Forgotten war veterans

“In times of war and not before, God and the soldier we adore. But in times of peace and all things righted, God is forgotten and the soldier slighted” is a quote attributed to the famous English novelist and poet Rudyard Kipling which vividly describes the attitude of the society towards soldiers and armed forces in times of normalcy.

Last Monday, the island observed its Remembrance Day also known as National War Heroes Commemoration Day which commemorates the war heroes who fought and sacrificed their lives to defeat the LTTE rebels as well as the civilians who were killed during the armed conflict. This year’s event generated a considerable amount of controversy as it was apparent that the commander-in-chief was not scheduled to grace the occasion initially. Coincidentally, this was the first Remembrance Day event since the NPP gained political power at the Centre last year. 

As soon as the news began to spread that Remembrance Day would be conducted under the patronage of Deputy Defence Minister Major General Aruna Jayasekara instead of President Anura Kumara Disanayake, a tremendous backlash occurred against the Government particularly among social media platforms. In order to control the loss of grace, the President later visited Mihindu Seth Madura, a care home for war veterans who were critically injured during the offensive against the LTTE. 

Although the NPP’s predecessor – the JVP – was extremely hostile to the armed forces in its formative stages, the Marxist political party was sympathetic to the military when it was led by the likes of Somawansa Amarasinghe and Wimal Weerawansa. In fact, the JVP was at the forefront of opposing the peace talks between the Wickremesinghe administration and the LTTE at the beginning of the 21st Century. 

Whatever said and done, armed forces have been held in high regard, particularly by the Sinhalese community. The apparent lack of respect shown by the Government’s top political leadership towards the military would certainly not go down well with the masses in the South. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya skipped the event completely and did not even issue a statement remembering the soldiers who were killed during the armed conflict.

All of us need to be mindful of the fact that a section of the society made a tremendous sacrifice to rescue the country from the evil of terrorism. Although attempts are made by factions of the Sri Lankan Tamil Diaspora to portray the LTTE as a group of liberators, the atrocious acts of violence unleashed by the deadly terrorist outfit still remain fresh in the minds of fair and balanced-minded citizens across the globe. The elimination of the LTTE has benefitted all communities in the country and hence, there is an obligation on all parts of the society to recall the priceless contribution of the armed forces in terms of wiping out terrorism from our shores.

Nevertheless, it does not mean everything was flawless with regard to the war. Credible and specific allegations of human right violations that were alleged to have been committed during the final stages of the conflict need to be examined thoroughly and perpetrators need to be held accountable. Also, the relatives and the loved ones of the LTTE rebels who were killed in the battlefield are perfectly entitled to remember their departed acquaintances by conducting religious observances without any intimidation or harassment.

Going forward, the nation’s armed forces must evolve to safeguard the country from both internal and external security threats that could unfold from a highly conflict-ridden world order. Importantly, the defence establishment needs to be represented by all ethnic communities in the country. The military of a sovereign state reflects the pride and prestige of its people, and political administrations need to strengthen armed forces as a dynamic and vibrant institution of the country.