Deva’s proposal | Daily News

Deva’s proposal

The proposal by EPDP leader Douglas Devananada to dedicate a day each year for commemorating ALL those who died in the Eelam war should engage the attention of the government, now that it is earnestly pursuing the path of reconciliation. Soon after assuming office, the Yahapalanaya government took several positive steps to narrow the gulf that existed between the two communities, paving the way for a healing of wounds and starting on the process of reconciliation.

In the afterglow of the war victory, the Rajapaksa regime assumed the mantle of conqueror, relegating the Tamil community, as a whole, to the status of a conquered race, to gain maxmum mileage for its political project. Rajapaksa also bellowed nationalist rhetoric and claimed that devolution of power would certainly be offered to the Tamils but not on the terms suggested by any outsider, but strictly on the terms of the government. While, no one will dispute the stand that outsiders should not be allowed to meddle in the affairs of a sovereign state, the tone and tenor of Rajapaksa gave the impression that the Tamils were living on sufferance of the majority community.

However, President Sirisena strove to reverse this state of affairs no sooner he assumed the mantle of leader of the country and made several conciliatory gestures. For the first time since independence, Tamils were allowed to sing the National Anthem in their own language and steps were taken to release large swathes of land, occupied by the military during the war, to their rightful owners. The President also made frequent visits to the North to interact with the people and address their grievances. On the reconciliation front, the appropriate mechanisms were established to bring redressed to those who lost their loved ones and work is on in respect of the Office of Missing Persons, to trace the whereabouts of those who went missing during the war and offer compensation to the families of the victims.

True, there are complaints that the work in this respect has become sluggish and the reconciliation process is moving at snail’s pace. But, those who make such complaints fail to appreciate the tight rope walk, politically speaking, the President and the government have to tread, given the baying of racist elements who are guided by their myopic political beliefs.

Be that as it may, coming from Devananda, who in fact was a target of the LTTE, and on whose life several attempts had been made, the proposal sounds genuine indeed. It is certainly not aimed at placating LTTE sympathizers, nor a suggestion made to appease those who are making attempts to commemorate an LTTE “heroes day”. The MP, in fact, has presented a private members motion in parliament in this respect, which, it is hoped, will win the approval from all the members who cherish the bringing together of both communities. In the motion, Devananda has proposed that an appropriate day be declared to commemorate the people of all religious and nationalities that speak all languages, who lost their lives to the war, and to take measures to celebrate that day annually. The motion has further proposed to build a memorial in Omanthei in the North to honour their dedication in the name of the motherland. By suggesting that the day be dedicated to ALL, the MP has sought to divest it of any tinge of racism and make it an inclusive event.

Presently, we commemorate the War Heroes Day on May 19 annually, the day that the country was liberated from terrorism and the President rightly declared that the event, in fact, be dedicated to ALL those who laid down their lives in the war, as has Devananda. However this is still seen as an event dedicated to honour and commemorate only the “Sinhala war heroes”, by the Tamils in the North. Hence, their attempts to mark the same day in the North to commemorate their own “war heroes”.

Here, one should come to terms with reality. The LTTE, no doubt, is the most barbaric, bloodthirsty terrorist outfit ever known. By the same token it also cannot be denied that atrocities were also committed by the soldiers against civilians, which is all part and parcel of war. It should also be taken into consideration that a good majority of the LTTE outfit comprised of child soldiers, who were forcibly removed from their parents at the point of a gun. Civilians perished on both sides of the ethnic divide. It has been the perennial grouse of pro LTTE elements in the North, that, if the JVP is allowed to have a day dedicated to commemorate their fallen heroes, why not for them. In their book, the LTTE were not terrorists, but “freedom fighters”, who waged war to liberate an oppressed community.

Hence, in the name of reconciliation, it would not be out of place if Devananda’s suggestion that a memorial be erected in the theatre of war, itself, be considered and an official day to commemorate ALL the war dead be declared, so that the Tamils in the north would not be left out of the event. 


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