Sunday Times 2
Lakshman: Realist and idealist
View(s):Ten years ago, Sri Lanka lost one of her illustrious sons, Lakshman Kadirgamar. A fearless critic of terrorism, he courted death from the moment he took over the portfolio of foreign affairs in those challenging days for our country. A sniper’s bullet finally managed to silence him forever, said Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera, at the memorial lecture held on August 24 to mark the late Mr. Kadirgamar’s passing.
It was during his tenure as Foreign Minister that funding for the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in Western countries, including Britain, was stopped through effective legislation. It marked the beginning of the end for the LTTE. At times, Mr. Kadirgamar was misunderstood by some who claimed he believed in a military solution. “This is far from the truth,” Minister Samaraweera said. “Having had the honour of knowing him and working closely with him, I can confidently say that Lakshman did not believe that there was a military solution to the crisis that this country faced.”
“He was a firm believer in human rights and he was a firm believer in democracy,” he said. “He always believed in a political solution and in the importance of addressing the grievances of the Tamil community.” In an address to the Kotelawala Defence Academy in October 2000 he set out the role of the soldier in a democratic society: “When the day comes, and I believe it will come, for the armed forces to lay down their arms because they have done their duty and won their battles, the peace that is going to be constructed, basically by civilians, will be rendered possible only if the armed forces have seen to it that in fighting the war they also respected and had regard for, and wherever possible looked after, cared for and tendered the civilians who in those difficult times, were geographically on the side of the enemy.
That is a difficult task but a task profoundly worthy of your best attention, your unflinching attention at all times, bearing in mind the supreme responsibility that you have not only for seeing to it that the country remains whole, but that the country remains ultimately united. Let us never have to rue the day when we won the war, but lost the peace for which the war was fought.”
Lakshman abhorred terrorism, he was a humanitarian. A realist but at the same time an idealist. He articulated his vision for Sri Lanka many times. I will quote from just one instance where he said:
“I believe that all our peoples can live together, they did live together. I think they must learn to live together after this trauma is over. I see no reason why the major races in this country, the Tamils, Sinhalese and the Muslims cannot again build a relationship of confidence and trust. That is my belief. That is what I wished for and in working for that, I will not be deterred….”
“Had he been alive in May 2009 when the armed conflict ended, he would have, I am sure, prevailed upon the Government in power not to squander away the opportunity for durable peace by adopting a triumphalist approach,” Minister Samaraweera stressed. “He would have advocated a consultative, collaborative and truth seeking trajectory that is essential in our post-conflict situation.”
“It is a pity that Lakshman did not live to see the end of conflict,” he reflected. “We are poorer today in a sense without the benefit of his wisdom when we need it most as we embark on a journey towards reconciliation and lasting peace and we seek to set our nation firmly on the path of democracy, ethnic harmony, rule of law and good governance.”
Twin electoral victories this year have enabled Sri Lanka to “reinvigorate our democratic systems, strengthen institutions, and take our country on a path of development and progress while achieving lasting and meaningful reconciliation and peace-building”.
Mrs. Suganthie Kadirgamar, the wife of the late Minister, delivered the vote of thanks. Sri Lankans will remember with “a deep sense of appreciation” that the LTTE was declared a terrorist organisation and, therefore, banned in Britain under the Blair administration, she said.
“Lakshman was grateful to you, your government and all those influential people in the United Kingdom whom he strenuously lobbied to have that ban imposed,” she said. “After his assassination by the LTTE, it was your government that joined the European Union ban, of that terrorist organization.”