|
Lack
of political will leads to progressive poverty and perdition
By
Fr. Alfred Alexander, SSS.
“What we have said, we have said” says the IIGEP
commission: “The IIGEP’s assessment is that the
Government of Sri Lanka lacks the political will to ensure
the success of the commission of inquiry on human rights violations.”
One of the greatest drawbacks in the politics of Sri Lanka
is the lack of goodwill. If the government lacks the political
will to even assist the IIGEP commission to dig out the already
buried truth of ‘how’ and ‘who’ have committed
the crimes against the aid workers (Action Farm) in the East,
can we expect this government to have the political will to
find a permanent solution to the ethnic holocaust in Sri Lanka
in a democratic manner? Progressive governments have not been
successful in solving the country’s burning issue which
has consumed much of our country’s lives and economy
because of the lack of political will. That is why the TULF
leader V.Anandasangaree, himself a signatory to the famous
Federal Model of 1957, which is now cremated along with the
CFA, rescinded from what he stood for then to walk away with
a ‘pittance’ with his opportunistic dream of becoming
a prince in the present government. Opportunism and nepotism
are the opium of political will to solve any human grievance
in our country, let alone the burning ethnic tension. No sane
human being will ever approve a culture of carnage in this
country as all the four major religions teach of its ill effects
and yet, in a tit-for-tat style, it continues unabated nurtured
by political rhetoric.
I agree with Anandasangaree that unleashing a culture of carnage
upon innocent people by the LTTE terrorism and the government
sponsored terrorism, a tit-for-tat response! Otherwise, how
can we account for the human rights violations in this country
which has taken the 3rd place in the world? It is true that
a few of the terrorist movements like EPDP and the TMVP have
conspicuously exchanged stripped uniforms to shirts and tie
but not without reward of course! The bottom line surely is
that it is not their altruistic love for their people but
with the view of capturing thrones wherever it’s possible.
Another concrete example of this kind of opportunism is, the
one time UNP stalwart who took an active role in peace-negotiation
and accepted more or less a Federal Model for the Tamils,
as the basis for a political settlement and has now became
a turncoat by keeping silent when he joined the government
to help the government! The JVP, for instance, ‘opposes
the new APRC proposals’ on the basis that the ‘Irish
conflict cannot be compared with the Sri Lankan crisis, since
the Irish was meant to settle a religious conflict between
the Protestants and the Catholics.’ But, little does
the JVP realise that every crisis today is tied up with religious
fanaticism in Asia. Realising this, in recent times, some
of the well known religious heads ‘Congress of Religions’
who seek to work for unity through diversity through religious
values, sat together and came up with a number of alternatives
in favour of the latest APRC, as a viable solution to the
ethic conflict. But again, there wasn’t ample political
will to pursue their wisdom. What outrages is that the JVP
opposes this APRC proposal, a proposal which represents the
majority consciousness of the country. In fact, this would
have drawn even the elusive Tigers to the negotiating table,
who had already expressed willingness to talk with the government
just before the Muhamalai debacle. It is nothing but the goodwill
of all, including the LTTE, that will salvage the country
from further poverty and perdition!
|
|
