Will The South African Model Of TRC Suit Sri Lanka?
Bandu de Silva
Many seem to think that an inquiry of the type of the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) is appropriate to be applied to the post war reconciliation process in Sri Lanka. This is based on a mistaken belief that TRC provides a magic formula which could be advantageously applied to the Sri Lankan situation or any other situations arising from conflict.
Who are the advocates of this? Doesn’t one see the Western hand in it now picked up especially by pro- Eelam lobbies overseas? During and beforeCHOGM held in Colombo, the idea of the South African TRC seems to have been put across to the Sri Lankan government by the South African side. President Zuma was seen right at the centre of these on-going suggestions. Here we may pause for a while to ask “Who is President Zuma”? Does he represent Nelson Mandela’s ideals? If so, at the funeral ceremony in the Stadium when Zuma’s picture appeared on the screen after that of the deceased Nelson Mandela, why did the audience ‘boo’?
Prof. Horace Campbell has also asked why the stadium where the memorial service was held was half empty when the memory of the departed leader, Madiba was being honoured? Over 90 world leaders had been present. President Obama was given the honour of making the funeral oratory, not the head of the OAU, or the new Chair of CHOGM although President Rajapaksa had expected, quite rightly that he would be given a slot to speak on behalf of the Commonwealth leaders. No CHOGM was recognized there. It was Prince Charles and David Cameron who shined, if at all, after Obama. That is the reality which post-Mandela South Africa is. In other words, it is a regime which closely collaborates with Western Capital.
If the Sri Lankan government thinks that President Zuma is projecting Mandela’s ideals, it is mistaken. So do any others who so believe.
The recommendations now pouring in for Sri Lanka to emulate South Africa’s TRC process is then could be seen as another trap laid for Sri Lanka over which the government has to tread very carefully before it puts its foot into another mess like the LLRC.
