Pledging to formulate another tryst with destiny, India's elder statesman and new Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gugral brings with him fresh hopes of vastly improved neighbourly relations with neighbours including Sri Lanka and Pakistan.
The 77-year-old Shri Gujral, widely respected as a man rising to the stature of Mahatma Gandhi has propounded a doctrine of growth with social justice for the most populous democracy in the world and good neighbourly ties based on peaceful coexistence and friendly persuasion.
We salute Shri Gujral today as a friend of Sri Lanka.This is not to say that his predecessors P.V. Narasimha Rao or H.B. Deve Gowda were not friends of Sri Lanka. But it must be admitted that Mr. Gujral with his vast experience in foreign affairs, is better briefed and has a better understanding of the Sri Lanka conflict than Mr. Deve Gowda had. So Mr. Gujral is good news for Sri Lanka. He is certainly also no friend of the LTTE, though the rebel group welcomed his appointment.
The new tryst with destiny, with the words being borrowed from Jawaharlal Nehru's famous freedom at midnight speech, is a major change from the empire building dreams that were propagated by the Indian establishment especially during the eras of Indira Gandhi and her son Rajiv. Those were the bad days when India openly trained and bankrolled Tamil rebel groups to undermine and attack Sri Lanka.
That era is hopefully gone. But yet there might still be a few in high and powerful places who entertain outdated doctrines, if not delusions of a sub-superpower status for India in the region. While Sri Lanka hopes and trusts in men like Mr. Gujral it is also possible that big brother institutions such as RAW and the Indian bureaucracy may turn things sour from bhai-bhai relations to bye-bye relations. While Indian expansionism was essentially based on self-interest, Mr. Gujral has assured he will act in the common interest for the highest, good of all in the region. India having caused much of the terrorist problems in Sri Lanka now has a duty to extinguish the fires here. That is a moral obligation that a Mahatma Gandhian India has as opposed to a Indira or Rajiv Gandhian India.So we hope that the centuries-old ties we have had with India will last for centuries to come despite the hiccups we had in the not too distant past.
While India gave to Sri Lanka her greatest gift, the dhamma, it was good to see the Sri Lankan govt. reacting promptly to the horrific news that extremist Islamic Taleban group was planning to blow up the 1500 year-old world's tallest Buddha Statue in Central Afghanistan.
Foreign Minster Lashman Kadirgamar, and his Trinity college cricket vice-captain Lakshman Jayakody have teamed up to urge the International Community in general and those countries friendly with Taleban to exert pressure. It is nice to see the local Muslim Associations condemning the Taleban Plans. Unfortunately there have been some recent events that cause concern in a different aspect in the local context.
Sri Lanka Muslims who were not just cheering the visiting Pakistani test cricketers, but actually hooting at the Sri Lankan Crickets while carrying the Pakistan quarter moon and crescent flag.
The slaughter of animals in private homes completely violating Municipal Laws during Haj much to the consternation of Buddhists, Hindus and Christians as well.
It is these acts that cause ethnic tension and sometimes a little spark can cause a major problem. While some Muslims sent wattalappan to Buddhist friends and neighbours others were killing animals for the feast.
Political and religious leaders must see to it that the acts of one religion do not offend the other. Tolerance and understanding must form the heart of any genuine inner spirituality. We need to not only recognize the precepts of other religions, but also respect them.
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