Daily News Editorial

A boost for reconciliation

11 May 2017

As the nation celebrates Vesak, we heard the great news that the long-awaited National Policy on Reconciliation has been approved by the Cabinet. This ties in with the very message of Vesak – peace and compassion for all beings and is just what the country needs as it rises anew from the embers of a conflict.

Chairman of the Office for National Unity and Reconciliation (ONUR) and former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga who announced the Policy said it will be the policy on national reconciliation and co-existence, which will serve as a guideline for carrying out national reconciliation programmes throughout the country for all stakeholders, including ministries, government institutions and NGOs. President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe took a personal interest in the project and gave it all encouragement.

The National Policy on Reconciliation is set to fill a long-standing vacuum due to the absence of a consolidated National Policy on Reconciliation. The National Policy on Reconciliation will aim to satisfy the need of the country for an over-arching vision on reconciliation and a broad, coherent framework to steer and direct the process of national reconciliation.

The national reconciliation policy was drafted after an year-long and wide array of consultations with institutions, persons, ministries and NGOs. The former President is the ideal person to helm this project – even after losing an eye in a LTTE suicide bomb attack, she did not harbour any animosity towards the Tamil community which the LTTE claimed to represent, and always stood for amity among the various communities.

This is the first time that such a comprehensive policy has been adopted by any Government. It is the policy of the State of Sri Lanka on reconciliation, which means that future Governments too will be committed to implementing it. We hope that this will be the first of a series of national policies on other critical aspects such as agriculture, health, education, defence and foreign affairs that do not change with each Government. In most well-established democracies, the core policies do not change regardless of the political entity in power and this should be the case in Sri Lanka as well.

ONUR must be congratulated on this endeavour because some of the main objectives of the Policy Document have already been implemented even before the official unveiling. They include religious festivals and events, cultural programmes, and conflict awareness programmes to be participated by schoolchildren across the island. In keeping with these programmes the children of other religions belonging to various ethnic communities are to take part in at least one main religious events of another religion. The next step will be creating more awareness among adults where they will be able to discuss the conflict, harmony and co-existence at workshops around the island. Art, drama and music, which are universal in nature, are also being used to promote amity.

The Government also deserves plaudits for involving the Security Forces in the reconciliation moves. They are very much involved in the de-mining and resettlement processes and many lands previously used by the Forces have been handed over to the civilian owners. Newspapers reported recently that a soldier has married an ex-Tiger woman cadre and that women soldiers had taken Avurudu presents to a group of rehabilitated women Tiger cadres in the North. These are heartwarming stories that show reconciliation in action.

The Reconciliation Policy will focus on Equality, Human Rights, Justice and the Rule of Law, Transitional Justice, Inclusivity and Diversity, Sustainable Development, Civic Consciousness and several other factors, some of which will also be enshrined in the new Constitution that is taking shape.

Conflict Sensitivity, Cross-Cultural Awareness, Victim-Centredness, Gender Responsiveness, Foresight and Innovation, Leadership and Sustainability, Efficiency and Effectiveness, Coordination and Complementarity and Clear and Consistent Communication are among the other cornerstones of the Policy. All these are of crucial importance for long-term reconciliation.

Together, the National Policy on Reconciliation and the new Constitution are expected to lead to a Sri Lankan identity that has evaded us all these years. Still, the first question that we ask someone who we meet for the first time is “are you Sinhala? Tamil? Muslim?”. It is time we identified ourselves as Sri Lankans. A Singaporean, for example, will not identify himself or herself as Chinese, Malay, Tamil or Eurasian. Likewise, we should firmly project a Sri Lankan identity within and outside our shores. That will show the world that we are all united under one nation, one flag.

Trust is the very basis of reconciliation. The loss of trust between the major communities in Sri Lanka, mostly engineered by self-serving politicians, led to a 30-year-war that took the country back by several decades. We are still struggling to emerge from the dark abyss of war. The restoration of mutual trust will be the key to long-term reconciliation. This Vesak, we must take the Buddha’s words to heart as we begin the drive for lasting peace and reconciliation – “hatred does not cease by hatred, it ceases by love alone”. Truer words have never ever been spoken.