sri Lanka can finally have a better future.
A nation does not remain at a crossroads forever. It must choose and it has a moral responsibility to choose what is best for everyone. However, reality intervenes and the populace is left to be judged by subsequent generations. The harshness with which the generation that let Black July happen is being judged with will fade in comparison to the censure heaped on a population that let a second chance slip by. Justice is the quest for this population, 30 years on, it is still searching.
