federalidea.com

By Shakuntala Perera

The Eastern province was always going to be our success story. It was where the country was going to test the formula for peaceful co-existence and development. The success of any Sri Lankan government at a long term solution to the ethnic conflict was going to be proven in the East. But today, the province stands devastated, desolate and alienated. The effects of a three decade old war are all on show here.

A recent visit to the war- ravaged districts of the Eastern province showed that it will be a long time before the province will lift its head in dignity. The hundreds of thousands left desolate in camps for the Internally Displaced People, the thousands of houses ravaged by the war and the multitude of livelihoods lost are testament to some agenda going very wrong here.

No one government or non governmental agency seems to have the exact number of the destruction. Everyone relies on each others’ numbers. No one seems sure enough. The damage is far beyond one entity’s ability to assess. In this situation solutions, be they short or long term are a difficult thing in itself. It is not surprising that no one really knows where to begin. This sadly includes the government.

The reality that meets one here is that of a situation that is far removed from the grasp of the government. Numerous ambitious projects of the government for the development of the East are mere dreams here.

What is sadder still is that there isn’t even anything on an interim basis. There is nothing on ground to even suggest that the government has even begun a proper re-settlement programme. Aside from merely dumping the people whereever it suits them politically, there is little to prove the government’s ambitious programme on paper.

In its present form, the East is the perfect breeding ground for terrorism. No one could blame anyone suffering the trauma of the war turning towards either of the militant groups for refuge. The people feel neglected and ignored by the State to feel desolate enough to turn towards a terrorist group for survival.

At the end of the day, the tragedy of the East is exactly that; one of survival. The people in the IDP camps don’t know whom to turn to. They don’t know when or where the next meal is coming from. Lost of all their livelihoods they have become virtual beggars, waiting for any handout that comes their way.

The youth are becoming increasingly frustrated by the lack of a direction to turn to. There are no employment creation centres here. There are frankly no jobs to have. A province with so much potential for economic development, it is today groping in the dark. Investors are no longer interested in the potential of the East.

There are no incentives for investment here. Even for the few who are ready to take the chance, there is no assurance by either of the two warring parties that their investments will be honoured.

The people feel angered by the recent celebrations of the capture and liberation of the East. The freedoms so obtained escape them. They charge that the benefits of such liberation have not come to them. They question the validity of the celebrations when they have long lost the battle for survival.

The people have begun to question the role of the Karuna faction. The questions seem very valid, when you assess the presence of the groups in the province today. Batticaloa is clearly under the control of the group. Despite assurances of moving towards a democratic process, the group has the entire district under its gun.

Allegations of child recruitment, extortion are aplenty. The people are living in fear. They claim that the government has left their fate in the hands of another militant group. They refuse to accept that the Group has joined the political process. Theyrefuse to understand the apparent ‘understanding’ that exists between the State.

Certainly the role of Karuna leaves much to be desired of the government. It’s difficult to justify the room left for the Group to handle the district. There is too many human rights abuses for the government to turn a blind eye to. It is clear that the situation has gone out of control.

The people question under whose authority their fate has been handed over to the Group in this manner. They charge that they have simply fallen from the frying pan to a very hot fire. They demand that their silence not be used for political gain.

The situation raises the question of the moral right of the government in fighting the LTTE under the banner of a terrorist group, when it is entertaining the fancies of another group. The absolute must for the government as a democratically elected one to meet the legitimate concerns of the people in the East becomes imperative in this scenario.

When the Karuna cadres carry out the same violations that the international community labels the LTTE guilty of, there can’t be room for the government to turn a blind eye. Certainly, the degree of violations may be different, but even one child recruited is still a violation, and one that cannot be condoned by any democratic government.

These will become serious questions for the government when it next attempts to justify the ban of the LTTE before an international forum. International fora are already raising these questions today. The government can’t expect to legitimize these actions of the Karuna group when it directs the finger of accusation against the LTTE next time.

It becomes the necessary duty of the government to meet the violations that are carried out on a daily basis by the Karuna Group. The people speak of fears in going to the law enforcement authorities against the Group. This is not the situation of a people ready to join a program of peace.

Denied the dignity of the basic human rights, the people would be far from ready to face any political process. The elections are the last thing on the minds of the people in this scenario. They strongly believe that the presence of Karuna cadres in their present form will be a threat to any free and fair election. In this situation they refuse to trust the outcome of any election.

These seem very legitimate concerns on the part of the people. It is unfair to believe that the people don’t understand the neglect. They know that they are far removed from the political plans of the government. They suspect they never will be.

COURTESY: DAILY MIRROR