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 By Seema Sengupta
KOLKATA ― The recent report of Sri Lankan Buddhist religious leaders prodding President Mahinda Rajapaksa to be more forthright in dealing with Tamil ultras is surely a cause for concern.
Such a statement coming in the midst of a worldwide appeal for an immediate halt to this mindless violence going on unabated in the northeastern part of the island nation will surely ruffle the delicate ethnic balance.
As the Sri Lankan Army continues intimidating the local populace on the Jaffna peninsula, there is a dire need to conceptualize the peace process from scratch.
Unless Colombo can rein in its death squad and prevent reprisal attacks against Tamil civilians, no amount of confidence-building measures can restore permanent peace in the country.
One must comprehend the vital fact that the Tamil guerrillas are completely devoted to an emotional cause and nurture an ideology of self-sacrifice. They therefore cannot be expected to make a compromise on a platter.
Thus, arbitrary international sanctions will not only derail any move for attaining tranquility but also block whatever avenues available to reinstate parity in a deeply divided nation.
It is a fact incontrovertible that without involving the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), there can be no lasting peace in Sri Lanka. But then the administration is keen on employing the Machiavellian technique of creating a rift within the Tamil guerrillas and using the breakaway faction as leverages in the ethnic strife.
In fact, the Sri Lankan government maintained a deceitful silence on the question of engaging the LTTE leadership in dialogue.
Though it is true that LTTE imposed its complete political domination on the north and east through ruthless means, there still is the vital ingredient of a peaceful, prosperous and united Sri Lanka.
Ideally, the international community should treat the hostile parties as principal partners of sustainable peace. Unequal application of diplomatic pressure and failure to restrict the military capabilities of both sides has so far encouraged militarism in Sri Lanka.
The lack of an imaginative solution has also resulted in complete devastation of the cultural and ethnic fabric of the South Asian nation.
Moreover, the international community should nudge the Sri Lankan government to develop a comprehensive package that provides real rights and offers an effective power-sharing arrangement with Tamils and other minority groups.
As a first step, Colombo should immediately offer a truce and simultaneously engage the hitherto sidelined constituencies, like non-Tiger Tamils, Muslims and minority Sinhalese. The ethnic crisis in Sri Lanka has its origin embedded in colonial history.
Before the advent of European colonialism, there were three kingdoms in Sri Lanka, namely Kotte, Tamil and Kandyan, which were ruled by distinct ethnic groups.
The Tamils believe that the unification of these three kingdoms by the British in 1833 is the root cause of the present day crisis, as local conventions were effectively decimated in the process.
Furthermore, the majority Sinhala community is loath to accept the northern territory as Tamil homeland. Unfortunately, the Sinhala ego that seeks to promote a particular religious hegemony is largely responsible for the alienation of Tamils in Sri Lanka.
Given the nature of the conflict, a reconciliation process for the hapless victims to overcome the psychological effect of an ethnic divide is a must. Having endured the vagaries of continuous warfare, all the parties should work toward a long-term political solution without any prejudice.
Even the British government compromised its hawkish position to enter into the Belfast Agreement in spite of designating the Irish Republican Army as a terror outfit. It is clear that a solution to the existing crisis in Sri Lanka does not lie in confining the warring groups in respective home areas and under independent self-governance.
The pattern of geographical distribution of ethnic groups and the involvement of other minority communities in the strife is detrimental to the notion of states within a state. Rather, a formal separation of Tamil and Sinhalese people will further incite the centuries-old suspicions, resulting in future conflict and cultural isolation.
Instead, Sri Lanka should opt for a bicameral parliamentary system that can provide sufficient representation to minorities. Keeping in mind the multi-ethnic and religious character of the Sri Lankan nation state, integration of the minorities at all level of governance is of paramount importance.
The process should start from the ground level under international monitoring. The assimilation of the minority community in the political system should be supplemented by a holistic plan for economic and social development.
Also, the LTTE must be persuaded to abdicate terror acts, and its guerrilla wing can be merged with the Sri Lankan Army as a special forces unit. However, the child soldiers should be released and provided with vocational training after undergoing proper rehabilitation therapy.
Finally, New Delhi is also required to play a crucial role in rebuilding emotional connectedness between the Tamil and Sinhalese community in Sri Lanka and co-opt the island state within her strategic ambit.
Seema Sengupta is a journalist based in Kolkata, India. Her articles have been published by The Tribune, The Telegraph, The Pioneer, The Asian Age and other newspapers. She can be reached at seemasengupta@vsnl.net
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