Hemantha Abeywardena writes from London……
The war, that we thought, would never end, did end against all odds while making a few layers of experts redundant all over the globe: some predicted that the war would never end; some said about a bloodbath, a reference, perhaps, at the prospect of placid Nanthikadaal lagoon turning to red; certain media implied the macabre spectacle of genocide of Rwanda calibre.
As vast majority of civilians who were lucky enough to be alive breathe a sigh of relief at being rescued, those who have been depicting the picture of doomsday along the Mullathive coast may have to live with their own headlines in the years to come – to save what is left of their credibility.
Even those who have took a very harsh line against the government of Sri Lanka and its armed forces were surprised at the muffled reaction of indigenous Europeans at the news that came from the Sri Lankan battlefront; people just showed the signs of headlines-fatigue after being exposed to exaggeration on many fronts over the years. It is very unfortunate that the very reaction was equated with the lack of caring by the European public, by the very people who have been blowing everything out of proportion for grabbing headlines.
As the end came much faster than anyone anticipated, those who had been shedding ‘tears’ for decades on behalf of those who had been suffering in Sri Lanka, didn’t have enough time to map out the strategy for the next phase of the conflict - the post-war scenario. Only thing left for them now is to make noises about need of bringing in more and more legislation to address the core issues that fuelled the crisis in the first place.
Those who thrive on gloom and doom always want to see the Sinhalese and Tamils at loggerheads all the time. However, the truth is far from it.
Even in Europe, there are plenty of Tamils who maintain excellent relationships with the Sinhalese and vice versa, despite the attacks carried out by some hot heads against Buddhist temples and private properties: there are Tamil shop owners who employ Sinhalese and there are Sinhalese owners of petrol stations who have no problem in employing Tamils to run their commercial interests; there are Sinhalese who regularly participate in Tamil parties and Tamils who can’t resist the temptation to dance to our favourite old hits – baila – in musical events. Sensible folks just avoid talking politics during sensitive times without hurting the sentiments of one another – a very instinctive approach.
Despite these realities, there are a few elements – luckily, a minority – in both communities who are hell bent on driving wedges between the two communities to nurture their own interests which have the potential to eclipse the spectacle of living in harmony. If politicians play into their hands, the sparkle for the chain reaction of racial divide gets the much needed momentum.
There are genuine grievances felt by the Tamils in the country and it is high time they were addresses as a matter of urgency. The issue of language is not trivial; among ordinary folks of the two communities, no communication channel exists unless a translator is employed as a go-between. However, a clear distinction must be made between appeasing the minorities and addressing the issues that really matter to them. Successive governments in the past have been indulging in the former for short-term emotive goals and both communities know where they were taken – for a ride, of course!
We have a wonderful opportunity to prove those who see the perpetual gloom in our island nation wrong. All we need to do is to show them that we can live in harmony while putting the unpleasant episodes behind us.
When Indians decided to take on Sikhs separatists in Punjab, northern India, with the determined guidance of a fellow Sikh, Mr K P S Gill as the police chief, the Hindus and Sikhs were at loggerheads for obvious reasons: Mr Gill became a villain among the Sikhs; human rights bodies were up in arms against abuses allegedly committed by his men; in Europe, we witnessed the respective communities turning against one another in proportion to the bad news that leaked from the Punjab battlefront.
However, the situation in Punjab has changed beyond recognition, since then. Sikhs are proud to be Indians once again and they no longer harbour thoughts about carving out a state of Khalistan for Sikhs in northern India.
Both Hindus and Sikhs live in harmony, as they used to do, for hundreds of years, not only in Punjab, but anywhere else in the world; inter-racial marriages are becoming common again; common worshiping at religious temples is no longer taboo; the man who was instrumental in suppressing the separatists, Mr Gill, who had the courage to call a spade a spade despite his understandable racial sentiments towards his own community, became a national hero within a period of a decade.
In short, Punjabis who speak the same language despite having two different religions, get on with their lives as if nothing serious happened almost a decade ago. Both Hindus and Sikhs now collectively agree that their state, the breadbasket of India, is much more prosperous and peaceful than those dark days in the early nineties.
However, it doesn’t mean the communities are free from grievances; far from it: Both communities agree that they have a common enemy; it is the corruption that runs through every layer of bureaucracy which frustrates them regardless of their race or religion; Punjabis have painfully learnt the lesson of barking up the wrong tree for well over a decade. They have recognized the common enemy which keeps disturbing both communities in their day-to-day lives and are careful not to paint it with a racial brush – and again.
As we are looking forward to our own racial reconciliation, the palpable dynamism of people in the state of Punjab offers living proof that communities can move forward while putting the ugly chapters behind them. Only die-hard pessimists think otherwise; let’s prove them wrong again by just changing our attitudes to our fellow countrymen – the fist spark of racial harmony.
- Asian Tribune -
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