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Wide consensus for a just peace

President Kumaratunga's reiteration that she is committed to a negotiated, just peace with the LTTE, should dispel all doubts with regard to a future United People's Freedom Alliance Government's policy position on the ethnic issue. This pronouncement was made at the UPFA's inaugural election rally in Anuradhapura on Thursday.

The President was quoted saying that the SLFP as well as the JVP were "committed to resolve this national problem through a negotiated settlement without resorting to war".

She also said that she was for ensuring the rights of all communities while working towards peace with the Tigers. To strengthen her position, the President also drew on a recent statement by the LTTE that it was willing to negotiate peace with either of the major political parties of the South - the UPFA or the UNF.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, launching the inaugural election rally of the UNF in Kandy was also quoted as emphasizing the importance of forging ahead with the peace process. He highlighted ethnic peace as the prime issue at the upcoming poll.

Thus, the wide consensus on the need for ethnic peace, which at one time was seen as eluding the country, is certainly present. All that's left to be done is to courageously kickstart the peace process and to forge ahead with it, until an equitable solution is reached.

The success of this noble venture, however, needs to be premised on honesty and unity of purpose informing the actions of the chief protagonists in the peace effort.

Certainly, the task of forging ahead with the peace process would prove imperative because it is the predominant wish of the people that we arrive at a just, reasonable peace. No party which ignores this consensual wish of the people is likely to prove acceptable to them.

Meanwhile, the LTTE would do well to be alert to these society-wide currents. The negotiation of a just peace would require consistency of principle and practice on the part of the Tigers.

They clearly cannot, for instance, play lip service to peace and continue to engage in the excesses and abuses they are now notorious for. We hope the US State Department's annual human rights report would prove an eye-opener for the LTTE.

As should be known by now, the Report has taken the LTTE to task for continuing human rights abuses and other excesses which tend to make a mockery of their claim to be committed to a negotiated settlement.

If they are serious about peace, the LTTE would need to mend its ways, improve its human rights record, and prepare a climate which would be conducive to a negotiated peace.

Net gain for music

The days of going to the music store to buy your favourite artists' albums could be over in a few years, thanks to the explosive growth of online music distribution. No travelling, no queues at the checkout counter and no 'whole album for a couple of good songs' complaints. This is the future of music delivery. And it is already a reality.

Downloading music is one of the most popular uses of the Net. Millions of tracks are burned on to CD-Rs and MP3 players worldwide every month, legally and illegally. All you need is a computer with Internet access and a recording device.

The success of the leading online music providers proves that customers are willing to pay good prices for legally downloadable songs.

Napster, the illicit file-swapping Website converted to a legitimate digital music service, said last week it had sold over five million songs since last October. It is second only to Apple, whose iTunes service exceeds 30 million downloads a month.

Their conquest has driven fear into record labels, whose sales are falling despite the introduction of higher-fidelity formats such as Super Audio CD and DVD-Audio.

More people are simply opting to record music at home. Record industry giants have fought furiously to stop illegal online music sites. They succeeded a couple of times, but have now realised that 'join them if you can't beat them' is the best approach.

Both Napster and iTunes are based in the US, though moves are afoot to extend their coverage to Europe and Asia. Each song costs less than a Dollar, download times are minimal if you have a fast connection and sound quality is improving all the time. Of course, it will be almost impossible to close down free music sites such as Kazaa - everybody likes a free lunch.

Instead of cracking down on users of illegal online music sites, record companies should direct their energies towards reducing the prices of their products. Rampant retail and online piracy is a direct result of the exorbitant prices of original CDs. Making cheaper and more accessible products is the only way that record companies can improve their flagging fortunes.

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