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Being true citizens

While criticizing politicians in power has become almost a pastime among some, the searchlight is seldom or never turned inward by these critics to find out how they could help to get things moving in the correct direction in this country.

The so-called dependency syndrome has grown to such proportions among some that everything vital is left for the State to achieve, while the question is never asked: "What can I do for my country?" Needless to say, so deeply ingrained is this lack of initiative, drive and vision among some sections that fatalism and a state of inner paralysis is quite widespread.

While there is no denying that the "push" for a great many things - including, of course, resolving the ethnic problem-should derive from governments and those who set themselves up as national leaders, citizens too have a considerable role to play in resolving public issues. To a great many, citizenship seems to be confined to only a few functions-vote casting being one of these.

It is a sad commentary on our political elite that a considerable number of citizens still seem to be blissfully unaware of the fact that they need to be actively involved in public life it they are to live up to the classical standards citizens are expected to measure up to.

In the Aristotelian perspective, for instance, the citizen was also a legislator and a juryman. These functions, however, don't seem to be integral to our conception of citizenship.

From the time of independence, these vital aspects of citizenship have hardly been highlighted by those who seem to matter, including political leaders and the educational authorities.

Accordingly, we the citizenry, including our professional organisations, need to dwell very closely on an observation made by President Kumaratunga that all significant sections of society should consider joining the deliberations of the National Advisory Council for Peace and Reconciliation (NACPR).

As is well known, the NACPR is essentially a deliberative and advisory body to the Government. It would never take the place of the Government at the negotiating table with the LTTE, but, being a widely - inclusive forum, would provide a wide variety of insights to the formulation of the State's policy on the ethnic problem. In other words, it would help resolve the problem.

Thus far, professional organisations in particular, have been primarily concerned about their particular interests. The same goes for other relevant sections. This is one of the reasons why a Southern consensus on the ethnic problem has eluded as thus far.

This rigorous compartmentalising of functions should be done away with if we, as President Kumaratunga said, are to unite for peace. It is time to shun narrow sectional and individual interests and rise as one man to bring peace to Sri Lanka.

Focus on Africa

New York is a world away from Africa. One has to be in Africa to understand the continent's woes. Most of Africa is poor and conflict-ridden. It is not a nice picture, but reality is almost always bitter.

The UN will face this reality when its Security Council begins a rare meeting in Nairobi on Thursday and Friday. This is the first time in 14 years that the 15-member Security Council is meeting outside New York.

The Security Council members will primarily be considering two issues: the crisis in Darfur, Sudan and the situation in Somalia. Both countries have been in the news recently, in the shadow of Iraq. But the UN meeting is a sign that the world is taking notice of the goings-on in Africa's trouble spots.

There is little sign of an immediate breakthrough in peace talks between Khartoum and southern rebels. International criticism has been directed at Sudan, notably over the allegedly forced relocation of displaced civilians in Darfur, a region the size of France in west Sudan ravaged by armed conflict since February 2003.

The meeting also coincides with a UN probe into whether genocide has been committed in Darfur, where Janjaweed militias are widely accused of responding to the rebel uprising with ethnic cleansing.

Khartoum claims to have halted attacks in Darfur since signing a security and humanitarian accord with the region's two main rebel groups on November 9, but US Secretary of State Colin Powell has said forced relocations of civilians - a violation of international law - are continuing.

The UN Security Council meetings should augment the peace efforts. The Council is expected to adopt a resolution calling for renewed efforts to cap marathon talks between Khartoum and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement, with a comprehensive peace accord.

The UN should make a bid to expedite the final stretch of negotiations, now bogged down in details of a permanent ceasefire and the deployment of armed forces during the post-war interim period.

The resolution of this conflict must be a priority. It has claimed the lives of tens of thousands of people and led to the displacement of over 1.5 million. Top UN officials have rightly described the humanitarian situation in Darfur as the worst in the world.

In Somalia, efforts to restore the first effective Central Government in more than a decade have made headway since August, with the formation of a Parliament, the election of a President and the appointment of a Prime Minister.

But they are still based in Nairobi, as Mogadishu has been a battleground for numerous clan-based factions. Restoring normality to Somalia should also be high on the Nairobi agenda.

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