As we all know, for almost three-decades, the country was caught in a vicious civil war which ultimately ended on May 19, 2009 with victory for the Sri Lankan security forces and thereby allowing the Sri Lankan government to usurp official control of the North and East provinces, previously dominated by the terrorist power of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Since there have been enough analysis on the root causes of the war, I do not intend to go into too much details on that topic. However, I wish to make a number of observations on the impact of war and the series of post-War events that connect back to the origins of the conflict. Although a segment of our population wilfully attempts to forget this fact, Sri Lanka is by all definitions a multi-ethnic and multi-religious nation-state that strongly urges for reconciliation. Almost all post-independent politicians of both Sinhala and Tamil communities who were at the helm of power were engaged in deliberate divide-and-rule projects that sought to expand their power base but undermine national unity. The escalation of the war was a good cultivating ground for further divisions not only along the lines of language and ethnicity but also religion. During the last few years of war from 2006 onward, we saw waves of nationalism roaring high not only among politicians but also among the general public. At the same time, the war was also successful in hiding our true emotions and sensitivity and made us act like heartless souls at times, forgetting our values of humanism. Blood shed and death became a common sight on the media, so much so that it was not powerful enough to bring down a tear to our eyes.
When our former President, Mahinda Rajapaksa declared victory in May 2009, we were jubilant that we celebrated it with milkrice and fireworks. However, we had forgotten that although the land was won, the hearts that suffered all these years were yet to be repaired. The Rajapaksa family were shrewd politicians and were quick to manipulate the war victory to stabilize their power. Praise for the President and his family, especially his brother, the then Secretary of Defence, Gotabhaya were in full swing. Songs were sung elevating Mahinda to the status of the "King", historic movies were created to keep people interested in the Rule of the King and pictures of him worshipping Mother Lanka when stepping out of an air plane were published and re-published to instill into the public minds of his incomparable patriotism. The 2010 Presidential Election was all about giving credit for the war victory and as expected he won in grand fashion. The Parliamentary Election that followed was a mirror image of the Rajapaksa victory though he was a few seats short of the two-thirds majority he had campaigned for. However, as expected a number of MP cross-overs ensured that the required majority was achieved and the road was paved for rewriting Sri Lanka's constitution as well as political environment. While the cost of living soared and media freedom suffered, the former President was embarking on a journey to give himself the opportunity to be the country's leader for an unlimited number of terms. The people were not consulted, the opposition parties' dissent was ignored, journalists and media personalities were silenced and protests by civic organizations were labelled as being 'unpatriotic.' However, the undemocratic 18th amendment which removed the legal obstruction for a President to contest a Presidential Election more than two terms, made its way into the constitution by way of the parliamentary majority held by the ruling coalition at that time. What followed thereafter was a sad and unfortunate turn of events that made Sri Lanka a humiliation on the international stage.
The Rajapakasas and their henchmen used state media and also certain private television channels to justify everything they did, including violations of the constitution to the massive corruption that they were accused of. People were taught to believe that if they were not in the side of the Rajapaksa regime, they were considered to be unpatriotic. Also, it was reiterated that since his political leadership was instrumental in the war victory, he was the chosen leader for the country and the only man who was able to bring prosperity to the masses. Whatever offence was committed, they were clever enough to conceal it by the war victory and by reminding the public of war time memories and a gloomy past. Another notable event was their use of the international community's criticism of the country's human rights violations to invoke fears of foreign conspiracies and provoke nationalism among the public, thereby stabilizing their political power. Furthermore, in a shameless manner, the government sponsored extremist Sinhala groups to create hostility among the Sinhala and Muslim communities. It was also used to create a forcefully nationalist Sinhala Buddhist opinion that was in favour of the Rajapaksa regime. Airports and Harbours were built in the Rajapaksa hometown of Hambantota as well as bridges, roads and highways were constructed in all parts of the country thus making people believe that development was happening in post-war Sri Lanka. However in reality, the problems that we as a country faced at the time of the war victory were yet to be resolved. Executive presidency was used to undermine democracy and rule of law in every way possible. In an attempt to further gain control of political power, a snap presidential election was called for this year, two years before its due date.
On January 8, 2015 the population of Sri Lanka delivered a historical verdict voting in favour of the opposition candidate, Maithripala Sirisena, who was Rajapaksa's second in command till November. Despite a number of structural flaws in the constitution introduced in 1978, a presidential system ensures that the minority vote is as important as the majority vote. However, up until now having held all previous presidential elections in a war torn environment that was not conducive to expression of people's true preference, this fact was not as visible as the most recent election. The 2015 election was the first presidential election in Sri Lankan history that all population in the country from Point Pedro to Dondra Head got an opportunity to express their choice without any obstruction from any form of terrorist or violent forces. Current President Maithripala Sirisena's victory is noteworthy because of the fact that it was a product of votes from all three main communities in the country, namely the Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims. It is therefore an exhibition of national harmony and proof of the missed opportunities in the post-war era.The main theme of the opposition election platform was the need to establish good governance and democracy as well as minimize corruption and bring culprits to Court. While the points raised above are essential for the future of our nation, it is equally important to achieve national reconciliation. The war victory did not heal the wounds that were created during three decades of war nor did it unite the communities as is incorrectly believed by certain segments of the population.
This government has also taken a novel political approach that is line with the experimentation of a national government model. The Sirisena regime includes a multi-party cabinet that features UNP leader Ranil Wickremasinghe as PM and a number of other political parties including the SLFP, JHU, Muslim Congress and Upcountry People's Front. The JVP and TNA also participate in the National Advisory Council thereby providing input on matters of national importance. Although this is in no way the ultimate answer to all challenges facing the country, multi-party decision-making is a good start and needs to be commended. While the political representatives engage in decision-making, we as the public also have a role to play. In the recently concluded election, the youth generation played an instrumental role through the internet and specially social media platforms such as Facebook. Our campaign should not stop with the conclusion of the election and we need to continue to pressure our parliamentarians to bring about much needed constitutional reforms and implement mechanisms that will strengthen democracy and reconciliation.
Nine years ago, I wrote the following poem to indicate the meaninglessness of celebrating symbolic political independence with much splendour when our country was not in fact truly free and united. At the end, I mentioned that one day when my country is united along physical boundaries as well as religion and ethnicity, and we as people demonstrate respect and tolerance for each other, then on that day I will celebrate true independence with all my heart!
Today, after a long time, I am happy that my hopes have come true to some extent. Although we have not yet reached entire reconciliation, we as a Nation have embarked on a new journey by rallying together as ONE COUNTRY to establish democracy for ALL OF US, no matter which part of the country we live in or which ethnicity or religion we belong to. We have shown the world that we can unite for our nation's future! So, do not stop the fight or get sidetracked by minor victories, CHANGE CAN HAPPEN, but only if we are determined to persist.
Therefore, I am proud to say HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY! ALL THE BEST TO MOTHER SRI LANKA!
