Pact hailed; eating
humble pie
Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Opposition
leader Ranil Wickremesinghe have won rare kudos for steering a landmark
working pact between the two main rival parties that could see the
war-wracked country emerging with a political settlement of the
ethnic conflict in as early as two years.
The two parties have agreed to work together to
resolve six issues of national importance including the peace process,
governance and social development.
Despite the weariness of the war and a yearning
for peace from many people, Sri Lankans are also wary of the two
parties a survey by The Sunday Times FT last week shows. Asked whether
the MoU would pave the way for an early end to the conflict, 47
percent of the respondents said they were either unsure or didn’t
think so with just over half (53 %) saying it will help seek a settlement.
However to another question as to whether the ‘political marriage’
would boost the economy and encourage investment, 87.5 % of the
respondents were positive, a contradiction of the response in the
earlier question. This would mean only one thing – that Sri
Lankans want the political marriage but don’t trust politicians.
That’s why business leaders and civil society
activists, while hailing the deal, say the public should have some
ownership of this ‘pact’ to make sure it works. Our
survey reveals the bitterness amongst the public towards previous
‘sincere’ gestures by Sri Lankan politicians and their
parties which have crumbled due to political enmity or one-upmanship.
No party wants the other to take the credit for a job well done.
That has been the bane of our politics and the
public clearly and rightly fears that this could happen again. In
this context the calls for civil society to get activated and put
pressure on the two sides to ensure they keep to their promises
is a welcome call and deserves the support of every peace-loving
person.
The business community is now playing an active
role in the peace process and should not let this window of opportunity
for long-term peace and reconciliation slip. It is incumbent on
all pro-peace lobbies in the chambers and civil society to work
out mechanisms and be a kind of facilitator of this process to make
it work.
If the SLFP-UNP alliance hits some rough weather
on the way and everyone else just looks on without coming to their
‘aid’ the pact is bound to collapse. Instead of sticking
to just statements of praise and putting the onus on the parties
alone to deliver, business leaders must throw caution to the winds
– like the South Africans did – come out of their ivory
towers, guide and pressure the political leadership towards a new
era.
While doing all this, the south must also spare
a thought for the Jaffna resident who has been struggling to survive
with food shortages and uncertainty since early August. “Worst
of worst times” is how a newspaper editor in Jaffna described
the situation there as journalists have also came under threat apart
from the humanitarian crisis.
For those who may be unaware essential food is
rationed through the MPCS. Until earlier last week, there have been
13 government ships, also at great risk due to the absence of ICRC
protection, carrying a total of 18,000 metric tonnes of essential
food like rice, flour, sugar and dhal since August 11. It is more
than two months since then and government officials say the peninsula
and its 653,735 people need at least 10,000 metric tonnes of essential
food a month.
Travel bug
So Tourism Minister Anura Bandaranaike finally won ‘em all.
After months of denying the two main tourist associations a meeting
to discuss crucial issues including the delay of the implementation
of the new Tourism Act and the unsupportive Tourist Board chairman
Udaya Nanayakkara, the ice was finally broken last week.
Bandaranaike and the associations had two meetings
and are now buddy-buddies after a stormy relationship that once
led to one of the association chiefs being denied entry into a Bandaranaike
meeting with some industry leaders. All that is water under the
bridge and according to reports, there is a new alliance against
Nanayakkara who has stood rock solid against any attempt to remove
him even by President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
The new-found ‘friends’ have taken
umbrage against reports in the media where the Tourism Minister
is reported to have said he was uncomfortable in making public statements
on inviting tourists to a country where there is violence.
The industry has come to Bandaranaike’s
aid – a never-before development – and saying the minister
was misquoted or words taken out of context. An industry that repeatedly
sought the intervention of the media to highlight the flaws in government
policy is now on the other side. The good and bad have come together
and the bridge-maker (media) is now the punching bag. However if
this story –chronicled by The Sunday Times and other media
-- has a happy ending, then so be it. The interests of the industry
and the nation must come first. But the greatest disappointment
of all is that an industry that was vociferous and demanding justice
has meekly caved in under pressure.
Not surprising then that Sri Lanka’s private
sector often eats humble pie when guts, courage and standing by
one’s conviction are called for. Ironically an industry that
complained about the minister always being overseas and not having
time to meet them has this time invited him on another trip –
the mega travel fair in London!
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