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Stepping-stones to normalcy

Peace is needed today. Not tomorrow, the day after or in weeks and months to come. This was the main thrust of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's address to the UN General Assembly on Wednesday. The people can hardly wait for peace because it is the prime imperative of the day.

Drawing on graphic images from Sri Lanka's agrarian sector which has suffered severely over the past twenty years under the devastating impact of war and economic dislocation, the Prime Minister said that "the farmers want their damaged irrigation canals repaired today as their harvest cannot be delayed until the final agreement is reached." Sections of the country's ruling elite and those living off the fat of the country in somnolent, leisurely fashion could afford to wastefully split hairs over constitutional niceties and "core issues", but not the ordinary citizens of the land, most of whom wouldn't know where their next meal would come from. For the majority of the latter, normalcy and stability are of the foremost importance and these conditions need to be established right now.

This is the reason why we need to jump-start the country's economy and increase almost overnight the people's opportunities to better their material conditions. This task cannot await a "final solution" to the ethnic problem which would be pursued systematically at the negotiating table but without the distracting drama some sections expect it to display. But for the majority of the people, whose livelihoods and occupations have been tragically disrupted by the war, peace means, primarily, the freedom to pursue one's way of life profitably, with the least interruptions.

This is the reason why the local body politic as well as Lanka's friends abroad need to realise the urgency of, first, helping the local economy to get back on its feet. This is the reason why Sri Lanka needs consistent economic assistance on a planned basis with least bureaucratic entanglements. In fact, it is to the degree to which the ordinary people realise that a measure of normalcy is being brought back to their lives, that they would be willing to back the peace process. This is what is usually referred to as the "peace dividend". When the economic prospects of the people improve and they are led to believe that they are being truly empowered, popular backing for the peace process too will swell proportionately.

By saying this we do not intend to imply that the "core" or finer issues in the peace process should be considered unimportant. It is of crucial importance that these issues be thrashed out and a final, just solution be arrived at. This after all, is the purpose of negotiating. However, the pressing, existential problems of the people need to be handled and resolved with an utmost sense of urgency and this task cannot be postponed. This is the point we wish to drive home.

In fact an acceleration of the peace process and improving economic prospects have a mutually re-inforcing impact. It is the cessation of hostilities and the realisation that we are not having anymore bloodshed that has enabled people to re-establish economic ties among the regions. For instance, trade links are being forged between North and South. On the other hand, improving job prospects for the youth and stepped-up economic investment in the North-East would compel the people of those regions to back the peace process even more enthusiastically.

This is particularly applicable to the youth of both North and South. Since it is the disaffection among the youth which led to rebellion and bloodshed, the satisfaction of their prime economic needs cannot wait for another day. It is their ability to work productively and lead a meaningful existence which would wean them away from the gun culture which has cost us so dearly.

It is heartening to note, however, that the Government is taking no chances in the face of these challenges. While calling for economic assistance the Government is taking steps to set up "a clearly representative interim administration" for the North-East to quicken the region's return to normalcy. Thus is no stone left unturned in the quest for lasting peace. 

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