Lanka's Prophets of Doom

Tissa Jayaweera

INVASION: Pearl Of the Indian Ocean and Paradise are among the names used to describe our island in the Indian Ocean. The Dutch and the Portuguese saw its potential and conquered Ports of Lanka. The East India Trading Company saw Lanka and conquered Kolompure and named it Colombo.

They took over the other port cities and renamed them.

The Sinhalayas encouraged the British to conquer the rest of the country and a unified Ceylon under British administration was born. What ails Lanka ? This story was told to me by a British national who has lived in Ceylon during the British period as a public official. He is now in retirement but comes to Sri Lanka every year since 1960 for its sun and cheap holidays. He is 86.

The biggest curse for Lanka was the ethnic violence of the 50s. It was a curse when Lankans deserted the land of their birth to other countries of Asia as well as the West and Australia. The loss of Lanka was the gain of other countries.

It was a curse during the late 60's and early 70"s when there was no food, sugar or milk for the babies. It was a curse when a Sinhala terrorist group unleashed violence on unarmed public officials to take over power by committing murder just because they held public office. Young people in their 18 - 25's were murdered to crush the movement.

Then came the terror of 1983 on civilians just because they were born in Lanka as a minority community and finally the terror of 88 & 89 again unleashed by Sinhala terrorists in their second attempt to take over Governance.

Up to this period there was some respect to humans by humans. Then came the murder of parents in front of children and vice versa. Lighting a lamp in the night was enough to be murdered. The heads of the murdered persons were delivered to the next of kin or placed on the doorstep. Carrying a dead body for burial on the shoulder was an 'offence' punished by murder.

Now a new situation has arisen. There is bigger terrorism. The entire country is under threat. Political leaders of other countries have been assassinated by our terrorists. International espionage is being conducted by them.

There was a Ceasefire Agreement and the country got out of the rut after many years of conflict. But now the country will head back to shambles unless terrorism is crushed.

Certain sectors of the International community is backing the Government to eliminate terrorism. What should the people who love the country do? Back the Government to eliminate terrorism. The Government is defending while the terrorists are attacking.

Attacks against the diplomatic community too have started. Innocent civilians are being targeted and due to the civic consciousness of the public large scale murder by the terrorists is being prevented to a certain extent.

How many have understood the conflict, which was started by a politician by the stroke of a pen ? The past cannot be corrected but the future can. Conflict resolution is an important factor.

Prophets of doom say there is a war on. There is no war. If there is a war, all above 18 and below 45 must be commissioned to serve the country. There are various organisations - NGO funded - having talk shops for peace. How many NGOs or organisations are there to tell the aggressor "lay down your arms and talk peace".

The defender is being pressurised to stop defending and talk peace. Our own people and some of the business community look up and spit on their own faces. They project economic downfall. They say tourism is affected, tell all the negative stories that can be told to cripple the economy and bring tourism down.

It is now time for people who want to live and die of old age in Paradise or the Pearl of the Indian Ocean to act. The word Lanka itself means prosperity. Get together. Denounce terrorism. Work intelligently, smarter, invest in the economy and keep the economy and wheels of Governance oiled to eliminate terrorism. Create employment for the younger generation. There is a big dearth of labour in the country right now but there is unemployment and under employment.

The media itself has a vital role to play. Daily the news projects doom. Doom will never come to the country because it is blessed not to fall. This country is walking whereas countries less prosperous than us a few years ago have got up and are running. They have less prophets of doom and their media do not project the prophets of doom.

I was at a seminar on Understanding Conflict, Building Peace. The prophets of doom were in full force spreading their message of doom. They said a war is on. Peace Secretariat Chief Dr. Palitha Kohona said there is no war, only that the Government is defending the country. People who love the country should come forward and march for prosperity and not doom.