Sri Lanka needs a truth commission

Saturday, 04 June 2011 00:00

Whatever is happening to the report of the experts’ panel appointed by United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to advise him on accountability issues in Sri Lanka, whether the Rajapaksa regime accepts it or not, responds to it or not, May 2009 is now part of our history. However since then opposition critics and independent analysts locally and internationally ask whether the government has genuinely worked towards reconciliation with the minority communities and address the root causes of the bloody three-decade war. Amid pressure from Sri Lankan and international human rights groups, the Rajapaksa regime appointed the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) to probe and report on matters relating to both reconciliation and accountability. But the track record of most such high profile and highly publicized commissions is so bad that many might with valid reasons ask whether the report of this commission also will end up in the archives.

The ground reality is that thousands of people in the Wanni are still in camps or under tents having experienced the devastation of two monsoons in the aftermath of the war horror. The out spokesman Wimal Weerawansa being built up by the state media as the best housing minister is putting up quarters for the security forces personnel in the Wanni with building materials imported from China. While neighbouring India’s offer to build 50,000 houses for the displaced people appears to be stuck in some geo political quagmire.

With preference being given for the construction of houses for military personnel in the North, we also saw week long celebrations to mark the military victory with a massive parade on May 27. These and other factors including the controversial move to give military style training to 10,000 new entrants to the universities have provoked local and international critics to ask whether priority is being given to militarization rather than the much-needed reconciliation, which would bring about lasting peace with justice.

In the Thanthai Chelva memorial oration, TNA parliamentarian and top lawyer M.A. Sumanthiran, charged that the Rajapaksa regime had yet not taken practical steps to address the grievances and meet the legitimate aspirations of the Tamil-speaking people.

Instead of this we hear Minister Weerawansa proclaiming that the victories of May 2009 and the elimination of Velupillai Prabhakaran and the LTTE leadership have solved the problems of the minorities.

Going by state media reports not only Minister Weerawansa but other government leaders and those who defend it also seem to believe that the May 2009 victory has solved the problems of the minorities though most independent analysts are of the view that we are in a post-war era and not in a post-conflict era.

They believe that if the conflict is not addressed urgently and action taken Sri Lanka may end up again in a bigger bloody mess.

Sri Lanka needs to take a lesson from South Africa’s Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu that lasting reconciliation cannot take place without accepting the truth. For lasting peace there must be justice and for all this there must be the spirit of forgiveness