Liberating the Easterners

In a stirring speech to the nation to mark the liberation of the East, President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday laid emphasis on the emancipation of the Tamil people who had been trapped in the jaws of the LTTE for over two decades.

At the elaborate ceremony at the Independence Square, while paying tribute to the Security Forces for exploding the myth of LTTE invincibility, the President in true statesman like fashion reiterated his commitment to serve all races and creeds with justice and equality.

The President's heart went out to the Tamil people in the East who underwent much suffering and privations under the LTTE jackboot for over 15 years. He spoke about returning their usurped rights by reactivating all democratic structures and bringing these hapless people on par with the rest of the population.

The President's message is clear. While going all out annihilate the LTTE his aim is to liberate the innocent Tamils from the iron grip of a ruthless dictator.

There is no doubt that the nation as a whole would endorse the thinking of the President not only for integrating all communities under the umbrella of one nation but also for its inherent message of peace and brotherhood that had been shattered in three decades of bloodletting.

There was sincerity in the President's view that the country ought to formulate a suitable framework for more Tamils to join in and participate in the country's political process. We hope the democratic Tamil parties represented in Parliament would pay heed to this call and grab the hand of friendship offered by the President to carve out a new beginning for this battered nation.

It is also incumbent on main Opposition party to be part of the process of this new beginning to steer the country in a new direction.

True, they may be feeling sore by the string of military victories which had been made possible by correct military and political leadership. But this is hardly a time for petty bickering when the country is at the crossroads. There is a need for statesmanship at present than at no other time in our post independent history. This is perhaps why the President invited the Opposition Leader to be a stakeholder in the 'New Dawn' rather than be an outsider.

In a gesture that demonstrated magnanimity in victory the President also far from gloating over the triumph still kept the door open for a political settlement to the ethnic conflict by his emphasis on the need to speed by the APRC process. This is the ideal time for the main Opposition to demonstrate its sincerity as chief proponents of a political settlement to the current conflict.

It is clear from the President's speech that he would continue with the two pronged approach of defeating the LTTE militarily while pursuing a negotiated settlement. Even his bitterest critic would concede that President Rajapaksa was the only leader of the post conflict era who pursued the LTTE with a single minded purpose.

As pointed out by him in his address Sri Lanka was the only country which drew boundaries conceding territory to the terrorists - a reference to the concession granted to the Tigers by the Ceasefire Agreement.

President Rajapaksa was the only leader who did not let down his guard even during the brief period of peace talks. This circumspection has no doubt paid rich dividends going by the military gains achieved so far during his tenure.

The President's advice to the LTTE that bombs and guns would not liberate the Tamil people is a sure sign that there would be no let up in the military thrust particularly at a time when the morale of the Forces is at its peak. The LTTE must heed his timely warning and join the search for a political solution.