Sunday Times 2
Peace cannot be achieved by force
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Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding, said Albert Einstein (1879-1955). Einstein was born in Germany and he defected to the United States as he resisted the Nazi Government of Germany. He was a scientist and philosopher far ahead of his time. Besides being one of the greatest physicists of all time, he was a lifelong pacifist, and his thoughts on peace can speak eloquently to us today. We need his wisdom today, when the search for peace has become vital to our very survival.
In the light of these thoughts, the appointment of a Presidential Task Force (PTF) – through a June 3 Gazette extraordinary — comprising 10 high ranking military men, past and still in service, and three police officers in service, is incredulous. The title of the task force is: ‘Presidential Task Force to build a Secure Country, Disciplined, Virtuous and Lawful Society’! Keeping the people quiet by instilling fear in them will not give them the peace of mind that they envisage.
The peace and order the PTF seeks to achieve is beyond all understanding. Peace cannot be achieved by force, as propounded by Einstein the prophet of peace, much less by show of force. Apparently the PTF aspires only to show off its force for its own sake. Even that is not properly understood. The want of understanding reflects more on the one issuing the gazette order. If the order is to be carried out, directions will have to be given out by the one issuing the order and thereafter directed as to the action intended by the order. Such direction will necessarily have to be a continuous exercise and may require the presence of the one issuing the gazette to be included in the PTF. If it fails, the one issuing the order can simply pass it on those in the PTF. This is not something new. Passing the buck has been a regular experience over the years. This whole exercise is shrouded in mystery and there is no way to understand it.
On the other hand, the person issuing the order could have had his own reasons. It could well be a narcissist exercise. Narcissism glows in its own face and is a trait evidenced in long history. Understanding has to wait. Force or show of force is good enough for the time being. Peace too has to wait as much as good order and governance the gazette expects. Soon the gazette may become archival.
The Friday Forum (FF), a group of professionals and academics, has expressed horror and urged the President to withdraw the gazette notification that gives the ‘Military Task Force’ a sweeping mandate and powers of governance.
It states inter alia: “If this task force continues to function Sri Lanka would have an established a military regime, within what is expected to be a civilian administration and a parliamentary democracy under a written Constitution. Let us not forget that our success in coping with the corona pandemic, the aftermath of the Easter Sunday violence and the tsunami was because the military functioned as support to a civilian system of governance. The Military Task Force on public security will operate without the checks and balances of the Constitution, and the civilian institutions. It can become the first step to the creation of a military dictatorship in this country.”
One wonders as to who is advising the President.
(The writer is a Retired Senior Superintendent of Police. He can be contacted at seneviratnetz@gmail.com)