Focus on Rights

Indulging in Michael Moore's "Farenheit 9/11" all over again last week, I was struck most by the choked statement coming from an American whose son had died in the preemptive strikes against Iraq. While his wife continued weeping uncontrollably beside him, his sorrow was palpable but he said that his thoughts were also with the loved ones of the 'Other' who had died as a result of the strikes, in which, indeed, his son had participated, and who (as he contemplated) would be as grief stricken as they, themselves were, at that point of time.

Such an attitude held out a compassionate magnanimity that was almost unbelievable in the face of such terrible loss. But unbelievable as it is, it is precisely this kind of bonding that must bring citizens of this troubled country together, devastated by the barbaric nature of this week's strike by the LTTE on a civilian target but cognizant nevertheless of the fact that civilians of the North-East have been subjected time and time again to equal barbarity as a result of Government strikes during the past year and more.

Mothers Fronts'of the Eighties

To some extent, realising the pain of the 'Other' was evidenced in the manner that Mothers' Fronts of the South and the North-East formed themselves during the eighties. Suffering at the one level as a result of the ruthless crackdown of the then UNP Government on the insurrectionist JVP in the South, as well as, on the other level, by the continuing battles between the LTTE and the Government in the North-East, mothers who had lost their sons and daughters on both fronts came together, distinct but yet curiously similar, to grieve over their loss.

In this regard, there is no doubt that the women's movement in Sri Lanka must be credited with its strong involvement in these struggles. It is most unfortunate therefore that the vitality of such movements was sapped by their infiltration, particularly the Southern Mothers Front by opposition politicians of that time. And it needs an ironic reminder that one of these politicians was none other than the current President Mahinda Rajapaksa who was then the most strident advocate of international human rights protection, that same activity which he, along with his brothers and ministers seek to disdain to its utmost at this point of time. Suffice to say however, that the politicization of these movements with, for that matter, the LTTE itself being none too happy regarding the open airing of their losses by the Jaffna mothers, (which terror could be directly attributed to the LTTE as well as the Government), resulted in their fading away.

Up to now, these remain the only genuine people's movements that this country has seen. Why this is so remains a puzzle, given the extraordinary capacity of citizens of this country to assess a particular situation politically. Is it due to the fact that the forum of public debate and discussion is captured by those elements of opinion that are alike only in their extreme rejection of any point of view that is alien to their own? Is it due to the fact that the actual power of the people, those very people who voted resoundingly to an end to bloodshed in 1994, has yet not been harnessed or tapped adequately enough? Is it because people are too tired by all the political chicanery, the vindictiveness, the hopelessness that comes after seeing the trust that is placed in their rulers being betrayed again and again? But it is precisely at this point that the call for accountability must be stronger and angrier.

Genuine National Resurgence

On a previous occasion, I had reason to deliberate on what exactly is genuine national resurgence. It is of historical record that peoples' movements throughout history have claimed to themselves very definite powers in changing the tide of events. It is their strength that has succeeded where everything else has failed. Thus, through non political non partisan pressure, they have reformed corrupt governments and rejuvenated institutions such as the judiciary who are supposed to hold the balance of power in curbing the excesses of politicians but who often get swept into that very whirlwind of corruption and hunger for power.

Politicians, by virtue of their very being, cannot be expected to look out for the people. Though the basis of their political mandate is precisely to serve the people whom they govern, that ethic has long since been disproved. Given this reality, the crucial edge lies in the ability of strong and effective democratic forces to counter problematic political actions. Traditionally, this power lay not only in the hallowed hands of the judiciary but also those in "watchdog" roles such as the media and civil society leaders. Where these forces renege, become political or are co-opted into the system, the underlying structures of democracy itself break down.

Civil Rights Leaders as opposed to Showmen

But the warning is clear; peoples' movement can only be formed and sustained by a Mandela or a Martin Luther King with powerful credibility and commitment, not showmen who make it a habit to descend like vultures on a country when it is most in trouble and are apt to play political games in the process, exhibiting strength mainly through use of a large amount of resources and the patronage that this usually brings. This, of course, puts to defiance, the many hundreds of activists, belonging to both rural and city based NGO's who sometimes work on a volunteer basis and at other times, for paltry amounts. Many of these activists have been instrumental in bringing about a more democratic framework of rights, whether in relation to ensuring freedom from arbitrary arrest, detention and torture to protecting women against discrimination and violence. Their work could not present a greater contrast to the carefully abstract sounds being heard from Colombo's plush boardrooms. And undoubtedly, there is significance attached when committed activists do not disassociate themselves from the charlatans. Not only does this make it easier to demonize NGO's in general affording a convenient handle for critics who would like to pick on easy targets as symbolising the whole but this results in a weakening of the entire movement itself.

National Healing and the 'Other'

Realising the pain of the 'Other' though a genuine peoples' movement is more important now than at any time before. This is true from the saga of a man imprisoned in a mental hospital for fifty years without being called to court or charges issued against him, to the continuing pitiless alienation of the Tamil people by this Government (notwithstanding superficial claims to be waging war only against the Liberation Tigers and not the Tamil people. This is true therefore of increased barbaric attacks on civilians in the South by the LTTE, continued civilian casualties in the North/East as a result of the Government's attacks and other measures that design to lump the Tamil community together in the same group as the Tigers.

It is only by recognising this 'Other' that this country can advance towards some measure of national healing; certainly not through the pontifications and useless exercises at 'political solutions' to the conflict by its purported rulers.