Take the middle path

THE UN panel report on alleged war crimes in Sri Lanka has sparked off vehement opposition from all levels of society. Given that the people are largely against the report, the Government should have no problem drumming up support internally, but the external relationships of the country with Western counterparts remain tenuous. If genuine reconciliation is the objective, then there are points that the report can contribute to achieve.

Few people would argue with the fact that the UN is a biased entity that has focused on issues in the world with blatant subjectivity. Its refusal to address the issues in Bahrain despite bloody protests but taking action in the case of Libya has been discussed profusely in other publications. The human rights violations in Guantanamo Bay, Iraq and Afghanistan, just to name a few, have put the UN firmly on the side of Western powers and reduced its credibility significantly.

However, the question that is raised at this point is whether this is sufficient reason to dismiss the UN report completely. One thing that can be requested of people who wish to make up their own minds without being brainwashed by one extreme faction or the other is to read the report for themselves. This will be a time-consuming exercise since it spans over 240 pages but the summary gives more succinct access to the otherwise lumbering report. It analyses the offences of both the LTTE and the Government and actually points out some salient points of consideration for Sri Lanka.

An investigation from outside parties is in no way justified. But as the report points out, there are many points that the Government has left out despite having almost two years to implement reconciliation mechanisms. The most important of these is having credible, impartial and widespread investigations into alleged war crimes and taking responsibility for any oversights that may have taken place. The Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) is a start, but the process needs to be made more transparent with greater emphasis on accountability.

A person reading the summary of the UN report will notice that the LTTE has been charged with six counts of violations, while the Government has five. The fact that there is an open acquiescence that hostility from the Tamil Diaspora will have a negative impact on the reconciliation process, points that the UN would not have to make if it was blatantly supporting the LTTE as some factions would have us believe.

Sincerity, honesty and empathy are the arms to deal with in this battle. Even though most well-to-do urbanised people will think that Sri Lanka has moved on from these incidents, it is clear that the Tamil people and quite a few fair-minded Sinhalese think otherwise. Taking the middle path and not bowing down blindly to extremist views from either fraternity is a start to true reconciliation. Understanding that mistakes can be made and working towards rectifying them is an important part of finding a solution to the ethnic problem.

Blackening one faction does not make the other white. This is an issue that has been cast in varying shades of grey where the good and the bad are mixed with complexity. Rallying the people to showcase their opposition to the report on May Day will not negate what is said in the document nor will it provide a healing platform for the Tamil and Sinhalese communities. Genuine action that is directed towards reconciliation is the only means of responding effectively to these allegations and that is something that remains to be proven.