Pact hailed; eating humble pie

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe have won rare kudos for steering a landmark working pact between the two main rival parties that could see the war-wracked country emerging with a political settlement of the ethnic conflict in as early as two years.

The two parties have agreed to work together to resolve six issues of national importance including the peace process, governance and social development.

Despite the weariness of the war and a yearning for peace from many people, Sri Lankans are also wary of the two parties a survey by The Sunday Times FT last week shows. Asked whether the MoU would pave the way for an early end to the conflict, 47 percent of the respondents said they were either unsure or didn’t think so with just over half (53 %) saying it will help seek a settlement. However to another question as to whether the ‘political marriage’ would boost the economy and encourage investment, 87.5 % of the respondents were positive, a contradiction of the response in the earlier question. This would mean only one thing – that Sri Lankans want the political marriage but don’t trust politicians.

That’s why business leaders and civil society activists, while hailing the deal, say the public should have some ownership of this ‘pact’ to make sure it works. Our survey reveals the bitterness amongst the public towards previous ‘sincere’ gestures by Sri Lankan politicians and their parties which have crumbled due to political enmity or one-upmanship. No party wants the other to take the credit for a job well done.

That has been the bane of our politics and the public clearly and rightly fears that this could happen again. In this context the calls for civil society to get activated and put pressure on the two sides to ensure they keep to their promises is a welcome call and deserves the support of every peace-loving person.

The business community is now playing an active role in the peace process and should not let this window of opportunity for long-term peace and reconciliation slip. It is incumbent on all pro-peace lobbies in the chambers and civil society to work out mechanisms and be a kind of facilitator of this process to make it work.

If the SLFP-UNP alliance hits some rough weather on the way and everyone else just looks on without coming to their ‘aid’ the pact is bound to collapse. Instead of sticking to just statements of praise and putting the onus on the parties alone to deliver, business leaders must throw caution to the winds – like the South Africans did – come out of their ivory towers, guide and pressure the political leadership towards a new era.

While doing all this, the south must also spare a thought for the Jaffna resident who has been struggling to survive with food shortages and uncertainty since early August. “Worst of worst times” is how a newspaper editor in Jaffna described the situation there as journalists have also came under threat apart from the humanitarian crisis.

For those who may be unaware essential food is rationed through the MPCS. Until earlier last week, there have been 13 government ships, also at great risk due to the absence of ICRC protection, carrying a total of 18,000 metric tonnes of essential food like rice, flour, sugar and dhal since August 11. It is more than two months since then and government officials say the peninsula and its 653,735 people need at least 10,000 metric tonnes of essential food a month.

Travel bug
So Tourism Minister Anura Bandaranaike finally won ‘em all. After months of denying the two main tourist associations a meeting to discuss crucial issues including the delay of the implementation of the new Tourism Act and the unsupportive Tourist Board chairman Udaya Nanayakkara, the ice was finally broken last week.

Bandaranaike and the associations had two meetings and are now buddy-buddies after a stormy relationship that once led to one of the association chiefs being denied entry into a Bandaranaike meeting with some industry leaders. All that is water under the bridge and according to reports, there is a new alliance against Nanayakkara who has stood rock solid against any attempt to remove him even by President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

The new-found ‘friends’ have taken umbrage against reports in the media where the Tourism Minister is reported to have said he was uncomfortable in making public statements on inviting tourists to a country where there is violence.

The industry has come to Bandaranaike’s aid – a never-before development – and saying the minister was misquoted or words taken out of context. An industry that repeatedly sought the intervention of the media to highlight the flaws in government policy is now on the other side. The good and bad have come together and the bridge-maker (media) is now the punching bag. However if this story –chronicled by The Sunday Times and other media -- has a happy ending, then so be it. The interests of the industry and the nation must come first. But the greatest disappointment of all is that an industry that was vociferous and demanding justice has meekly caved in under pressure.

Not surprising then that Sri Lanka’s private sector often eats humble pie when guts, courage and standing by one’s conviction are called for. Ironically an industry that complained about the minister always being overseas and not having time to meet them has this time invited him on another trip – the mega travel fair in London!