Is govt. serious about reconciliation?

December 11, 2012,

There are times when silence is NOT golden. Despite regular newspaper columnists like your own 'Shanie' (NOTEBOOK OF A NOBODY - every Saturday), bemoan the fact that the general public keeps its lips sealed in the face of the many vital issues that constantly crop up, most of us ordinary citizens seem to subscribe to the belief that 'discretion is the better part of valour when it comes to matters of public concern.

Shanie's article last Saturday, 8th December, headed: Reconciliation requires a culture of respect for the other" opened with a very relevant quotation from the report of the LLRC and she went on to highlight the nasty incident in the Jaffna University a week back when the Army behaved as if it were still at war in Jaffna. Tamil students were subjected to verbal abuse with guns pointed at them and some were arrested the next day for no legitimate reason and were, at the time of writing, being held in a camp in Vavuniya,

Your front page of Monday (10) carried a news report regarding a petition to the President, signed by nearly one hundred Jaffna dons, accusing the government of default "through the continued presence of the military, without tangible moves towards political settlement".

Now, your "Opinion" page in today's paper, Tuesday, Dec. 11th), carries a strongly-worded letter from Dr. Janaki Ratnasiri, Past General President, SLAAS, deploring 'Shifting SLAAS annual sessions from Jaffna University'. I quote Dr. Ratnasiri:

"Though it was not mentioned specifically, every one of us could guess that this is an outcome of the recent attack by the armed forces on the University students, particularly the Tamil students. The stupidity of this action is well described in the article on reconciliation by Shanie appearing in The Island of Dec. 8: "It is certainly an action that will cause embarrassment to the government as it is totally against the principle of reconciliation and freedom of speech within the university campus. The armed forces were only sowing seeds of dissent among the students, which was quite unnecessary. It is an attempt to repeat the history that everyone now wants to forget. The government should hold a full investigation on this incident and punish those who have acted in an excessive manner."

But, does the government ever feel embarrassed? It seems to move happily from one blunder to another. As an ordinary citizen, I wonder if the government talks with its tongue in its cheek when it utters pious platitudes on peace and reconciliation and makes no genuine, tangible attempt to bring healing to all our people. Silence is not always golden. There are times, such as now, when we ought to speak out boldly, if we care enough about future prospects for lasting peace and the forging of a united Sri Lankan nation.

Anne Abayasekara