Time to take the right road

THE quote from legendary South African leader, Nelson Mandela's work, 'Long Walk to Freedom' which we highlight on our front page today, encompasses the visionary task currently confronting the political leadership of this country.

The crucial challenge facing it is to bring a just, political solution to this country's ethnic conflict. If not, as in the case of Mandela's South Africa in the mid Eighties, "thousands, if not millions, of lives would be lost."

What was needed to be done in South Africa at that time and what is needed to be done in Sri Lanka today are identical: "The time had come to talk." And talk, the Government must with all important stakeholders to our conflict, to evolve for Lanka a just solution.

As we have said before, "the push" for peace must come from the Lankan political leadership and going by President Kumaratunga's recent public pronouncements in particular, she seems to be gearing-up for this task with a comprehensive grasp of what this challenge of bringing peace to Sri Lanka entails.

For instance, just two days ago she told the country that she was even prepared to sacrifice the Presidency for a negotiated, just settlement to the ethnic conflict.

In the process of doing this, besides her own position, governments may fall and ministerships lost, but she would soldier on towards a just peace.

As we commented yesterday, this amounts to putting peace above power and this is just the attitude that is needed among our top decision-makers. It is also the exemplary path that was taken by Nelson Mandela when he took the initiative to end a prolonged civil war in South Africa and take that country towards peace.

President Kumaratunga was, of course, speaking in the context of current efforts to evolve a joint mechanism with the LTTE, to reconstruct and rehabilitate the tsunami-ravaged parts of Lanka's North-East. Hopefully, the joint mechanism exercise would lay the basis for the negotiatory process which would end our conflict.

Needless to say, the path to peace in Sri Lanka is fraught with difficulties, with opposition emerging in some quarters to even the joint mechanism plan.

However, inspired and visionary leadership consists in taking and pursuing the correct decision, however unpopular such a path may prove among some. By vowing to forge ahead to a just peace, President Kumaratunga is showing such leadership mettle and she is likely to remain committed to this aim, her vociferous critics notwithstanding.

The resolve shown by the President to persevere on the peace path, even at the cost of power, should bring to the minds of many the concluding thought in our front page quote from Mandela: "There are times when a leader must move ahead of the flock, go off in a new direction, feeling sure that he is leading his people down the right road."

The post-independence history of Sri Lanka is scarred very badly by political leaders who have lacked the resolve to work towards a just peace, although realising in their hearts that this is the path to take.

Faint-heartedness, lack of leadership qualities and the lure of short-term political gain played a principal role in the failure of these past leaders. We are glad that President Kumaratunga is determined to reverse this disastrous trend and lead the country in the correct direction.

In this great task, she would need to remember that the silent but moral majority is firmly behind her, backing her every step to a negotiated, honourable peace. Besides, she would do well to remember that all peacemakers are blessed.