Sri Lanka needs a leadership that can heal war wounds, Ariyaratne says
View(s):Sri Lanka needs a leadership that heals the wounds of war and transforms the structures of governance into one that meet the aspirations of both the ethnic majority and minorities, says Dr. A.T. Ariyaratne, Founder and President of the Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement.
He was making a keynote address on “The role of religion in reconciliation” at the the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute for International Relations and Strategic Studies (LKIIRSS), Colombo, this week
Excerpts of his speech:
There is polarization within the country that is manifested in election results that reflect an ethnic divide. Internationally, there is the accusation of serious human rights violations that is not going away due to inability to make a satisfactory response. There is no agreement between Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims on key political issues or between Government and Opposition on addressing the burning issues.
Sarvodaya has never aimed to build an affluent society out of these poor and powerless communities. Sarvodaya’s objective was a No-Poverty No-Affluence society beginning from the village communities and progressively going upwards to influence the whole nation and decision makers.
This was no easy task as Sarvodaya believed in three salient principles of Truth, Non-violence and Self-denial. This also implies that we totally reject social, economic and political organizations that promoted Greed, Aversions and Ignorance. Some of these organizations unfortunately are founded on organized Greed and Violence. By controlling the media in various devious ways they keep the people in a Bliss of Ignorance of Reality. It is sad that the same cancerous greed for wealth and power using organized terror and violence that promoted imperialist interests using Abrahamic religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam for over 2000 years have reached our shores in recent decades.
It is widely believed that the people are politically apathetic and are too afraid of retribution to be involved in political affairs. This is a justifiable concern; however, it must also be remembered that much of the population remains in a state of poverty and does not have the opportunity to think about ideological issues when their very survival is so difficult to pursue. Furthermore, they have become subject to the propaganda regularly circulated by the media. Seminars, pamphlets and other educational materials, though they may be useful, will thus have limited impact at the grassroots level. We have to aim at a critical mass of spiritual consciousness pervading the whole nation.
Sarvodaya’s work highlights the positive effects of a grassroots movement for peace. Working in more than 15,000 villages all across the country Sarvodaya has been able to persuade both the people and their immediate leaders to support and maintain an active peace. Since it recognizes that a holistic effort is needed for full peace to occur, Sarvodaya also works at the district, divisional, and national levels, however, it is most recognized for its advances at the grassroots. What is evident from the work is the reservoir of untapped goodwill that exists between the religious communities at the grassroots level. When religious leaders are brought together in structured initiatives they begin to better understand each other and to work together.
Out of numerous national level programmes we have implemented mobilizing people in the 15000 village communities we are working with, for national peace and reconciliation
In peace and reconciliatory work there should be commitment and continuity. There should not be any compromise with Truth and Non-violence. Power political and sectarian agendas of religions and races should give in to the supreme goal of awakening of all through Metta – Boundless Loving Kindness.
The experience in both Sri Lanka and elsewhere in the world of political struggle makes it evident that when the path of conflict is taken there is no natural end, only constant escalation. Stopping the spiral of conflict requires a conscious act of will and a strategy for de-escalation. It requires a vision of a transformative process which will lead to the good of everyone. And it calls for faith that people and institutions will in fact change. One of the greatest challenges in peacemaking is to see the opponent in a new light, as having part of the truth, whether terrorist or government, which is necessary to bring wholeness and peace.
Religion-based efforts hold immense potential to create peace in Sri Lanka. With the moral authority to decry conflict, and the social networks to mobilize support and public action, religious groups could spread the message of peace in effective and sustainable ways.
In particular, inter-religious initiatives which aim to bridge ethno-religious divides and establish a discourse of understanding (even in the face of severe opposition), provide hope that a desire for reconciliation is strong and ever growing.
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