Sri Lanka: the challenge of national reconcilation
Tuesday, 2 February 2010
The worst is behind Sri Lanka since May last year when the 26-year civil war in the island nation ended with the total defeat of the Tamil Tigers. But the ethnic and religious divisiveness and bitterness continue to plague the country. This was evident in the way voters behaved in the January 26 presidential election. Among the 21-million population, about 14 million were voters of whom about 70 per cent turned out to vote. But in the north-east, where the fiercest fighting had taken place, the voters' turnout was less than 30 per cent. President Mahinda Rajapaksa has been re-elected comfortably, capturing 57 per cent of the votes cast. But he drew his massive support from the Sinhalese-majority 16 electoral districts out of the 22 electoral districts. He even lost the Colombo district where the Tamils, Muslims and Christians are in the majority. A Colombo newspaper has aptly observed, editorially, "The politics in Sri Lanka has pushed the nation into such a precarious edge that a party leader can no longer win the support of both the Sinhalese and Tamil-Muslim combine alike."
In his first term as president, Rajapaksa defeated the Tamil insurgency. In the post-civil war Sri Lanka, his main challenge is now to bring about a reconciliation among the different ethnic and religious groups, particularly between the Sinhalese and the Tamils. He seems to be aware of this. In his victory remarks, he gave a call for national unity and said: "After this election, everyone should now join together in building the country... From today onward, I am the president of everyone, whether they voted for me or not." But he also gave confusing signals about his priority -- economic development versus national reconciliation. When asked about the issue of devolution of power to mend ethnic and religious division, he made a caustic response: "Sri Lankans are not worried about these things, they are only for outsiders and NGOs with nothing better to think about. Sri Lankans want economic development…but a political solution is coming."
The political horizon is, however, hazy. The January 26 presidential election was unusually bitter. Conspiracy theories still abound, both Rajapaksa and his main contestant, General Sanath Fonseka, alleging about assassination plots. The political uncertainties are likely to continue until the parliamentary elections are held in April/May. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka has started cashing on the peace dividend. The tourism industry is booming and the stock market has more than doubled in value in one year.
Diplomatically, the brutality of the civil war had tarnished the image of Sri Lanka. The Unites States of America and other western countries had distanced themselves from Sri Lanka because of its harrowing human rights violations. The diplomatic troubles of Sri Lanka are now over. All powers, including the US, the UK, China, India and Japan, have congratulated Sri Lanka on its post-war election. President Rajapaksa now owes it to the Sri Lankan people to work for establishing 'lasting peace, where all communities can live with dignity and in harmony.'
In his first term as president, Rajapaksa defeated the Tamil insurgency. In the post-civil war Sri Lanka, his main challenge is now to bring about a reconciliation among the different ethnic and religious groups, particularly between the Sinhalese and the Tamils. He seems to be aware of this. In his victory remarks, he gave a call for national unity and said: "After this election, everyone should now join together in building the country... From today onward, I am the president of everyone, whether they voted for me or not." But he also gave confusing signals about his priority -- economic development versus national reconciliation. When asked about the issue of devolution of power to mend ethnic and religious division, he made a caustic response: "Sri Lankans are not worried about these things, they are only for outsiders and NGOs with nothing better to think about. Sri Lankans want economic development…but a political solution is coming."
The political horizon is, however, hazy. The January 26 presidential election was unusually bitter. Conspiracy theories still abound, both Rajapaksa and his main contestant, General Sanath Fonseka, alleging about assassination plots. The political uncertainties are likely to continue until the parliamentary elections are held in April/May. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka has started cashing on the peace dividend. The tourism industry is booming and the stock market has more than doubled in value in one year.
Diplomatically, the brutality of the civil war had tarnished the image of Sri Lanka. The Unites States of America and other western countries had distanced themselves from Sri Lanka because of its harrowing human rights violations. The diplomatic troubles of Sri Lanka are now over. All powers, including the US, the UK, China, India and Japan, have congratulated Sri Lanka on its post-war election. President Rajapaksa now owes it to the Sri Lankan people to work for establishing 'lasting peace, where all communities can live with dignity and in harmony.'