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Clear policy on peace

President Kumaratunga's call for a clear mandate from the people at the forthcoming general election to negotiate an end to the ethnic conflict with the LTTE and other relevant parties, is fresh proof that she is committed to the path of peace through peaceful means.

Accordingly, if there is any puzzlement as to the President's future course of action in this regard, in any quarter, this pronouncement by her should clear all doubts on this score.

President Kumaratunga, in other words, remains the peace candidate she was in 1994.

However it is crucial that she receives a clear mandate from the people for this task. The corollary of this position is that the President wouldn't be caving in to any populist sentiments on the National Question.

It is quite clear that the future of this country depends on the vindication of Sri Lanka's identity as a multiethnic multilinguistic and multi-religious polity. The PA's policy on the ethnic issue since 1994 has been crafted in this direction and this thinking culminated in the draft constitution of year 2000, which was callously and maliciously burnt in Parliament by the UNP during the relevant parliamentary debate. It is up to the people, therefore, to exercise their franchise discreetly, without falling for the lure of the pipe dreams of the "greens".

If the past two years have proved anything it is the fact that the two principal organs of government, when dominated by rival parties, cannot function smoothly, unless there is a will to cohabit harmoniously. These hopes were dashed by UNF intransigence on defence and national security issues and other important matters.

However, the position now is that the President, besides being ready to negotiate peace is ready with a development plan to take the country forward to an era of prosperity and progress.

If these ambitions are to be realised, the PA needs a clear and unambiguous mandate from the people. It is time for coherent, rational governance.

The IDP challenge

Although the term Internally Displaced People (IDPs) is relatively new, wars have always driven people away from the homes they have lived in for generations. Only a few are lucky to have relatives in another part of the country: the only option for others is a squalid, crowded camp with only the barest of necessities.

A report compiled by the Norwegian Refugee Council on behalf of the United Nations and released last week revealed that 25 million people around the world have fled conflicts and are living in another part of their country.

Internal displacement is one of the great tragedies of our time, with millions of people every year being forced to flee within their own country from war and violence, the report says. IDPs are present in 52 countries including Sri Lanka, which, according to the latest statistics, has around 500,000. The number of refugees - those who flee to other countries - exceeds 20 million worldwide.

IDPs present a serious challenge to governments, non-governmental relief agencies and to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), whose main goal is ensuring their welfare and resettlement.

This is an onerous task for governments of Third World countries, which have the biggest IDP populations. Without NGO and UNHCR support, these countries can do little to resettle the IDPs. Facilitating the return of IDPs is not as easy as it sounds.

The ideal aim is resettling the IDPs in their own villages. But this is not always possible.

Even if a peaceful atmosphere and reconstructed dwellings are assured, other factors may delay the IDPs' return. For example, the thousands of landmines buried in the North have proved to be a stumbling block to the resettlement of IDPs. De-mining is a painstaking, time-consuming process.

The UNHCR does not encourage IDPs to return home until it is certain that the de-mined areas are safe for habitation. This does prolong the IDPs' agony, but assures their safety when they finally return. The IDP problem will not go away as long as wars blight our world.

Governments, having perceived this reality, are seeking to end the internecine conflicts that bring misery to their peoples. Only then will we be able to banish the term 'IDPs' from our lexicon.

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