MEA CULPA, MEA CULPA, MEA MAXIMA CULPA

Sri Lankans are recorded for being short in memory and long in harbouring a  grudge. It has been argued that this island nation gained independence without a drop of blood being shed which in turn is attributed to the sloth and divisive nature amongst its inhabitants.

The twice failed armed insurrections led by the JVP were controlled and snuffed out with the elimination of Rohana Wijeweera, the charismatic leader of this group. There was murder and bloodshed then. The issues that led to those two insurrections have not been addressed by this nation.  The late ‘70s saw the birth of the LTTE led by Uma Maheswaren who forced the elected leaders of the Northern Province to afford tacit support to their armed struggle. The movement grew by leaps and bounds when Velupillai Pirapaharan grabbed control and by 1983 the police became targets. This time the insurrection came from the north/east and ballooned into a bigger and bitter conflict.

July 23rd, 1983, became a red letter day in the annals of our history with the LTTE killing 13 soldiers in the North. Murder, pillage and robbery of Tamils followed in full view of the law enforcement authorities. A shocked nation watched helplessly. Tamils living outside the north/east, were killed, their worldly possessions robbed and their abodes burnt to cinders. Recall these atrocities were not committed by Tamils on their brethren. True, there were Sinhala persons of a larger majority than those who behaved like cannibals who came to the assistance of the persecuted Tamils, but they were no match to stem the tide.

They watched aghast at the mayhem. There was no government visible for a couple of days which led to the belief that there was support for the rabble from that corner. Until 15 people were shot dead by the Army, which was called out much later, the carnage continued. More than 300 were killed and tens of thousands of homes and Tamil commercial establishments destroyed.

Tamils left in droves to Canada, Australia and Europe. Many a Tamil youth joined the northern insurgent movements. That was the birth of the Tamil diaspora and the growth of the LTTE. Restitution was limited to words and remorse was not shown by successive governments. It was opportune to say Mea Culpa. We didn’t.

The international community looked askance at this thrice blessed nation spiraling down a communal precipice. They could do no more than admitting a large number of Tamils into their countries. The Tamils to their credit did blend well within the adopted nations. It is the second and a young third generation of such immigrants that are yet vociferous amongst the Tamil diaspora. They have not forgotten. Nor have they been made to forget by their forebears. The Tamil diaspora have been blamed and continue to do so by many a quarter. They have been accused of funding the LTTE in Sri Lanka. They have.

Whether force or fear made them do so is not the subject matter of this piece. This deals with the failure of successive governments in Sri Lanka who were charged with the political processes that were required to heal the fractured nation. They did not have the resolve to do so in fear of a backlash from the majority community. Fear emanating from being voted out of power.

The late S.W.R D Bandaranaike tried and paid with his life. Whether this lingers within the current crop of rulers is not known. Did successive leaders read the Sinhalese majority correct? Maybe they did or maybe they did not. Do they believe that the Sinhala majority does not want the Tamils to be equally Sri Lankan, politically and otherwise? Humans are not born as barbarians. They become so. July 1983 was symptomatic. There has been and always will be tensions between different communities within a nation.

Yet, in a civilized world the approach to bring amity is not through subjugation, elimination or even by separation. The Sri Lankan governments since 1983 should have addressed this issue and resolved it. It was allowed to linger, nay fester.

The required will and the political reforms to forge amity and thereby prosperity is long overdue. Perhaps one could argue that Velupillai Pirapaharan would have never acceded to a political solution. We will not argue that point. He is vanquished. It is over a year since that occurred. There has certainly not been an honest attempt at forging amity nor a will shown by those in power to foster goodwill and bring togetherness. It would be moot to recall that there has been no serious effort post 1983 to show regret for the carnage either.

In the deafening silence of all concerned let us at The Sunday Leader lead the way by saying Mea Culpa, Mea Culpa, Mea Maxima Culpa.