Shattered Dreams; A Decade After The End Of The War!

By Mohamed Harees –MAY 19, 2019

Lukman Harees

“History does not repeat itself, but it often rhymes”- Mark Twain

In May 2009, a bloody war of more than a quarter-century for Tamil Eelam, fought by the LTTE, one of the world’s most ruthless militant movements, reached its bitter end. Mahinda Rajapaksa (MR) thereby achieved what none of his predecessors managed before: to rout the Tigers, who controlled nearly a fourth of the island, and destroy their ranks as a conventional army. While previous governments were playing for a draw, MR government was playing for a win. MR was then acclaimed as the ‘saviour’ of the Nation, who gave political leadership, and credited with the honour of liberating the country from the scourge of terrorism, caring nought for international pressure, not even appeals from Sri Lanka’s powerful neighbour, India. Both his brother Gotabaya Rajapaksa, then Defence Secretary and Sarath Fonseka then Army Commander also earned similar laurels for the accomplishment. Thousands of servicemen laid their lives in battle and thousands of innocent civilians too were killed as a result of the terror attacks and bombs during the time of the war. However, there were many war crime allegations too, against the armed forces, during the last stages of the war.

MR then addressing the Parliament stated, Rajapaksa said that ‘for the first time in 30 years, the country was unified under its elected government. We have liberated the whole country from LTTE terrorism. The war was not waged against the Tamil people.Our intention was to save the Tamil people from the cruel grip of the LTTE. We all must now live as equals in this free country. We must find a home-grown solution to this conflict. That solution should be acceptable to all the communities. We have to find a solution based on the philosophy of Buddhism’. It is pertinent to quote what Oswald Gomis, then Roman Catholic Archbishop said in a statement which reflected the aspirations of the people from the end of the war. ‘..In a sense we could say that we have won the battle but the war is not ended. The war would end only on the day that we grow in nationhood realizing that we are all one people in one country with equal right. We have to realize the fact that we are a multi-ethnic, multi-religious and multi-cultural community. As such we are now left with the great task of nation- building forgetting our ethnic, political and religious differences. It is imperative that there be a political formula that will inspire confidence and promote a sense of belonging among the minority groups in the country. We have to leave the sad and bitter memories of the past three decades and look positively and optimistically towards the future in hope. All of us have to share the blame for our division and forgive each other. We should have the humility and wisdom to learn from the sad experiences of that past. It is then, and only then, that we could build nationhood that will bring true peace and prosperity to our beloved country – Sri Lanka. Let us always remember that united we will flourish but divided we will perish’.

However, ten years after the end of the war, to what extent has Sri Lanka healed the wounds of war, engaged in nation- building forgetting our ethnic, political and religious differences? Or worked out a political formula that will inspire confidence and promote a sense of belonging among the minority groups in the country? The defeat of the formidable Tigers was a testament to the bravery of the armed forces and was a signal to the rest of the world of what Sri Lanka was capable of. Those selfless sacrifices made to protect the territorial integrity of the nation should be eternally remembered in a fitting manner. However how far has the country, moved beyond solely memorialising the military, to healing the wounds of war, towards building an inclusive Sri Lanka after a bloody war which killed about 100,000 civilians – Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims, who also gave their lives during this conflict? Should they not be remembered as well by the government by becoming more serious on reconciliation and nation building? The end of Sri Lanka’s long civil war in May 2009 provided an opportunity not only to rebuild shattered lives and society and but also to restore respect for rights and the rule of law. However, despite marginal gains, there seems to be no appreciable progress in this regard.

When the War ended in 2009, the people of Sri Lanka irrespective of racial and religious differences heaved a sigh of relief. People of all races longed for a day where the bombs and suicide bombers will be things of the past and live as a united and progressive nation.  In May 2009, thankfully, they all woke up to a peaceful Sri Lanka brimming with hope and excitement. Of course, until 22nd April, the country was spared of any terror attacks and was enjoying a ‘bomb-less’ peace- an absence of war. The people of the North and the South began to see each other. The appalling Easter Sunday terrorist suicide bombings and the ensuing mob violence targeting Muslims once again brought back ugly of the war which was riddled with bombs and suicide bombings and underlining the existing tensions in Sri Lanka 10 years after the war’s end and the urgent need to uphold human rights protections. However, the dreams of the people of Sri Lanka – Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims remain shattered due to the impunity crisis, lack of attention to post-war reconciliation and healing process, continuance of majoritarian attitudes in statecraft as well as political short termism and corruption.

What happened to the billions of money ‘saved’, spent earlier to oil the war machine? What happened to the promise of raising the standard of living out of the money saved? What happened to the promise of reconciliation and the big boast of making the people feel inclusive -as equal citizens, after MR said that ‘after this, there will not be any majority and minority; rather those who love this country and those who don’t’? MR regime initially shattered those laudable dreams of the people by running a dictatorial, majoritarian and corrupt rule where people of all communities including the majority felt marginalized and neglected. There was visible development (harbour, airports and highways etc) but by making Sri Lanka deeply debt ridden with wide allegations of political corruption. Then the so called Yahapalana clique came into power, and despite some more freedom to breathe and talk, there has been utter chaos in all fields including security. Sinhala as the majority race felt cheated, with fears of their status as the dominating race in utter jeopardy and put at risk by the vague policies and approaches of this government appeasing minority parties. Their many reasonable fears have not been addressed in a proper way. The state of the economy too was plunging due to chronic corruption, heavy debt and uncoordinated planning. The standard of living of the people of this country overall has been falling and deteriorating. The political climate has turned appalling, with the President and PM at logger heads with the situation aggravating after the October 2018 constitutional coup. The country has come to an ungovernable state after this political crisis. There is no visible government in power or in charge.

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