Yesterday's 'spit and polish' tri-services parade at the Galle Face in Colombo to commemorate the more spectacular military defeat of the LTTE in May 2009 was overshadowed by the swirling stories that the incarcerated Commander who led those men then was to be released.
The parade was held under a cloud as it were. Already, certain quarters, especially abroad are throwing words such as "triumphalism" and asking whether the glorification of the 'war' victory is not rubbing salt in the minority's wounds; that it is a disincentive to the reunification of the country and reconciliation among the people. These are those who have no qualms about celebrating the defeat of Nazi Germany more than 60 years ago. Others say "what a waste of fuel" and cite the increasing cost of living as a reason not to have parades of this nature.
True, there needs to be a sense of proportion and sobriety at such events, with emphasis on remembrance rather than a show of military muscle, but this is not an event that ought to easily be forgotten as the general public is prone to do, all over the world. The defeat of the LTTE was a turning point in this country's contemporary history. It was the overcoming of a serious and bloody movement for the secession of Sri Lanka that had the early sponsorship of India which tried to regulate the insurgency to the point of destabilising its southern neighbour, but not dividing it. India feared the fall-out of a divided Sri Lanka on its southern states would be detrimental to its own sovereignty. Western countries opted for a Jekyll and Hyde approach.
The tri-services remain big in numbers despite the defeat of the LTTE. Demobilisation has not taken place at an appreciable pace. Men are being kept in uniform but not necessarily confined to barracks. They are being mobilised in what are essentially civilian activities ranging from watering flowerbeds to bulldozing old buildings to make way for new ones.
The Government seems to be following the example of China and Pakistan, two countries that were of immense help to Sri Lanka in winning the 'war' by permitting the Armed Forces to engage in civilian pursuits like managing golf courses, theatres and even hotels.
As they are also needed to ensure that terrorism does not raise its ugly head again in the country, north or south, it is not easy to scale down what is called the 'bayonet strength' of the Forces. Yet, there is also the temptation for the Government to deploy some of them to squash legitimate trade union action or control mass agitation when the police have run away, to spy on citizens and engage in strong arm tactics a.k.a. as the 'white van syndrome'.
That said, all countries that have gone through major conflicts which required the increase in the number of their fighting men, and then had to make drastic cuts when the war was over, have faced these problems side by side with psychological traumas and social behavioural difficulties. For men who have seen the gruesome side of battle to be suddenly asked to walk down civilian street is quite a shift.
Rehabilitation of the war wounded and rebuilding the lives of the families of the servicemen who laid down their lives for the territorial integrity of this country cannot be second to the more fashionable demand by a section of the international community to rehabilitate LTTE cadres and rebuild the lives of those in only a particular geographical area. Both peoples went through living hell and attention to their wellbeing must be equally addressed both locally and by those abroad.
Into this scenario comes the imminent release of the war-time Army Commander who was cashiered by drum-head courts martial, stripped of his rank and medals and sent to prison. Whatever the legal façade that was used to teach him a lesson, the court of the people has its own verdict on the victimisation of the former General. They empathise with him over the suffering he endured, both mentally and physically, when others who were responsible for the attempt to dismember the country were having a ball under Government protection.
Not that he was a saint. At the height of the insurgency, he unleashed some of his men on 'another war'; against the media which dared criticise some of his personal actions. The wheel turned full circle and during the many months when he was being taken from jail to court, he would rely on the very same media to get a sound-bite heard and his message across.
Whether his release is due to international pressure, or his health condition, or the Portia-like qualities of the President (prompted by the Defence Secretary, we are told) or even Machiavellian moves to form a third political front and split the opposition further, or that the judiciary was gearing to acquit the man, is immaterial. Understandably, the Government was on high alert to the possibility of a coup d'etat and the assassination of its leaders on the eve of the last Presidential election and steps had to be taken to neutralise these moves. Yet, it does not behove a democratic country to have a war hero locked up on what is largely viewed as pique, however aggravating the provocations were.
The Government as it is, must surely be supremely confident of weathering any political storm that may result from the release of the ex-General, unless things have been mapped out behind closed doors. He was originally seduced into politics in the flush of the military victory of 2009. The victorious Armed Forces were justifiably elevated to the status of conquering heroes. They were idolised by a grateful nation, but also ego massaged by a Government that wanted to accrue the political mileage from that victory. No wonder the ex-General got heady with visions of greater grandeur.
The military defeat of the LTTE may have been completed this week three years ago, but some countries will not allow the uglier side of it to be completely forgotten. They have selectively chosen the last days of the fighting to target the Government, which will need to join hands with the ex-General at least on that score. Both sides remain tight-lipped on what conditions have been imposed, and agreed to, if any, in an "unconditional pardon" that is in the offing. Time will tell.
A closure to the harrowing times this country and its people went through will come only when the Government is able to overcome this residual pressure from external powers. For that, it will need the support of all elements at home. Meanwhile, the salutations of the people to the tri-services that defeated the LTTE in 2009 will be in order.
|
E-mail