The year that was
December 30, 2013
The
clock’s ticking away and we have but a few hours left to savour the
year that is 2013. The end note, bringing in its wake a host of
unpalatable incidents, the most indigestible being the alleged
involvement of the Prime Minister’s office to smuggle in 261 kg of
heroin and the Rathupaswala shooting incident, where a peaceful
agitation for drinking water resulted in wanton bloodshed, does not make
for happy reflections of the year that was.
The past 12 months have been a long roller coaster ride, with very few ups and whole host of lows. The shrill concerns articulated by the international community on accountability, following the 2009 victory over the Tamil Tigers, continued to reverberate throughout the year, cranked up by the visit of the United Nations Human Rights Commissioner, Navi Pillay, and the international media frenzy over the decision to let Sri Lanka host the 2013 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. The concerns will once again be reflected at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva in March 2014, with perhaps additional strictures on religious and racial intolerance and the denudation of the rule of law.
Sri Lanka’s post-war endeavours towards reconciliation, or rather the lack of it, have also been on the agenda of the international community this past year, despite the much touted Northern Provincial Council elections in September, which saw the Tamil National Alliance being given a massive mandate by the Northern populace. The plight of the resettled is something that should engage our focus in the year ahead, as should the failure of the much anticipated peace dividend. After nearly 30 years of war, after all the hardships and the loss of lives the nation as a whole endured, we need to move forward, taking meaningful step to transform the hard fought war victory into sustainable peace. However, there can be no moving ahead, if we do not look back and make amends for past mistakes.
It is in this context that political and ethnic reconciliation becomes significant milestones for the year ahead. The leaders of all hues need to put their differences aside and sit down for some honest discussions. Compromises will be needed from all sides, as would the renewal of acceptance that Sri Lanka is a multi-religious, multi-ethnic society and that all communities are equal stakeholders of the peace dividend.
Another issue of serious concern that needs political commitment for a resolution in the year ahead is the breakdown in the law and order situation. The year is littered with reports of murder, rape, robbery, abductions, extra judicial killings and all kinds of atrocities from every corner of the country. Not many are likely to forget the gruesome murder of the police constable and his wife in Kamburupitiya and the subsequent deaths of all the main suspects while in police custody, a frighteningly graphic depiction of just how serious the law and order situation has become in this country.
Many are not likely to forget the serious human rights and media rights violations either. Threats against the media still prevail with the government intensifying its repressive actions by blocking access to several independent online news websites in the recent months. The year also saw a champion of media rights and democracy become a shameless turncoat, vowing vengeance on those that were critical of him.
The year 2013 has also been an year of protest, with many of the government’s short sighted moves instigating the masses to get onto the streets and remonstrate for their rights, not always successfully. Over the past twelve months there have been numerous protests against various actions and inactions of the government, government orchestrated protests against visiting foreign dignitaries, media personnel, and those perceived as being anti-government, and protests that were simply unsavoury from the perspective of ethnic harmony and national unity. However, the protest that would be etched indelibly in the minds of many would be the Rathupaswala incident, where indiscriminate firing by the security forces saw the deaths of a number of villagers who were involved in a sit in protest over government inaction to their demand for drinking water.
TIME Magazine in 2011 declared ‘The Protestor’ as its Person of the Year. Given the turmoil the country has been facing, it is up to the government to ensure, ‘The Protestor’ doesn’t become the Sri Lankan of the Year in 2013. A New Year gives one the opportunity, to reflect, reassess and start anew. We hope the year ahead will not turn out to be a re-enactment of the same old, same old.
December 30, 2013
The past 12 months have been a long roller coaster ride, with very few ups and whole host of lows. The shrill concerns articulated by the international community on accountability, following the 2009 victory over the Tamil Tigers, continued to reverberate throughout the year, cranked up by the visit of the United Nations Human Rights Commissioner, Navi Pillay, and the international media frenzy over the decision to let Sri Lanka host the 2013 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. The concerns will once again be reflected at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva in March 2014, with perhaps additional strictures on religious and racial intolerance and the denudation of the rule of law.
Sri Lanka’s post-war endeavours towards reconciliation, or rather the lack of it, have also been on the agenda of the international community this past year, despite the much touted Northern Provincial Council elections in September, which saw the Tamil National Alliance being given a massive mandate by the Northern populace. The plight of the resettled is something that should engage our focus in the year ahead, as should the failure of the much anticipated peace dividend. After nearly 30 years of war, after all the hardships and the loss of lives the nation as a whole endured, we need to move forward, taking meaningful step to transform the hard fought war victory into sustainable peace. However, there can be no moving ahead, if we do not look back and make amends for past mistakes.
It is in this context that political and ethnic reconciliation becomes significant milestones for the year ahead. The leaders of all hues need to put their differences aside and sit down for some honest discussions. Compromises will be needed from all sides, as would the renewal of acceptance that Sri Lanka is a multi-religious, multi-ethnic society and that all communities are equal stakeholders of the peace dividend.
Another issue of serious concern that needs political commitment for a resolution in the year ahead is the breakdown in the law and order situation. The year is littered with reports of murder, rape, robbery, abductions, extra judicial killings and all kinds of atrocities from every corner of the country. Not many are likely to forget the gruesome murder of the police constable and his wife in Kamburupitiya and the subsequent deaths of all the main suspects while in police custody, a frighteningly graphic depiction of just how serious the law and order situation has become in this country.
Many are not likely to forget the serious human rights and media rights violations either. Threats against the media still prevail with the government intensifying its repressive actions by blocking access to several independent online news websites in the recent months. The year also saw a champion of media rights and democracy become a shameless turncoat, vowing vengeance on those that were critical of him.
The year 2013 has also been an year of protest, with many of the government’s short sighted moves instigating the masses to get onto the streets and remonstrate for their rights, not always successfully. Over the past twelve months there have been numerous protests against various actions and inactions of the government, government orchestrated protests against visiting foreign dignitaries, media personnel, and those perceived as being anti-government, and protests that were simply unsavoury from the perspective of ethnic harmony and national unity. However, the protest that would be etched indelibly in the minds of many would be the Rathupaswala incident, where indiscriminate firing by the security forces saw the deaths of a number of villagers who were involved in a sit in protest over government inaction to their demand for drinking water.
TIME Magazine in 2011 declared ‘The Protestor’ as its Person of the Year. Given the turmoil the country has been facing, it is up to the government to ensure, ‘The Protestor’ doesn’t become the Sri Lankan of the Year in 2013. A New Year gives one the opportunity, to reflect, reassess and start anew. We hope the year ahead will not turn out to be a re-enactment of the same old, same old.
