A role for Lankans abroad

Sri Lankans living and working abroad could contribute in a number of ways towards enhancing their Motherland’s well being. One of these is to put the record straight on the factual situation in Sri Lanka.

This needs to be done in an effort to neutralize the misleading propaganda about this country being churned out by the LTTE.

We agree fully with President Mahinda Rajapaksa on this score. Sri Lankans living in particularly the West could not only play the role of goodwill ambassadors for the country of their birth but help defeat the vicious propaganda being generated by the LTTE about Sri Lanka.

Right now, efforts to put the record straight as regards Sri Lanka seem to be inadequate.

The fact that some sections of the West are entertaining misleading notions about Sri Lanka and are being duped by the LTTE, is sound proof that Lanka’s efforts to counteract the LTTE’s anti-Lanka propaganda are just not sufficient. A case in point is the current controversy about Sri Lanka’s human rights record.

Regretfully, foundationless rumours about some of Lanka’s internal problems are grist to the LTTE’s propaganda mill.

Such propaganda gives the impression of containing substance on account of the weak-kneed approach of those who are charged with countering this current of adverse propaganda.

We are not for a moment suggesting that the ordinary citizens of Sri Lanka should take on themselves the tasks which usually devolve on State institutions, such as the Foreign Ministry and our missions abroad.

It is beyond dispute that the latter institutions should shoulder the bulk of such responsibilities. In fact they are expected to go more than the extra mile in these tasks and the indications are that they are simply not doing so.

Our missions abroad, for example, need to fight fire with fire in this context. They should work out and implement strategies which could completely rebut and neutralize the virulent anti-Lanka propaganda coming off the LTTE propaganda mill.

This is mainly the responsibility of these State agencies and there is no ducking this fact. We hope the State agencies concerned would take cognizance of these urgent tasks and work dynamically from now on to make short work of anti-Lanka propaganda.

However, given the fact that even the smallest of our citizens could contribute their mite towards putting the record straight on Sri Lanka, we call on them, wherever they may be, to enlighten those they associate with, on the truth about Sri Lanka.

Today, we know for a fact that not all the horror stories which are churned out on Sri Lanka are true.

It is not true, for instance, that whole social groups are being persecuted. On the contrary, Southern Sri Lanka has a vibrant mix of ethnic groups, living in perfect harmony.

Such incontrovertible facts should be impressed on the publics of the world by every Lankan citizen.