National Unity Act equating all Lankan citizens urged in BT poll
View(s):Promulgating a ‘National Unity Act’ and working toward a Sri Lankan identity were some of the suggestions received during a Business Times (BT) opinion poll this week on ways of commemorating the end of the war.
The email poll was held to mark the 5th anniversary of the end of the war in May 2009, and one specific question asked was: “What is the best way to celebrate/mark the end of terrorism in Sri Lanka?”
File picture of the city of Colombo
One respondent suggested: “Promulgate a National Unity Act that binds communities, values diversity, encourages inter racial collaboration and stands for freedom for all”.
Another respondent said, “Remember all those who, irrespective of race, sacrificed their lives and were disabled or injured during the 26 year-old ethnic conflict. This should be a religious event with the participation of all communities and religious groups, not confining it to one race”.
Below is a cross-section of the comments received for this question:
Reconciliation and respect
-Victory celebrations with military pomp are usually held to commemorate victory against invaders or foreign aggressors. Sri Lanka’s conflict was an internal one, and those who died on both sides were citizens of this country. While it may be argued that there was finally little option but to defeat the LTTE militarily, parading that victory shows scant thought to all the lives lost. The military might of the state prevailed in two other insurrections in 1971 and 1989; why don’t we have victory celebrations for those? The best way to commemorate the defeat of the LTTE is with countrywide religious observances in memory of those who lost their lives, and with a country-wide pledge to respect law and order and the ethos of all communities.
- Ensure equal respect for all ethnic groups and individuals by creating an environment that supports and believes in basic needs, self-worthiness and freedom of expression.
- Past is past: Move forward with all Sri Lankans reconstructing and developing ‘our dear’ country.
- Reconciliation is not possible if the government uses the end of terrorism as a propaganda tool and, at the same time, the Tamil Diaspora continues to brainwash the Tamils.
- Urgently address grievances and concerns of those who do not wish to celebrate the way it has been done in the past five years now.
- Ensure the continued care of families of the security forces who laid down their lives, and the disabled. Their contribution is matchless. Assist all civilian families who lost their breadwinners due to terrorist attacks. Assist innocent Tamil families whose children were abducted and sent to the battlefield by the LTTE. They too are victims of terrorism
- Celebrating the ‘victory (in the present way) further distances the Sinhalese and the Tamils. The majority community feels they are superior while the Tamils feel they are insecure.
- A Unity Parade where everyone walks together, symbolizing a united forward march,
- This is a tough question. You cannot expect the government not to celebrate the event and at the same time you cannot expect the Tamil people to be too elated.
Political and administrative steps
- Develop cordial relations with India and other superpowers and bring a lasting solution to the ethnic problem.
- Ensure bilingual speaking officers in all offices in the Northeast. Stop appointment of ex-military officers to civilian posts.
- Sustainable development with just, equity and democracy for all.
- Deliver on two promises by the Government: Devolution of power and Abolish the Executive Presidency.
- Commemorate by creating a world class education system with equal access to all children
- Build a Constitution that restrains the state, grants absolute guarantees of equality to the citizens and makes the public service independent. Implementing the LLRC recommendations is a start.
- Create a Sri Lankan identity.
Religious activity
- Engage in religious activity to offer merit to the citizens of Sri Lanka who died on both sides of the line due to our inability to resolve conflicts without resorting to violent means. They were sons or daughters, husbands or wives, brothers or sisters, or fathers or mothers of citizens of this country. If we still discriminate against them the wounds of war will not heal; it will only fester.
-Conduct an appropriate national event based on religious observances for all.
- A memorial ceremony to remember the soldiers who died in the war and assist their families to get over their loss. Start a reconciliation process with the people in the Northeast to move forward as one Sri Lanka.
- Religious ceremonies and a non-political event at the war memorial at Kotte.