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| Tuesday, 26 February 2002 |
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Editorial | |
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Realising the mandate for peace The road to peace is found to be bumpy and lengthy. Yet, there is no alternative to traversing it. These are two important assumptions on which the Government seems to be basing its peace endeavour. This is the spirit in which the challenge at hand has to be accepted because the resolving of a problem as complex as the ethnic question requires dogged patience and almost unlimited resourcefulness. The news reports and pictures from the North-East, focusing on the peace effort, published by us over the past few days testify to the enormous support the peace process is receiving from most sections of the public. There is a visible sense of relief over the cessation of hostilities among the people and this is adequate proof of the wide acceptance of the Memorandum of Understanding signed by the Government and the LTTE, despite the raising of some reservations on the agreement in some quarters. But, as pointed out by the LSSP, most of these queries pertain to the "process" of adopting the MoU and not to its substantive provisions. As the LSSP points out, rightly, the need of the hour is to evaluate these provisions of the MoU with regard to their implications or preserving the territorial integrity of the country. The primary need is a consensus on the substantive issues in the agreement and not a barren, distracting debate on procedures. From this point of view, President Kumaratunga has made a positive and constructive contribution to this debate by reportedly calling on the members of the PA to refrain from undermining the peace process. We hope her advice will be heeded by the opposition because, as Prime Minister Wickremesinghe points out, it is not governments but the people who will benefit by peace. The palpable sense of relief we experience is proof that the people know this fully well. Still, there are political forces which seem to be blindly opposed to the peace process. The JVP is one such political party which is speaking in terms of communal harmony but stoutly opposing a negotiated political settlement which promises to empower all communities. Clearly, what the JVP is at bottom clamouring for is majoritarian hegemony and not ethnic equality. However, the heart-cry of the people is for a just political solution which will see an end to the disastrous war which has showered misery all around. The verdict given by the people on December 5th reflects a strong rejection of the divisive politics pedalled by parties such as the JVP and the Sihala Urumaya. The December 5th vote was for a united, territorially intact Sri Lanka where communal equality and harmony would reign. While realising this mandate, the Government should ensure that the people are not confused and misled by divisive propaganda dished out by communal extremists.
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