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Peace promotion at the highest levels of government

It is no secret that there are groups in this country today, which are openly espousing communal and religious intolerance. It is our experience that they tend to come out into the open when major moves are afoot to find a just, negotiated settlement to the ethnic issue - our number one problem and an ulcerous wound which is bleeding us white.

Although numerous, inflammatory issues which do not immediately touch on the ethnic issue and its resolution are raised by these bigoted bodies, it is plain to see that their coveted target is the peace process and communal harmony, which has, generally speaking, held since July 1983. The game plan of these groups seems to be to pit one community against the other and thereby torpedo the peace effort. The State and the public should take cognizance of these grim signs.

While the general public of this country is tolerant of communal and religious differences and always prefers peaceful ethnic relations, it is not always that we have had political leaders who speak out openly against communal and religious intolerance and who unambiguously espouse the cause of ethnic amity. Consequently, obscurantist organisations which are today brandishing the bludgeon of communal and religious intolerance are tending to take the law into their own hands. It is with alarm that we note that violence has been unleashed against some religious institutions.

These are dangerous trends which could only compound Sri Lanka's suffering. Violent intolerance of this kind could only earn for the country infamy and international ridicule, eventually paving the way for international isolation.

Fortunately for Sri Lanka, President Kumaratunga and Prime Minister Wickremesinghe are openly and consistently voicing the need for religious and communal harmony.

The former, for instance, has been voicing her concern over communal and religious disharmony, at important public fora. At the convocation of the Sri Lanka Oriental Studies Society, for example, the President spoke of the need for mutual respect and acceptance among the country's ethnic groups. An open espousal of ethnic harmony, in this manner, by the country's political leadership could set the predominant parameters for co-existence among the country's ethnic groups. It would help greatly in dissuading the purveyors of ethnic and religious hatred from taking the law into their own hands.

If Sri Lanka's bloody travails over the past twenty years have proved anything, it is the need for love and reconciliation among our communities.

There is no getting over the fact that there is no future for our communities outside a shared future of mutual accommodation and respect. Obviously, if this framework for national survival is accepted, there is no question of one community or ethnic group subjugating the other.

This wisdom needs to be consistently dinned into the public consciousness and we are glad that the President has taken up this challenge. Concomitantly, the institutions and mechanisms need to be in place to ensure that the spirit of mutual love and amity among our communities, thrives vibrantly.

We strongly urge that renewed efforts are made by the State to foster a spirit of love and understanding at all societal levels.

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