Opinion: Sri Lanka needs reconciliation

With war seemingly over, efforts to build lasting peace in Sri Lanka must now begin.

By Vasu Mohan - Special to GlobalPost
Published: May 18, 2009 12:41 ET
Updated: May 18, 2009 14:27 ET
Page 2 of 2

One of the essential responses to Sri Lanka’s challenge of the day is to develop such long-range programs to eradicate communal hatred and prejudice in its people. Such programs should involve the dissemination of factual information as one mean of eliminating misconceptions and prejudices about ethnic, religious and linguistic groups, so that people of Sri Lanka can establish constructive relationships with persons from different backgrounds with confidence and ease.

Much focus should be placed on the education of the younger and future generations to ensure they grow without the attitudes of the previous generations. Programs for children and youth focusing on learning about the history and culture of all communities of Sri Lanka and on showing respect and appreciation for diversity should be implemented on a nationwide scale.

Students of both major linguistic groups in the country should begin learning each other’s languages and English as an auxiliary language. An inter-religious forum for peace and reconciliation should be formed with sincere commitment from all participants. All should commit to a persistent and sincere effort. Should the government and civil society in Sri Lanka undertake such an effort, supported by the commercial sector, they will no doubt reap positive results.

The public must also be determined to work towards reconciliation. Responsibility falls equally on the majority community, who must trade their sense of superiority and often patronizing attitude for genuine friendship and close association. Acknowledgement of wrongs should be unconditional and there should be a genuine welcoming of minorities to the mainstream of Sri Lankan society. Minorities, be they religious communities, ethnic groups or linguistic groups, must demonstrate on their part a readiness to set aside the past and move beyond suspicion resulting from a long period of grievous and slow-healing wounds.

The war between the Sri Lankan government and the Tamil Tigers may have ended, but the real battle must now begin if this victory is to achieve a real peace.

Vasu Mohan, a native of Sri Lanka, is deputy director for Europe and Asia at the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES).

Read more about Sri Lanka:

The Tamil diaspora's responsibility

In peace, Sri Lankans still disappear

Silenced in Sri Lanka

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Posted by tfoote on May 20, 2009 21:46 ET

Since 2005 I have volunteered in Sri Lanka twice with Sarvodaya so I am no expert on the country. However, each time I was there, I talked with both Sinhalese and Tamils. Each seemed to think that while there was a problem with equality, it did not seem insurmountable. In fact, many of the younger people seemed eager to make a go of it after the fighting was over. I welcome the end to the fighting and agree with Mr. Vasu Mohan that the onus is now on the Sinhalese society to right past perceived and actual wrongs against the Tamil minority, the vast majority of whom did not participate or support the LTTE.

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