Commendable resolve

MOST reassuring is President Kumaratunga's recent pronouncement that the forging of a joint mechanism between the Government and the LTTE, for the distribution and use of aid in the tsunami-torn areas of the North-East, will be the first step in the State's efforts to end the war.

She went on to say that: "We should offer them (the LTTE) the joint mechanism to work for the well-being of the tsunami-affected people with the Government, regardless of those who oppose it."

This amounts to a definitive statement on the future course of the Government in resolving the ethnic conflict. The proposed joint mechanism between the Government and the LTTE, will be the basis on which a negotiating process towards resolving the conflict would be established.

The thinking here is that the cooperation fostered between the Government and the LTTE in the North-East rebuilding process would be made a basis by the State to relaunch the process aimed at resolving the conflict.

The note of resolve and certainty in the President's public pronouncement, points to the degree of determination which underpins the Government's current efforts at ending the conflict by political means.

For the resolve and sense of purpose thus shown, the President is bound to receive the firm backing of the silent but moral majority.

For, the decision on ending the conflict by political means or otherwise is also a moral issue. That is, the State should choose between good and evil. By opting to end the conflict by political means the government has chosen good and rejected evil.

On the other hand, if the Government chooses military means or war to resolve the conflict, it would be choosing evil, for, bloodshed and war are evil. Those who advocate war and coercion, likewise, are the agents of evil.

Except for a few hardliners, the majority of people advocate peaceful means to end our conflict and the State would be in tune with this moral majority by adopting the current approach to ending our conflict.

The President's resolve to forge ahead with her plan, "regardless of those who oppose it," also deserves applauding. It is no secret that there are political forces which are averse to the forward movement towards peace.

However, the silent and moral majority would be solidly behind the effort at working out a political solution and it is the support of this majority which is the best guarantee of any peace effort succeeding.

However, as pointed out earlier, by us, the perceptions of the majority need to be continually fine-tuned to receive the peace message and arrive at a deeper understanding of it. This would help in solidifying the Government's support base.

Therefore, the Government would need to further raise the awareness of the people on the finer issues in the peace process.

As for those detractors who continuously cry 'foul', they would need to realise that Sri Lanka has no future without peace.

They are also sadly out of step with the times because the 'patriotism' and 'nationalism' they proclaim is now archaic and were of some validity only at the turn of the last century. We have come a long way since then.