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He took on the basic confrontation of the nation: The racial divide of the north and south. Physically the war has been won but there has been no meeting of the minds of the north and south, he pointed out. The estrangement of the Sinhala and Tamil community for three decades and the need for reconciliation and reunification has been shied away by leaders of both communities.A remarkable feature of the Independence Day parade was the attendance of Tamil National Alliance leader Rajavarothayam Sampanthan and M. A. Sumanthiran, MP, also of the TNA. It was 43 years after MPs of a recognised Tamil political party attended an Independence Day parade.
This was certainly a giant leap in north-south relations and those who hope for a vibrant, united Sri Lanka will be wishing that this vital breakthrough will be pursued.
Tuesday, February 10, 2015
President Maithripala Sirisena’s speech on Independence Day was a refreshing change from such speeches the nation has been subjected to for a long time. It was a plain, simple speech sans rhetorical flourishes and bombast but was relevant to most of his audience which expected changes as he had promised in his election campaigns.
Within 35 days of his assuming office he has kept some of the substantial pledges he had given the people such as the whopping salary increase of Rs 10,000 per month to public officials. The price of ten essential commodities had been reduced and the price of fuel slashed, among many other price reductions. Injustices committed on Sri Lanka’s war hero General Sarath Fonseka and Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake had been rectified. What is remarkable about keeping his promises is the speed at which the pledges made had been kept. This performance should be ranked in a global contest on promises made and kept by politicians.
But Sirisena, in his Independence Day speech in the shadows of parliament and the beautiful environs of the Diyawanna Lake with the diplomatic community in attendance, resisted the temptation of petty politicians: thumping on their chests and claiming: ‘I, me, myself and me’ for the good work done. That was the culture of a simple man born and bred and educated in the vast open paddy lands of Polonnaruwa, where the only dividend is working hard in the sun scorched paddies to yield a bountiful crop.
He took on the basic confrontation of the nation: The racial divide of the north and south. Physically the war has been won but there has been no meeting of the minds of the north and south, he pointed out. The estrangement of the Sinhala and Tamil community for three decades and the need for reconciliation and reunification has been shied away by leaders of both communities.
After a war – either civil or international – the call for unity and magnanimity is made by the victors. The losers are cowering in defeat. Thus, it was for the majority community led by the government in power to extend the hand of friendship to their fellow civilians – not the terrorists even though defeated. The terrorists had to be considered later.
But what went on after victory were street parties – Kiribath gobbling ceremonies and raban playing – for months on end. These ‘victory ceremonies’ were soon converted to political ceremonies. The men and women who fought and died in the battle were of little concern. The politicians were those who won the war!
Naturally the Tamils felt ignored and isolated as they retained a sullen silence. A large number of their children and family members were still held in custody without being given fair trial, some very valuable lands seized. True, 300,000 Tamil civilians were rehabilitated and vast areas cleared of landmines. These are significant contributions but without any contact at political, social or any other level, the communities are still living apart. The dignity of the Tamil people as equal citizens of this country has not yet been restored.
A remarkable feature of the Independence Day parade was the attendance of Tamil National Alliance leader Rajavarothayam Sampanthan and M. A. Sumanthiran, MP, also of the TNA. It was 43 years after MPs of a recognised Tamil political party attended an Independence Day parade.
This was certainly a giant leap in north-south relations and those who hope for a vibrant, united Sri Lanka will be wishing that this vital breakthrough will be pursued.
President Sirisena did not forget his own people – the poor who lived off the land in poverty and in other places. He spoke of the need for their social upliftment.
Sirisena’s down to earth speech would certainly have won the hearts of the down trodden.
So far he has shunned presidential luxuries – a fleet of limousines, chosen a modest official residence and dispensed with ridiculous honorifics such as ‘Your Excellency’ and ‘First Lady’.
Sinhala tradition has it that a rice cultivator, taken off the field and washed of his mud, is fit to sit on the throne. The son of a Polonnaruwa cultivator has shown that he is a king in his own right.